Home » Bread » Best Banana Bread Recipe
posted by Liz Berg
on April 15, 2020 (updated 9/27/23)
The Best Banana Bread Recipe is spiked with pecans and enhanced with nutty brown butter. Plus use my tips for perfect results every time!
This Moist Banana Bread is wonderful for breakfast, brunch, or snack time! It’s destined to become a family favorite.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 Recipe Tips
4 How to Make Brown Butter or Beurre Noisette
5 Tips for Making Brown Butter
6 Frequently Asked Questions
7 You May Also Like:
8 The Best Banana Bread Recipe
Why You Must Make
- The addition of both brown butter and pecans elevates the deliciousness of this bread.
- Quick breads like this banana bread are so much easier to make than yeast bread.
- Keep this recipe on hand for those times you buy too many bananas and they are ripening faster than you can eat them.
I had a board meeting to attend back in 2013 when I first created this moist banana bread recipe. It was my turn to bring snacks and take minutes. Let me tell you, I’d rather bake all night long than have to take minutes, but I’m a volunteer, so I just do as I’m told. This Classic Banana Walnut Breadis an old favorite and this Blueberry Muffin Bread is scrumptious, but I decided on a Banana Nut Bread with brown butter, and fruit for a nice mid-morning treat.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Sugar, Cinnamon
- Eggs – Have at room temperature for easier incorporation
- Nutmeg – I prefer freshly ground nutmeg, but ground nutmeg can be used in a pinch
- Bananas – They should not have any green spots on the peels. They should be yellow with some brown spots for the best flavor.
- Butter – This will be cooked in a saucepan until it turns brown, the color of hazelnuts
- Vanilla – Real vanilla extract, never imitation. Read the label.
- Pecans – Toast for a few minutes in a skillet, turning frequently, to bring out the natural oils and flavors. Cool and then chop finely.
Recipe Tips
A girlfriend raved about Tyler Florence’s banana bread recipe. Since I wasn’t baking for my family I could add the chopped pecans. Plus a little grating of fresh nutmeg, cinnamon, and that flavorful brown butter would make a fabulous treat.
- First, make the brown butter so it has a chance to cool. Feel free to use regular melted butter if you’re in a hurry, but brown butter offers a nutty taste with caramel undertones. It’s worth a try. Detailed instructions are located below.
- Spray the pan with Baker’s Joy and line the bottom with a piece of parchment, then spray that, too. PRO-Tip: An oil and flour spray helps prevent the loaf from sticking to the pan.
- Follow the mixing directions in the recipe. Part of the banana is mashed and part is beaten. The dry ingredients are whisked together, but once they’re added to the wet ingredients, they should be mixed with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- PRO Tip: Using a mixer or whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients will overdevelop the gluten and create undesirable tunnels! It’s better to have a few small clumps of the dry mixture in the batter than to overmix it.
- Add walnuts instead of pecans if that’s your preference. Substitute chocolate chips if you’re not a fan of nuts or leave them out without substituting.
- Make sure to cool the bread on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to finish cooling. This gives the bread a little time to firm up before removing the loaf from the pan.
- Pro Tip: If you just have one over-ripe banana, put it in the freezer in a zip-top bag. Add more when you can’t eat them fast enough until you get enough to make a batch. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
How to Make Brown Butter or Beurre Noisette
After making brown butter cookies last week, I just had to brown some more butter to give this loaf even more nuttiness.
- To make brown butter, start by slicing the butter into tablespoon-sized chunks.
- In a heavy saucepan, cook over moderate heat, swirling occasionally.
- It is done when it begins to brown and smell nutty. I used salted butter, but unsalted is actually preferred as it doesn’t foam as much and it’s easier to see the color change.
Tips for Making Brown Butter
- Use a heavy saucepan, preferably stainless steel, as it’s hard to watch for browning with a dark finish.
- Don’t walk away from the stove as the butter goes from yellow to brown quickly, and if it burns, you’ll need to toss it and start over.
- Pull it off the heat once the mixture gets to the color of hazelnuts.
- The browning comes from the heat of the burner toasting the milk solids. Coincidentally, this Maillard Reaction is what gives seared and grilled meat their delicious flavor and aroma. The chemical reaction transforms amino acids and sugars into hundreds of flavor compounds!
