Lighter Maple Walnut Banana Bread – This is not your average banana bread! Healthier than most, mixed with walnuts and filled with a light maple flavor!
I had a whole bunch of bananas sitting on the counter last week. I planned on eating them. On my peanut butter sandwiches, atop my morning bowl of oatmeal, and in my yogurt parfaits. But alas, that did not happen. Good intentions which did not come to fruition.
A for effort?
When they started turning a less than appealing shade of brown I gave up on my good intentions and went with plan B. Banana bread obviously. But I still had the idea of healthy eating somewhere far far in the back dusty corners of my mind because this is a lighter breakfast-worthy yet still decadent enough for dessert banana bread.
And I love all things maple. So I threw a little in there and it turned out de-lish-ous. Make it!
Lighter Maple Walnut Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 bananas - mashed
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup walnuts - chopped
- ⅓ cup greek vanilla yogurt
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch bread pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt and mix together. In another larger bowl cream together sugar and butter until creamy. Add mashed bananas and stir to combine. Mix in eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and greek yogurt. Stir in Walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- Mix together powdered sugar, milk, and maple extract. Drizzle glaze over cooled loaf and top with extra crushed walnuts if desired. Slice and store in airtight container.
I always buy too many bananas that go brown before I get to eat them and this banana bread looks fabulous! Love the addition of maple syrup/extract and walnuts, they sound incredible with the bananas 🙂 Glad I found your wonderful site Tiffany and thanks so much for including me in the 60 slow cooker recipes 🙂
Hey Tiffany,
This recipe looks like a delicious banana bread but nowhere in the ingredient list does it call for bananas? I bet you were just really excited to share this excellent recipe that you overlooked it. So I was wondering how much banana did you use?
Ha, hi Steve. I must’ve gotten some batter smeared across the recipe! I used three bananas, mashed. I’ve updated the ingredient list and instructions. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
We LOVE banana bread in our household and am always trying different recipes for it. This one is fantastic w/the maple syrup and yogurt! My husband and son loathe yogurt so I didn’t tell them I used it and they loved it!! As for myself, I found out that I’m wheat allergic (not celiac — just a mild allergy that makes me feel like I’ve got the flu if I eat anything w/wheat) last year, so I made a batch w/almond flour and used agave instead of sugar. It was so delicious and the rest of my family even liked it. So for our better health I use my version now. But thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
I’m so glad it turned out well even with the changes for your specific taste! The maple is a fun twist on classic banana bread, we loved it and I already have more brown bananas so I guess I’ll be making another loaf!! Thanks Joanne!
This may just be the best banana bread ever!
I’m kind of addicted to maple everything 🙂
Has anyone made this in bread machine ? Im a newbie to bread machine and was wondering thanks Anne