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.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Blueberry Banana Bread
Breads like Banana Pumpkin Bread, Cinnamon Apple Sauce Bread, and Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread are perfect to pull out on busy mornings for a filling, nutritious breakfast. Here are a few reasons you’ll love this Blueberry Banana Bread.
- It’s made 50% whole wheat flour.
- 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.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – Like many of our baked goods, we use a combo of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. We prefer this specific variety because it yields fluffier baked goods but still provides the nutrition from whole wheat flour.
- Sugar – Feel free to reduce the sugar slightly if desired, especially if you’re using really ripe bananas which have a higher sugar content. For a more all-natural sugar, sub coconut sugar.
- Ripe Banana – This is a great way to use up bananas that have gone past their due date. You can always peel them and toss them in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. If using frozen bananas, you’ll need to drain off any extra liquid from them when they thaw.
- Blueberries – The star of the party! We recommended using fresh blueberries in this recipe because frozen blueberries will add extra moisture to the batter, resulting in a potentially soggy loaf.
Polly’s Testing Tips
- Top it off with some additional blueberries so they show off on top of the loaf when it’s done.
- It is important not to overmix the batter; otherwise, the gluten will overdevelop, resulting in a tougher loaf with air pockets (known as tunneling).
- For more even baking, rotate the pan after about 30–35 minutes in the oven.
- 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.
- Mix the fresh blueberries in slowly. Don’t use a stand mixer for this! Unless you want purple, tough bread that is.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 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.)
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together.
- 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.)
- Combine: Add wet mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- 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.
- 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.
Can I Freeze Blueberry Banana Bread?
It’s no secret we are big fans of freezer meals around here. In fact, we have 2 freezer meal cookbooks, 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions, and even a round-up with 70+ freezer meal recipes that you will love!
So, we definitely have freezer meal instructions for this recipe.
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.
Recipe FAQS
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes, although, fresh blueberries are preferable. If you need to use frozen blueberries, do not thaw, add another 2 tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients, and extend the bake time. This is because frozen blueberries will bring some additional moisture to the mix.
Can I sub something for the bananas?
You can use unsweetened applesauce in a pinch. Caveat: This may add extra moisture, so it may take longer to bake.
What if I have a glass or ceramic pan?
If you use a glass or ceramic pan that’s the same size, check a few minutes later than recipe calls, and consider lowering temp by 25°F.
What Goes Well With Blueberry Banana Bread?
While this recipe can stand alone and leave you feeling full as a snack, here are some recipes that would complement it well for breakfast or lunch:
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.
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
- 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.)
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together.
- 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.)
- Combine: Add wet mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- 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.
- 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!
This recipe Rocks ! Followed as directed and it came out perfectly. My husband said it’s “phenomenal” even, Thanks so much =)
So glad you found a phenomenal recipe Amanda! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Loving this recipe, thinking of making it tonight. Wondering if I can just use all white flour?
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!
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.
Hi Shirlene. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and let others know what substitutions worked for you!