Love Banana Bread? You will love this easy Banana Bread with Applesauce For Two recipe: a guilt-free indulgence that will satisfy your banana bread craving.
Banana Bread with Applesauce is super moist, flavorful and low fat! It’s easy to make and scaled down to fit in a mini loaf pan. All you need is a few pantry items and one or two extra ingredients to make this indulgent worthy.
And you don’t need a mixer!
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Why this recipe works
After sharing my Aunt’s Easy Nebraska Runza Recipe, my cousin Brianna, an incredible baker, shared her Banana Bread recipe using applesauce.
Whenever I see ripe bananas, banana bread inevitably comes to mind. Warm slices right out of the oven -- what a treat!
The ideal banana bread is simple to make—a moist, tender loaf or muffin that really tastes like bananas. Brianna introduced me to a healthier low-fat version by swapping out the canola oil for applesauce.
Applesauce is a great substitute for oil, that keeps the banana flavor produces a low in calorie and fat bread that is super moist. A great way to take care of my banana bread craving without the guilt.
Brianna recommends adding chocolate chips or even candy coated chocolate, which I did and it was sublime!
Sooo grab those ripe bananas and let’s make the right amount of banana bread or muffins for two people!
Healthy but moist
The key to making a healthy yet moist banana bread is not over-mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. To keep from over-mixing, sift your dry ingredients before gently folding everything together to ensure the loaf stays tender with a delicate texture.
There are several ways to make this Banana Bread with Applesauce For Two recipe even healthier. Our Banana Applesauce Bread recipe uses all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat or spelt flour but you can easily swap them. Keep in mind if you use whole wheat flour your muffins or bread will be denser and darker.
Or swap in honey, maple syrup, or a sugar substitute for the sugar. To keep this gluten free, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Ingredients to make Banana Bread with Applesauce
Here’s what you will need for this recipe.
- flour – I use all-purpose flour. To make this even healthier swap whole-wheat, spelt flour or gluten-free flour.
- sugar - Use honey, maple syrup or a sugar substitute.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- ripe banana - The key to this recipe is using a very ripe, soft darkly speckled banana.
- egg
- applesauce – if you do not have applesauce on hand, peel and roughly chop an apple, then use a hand blender or food processor to puree the apple.
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- grated bittersweet chocolate, chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate (optional) to make a banana-chocolate bread.
Note: Ingredient measurements are found in the recipe card below.
Making banana bread for two
We set out to scale down banana bread to fit in a mini loaf pan. You will need a 5 ½ by 3-inch loaf pan or a pan of similar size for this recipe.
You can also make 6 muffins with this recipe. Eat two and freeze the rest for up to 2 months.
Cooking for Two? For more bread recipes for two try this simple and crazy delicious Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe.
Storing bananas
Most of us store bananas on the countertop but storing ripe bananas in the refrigerator will keep the fruit firm, despite the darkened skin. America’s Test Kitchen explains how cool temperatures slow down the ripening process to make bananas last up to two weeks after purchase.
Ripening bananas
There is an abundance of natural sugars in overripe bananas which is the secret to achieving lots of banana flavor and keeping the bread moist.
The best way to ripen bananas is to enclose them in a paper bag, this will speed up the ripening process by a day or two. This America’s Test Kitchen article explains the science behind this fruit ripening strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions when making banana bread
Canola oil is the most common choice used in most quick bread recipes, and this can be replaced one-for-one with a cup of applesauce. We love applesauce because it maintains banana flavor in a moist tender loaf.
Applesauce can be used as a direct substitute for oil or butter in baking. The rule of thumb is to use a 1:1 ratio. If your recipe calls for ½ cup of oil, replace it with ½ cup of applesauce.
Swapping applesauce for oil or butter not only reduces calories and fat, it adds flavor, moisture, nutrients and fiber. Substituting with applesauce works best in recipes calling for oil.
Banana Bread with Applesauce For Two
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour To make this even healthier swap whole-wheat, spelt flour or gluten-free flour.
- ¼ cup sugar For a non-cane sugar option use honey, syrup or a sugar substitute.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ salt
- 2 ripe bananas peeled and mashed well
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup grated bittersweet chocolate chocolate chips or candy coated chocolate (optional) to make a banana-chocolate bread.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the loaf pan with cooking oil.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon together into a medium bowl. Fold in chocolate, if using, set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk mashed banana, egg, applesauce, and vanilla together until smooth. Let set for 15 minutes.
- Gently fold banana mixture into flour mixture with rubber spatula until just combined. The batter will be lumpy with a few spots of dry flour; do not over mix to keep the banana bread moist and tender.
- Using rubber spatula, pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until loaf is golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 minutes for the loaf and 25 minutes for muffins, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, remove from pan. Let the loaf cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ourtable42.
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