I have partnered with SPLENDA® to create this Banana Bread. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with their product, however all opinions are entirely my own.
Banana bread is one of my all-time favorite treats (and a great way to use over-ripe bananas), but it can often be a calorie-bomb, full of fat and sugar. I’m so excited to share this recipe for a lighter version because it truly tastes every bit as sweet, moist and swoon-worthy as the original, but it’s so much better for you! Perfect for a snack or as part of a healthy breakfast (just add eggs and fruit), a loaf of Banana Bread also makes a great hostess gift to bring to upcoming holiday gatherings. No one will ever guess a slice of this bread has only 152 calories! To view your current Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
One of my secrets to lightening up this banana bread is SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend, which (just as it sounds) is made only with cane sugar and stevia leaf extract. This new sweetener blend has half the calories and carbs per serving as traditional sugar with no bitter aftertaste! Plus, because the blend contains sugar it works great in baking, providing all the necessary functions (like rise, browning, texture and moistness). I also like that you only need to use half the amount of SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend to get the same sweetness you’d achieve with traditional sugar. Tastes great, made with natural sweeteners, and helps cut calories and carbs? Sign me up! Visit Splenda.com/Naturals for more information on SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweeteners, to locate a store that sells it near you, or to buy online.
In addition to using a low calorie sweetener, I also replaced some of the oil in this banana bread with plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and used my favorite white whole wheat flour instead of traditional white. I’ve used this type of flour since I started blogging in 2010 and since I often get questions about it, it’s a whole wheat flour that’s made to look and taste a little more like white flour. Many different brands sell a version of this and it’s carried at all my local grocery stores, but if you have trouble finding it you can definitely substitute regular whole wheat or all-purpose white flour.