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Home Recipe Index Baked Goods Muffins & Sweet Breads

Blueberry Banana Bread (with a Healthy Twist)

Polly Conner
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This Healthier Blueberry Banana Bread is perfectly moist, lightly sweetened, and packed with ripe bananas and juicy blueberries. It’s made with simple, wholesome ingredients like wheat flour and the hint of lemon zest gives in some extra flavor punch. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or stocking your freezer.

Slices of blueberry banana bread on parchment paper.


 

Why You’ll Love Blueberry Banana Bread

After photographing this recipe, I took it to my daughter’s volleyball team practice. It was gone is less than a minute! They gobbled it up, and requested more. They loved the perfectly moist, slightly-sweet, on the denser side texture. I personally love it because:

  • It’s made with 50% whole wheat flour.
  • It is a healthy on-the-go snack.
  • It is packed with a tasty superfood: blueberries!
  • The banana provides a natural sweetness (and nutrition) but still lets the blueberries shine.
  • It’s freezer friendly.

Many of our other sweet breads like our Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread and Cinnamon Applesauce Bread check the same boxes!

5 Star Review

“This recipe rocks! Followed as directed and it came out perfectly. My husband even said it’s phenomenal.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Amanda

Ingredients Needed

Here is what you need to make it!

Blueberry banana bread ingredients measured out and labeled.

Let’s Make Some Yummy Bread!

Wet ingredients for blueberry banana bread in a blender.
Combine oil, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla.
Dry ingredients for sweet bread in a glass mixing bowl.
Combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Wet and dry ingredients for sweet bread mixed together in a glass mixing bowl.
Add wet mixture to flour mixture.
Fresh blueberries being folded into a sweet bread batter.
Gently fold in the blueberries.
A loaf pan with blueberry banana bread batter spread in it ready to bake.
Pour batter into the greased loaf pan.
A loaf of blueberry banana bread straight from the oven (still in the pan).
Bake and enjoy!
Head shot of Polly from Thriving Home.

Polly’s Testing Tips

  1. I added 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest for a flavor boost. Not necessary but highly recommend.
  2. Top it off with some additional blueberries so they show off on top of the loaf when it’s done.
  3. It is important not to over mix the batter; otherwise, the gluten will overdevelop, resulting in a tougher loaf with air pockets (known as tunneling).
  4. Mix the fresh blueberries in slowly. Don’t use a stand mixer for this! Unless you want purple, tough bread that is.

Can I Freeze Blueberry Banana Bread?

Freeze for Later: Bake bread as directed in the recipe. Let cool completely. Wrap the bread tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap (and place in a freezer bag, too, if you want). Or you can slice the bread and wrap each slice individually and store in a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months.

Prepare from Frozen: Thaw a whole bread loaf in the fridge. Or, if using just a slice from the freezer, warm in the microwave in 15-second increments.

How to Video

A bite out of a slice of blueberry banana bread with butter.

Blueberry Banana Bread

This Healthier Blueberry Banana Bread is perfectly moist, lightly sweetened, and packed with ripe bananas and juicy blueberries. It’s made with simple, wholesome ingredients and feels like a treat while still being nourishing. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or stocking your freezer.
5 from 2 votes
Yield: 10 servings or 1 (8.5 x 4.5-inch) loaf
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 25 minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar (sub: coconut sugar for a healthier alternative)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil (sub: any neutral oil — canola, vegetable, etc.)
  • 3 medium bananas (ripe and mashed; 1-1 1/4 cup per batch)
  • 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries (see Cooking Notes if using frozen blueberries)
  • Optional: Zest of 1/2 lemon

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8.5 x 4.5-inch bread loaf pan with cooking spray. (I used metal. See Cooking Notes about pans.)
  2. Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together.
  3. Wet Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla. (Tip: I often use my blender for wet ingredients instead–making it very smooth.)
  4. Combine: Add wet mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest (if using).
  5. Bake: Pour batter into the greased loaf pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake on the middle rack for 70-80 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (there may be a few crumbs). If the top starts to brown too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
  6. Cool: Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Then, remove bread from pan and cool completely on wire rack before slicing (see Cooking Notes for why this is important). Follow storage or freezing instructions below for leftovers.

