This tender Olive Oil Banana Bread is made with antioxidant-rich olive oil and walnuts and has less sugar than other banana bread recipes. A great breakfast or snack option!
This banana bread batter is made with only 8 simple ingredients plus your choice of add-in! I developed this recipe with delicious and nutritious walnuts but I also think chocolate chips would be a great in addition to the nuts or added on their own!
Try my Banana Gingerbread Muffins or Sourdough Discard Banana Bread next if you love banana baked goods! For a scrumptious banana dessert, I recommend this easy Banana Pudding or Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Tender and moist. Olive oil and plenty of mashed ripe bananas make this loaf pleasant in texture.
- Less sugar than most banana bread recipes. With only ½ cup of brown sugar added in the entire loaf, this bread is mostly sweetened by the ripe banana.
- Customizable. I added walnuts to this loaf to stay along the healthier line but you could add chocolate chips instead if you prefer to make a chocolate chip olive oil banana bread!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this healthier olive oil walnut banana bread.
- Olive Oil - Use any kind of olive oil or you may substitute with avocado oil or any vegetable oil. I also use olive oil in my granola recipes, like my Pecan Maple Vanilla Granola or Peanut Butter Granola.
- Mashed Bananas - This recipe requires 2 cups of mashed banana which is about 4 large ripe bananas. Mash the bananas and then measure them to ensure the accuracy and success of the recipe.
- Brown Sugar - Coconut sugar may be a good substitute here if you want the bread to be less sweet.
- Walnuts - Add chocolate chips as well, if desired. Or use chopped pecans instead. Or omit the add-ins entirely.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Combine the olive oil, brown sugar, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 2: Mix until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Add the flour and baking soda and mix just until no streaks of flour remain.
Step 4: Fold in the chopped walnuts.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Top with additional whole walnuts, if desired.
Step 6: Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out using the overhanging parchment paper. Finish cooling on a wire rack before slicing to serve.
💡 Top Tip
Be sure to let the banana bread bake until it is fully baked inside. Use a tester or toothpick to test the very middle of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean or with only crumbs on it, the bread is done. If there is wet batter on the toothpick still, bake for longer. The top of the banana bread will sink after coming out of the oven if underbaked.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can use olive oil instead of vegetable oil when baking banana bread. You might notice a slight olive oil flavor in the finished product due to the distinct flavor of the olive oil.
You could add chocolate chips or pecans instead of walnuts to this banana bread?
I have not tested substituting maple syrup in this recipe. I don't think it would work as maple syrup would add too much moisture to the already high-moisture batter and the banana bread might not bake properly. Coconut sugar may be a better substitute.
Store the banana bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
🍌 More Banana Recipes
Looking for other recipes with bananas? Try these next:
If you tried this Olive Oil Banana Bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Olive Oil Banana Bread
Equipment
- non-stick cooking spray
- parchment paper
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups & spoons
- rubber spatula
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil *
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 cups ripe mashed bananas * around 4 large bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray before lining it with a piece of parchment paper the same width as the pan with the paper edges left to hang over the sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until all the flour is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts, if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper to lift. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may substitute olive oil with avocado oil or any vegetable oil.
- Mash the bananas and then measure them to ensure the accuracy and success of the recipe.
Nellie
Can I use maple syrup instead of brown sugar and if yes what would be the equivalent to 1/2 c brown sugar!. Thank you
Naomi Andres
Hi Nellie,
I have not tested this recipe with maple syrup and am not sure if it would work because maple syrup is a liquid and would make the recipe very soggy without reducing liquid elsewhere in the recipe. Let me know if you try it, though!
Casey W.
We had this bread for breakfast, and my whole family LOVED it. All my kids (ages 1 through 4) kept asking for more! (I did pick out the walnuts from the baby's pieces.)
Since we had been out of town, we had no eggs in the house, so I made this substituting flax eggs instead. I also didn't have the correct size loaf pan, so I just used a pan that seemed appropriate for the amount of batter. Mine didn't turn out looking as beautiful as the example photos because of these changes, but it still tasted amazing!
Naomi
That's fantastic!! Thank you for sharing those wonderful substitutions.
Naomi
Agnes
Thank you, Naomi, for this wonderful recipe. I added some dark chocolate bits and made 12 muffins. My son in law wanted more! We love how it's not as sweet as other banana bread.this is my go to banana bread recipe from now on. I am thinking of using whole wheat next time. I wonder how it will taste. Do you think I would need more egg or banana if I use whole wheat flour?
Naomi Andres
Hi Agnes,
Thank you, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I think whole wheat flour would work just great! Maybe you could add a little bit more mashed banana, say an extra 1/4 cup by volume.
Let me know how this goes!
Naomi