Sugar Free Banana Bread (Moist and Fluffy)

This homemade sugar-free banana bread is naturally sweet, soft, and packed with rich banana flavor—with no added sugar! Made with ripe bananas and wholesome ingredients like unsweetened apple sauce, it’s the perfect guilt-free treat for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert. Whether you’re cutting back on sugar or just looking for a balanced twist on a classic, this bread delivers all the moist, fluffy, and delicious goodness you love.

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I love to eat this low sugar bread for breakfast! It’s just so comforting and a great way to start the day. Grab your favorite warm beverage and enjoy!

Yields	Prep Time	Bake Time	Total Time
10 slices	10 minutes	55 minutes	1 hour 5 minutes

Why Readers Love This Recipe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sooooo good! Easy recipe to follow with my kids. The banana bread was really yummy. We made them into mini loaves and muffins. They came out perfect.
~Shelly

Key Ingredients

• Ripe Bananas
• Vanilla Extract
• Butter
• Unsweetened Applesauce
• Eggs
• Flour
• Cinnamon
• Baking Soda
• Sweetener

Homemade Lightened Up Version

Growing up, my mom made a recipe for me that called for 5 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of pure honey. Those are loaded with fat and sugar.

Most recipes I see have 300+ calories and 50+ grams of carbs per slice. If you want to eat a slice of bread for breakfast or as a treat a few days a week, without the extra calories, this is perfect. I came up with this sugar-free recipe to round out the macros and nutrition facts profile a bit.

What Type of Bananas to Use

You want to use very ripe bananas, perhaps overripe. People often make banana bread when they have bananas that are going bad.

I usually can’t find these in stores, so I have to wait sometimes up to a week for the bananas to ripen at room temperature. The bananas should have black or brown streaks in them or they should be mostly black.

You want to use ripe bananas because they are sweeter and have more sugar.

How to Ripen Bananas Quickly

If your bananas aren’t ripe enough for baking, don’t worry! Here are easy ways to speed up the ripening process so you can get to that moist, sweet banana bread ASAP!

• Oven Method (Fastest – 15-20 Minutes): Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the skins turn black and the bananas are soft. Let them cool before using.
• Paper Bag Method (Overnight – 1-2 Days): Place bananas in a brown paper bag with an apple or ripe banana. Roll the top closed to trap ethylene gas (which speeds up ripening). Check after 24 hours—they should be softer and sweeter!

Never microwave bananas—it won’t ripen them properly, just soften them. Don’t refrigerate unripe bananas—this slows the ripening process!

How to Properly Measure Flour

1. Dump your flour into a bowl so that you can stir and loosen it up. You never want to stick your measuring cup directly into a bag of flour.
2. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup.
3. Level it off in the cup using a knife.

If you stick your measuring cup directly into the bag, it will pack flour into the cup and result in you using too much. The flour needs to have air when measuring. Check out more tips on How to Measure Flour here. Use gluten-free flour to make the bread gluten-free.

How to Make Sugar Free Banana Bread

Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, melted butter, beaten eggs, and unsweetened applesauce in a small bowl.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sweetener, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
4. Add the wet ingredients (banana mixture) to the dry ingredients (flour mixture). Mix with a silicone or wooden spoon. Don’t overmix. Ensure the flour is incorporated, but the mix should be lumpy.
5. Pour the banana bread batter into a loaf pan.
6. Bake.

Why Baking Soda Instead of Baking Powder

When baking soda is combined with something acidic, it reacts, which aerates and raises baked goods much like yeast. I learned this when making my Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies. In that recipe, combining lemon juice with baking soda, resulted in soft cookies with a puff.

Usually when baking soda is used in a recipe, it’s also used with something acidic like buttermilk, lemon juice, or applesauce (which is used in this recipe).

Recipes like muffins, biscuits, and quick breads need a leavening agent like baking soda to give them the right texture.

Baking powder is often used when there aren’t acidic ingredients in the recipe.

To substitute baking soda for baking powder you will need 4 teaspoons of baking powder. 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda = 1 teaspoon of baking powder. You can read more about Baking Soda vs Baking Powder here.

What Sweetener To Use/How to Substitute Sugar

I use organic monkfruit in this recipe to keep it sugar free, specifically this Monkfruit Baking Sweetener. It measures 1:1 like table sugar and works great for baking. It has zero calories, no carbs, and won’t spike your blood sugar.

Feel free to use your preferred sweetener. If you use stevia or artificial sweeteners, you will have to convert the servings. Since monkfruit measures 1:1 you can follow your standard method for calculating it.

If you aren’t concerned with the amount of sugar used, you can also use 1/2 cup of pure honey.

If you prefer to use maple syrup, use 1/3 cup.

How to Substitute Butter

I like the flavor of butter in my bread, but I cut the standard amount of butter typically used in half but using unsweetened applesauce.

I don’t recommend substituting all the butter outlined in this recipe for more applesauce. You will need some oil. You can substitute the 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter for coconut oil or avocado oil instead.

Can You Make Them Into Muffins?

Yes, reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick returns clean.

Optional Variations and Add-Ins

• Sliced Bananas: Love this one the most!
• Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Adds goeey texture and greate flavor
• Chopped Walnuts – Classic for a nutty crunch.
• Pecans – Slightly sweeter and buttery in texture.
• Almonds – Adds a firmer crunch.
• Hazelnuts – For a rich, toasty flavor.
• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes – A tropical twist with light sweetness.
• Pumpkin Seeds – Adds a mild crunch 
• Blueberries – Bursts of juicy sweetness.
• Chopped Strawberries – A fresh, slightly tart twist.
• Raisins or Dried Cranberries (Unsweetened) – Adds natural sweetness.
• Chopped Apples – Softens while baking and adds extra moisture.
• Mashed Pineapple (unsweetened) – A tropical, naturally sweet option.
• Nutmeg – A cozy, slightly nutty spice.
• Cardamom – Adds a floral, citrusy note.
• Ginger (Ground or Fresh Grated) – A mild kick with warmth.

Freezer Tips

The bread should be fully cooled prior to freezing. Wrap the bread in foil and then place it in a sealable bag. It will freeze for up to 4 months.

Thaw the bread in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Recipe Tools

• Loaf Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Foil
• Silicone Spoon
• Mixing Bowl
• Cooling Rack

Similar Recipes You Should Try

Air Fryer Blueberry Muffins
Sugar Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Sugar Free Pound Cake
Sugar Free Cookie Dough
Sugar-Free Apple Butter
Sugar Free Hot Chocolate

You will love our Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Muffins.