Whole-Wheat Coffee Cake Banana Bread

A delicious recipe for a healthier coffee cake banana bread made with half whole-wheat flour and less sugar. Topped with a cinnamon streusel.

This banana bread has a mildly sweet banana flavor and is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping. This recipe is made with half whole-wheat flour and less sugar than many banana bread recipes. The resulting taste is more mild and less sweet.

Even though it’s a little bit healthier (thanks to whole-wheat flour and less sugar) my kids love it. My boys ate one whole loaf of this banana bread before I could even finish photographing it.

It makes a great quick breakfast or snack. Sometimes I even pack a slice in my kids lunchbox.

Ingredients

This healthier banana bread is made with ripe bananas and basic pantry and fridge staples.

• Bananas – This recipe uses three ripe bananas. 
• Butter – One stick of unsalted butter. 
• Sugar – Granulated and light brown sugar. 
• Eggs – Two eggs. 
• All-Purpose Flour – I used Unbleached Gold Medal AP Flour. 
• Whole Wheat Flour – I used King Arthur Flour White Whole-Wheat Flour. 
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Sour Cream – Tested with Daisy Light Sour Cream. Plain Greek yogurt may be substituted. 
• Cinnamon - This recipe has a mild cinnamon flavor. If you love cinnamon, I would recommend increasing the amount used.
• Vanilla Extract

Streusel Topping for Banana Bread

The crumb topping is made by cutting cold butter into a mixture of flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. You can do this with a pastry cutter, two knives or a small food processor. 

It makes a decent amount of streusel topping to sprinkle over the batter. Sometimes, I don’t use all of it. 

How to make 

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 8 x 4” bread pans or line with foil. Mash bananas; Set aside. 

Step 2 –In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

Step 3 - In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing until incorporated. Add Greek yogurt, vanilla extract and banana mixture. Mix on low until well combined. 

Step 4 – Add dry ingredient mixture to wet mixture, mixing by hand until flour is incorporated. I like to do this with a wooden spoon. Avoid overmixing. 

Step 5- Make crumb topping by combining flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until topping looks like coarse crumbs.

Step 6 – Divide banana bread batter evenly into baking pans. Sprinkle half of the streusel topping on each loaf. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Recipe Tips

• Line bread pans with foil for an easy cleanup. 
• Do not overmix dry ingredients or it will result in a tougher banana bread. 
• I like to use King Arthur White Whole-Wheat Flour for a milder taste. 
• This recipe makes two smaller loaves of banana bread. 
• It makes a good amount of streusel topping, sometimes I don’t use it all. 

Happy Baking!

📖 Recipe

Recipe adapted from A Latte Food. 

FAQ

Can I make this into banana bread muffins?

Yes, this recipe can be made into muffins. Reduce the cooking time, I recommend baking them for 15-22 minutes. Use the toothpick test to be sure they are done. 

Is this banana bread healthy?

It isn’t the healthiest banana bread recipe you can find on the internet, but it’s a real crowd pleaser and lighter than your average banana bread. The whole-wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients. Sugar is about half of what is used in many banana bread recipes.

More recipes you may also enjoy:

• Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Healthy Banana Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
• Protein Oatmeal

Lighter Coffee Cake Banana Bread was originally published on August 19, 2018 on My TX Kitchen. Updated in July 2023 with new pictures and text.