Healthy Coconut Banana Bread

Our favorite type of bread is banana bread. I know it seems so basic and boring but it’s classic and I have always loved the banana bread smell drifting through the house when we were younger. My mom would make banana bread often because not only was it our favorite, it was also my dad’s favorite.

If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you’ll know that I love to bake my dad goodies for his birthday. His favorite is my original banana bread recipe and it literally lights up his face whenever I present him with banana bread on any given day. This year, for my dad’s birthday (in August), I decided to make him this coconut banana bread. I decided to take the liberty to change up classic banana bread. He enjoys coconut so why not combine the two? It was a fantastic decision!

This coconut banana bread is so moist and has so much banana flavor! You really gotta use ripe bananas. Like ripe ripe. Like pretty much black bananas. They have the most flavor. I also love that this bread is speckled all over with unsweetened coconut flakes. It gives it great texture and a slight crunch, if you’re into that kind of thing. The bread is SO moist and it smells amazing. The coconut on top of the bread gets toasted the *right* amount, too.

Healthy is definitely a subjective word. What I think as healthy, you might not think as healthy. I hesitated to even call this healthy coconut banana bread but you know what? I think it’s healthy. It uses all natural sugars and instead of bad oils, it is using coconut oil (which ties in perfectly with the coconut banana flavor!).

Who wouldn’t love waking up to a slice of this every morning? My dad loved it! I wish I had made a double batch because I would’ve loved a loaf for ourselves but thankfully, my dad likes to share so I was able to have a couple slices ;)

Toasty coconutty banana goodness right here!

Healthy Coconut Banana Bread

The intoxicating smell of coconut banana bread will be drifting throughout your house as soon as you pop this in the oven! Super moist and tender; you will want to make a double batch!

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 9 slices

Author: Julie Chiou

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Ingredients 

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US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
• ▢ ½ cup maple syrup, room temperature
• ▢ 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup large ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes, divided

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Equipment

• Loaf pan

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 °F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil spray or similar.
• In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, bananas, and almond milk.
• Add the baking soda, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and whole wheat flour to the bowl. Gently fold together dry and wet ingredients until batter forms.
• Pour 1/2 cup of coconut flakes into the batter and fold into the mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and gently tap it against the countertop to let air bubbles escape and to smooth out the top.
• With the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut flakes, generously sprinkle on top of the batter.
• Bake in the middle rack in the oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Slice and put in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge.

Recipe Notes

Room temperature liquids are very important in this recipe because you don't want your coconut oil to re-harden up and cause you to have clumps of coconut oil in the batter. If you notice that your coconut flakes on top of the bread are starting to brown/burn, you can place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the pan. It is very important to have your oven racks in the middle of the oven as opposed to the top. Your coconut flakes will be burnt or toasty if it's at the top!

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 268 kcal | Carbohydrates: 36 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 10 g | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 14 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana, coconut

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