Not your typical banana bread. My Banana Loaf with Yogurt is flour-free, naturally sweetened with bananas and dates, boosted with plant protein, and made extra tender with yogurt instead of oil. Each serving delivers about 20g protein and 9g fiber, making it a true breakfast or snack loaf - not dessert pretending to be healthy.
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🔍 Quick Look: Banana Loaf with Yogurt
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🎛️ Cook Time: 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~395 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 👩🏽🍳 Flavor Profile: Bright, savory, and naturally creamy with sweet onion and fresh broccoli.
- 💪🏼 Nutrition: 20 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, 195 mg calcium
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy-simple ingredients and minimal prep.
👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
Why You'll Love This Banana Bread with Yogurt:
- It's moist, fluffy, lightly lemony, and incredibly simple. No white flour. No added sugar. No protein powder. Just real ingredients that actually nourish you.
- This loaf is designed to be more than comfort food. Between oats, chia, hemp, and yogurt, you get a powerful combo of protein, fiber, calcium, and slow-digesting carbs - making it far more satiating than traditional banana bread.
- It's the kind of recipe that supports energy, gut health, and blood sugar balance - while still feeling like a treat.
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Banana Loaf with Yogurt
- 👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
- 👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- 🌾 Substitutions
- 📝 How to Make Healthy Banana Bread with Yogurt
- ✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- 🍌 More Healthy Banana Recipes
- 🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 🧁 More healthy baked goods...
- 👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
- ⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
- Banana Loaf with Yogurt Recipe
- 🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
- 💬 Comments
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective.
- Oats blended into flour create structure without wheat
- Yogurt adds moisture + protein (no oil needed)
- Bananas + dates provide natural sweetness
- Chia acts as a binder and adds fiber
- Hemp seeds boost protein and minerals
- Lemon juice brightens flavor and helps activate baking soda for lift
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🌾 Substitutions
This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.
- Yogurt: Use plant-based Greek-style yogurt, regular Greek yogurt, soy yogurt for highest protein, or any thick yogurt works.
- Dates: Substitute with 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup or date syrup, but whole dates keep it fiber-rich.
- Chia seeds: Use flaxseed meal instead.
- Hemp hearts: Optional, but adds protein and texture. Use finely chopped pumpkin seeds instead.
- Lemon juice: Optional, but highly recommended for brightness and lift.
📝 How to Make Healthy Banana Bread with Yogurt
The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.
- Blend the oats until they resemble fine flour.
- A finer grind creates a lighter crumb. If the oats stay coarse, the loaf will be denser and more like baked oatmeal.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: After blending the oats into flour, whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon before adding any wet ingredients. This evenly distributes the leavening so the loaf rises properly and you do not get bitter pockets or uneven lift.
- Blend the wet ingredients: Blend the bananas, dates, yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice, and nondairy milk until completely smooth and slightly airy. This adds a little air to the batter, helping the loaf rise.
- Add the blended wet ingredients, chia seeds, and hemp hearts to the dry mixture. Gently fold everything together just until combined. Don't over mix once wet meets dry. Gentle folding produces a fluffier loaf and the mixture will thicken too much. Add more nondairy milk as needed to loosen the batter. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the batter to a parchment-lined sheet pan, or two glass storage containers (about 8 × 6.5 × 3 inches each), or a baking dish that keeps the batter to around 1 ½ inches thick. Spread evenly.
- Add any desired toppings (dark chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, extra hemp hearts, raspberries, sliced banana, or apple). If adding chocolate chips, I recommend using brands tested for heavy metals - see my recommendations here.
- Optional: Spray the top lightly with oil for a golden-brown finish before baking. Bake on the middle rack for 35 minutes.
- Check the center, check the center with a toothpick. If it comes out mostly clean, it's ready. If not, return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes. Move to a lower rack if the top browns too quickly.
- Divide each of the two loaves in half - each half is one serving.
✔️ Storage & Meal Prep Tips
These simple steps help preserve freshness and texture:
- Storage: Once completely cooled, store the loaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can also slice and freeze it for up to 3 months, placing parchment between slices so they don't stick. This recipe is great for meal prep - simply divide into servings and store in individual containers for easy grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks throughout the week.
- Reheating (optional): Warm refrigerated slices in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. From frozen, microwave for 45-60 seconds or let thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lightly crisp edge, reheat in a toaster oven for a few minutes.
🍌 More Healthy Banana Recipes
A healthy Buckwheat Banana Bread recipe made with buckwheat flour that's high in fiber and protein.
The best Banana Chia Pudding you will ever make, and it takes just 5 minutes!
My Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread with blueberries. This moist and healthy snack is also oil-free.
This Protein Vegan Banana Bread is a complete, healthy, and naturally sweetened breakfast. Each slice delivers 25 grams of protein, 110 mg calcium, and 80 mg magnesium.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Let the loaf cool completely before storing, then keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The yogurt and bananas help retain moisture, but sealing it properly is key. If it starts to feel dry after a few days, reheat a slice briefly in the microwave (20-30 seconds) - that usually brings the softness right back. For longer storage, slice and freeze, then reheat as needed.
Yes - this recipe works great as muffins. Prepare the batter as written, fill muffin cups about ¾ full, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 18-22 minutes on the middle rack. Start checking at 18 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring. You'll get about 8 to 10 muffins, depending on size.
The yogurt adds moisture and protein while replacing oil, helping keep the loaf soft without making it greasy. Its natural acidity also reacts with the baking soda, giving the bread a lighter, fluffier texture. It's what makes this banana loaf tender and cake-like while keeping it nourishing.
🧁 More healthy baked goods...
👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
Let me know your thoughts on Flourless Banana Bread by leaving a ⭐️ rating below or sharing it on Instagram.
⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
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Banana Loaf with Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups rolled oats (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- 2 Medjool dates pitted
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons nondairy milk plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons hemp hearts
- 1 tablespoons chia seeds
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EQUIPMENT
- Baking dish 2 glass storage containers (about 8 × 6.5 × 3 inches each), or a large sheet pan, muffin tin, or any baking dish that keeps the batter around 1½ inches thick will work
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease your baking dishes.
- Blend the oats into a fine flour. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon (if using) into the oat flour.
- Blend wet ingredients: In the same blender as used to grind the oats, blend the bananas, dates, yogurt, lemon juice, nondairy milk, and vanilla until completely smooth and slightly airy.
- Add the blended wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the chia seeds and hemp hearts, and gently fold just until combined. Do not over mix. The batter should be thick but light and spoonable.
- Transfer to two glass storage containers (about 8 × 6.5 × 3 inches each) or a lined sheet pan, or any greased baking dish that keeps the batter about 1½ inches thick. Smooth the tops and add desired toppings.
- Optional: Spray the top of each cake with a few spritzes of oil for a golden-brown finish.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick. If needed, bake 5-10 minutes longer. If the top browns too quickly, move to a lower rack.
- Let cool completely before slicing. Divide each loaf in half - each half is one serving.
Notes
- Use two glass storage containers (about 8 × 6.5 × 3 inches each), or most baking dishes that keep the batter around 1½ inches thick will work. The containers I used are linked here.
- I used High Protein Rolled Oats (linked here - see healthy ingredients), but regular rolled oats work just fine too.
- Use ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons yogurt, which is about the same as one 5.3-oz container.
- Do not over mix the batter or it will thicken too much. Transfer quickly to a lightly-greased baking dish and bake immediately.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
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