Freezer Instructions

Freeze for Later: Bake bread as directed in the recipe. Let cool completely. Wrap the bread tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap (and place in a freezer bag, too, if you want). Or you can slice the bread and wrap each slice individually and store in a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months.
Prepare from Frozen: Thaw a whole bread loaf in the fridge. Or, if using just a slice from the freezer, warm in the microwave in 15-second increments.

Notes/Tips

Directions If Using Frozen Blueberries: If you need to use frozen blueberries, do not thaw the berries, add another 2 tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients, and extend the bake time (bake until toothpick comes out clean). This is because frozen blueberries will bring some additional moisture to the mix. 
Baking Time Variance: Keep in mind that the baking time may vary based on the type of loaf pan you use. Dark metal and glass pans cook faster than light colored metal. Also, if you use a wider loaf pan, the baking time will decrease. So start checking on your loaf around the 40 minute mark if using metal or a larger pan. Read this article for more details.
Storage Tips: Once cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Foil Tent: In our tests, we definitely had to tent foil over the bread during the last 20 minutes or so of cook time so it didn’t brown too much. A metal pan will cause more browning all around.
Another way to check doneness: Insert a digital thermometer straight into the center of the loaf, avoiding the pan. For sweet quick breads (banana bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, etc.), the done temperature in the center is 200–205°F. That’s the sweet spot where the crumb is fully set but still moist. So, pull it out of the oven near 200°F. It will continue to rise a few degrees from carryover heat as it rests, usually landing right in that 203–205°F range.
Let Cool Completely: Allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. This helps the banana bread retain moisture, as slicing too soon allows steam to escape and can result in a drier loaf.
About Your Loaf Pan: Our team tested this several times in an 8.5 x 4.5-inch metal bread loaf pan–regular and non-stick. If your pan is a little larger than the one listed in the recipe, decrease the bake time by 5-10 minutes. Start checking it sooner. If your pan is a little smaller than the one listed in the recipe, you’ll likely need to bake it longer. If you use a glass pan or ceramic pan that’s the same size, check a few minutes later than recipe calls, and consider lowering temp by 25°F.
We updated this recipe in February 2026. If you are looking for the old version, you can download it here.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 265 kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates: 44 g (15%) | Protein: 5 g (10%) | Fat: 9 g (14%) | Cholesterol: 37 mg (12%) | Sodium: 218 mg (9%) | Fiber: 3 g (13%) | Sugar: 21 g (23%)
If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe!
Author: Polly Conner
Rachel Riegel, guest recipe contributor to Thriving Home.

Recipe Contributor: Rachel Walters

Pastry Chef Rachel Walters rigorously tested this recipe for Thriving Home.

Rachel grew up in northern Michigan with a family that loved to cook and bake. She attended a career center for culinary and baking and pastry arts in high school and went to college at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She graduated in August 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Food Business Management and Baking and Pastry Arts. She’s worked in numerous restaurants and has developed recipes for Thriving Home for years now.

In her free time, she loves to read, listen to true crime podcasts, go on walks, travel, and spend time with her husband.

Find more of Rachel’s desserts here.

Blueberry banana bread slices cooling on a baking rack.
Polly Conner

Polly Conner

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Polly’s passionate about helping busy parents get dinner on the table. With a house full of kids, dogs, and (usually) a DIY project in the works, she knows firsthand how every minute (and every dollar) counts. As a business owner, she enjoys wearing multiple hats and serves best as a project manager for Thriving Home.

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5 from 2 votes

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  1. Amanda says

    This recipe Rocks ! Followed as directed and it came out perfectly. My husband said it’s “phenomenal” even, Thanks so much =)

    Reply

    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      So glad you found a phenomenal recipe Amanda! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.

      Reply

  2. Samantha says

    Loving this recipe, thinking of making it tonight. Wondering if I can just use all white flour?

    Reply

    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Hi Samantha. Yes, you can use all-white flour. We do our best to use white whole wheat flour as much as possible because it doesn’t change the texture and adds nutrition!

      Reply

  3. Shirlene says

    Turned out fabulous. I tried Monk Fruit and white sugar since I didn’t have coconut sugar. This loaf won’t last long 🙂 I have already had two slices. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Hi Shirlene. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and let others know what substitutions worked for you!

      Reply