- PRO-Tip: There are 3 types of brown butter according to the Science of Cooking: ” A lightly browned butter with mild flavors, a golden brown butter, and a dark brown butter sauce mainly found in baked goods.” My preference is a brown butter somewhere between the golden brown stage and the dark brown butter stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do You Bake Banana Nut Bread?
The time will vary a bit depending on your oven, the kind of pan you use (glass, metal, or ceramic) along with the size and ripeness of your bananas.
This batch took 1 hour and 15 minutes. I tested by inserting a toothpick into the crack along the top. When I pulled it out, it was clean of batter, indicating the loaf was done.
How Do You Store Banana Bread?
Store your banana bread in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Add a paper towel to the container to absorb any excess moisture.
After 2-3 days, it’s wise to wrap the bread well in plastic wrap and move it to the refrigerator. Since the fridge is a dry environment, it must be wrapped well. This will extend its lifespan for a few more days, or up to a week after baking.
Banana bread, like most quick bread, freezes wonderfully. To prevent it from drying, besides wrapping well in plastic, add a layer of aluminum foil. Bread keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Ripen Bananas More Quickly?
I like to buy green bananas so they don’t get bruised on the trip home from the market. They eventually ripen when left at room temperature. But if you’re in a hurry to use them in a recipe, you can speed up the ripening process by placing them in a brown paper sack. The bananas excrete ethylene gas which accelerates the ripening process. The bag prevents the gas from escaping into the air so it can work its magic on the bananas.
If you need a process that takes minutes, not days, you can roast your bananas to soften and concentrate the flavors. Simply place the bananas (they should be yellow, not green) on a sheet pan, preheat the oven to 350º and cook for 15-30 minutes, until the peels area dark brown. Cool and use as directed.
This is truly the best banana bread. My daughter, Katie, the nut avoider, ate 3 slices with nary a complaint. That says something!
You May Also Like:
- Almond Poppy Seed Bread
- Sour Cream Pear Bread
- Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread
- Best Zucchini Bread
- Cinnamon Apple Bread
- Sunflower Whole Wheat Bread
- Cranberry Pecan Bread
- More of the Best Bread Recipes
Stay in touch through social media@Instagram,Facebook, andPinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.
The Recipe:
The Best Banana Bread Recipe
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Yield1 loaf
An extra nutty banana bread with brown butter and pecans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, browned
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with Baker's Joy or another non-stick cooking spray. Add a rectangle of parchment paper to the bottom and spray that, too. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- With a fork, mash two of the bananas so they still have a bit of texture.
- With an electric mixer, beat the remaining bananas and sugar till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the brown butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well. Mix in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, just until incorporated.
- Then fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
- Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bread for about 10 minutes, and remove the loaf from the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice when cooled completely.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.
*To make brown butter, cook over medium-high heat till just browned with a nutty fragrance, then cool.
The nuts are optional. I love them, but the rest of my family doesn't!!!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 219Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g
HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest
Note: This post may contain affiliate links; view my Disclosure Policy for details. I earn a small percentage from any purchase you make by clicking on these links at no extra cost to you.
Bread Breakfast Brunch
posted by Liz Berg on April 15, 2020
53 Comments // Leave a Comment »
« Previous PostCookie Dough Rice Krispie Treats
Next Post »Individual Tiramisu Parfaits
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
-
Emma @ Bake Then Eat — Reply
I am always on the hunt for new banana bread recipes, the brown butter must add such great flavour.
-
Mary Hirsch — Reply
I like to make banana bread and always seem to have a couple of bananas that just say “Use me now.” Never have used brown butter with my various recipes. This sounds like it’s worth a try.
-
Jeff the Chef — Reply
I’m always skeptical about any banana bread claiming to be the best, but from you I believe it!
-
Valentina — Reply
I love banana bread toasted with butter with my coffee for breakfast or afternoon snack. The best! 🙂 ~Valentina
-
Juliana — Reply
I love the idea of brown butter in the banana bread…it looks delicious and I bet that the brown butter enhances even more the flavor of this banana bread.
Thanks for the recipe Liz and stay safe! -
Cakelaw — Reply
This banana bread certainly looks delicious. I read today that banana bread has become the item that everyone is baking in lockdown.
