Healthify Your Banana Bread with Truvia Baking Blend

How would you like a big slice of banana bread with less than half the calories of a typical slice? We thought you’d say yes.

Truvia is launching a new Truvia Baking Blend and they want you to know all about it. Truvia is an all-natural sweetener that has zero calories and is made with the best tasting part of the stevia leaf.

Truvia Baking Blend is a blend of Truvia natural sweetener and sugar, and it provides a 75% calorie reduction per serving compared to recipes sweetened only with sugar. One half cup of the Baking Blend offers the same amount of sweetness as one cup of sugar, which has 760 calories. Truvia suggests using half as much Baking Blend when substituting it for sugar in your recipes, to ensure it doesn’t come out too sweet.

Besides the impressive calorie statistics, we also love the package design. It features a twist-off, re-closable, easy-to-pour spout, which is a first in the sweetener ‘baking blend’ market.

We received a free sample of Baking Blend to try, and put it to the test in a healthier version of one of our favorite baked goods: banana bread. This recipe calls for 1/3 cup of Truvia Baking Blend, so it’s considerably low in calories from sugar. And with only 4 Tablespoons of butter when some recipes call for a whole stick, you can eat a whole slice without feeling near the guilt.

Healthier Flaxseed Banana Bread
yields one loaf 

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup milk (we used almond milk)
2 eggs
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup Truvia Baking Blend*
1/4 cup light brown sugar *
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or whole wheat)
old fashioned oats for sprinkling

Notes: Use less Baking Blend (1/4 cup) if you prefer a more naturally sweet-tasting bread. The brown sugar is optional, depending on the sweetness of your bananas.

Method | Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a metal or glass loaf pan. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with the lemon juice, baking soda and baking powder. Then add eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and stir. Add flour, flaxseed and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle oats on top. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean.

The taste of this bread was spot on, and the texture was perfectly moist. The bananas gave it a nice, dense texture and the oats provided it a nice little ‘crunch’ on top.

The Truvia went into the recipe seamlessly and was hardly detectable in the final product. Although – as noted in the recipe – if you prefer your bread to be more naturally sweet from the bananas, I’d suggest pulling back a bit on the sweetness by using less of the Baking Blend and/or omitting the brown sugar. But overall, we were very impressed with the product and can’t wait to try it in more recipes.

If you’re already a fan of the natural flavor of Truvia sweetener, you’ll love this new product that delivers a similar taste with the perfect consistency for all your baking adventures. You can find Truvia Baking Blend at most major retailers for an average cost of $6.99 per bag. We’ll likely be picking some up ourselves as this sweet, all-natural product already has a fan in us.

Also Read:

Reduced Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fresh Squeezed Truvia with Lemonade

Reduced Sugar Fudgy Brownies with Truvia

recipe and photos by Dana Shultz