This healthy blueberry banana bread recipe is the perfect summer treat! It’s naturally gluten-free, sweetened without refined sugar, and made with high protein flours.
When you just can’t decide between banana bread and blueberry muffins, blueberry banana bread is here to save the day. (Or at least save you from having to make a decision.) It’s the best of both treats—moist, tropical banana bread studded with fresh, juicy berries. And my version of blueberry banana bread is healthy, too!
The base of our healthy blueberry banana bread is a blend of almond flour and quinoa flour, which is my favorite combination for quick breads. You might recognize this combo from my Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread and Vegan Gingerbread Loaf; I love using almond and quinoa flour together in quick breads because it yields the most amazing texture and both flours are nutrient-rich.
Because quick breads should be, well, quick, this blueberry banana bread comes together in just 10 minutes and you can easily make it in one bowl if you’d like. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool so you can slice it and enjoy a summery, berry-filled treat!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Blanched almond flour – It's super important to use superfine, blanched almond flour in this blueberry banana bread recipe since it has the finest texture and a mellow color.
- Quinoa flour – This is a great flour to add to your gluten-free baking because it's high in protein and helps with structure. Here's where to get the best deal on quinoa flour.
- Flaxseed meal
- Arrowroot powder – Sometimes this is labeled as arrowroot starch.
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut flour – Coconut flour is surprisingly high in protein and fiber, making it another healthy addition to our blueberry banana bread.
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla powder or extract
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs – Let these come to room temperature before you start the recipe. Room temperature eggs will hold more air when you beat them, giving your banana bread more rise.
- Mashed banana – The darker, the better! An over-ripe banana doesn’t only add sweetness, it also gives the bread a more pronounced banana flavor.
- Olive oil – Or your oil of choice.
- Maple syrup – Or your liquid sweetener of choice.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen in this recipe.
- Turbinado sugar – Optional, for garnish.
Can I Make This Recipe Without Eggs?
This is one of the most common questions I get about my almond flour quick breads and I'll be honest and tell you that I haven't found a good option for an egg-free version.
The benefit that eggs provide here, aside from the binding properties, it's that they also help the bread rise and stay risen. Flax eggs make the bread too dense because it doesn’t rise properly, and sometimes this results in the bread not baking all the way through.
How to Make Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread
Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to make blueberry banana bread! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs, mashed banana, oil, syrup, and vinegar until the mixture is smooth.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.
Bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar. Bake on the center rack for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for an hour, then turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
Here are some hints and tips to make this healthy blueberry banana bread even easier.
- Make it in one bowl. If you want to save on dishes, start with your wet ingredients and then fold in the dry ingredients. You can just mash the banana in the bowl, whisk in your eggs, add the remaining wet ingredients, and then add the dry ingredients.
- Don’t switch up the recipe base. While you can put your own unique spin on this recipe (more on that below!), the base of the recipe is carefully formulated and tested with these exact flours in these exact proportions. If you make changes, it won’t turn out the same!
- Let it cool completely. Although it’s hard to resist warm banana bread, let the bread cool before you cut into it. You’ll get cleaner slices that way!
Blueberry Banana Bread Variations
There’s a lot of room for customization with this recipe! Here are some ideas:
- Add lemon or orange zest to the batter.
- Slather the top of the bread with coconut butter icing.
- Melt coconut butter and a tiny bit of coconut oil in the microwave and drizzle it over the cooled bread. (That’s what I did in these photos!)
- Swap half the blueberries for raspberries or chopped strawberries.
- Stir chopped walnuts or hemp seeds to the batter.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy blueberry banana bread is perfect as-is, but I love giving it a light toast in the toaster oven and spreading it with some homemade chia jam. It's filling and comforting, but still light and refreshing.
You can make it dessert-worthy by topping it with a dollop of coconut whipped cream, or make a personal-sized breakfast trifle by layering cubes of blueberry banana bread with vegan yogurt, fresh berries, and lemon zest.
Can I Make This Blueberry Banana Bread into Muffins?
Yes, you can easily pour the bread batter into a muffin tin and make muffins instead. You’ll get about 12 muffins from this recipe; bake them at 375ºF for about 25 minutes (start checking them for doneness around the 23-minute mark).
How to Store
This healthy blueberry banana bread stores just as well as the traditional recipe! Wrap it tightly and it will keep at room temperature for about 3 days.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
Yes, you can freeze your blueberry banana bread for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly and let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Almond Flour Dessert Recipes To Try!
Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mashed banana about 1 medium
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or oil of choice
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or liquid sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar to garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, mashed banana, oil, syrup and vinegar and beat until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together. Once combined, fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer batter to the prepared loaf tin, sprinkle with turbinado sugar (if using). Bake on the center rack for 45 – 50 minutes until the top has turned golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 1 hour then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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The cake turned out excellent, the recipe is amazing, it turned out the first time, thank you very much, you are amazingly talented, thank you for your mission, bring great joy to every home. excellent!
Thank you so much, Jane❤️
PS- Where can you find a cake tester,?
You can just you a fork or a knife!
My daughter has had success with substituting whipped bananas for eggs in gluten-free pancakes. One banana is equivalent to one egg. Would you please try that to see if that works in your blueberry-banana bread? I’d love to see if that works. If not, she’s read you can try whipping avocado as an egg substitute. This could open up new world’s of possibilities,! Good luck and let me know!
Hi Sue! I will have to try that. I’m not it would work because the egg helps with the rising, but we’ll see! I love using bananas in a lot of my baking recipes.
Alyssa I can’t find sorghum flour where I live what can I replace it with for this recipe. Thanks
I think oat flour or quinoa flour would work!
Can I use chia seeds instead of flax meal?
You could try! I haven’t tested that yet, so I’m not sure!
Looks amazing!! Can I use flax egg instead ?
I don’t think so! Because of the flour combo, the bread kind of relies on the eggs for structure and lift 🙂
I made this bread this week and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it . I’m making it again today or tomorrow lol .
Do you think it would freeze well ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Would love for you to give it a star rating if you have a sec 🙂 xox
The blueberry banana combo is amazing!
My FAVE!
Love this loaf, veryeasy to make, tastes delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Is the oven temp for regular oven or fan ?? Thanks !
Regular oven!
What a heavenly loaf! I absolutely adore baking banana bread and adding some kind of fun juicy fruit in the batter! I have always had trouble baking with blueberries since they tended to burst inside my pastry base, add unwanted moisture and gooeyness, or make the entire inside of my pastry this unattractive purple color. Yours turned out so perfectly!
thank you!! this is honestly SUCH yummy recipe 🙂 hope you give it a try!
Does it taste dry ? Also can I subsiute blueberry to strawberries?
It doesn’t! And yes, you can definitely add strawberries 🙂
Is there a substitute for the arrowroot powder? Thanks, bread looks great!
You could do tapioca or potato starch!
Thanks Alyssa
Great ! But could I sub the quinoa flour ?
I haven’t tested it without quinoa flour, but if you did I would suggest another whole grain flour like millet or sorghum!
Hi Alyssa,
what can I use instead of arrowroot powder, maybe xanthan gum?
thx!
I think tapioca starch or potato starch would be better! You could also try a little bit more quinoa flour 🙂
Sounds lovely but what is coconut butter?
It’s the same as almond or peanut butter, but made from coconuts 🙂
Love ❤️ Blueberry Banana Bread!! Would make this for our Sunday School Breakfast. We had the best food. People from all over the church even the preacher would come to eat w/us.
I hope everyone loves it!