WW Recipe of the Day: Healthy Low Fat Applesauce Banana Bread
My favorite thing to make with overripe bananas is banana bread.
Weight Watchers Friendly Low Fat Banana Bread
The other alternative is to peel and toss them into a zipper lock bag for the freezer where they are ready and waiting to be added to healthy smoothies, protein shakes and "ice cream".
I have lots of different recipes for healthy Weight Watchers friendly banana bread recipes here on Simple Nourished Living.
This one is a bit different. Made from a combination of applesauce and bananas, this healthy applesauce banana bread is as easy as it is delicious.
And it hasn't doubled in SmartPoints the way so many sweet treats have under the Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program.
I think I've discovered the secret to making sweet treats with a moderate amount of SmartPoints that doesn't require resorting to artificial sweeteners! (Splenda gives me a headache and I don't like the bitter aftertaste of stevia, but I'm continue to experiment with Truvia (affiliate link).)
Healthy Applesauce
I prefer to try to just keep the amount of sugar as low as possible, use mashed 0 Points fruit like unsweetened applesauce and bananas for natural moisture and sweetness, and use as little fat as possible.
Applesauce Banana Bread Recipe Notes
The original recipe called for baking mix such as Jiffy or Bisquick, which while convenient, now that I'm an avid food label reader, I realize isn't the healthiest choice ever. So I substituted flour, baking powder and salt instead.
I used white whole-wheat flour to bump up the nutrition a bit. Feel free to substitute all-purpose flour or a combination of white-wheat and all-purpose if you prefer.
Banana Bread with Applesauce
I haven't tried this recipe with regular whole wheat flour which can be much heavier and more dense.
As a longtime Weight Watcher, my kitchen is equipped with a digital kitchen scale (affiliate link), which I now routinely use to weigh my flour instead of measuring it when baking, because it provides more accuracy and consistency.
If you have issues with managing portion-control when it comes to baked goods, you could always use this recipe to make mini-loaves, muffins or mini muffins instead.
How Many Calories/WW Points in this WW Friendly Applesauce Banana Bread?
According to my calculations each slice has 120 calories and:
3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
3 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Low Fat Applesauce Banana Bread Ingredients
- ¾ cup mashed bananas
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup brown sugar (use zero calorie sweetener if you prefer)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Delicious Banana Bread Additions & Variations
There are many tasty additions you can add to banana bread to enhance its flavor and texture. Here are a few suggestions:
- Chocolate chips: Adding chocolate chips to banana bread is a classic combination that many people love.
- Nuts: Chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds add a delicious crunch to banana bread.
- Dried fruit: Dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, apricots or dates can add sweetness and texture to your banana bread.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are great spices to add to banana bread for extra warmth and flavor.
- Cocoa powder: If you want more chocolate flavor you can add cocoa powder to your banana bread batter. A quarter cup is about all you need to turn your bread from banana to cocoa-banana.
- Coconut: Shredded coconut can add a tropical flavor and texture to banana bread.
- Peanut butter: Stir in some peanut butter to add a rich, nutty flavor to your banana bread.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries can add a burst of juicy sweetness to your banana bread..
- Cream cheese: Swirl in some cream cheese to make your banana bread extra creamy and indulgent.
- Citrus: Adding lemon or orange zest to your banana bread can add a bright, citrusy flavor that pairs well with the sweetness of the bananas. Orange juice is good too.
- Apricot jam or orange marmalade: two or three tablespoonfuls of jam can jazz up a simple banana bread.
- Fruit: Blueberries & pineapple are two favorites
Kitchen Tools I Used to Make this Banana Bread:
- Mixing Bowls (affiliate link)
- Potato Masher (affiliate link)
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (affiliate link)
- Digital Kitchen Scale (affiliate link)
If you like this easy recipe for banana bread with applesauce, be sure to check out some of my other easy healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Low-Fat Banana Nut Bread, Bran Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Individual "Banana Bread" Baked Oatmeal Cups, Cashew Banana Mini Muffins and Mini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Muffins
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Low-Fat Applesauce Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3 medium)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350F degrees. Coat a nonstick 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the bananas, applesauce, brown sugar and eggs until creamy.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until just blended.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from the pan by carefully tipping the loaf out of the pan.