-
Abbe@This is How I Cook — Reply
How did you know that tomorrow I was baking banana bread? I’ve had a few requests and this was one of them! Just might have to try this recipe! I love anything with browned butter!
-
Healthy World Cuisine — Reply
Browned butter?!? Say no more. This is the best banana bread ever. We have been getting our fair share of bananas as thinking this is something easily peel-able and safe for consumption. However, we are never able to eat them all fresh so banana bread it is.
-
Eva Taylor — Reply
What a coincidence, my dear friend and neighbour just baked a lovely Keto banana bread and she dropped a couple of slices on the porch, still warm and wrapped in aluminium foil. It was awesome. This one looks really good too, love the addition of nuts.
-
angiesrecipes — Reply
Brown butter makes a HUGE difference! Your banana bread looks stunning, Liz.
-
Erica Schwarz — Reply
This bread is DELICIOUS. I’ve never made banana bread with browned butter before and what a game changer!
-
Claudia Lamascolo — Reply
I just love this easy recipe and my sons both ask for this banana bread often so I make a few and freeze them such a great moist loaf thanks!
-
Kaye — Reply
My resident baker husband Murray has adopted this recipe now to replace his old banana nut bread. The nutty butter addition is the bomb! For a baker like him, however, who reads and checks the recipe to make sure he hasn’t forgotten something, you didn’t include adding the sugar anywhere in the dry or wet ingredients so he was at a loss as to where to add this. You might want to edit your instructions to either add it with the dry ingredients, or mix it with the mashed bananas, so it’s not left on the counter. Kaye
-
Liz Berg — Reply
Thanks, Kaye! My proofreading skills are evidently lacking…thanks for letting me know. The sugar is mixed with the second batch of bananas. xo
-
-
Averie @ Averie Cooks — Reply
Brown butter makes everything…just that much better! thanks for the linky 🙂
-
Archie — Reply
The presentation is beautiful as always 🙂 Love how easy the recipe sounds…
I’ll try it this weekend -
Jennifer Eloff — Reply
This looks absolutely wonderful and what a gorgeous, innovative presentation!
-
Lisa~~ — Reply
Sometimes it’s not about making something creative as much as making something totally delicious. Your banana bread looks wonderful.
-
Balvinder — Reply
I am getting more curious about this brown butter thing. When we make desi ghee out of butter sometimes we brown a bit to get that nutty flavor. I just have to try to find what’s the difference in both. Have a great weekend!
-
Cookaholic Wife — Reply
The addition of browned butter really takes this to a whole new level and totally surpasses “regular ol’ banana bread”!
-
Amanda — Reply
I love Tyler Florence’s banana bread recipe! Great pictures.
-
Anita at Hungry Couple — Reply
Perfect timing, Liz. I’ve had a banana bread craving lately and you’ve saved me the trouble of searching out a recipe. 🙂
-
Jennie @themessybakerblog — Reply
I’ve made this recipe, and it is tasty. Your bread looks beautiful and your photos are stunning.
-
Mimi — Reply
I’ll take mine toasted with a drizzle of that brown butter on it.
Mimi -
Colleen, The Smart Cookie Cook — Reply
There ain’t nothing wrong with good old banana bread. In the food blogging world, it’s rare we get to see classics like this. More commonly, we find cookie-stuffed, cream cheese-filled, candy-studded brownies or the like. You’ve got to stop torturing me with your brown butter goodies!
-
Sandra — Reply
One of the first things I noticed was how perfectly shaped the loaf is. That pan is a must have and so is this delicious looking bread. I havne’t had the pleasure of using fresh nutmeg but I’m looking forward to it.
-
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) — Reply
Personally, I’m glad you made banana bread and you gave me a few new ideas for my next loaf (using brown butter and I love love love how you paired it with the beautiful fruit – totally doing this for the next school function I need to bring food to)
-
Phong Hong — Reply
Lizzy, it may not be original but hey if it tastes great, who cares? Your daughter eating three slices without detecting the presence of pecans is testament to how good it really is!
-
The Squishy Monster — Reply
Ah, it looks so moist! I love the browned butter in this =)
-
Words Of Deliciousness — Reply
Your banana breads sounds delicious. Nothing wrong with banana bread, I can eat banana bread anytime.
