This is a new and improved recipe for Banana Bran Bread. It’s what I consider a fairly healthy banana bread, with white whole wheat flour, plenty of unprocessed wheat bran, walnuts and coconut oil. Maple syrup stands in for sugar and coconut milk replaces dairy, so the bread also happens to be vegan.

Banana Bran Bread Healthy Subs

Instead of granulated sugar and eggs, the recipe calls for maple syrup, which sweetens and helps bind. And rather than butter, there’s a quarter cup of coconut oil. The old version of this recipe called for 3/4 cup of yogurt. That is an option, but I’ve found that 1/2 cup coconut milk works even better and keeps the bread dairy free and vegan.

The bread is sweet, dense, and kind of like a good bran muffin in bread form. The older version baked up with a flat top and perfect boxy appearance, so I was able to cut it into neat squares. I’ve since played with the leavening agents a bit, so this new version has a slightly more rounded top.

Banana Bran Bread is good toasted or at room temperature, and in my opinion, a little better on day two than day one. In fact, without the eggs and butter it tends to stay fresher longer.

Recipe