Banana bread with strawberries is a nice twist on your classic recipe and the perfect way to use your overly ripe bananas. It’s lightly sweetened, perfectly moist, and totally delicious!
This recipe was originally published in June 2018. It has been updated for content and photos.
I’m fairly certain that everyone has made banana bread at some point in their life. It’s a lovely staple dessert recipe and the perfect way to use up your browning bananas.
But this banana strawberry bread is a nice change up, adding even more natural sweetness, moisture and great flavour from fresh strawberries.
Here’s some of the many reasons why you’ll love this recipe
- Low sugar with only ¼ cup of maple syrup in the entire loaf! The rest of the sweetness comes from strawberries and overly ripe bananas.
- Only one bowl required to make this banana bread with strawberries, which means minimal mess!
- Low in calories! Like all the recipes on the blog, I do strive to make lower calorie options, but at only 109 calories a slice, you really need to try this!
- It’s healthy compared to most dessert recipes out there. Using wholesome ingredients like bananas, strawberries, applesauce and oat flour, there’s very little to feel guilty about.
- Super moist without using oil. Bananas and applesauce do a phenomenal job of keeping this loaf moist with no oil needed.
- Allergen friendly. This banana strawberry bread is dairy free, egg free, gluten free, nut free and soy free!
How to make it
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Gather your ingredients, chop up your strawberries and set aside.
Preheat your oven and grab a loaf pan.
Mash your banana in a large mixing bowl, and measure to ensure you’ve got a heaping cup worth. (photo 1)
Add the applesauce, vanilla and maple syrup to the same bowl and mix well. (photos 2-3)
Add all the dry ingredients to the same bowl and mix until combined without over mixing. (photos 4-5)
Now gently fold in your diced strawberries. (photos 6-7)
Pour or scoop the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. The batter will be quite thick. Using a silicone spatula, gently smooth the top. (It doesn’t need to be perfect!) (photo 8)
Optional: Add some sliced bananas and strawberries on top of your loaf for extra colour, if desired. (photo 9)
Now bake in your preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of your loaf comes out clean. (photo 10)
Allow your banana strawberry bread to cool a few minutes in the loaf pan, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board and let cool for at least 20 minutes (or longer) before slicing. (photo 11)
If you can wait longer, even better as it will give your loaf more time to set.
Then slice, serve and enjoy!
How long does it keep?
Once completely cooled, tightly wrap your leftovers and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.
This banana bread with strawberries freezes well. Freeze whole or sliced in an air tight container or zip top bag for up to 2 months.
Expert tips
- Use overly ripe bananas. The more brown spots, the better, as the sweeter they will be. Since the recipe uses very little sweetener, you want to make sure your bananas will provide ample sweetness.
- Measure your mashed bananas. Bananas really vary in size. So make sure you’re using enough puree for optimal sweetness and moisture. Measure to ensure you’re using a heaping cup of mashed banana.
- Use parchment paper to line your loaf pan. Although a non stick loaf pan should do the trick, I find this much easier to remove from the pan when using parchment paper. You can easily lift the bread out and place on a cooling rack without worry of breaking it.
- Individual ovens will vary. So make sure to test the doneness of your banana strawberry bread using a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle. When it comes out dry, your loaf is ready.
- Let it cool. Give yourself the extra time to let your loaf cool down. A minimum of 20 minutes on a cooling rack, out of the loaf pan is recommended to allow your banana bread with strawberries to completely set. This will make slicing and serving a lot easier.
More healthier dessert recipes!
- Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins
- Healthy Vegan Lemon Loaf
- Vegan Strawberry Pie [Low Sugar]
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Healthy Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies
- Spinach Banana Muffins
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup mashed ripe banana approx 3 large bananas
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced strawberries fresh or frozen
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour, gluten free if preferred or all purpose flour works well
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and use a nonstick loaf pan or line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas. Then add the applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla and mix well.
- To the same bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix until combined without over mixing. Then gently fold in the strawberries. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and add some sliced strawberries and banana to the top of your loaf, if desired.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of your loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan. Then continue cooling on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Nancy W.
Oh mercy… this Strawberry Banana Bread is AMAAAAZING!! Made it for dessert tonight, and my husband and I had to stop ourselves from eating more! Only modification I made was adding slightly over a cup of strawberries (because I used slightly under a cup of banana). Used fresh strawberries that we picked at a local farm for my birthday a few days ago… doesn’t get any better than this! 🙂
Rosa
Yay! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Nancy. Thanks so much for the review and sharing your process with us. 🙂