- Set banana bread loaf on wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Watch how easy it is to make your own healthy applesauce banana bread at home:Ideas for Making Banana Bread WW Friendly
- Opt for overripe bananas: Bananas with brown spots are naturally sweeter, allowing you to use less sugar in your recipe.
- Swap in a sugar substitute: Consider using Stevia or Splenda as a substitute for regular or brown sugar.
- Choose whole wheat flour: To boost nutrition and add a nutty flavor, opt for whole wheat flour over white flour, which also has more fiber. I like white wheat flour which is bit lighter in baked goods.
- Substitute with nonfat Greek yogurt: Replace oil or butter in your recipe with nonfat Greek yogurt to add protein and reduce calories and Weight Watchers points.
- Use egg whites: For a lower calorie and fat option, use egg whites instead of whole eggs.
- Use nonfat milk: To lower the calorie count, switch to nonfat milk instead of whole milk.
- Add spices for extra flavor: To add flavor without extra calories, try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to your recipe.
- Try mini loaf pans or muffin tins: Use smaller pans to make mini loaves or muffins and reduce the calorie count per serving.
- Swap in unsweetened applesauce: Replace oil with unsweetened applesauce in your recipe.
- Make your recipe gluten-free or vegan: Experiment with alternative flours or egg substitutes to make a healthy version of your recipe that suits your dietary preferences.
More Easy Healthy Banana Recipes for Weight Watchers:
- Skinny Banana Oatmeal Muffin & Bread Recipes
- Healthy Low-Fat Banana Bread
- Low Fat Chocolate Banana Bread
- Healthy Low Fat Banana Bread with Apricot and Dates
- Skinny Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Skinny Banana Coconut Date Muffins
- Low Fat Banana Bread
- Nutella Banana Bread
- Skinny Healthy Banana Coconut Date Muffins
- Low Fat Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Icing
- Banana Cranberry Muffins
- Moist Banana Nut Bread
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Gloria petrey
Cooking low fat creates something a little different from high fat baking so you just need to get past that and this bread turned out delicious and it feels good to eat it bc I know I’m eating healthy too. Win, win.
William Christian
I make them in a muffin pan too 😀
Maggie
I love this recipe, it's been my go to for years for banana bread. One of the first things I leaned to bake
Kelly
This was good and I loved the simplicity of the ingredients! I baked for 55 mins and it was slightly overbaked. Next time I'll check around the 45 min mark. I may also try it without the cinnamon. Thanks for this recipe!
KB
I doubled the recipe and the 2 loaves were done at about 30 minutes! with good structure but only slight banana flavor— i had to tell my daughter what it was.
Teresa
Made this with the Splenda/ brown sugar blend. Added 1/2 tsp. Vanilla, 1/2 c chopped pecans and cut baking time back by about 7 minutes. Just check it close to the end, is what I’m saying. Nice to have something sweet when the urge hits.
Annette
Could you confirm dry ingredients? In video different from recipe. Dry ingredients….baking powder, and baking soda.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Annette,
You will find the list of dry ingredients in the recipe card. Hope this helps. ~Martha
Diane
This bread had a good taste but came out very dry. Luckily I read the comments and only baked it for 40 minutes, when it seemed done. I think I should add some milk or yogurt next time. Or use 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup applesauce to make it moist. I got lower points by substituting Splenda brown sugar for regular brown sugar.
Martha McKinnon
Great suggestions, Diane. Thanks for sharing. ~Martha
Stacey
Is it really supposed to be 1 Tablespoon of baking powder? Seems like a lot for this recipe.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Stacey,
That's what I used. If you feel like it should be less, then use less! ~Martha
Lori
Very easy and tasty. Thank you.