-
Marina@Picnic at Marina — Reply
Hi Lizzy, congratulation with the move! How do you like it here, on Wordpress? Mmm, that bread looks fantastic! Have some bananas I need to use, I shell make it tomorrow… 🙂
-
Robyn — Reply
Liz, I like your banana bread picts and the recipe sounds yummy. I bet the pecans and brown butter are a great combination.
Thanks for checking out my Breakfast Cookies.
-
DWei — Reply
I need to show this to my sister. She loves baking banana bread and maybe she’d want a variation.
-
Kate | Food Babbles — Reply
You’ve pretty much made the perfect banana bread here. I loooove anything with brown butter. It just seems to take the flavor to a higher level. But that combined with the bananas and pecans and all those lovely warm spices, this just sounds amazing. Lovely!
-
The Ninja Baker — Reply
Don’t know about unoriginal, dear Liz. You’ve added very gourmet twists (fresh grated nutmeat, browned butter) to one of my favorite comfort foods. Encore, felicitations for a brilliant baking performance mon amie =)
-
Ramona — Reply
I have never worked with brown butter…. but I bet this nutty banana bread was fabulous (well you made it after all). 🙂 I love that your daughter ate three slices… that’s enough of an endorsem*nt for me. 🙂 PS.. the Curtis Stone bakeware sounds wonderful. 🙂
-
Emily @ Life on Food — Reply
Can you believe I have never browned butter? Seriously I need to get on this fad soon. Pecans and banana bread sound lovely.
-
Deepti — Reply
Oh yeah, Silicone base is definitely a good one and makes our life easy… great looking banana bread!
-
Joanna @ Chic & Gorgeous Treats — Reply
This year I definitely need to start experimenting to bake with brown butter. Have not attempted it because of the fear of burning the butter. LOL.. However, your banana bread sounds heavenly. Love them plain and with nuts is even better. Moist and crunchy from the nuts. Great texture!! ♥ ♥ Jo
-
Eva Taylor — Reply
What a lovely recipe, and that loaf pan sure looks great. How nice that even the left overs were gobbled up.
I used to love taking minutes because that meant I didn’t have to talk! -
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) — Reply
Sometimes ya gotta stick with the classics!!
And you know how I feel about browned buttterrrrrr mmmmmmmmmmm
-
gloria — Reply
I really love this Lizzy!! hugs!!
-
Laura (Tutti Dolci) — Reply
Brown butter makes anything better, love this banana bread Liz!
-
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz — Reply
Sounds like a cool pan to try. Brown butter just brings a depth to the flavor, it is unbeatable. This bread looks scrumptious.
-
Suzanne Perazzini — Reply
I love banana loaf and need to create a grain and nut-free one. I’m sure it is doable. I hope the meeting went well.
-
anthony stemke — Reply
I love banana bread and this recipe looks great.
Hey Liz, the last banana bread I made I used no eggs. It was a vegetarian blog and had flaxseed meal and applesauce in it instead. It was fabulous. I liked it particularly because it gave me one more use for the flaxseed meal in my ice-box.
Anyway, take care. -
Amber @ The Cook's Sister — Reply
What great looking banana bread! I love that you’ve used browned butter. It’s making me hungry just looking at that picture of the bread and fruit platter!. Great addition to the Improv Challenge! I made fried bananas with a brown sugar sauce.
-
Rosella — Reply
I think you chose a wonderful item to make – even makes me wish I was at the Board meeting with you – just to enjoy the treats you brought! Any kind of banana bread is a favourite of mine – thanks for your adapted recipe, especially with the browned butter added – as I hit “print”!
-
Kristen — Reply
You had me at browned butter. I can just imagine how great that loaf made your kitchen smell while it baked.
-
Beth — Reply
That is a GREAT endorsem*nt. Occasionally I’ll bake something that my daughters will eat “even though” it has nuts in it. That’s how I know I’ve hit a home run!
-
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction — Reply
Lizzy,
This banana bread looks so good. You can never have too many recipes. -
carol | a cup of mascarpone — Reply
Wow! This banana bread looks and sounds incredible, Liz!!
-
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen — Reply
One could argue that the same recipe with brown butter is a new experience… there are never too many good banana bread recipes, and this one sounds awesome! That pan is amazing by the way!
