Having a killer, completely-from-scratch banana nut bread recipe is a must! There's nothing like homemade, thick slices of flavorful banana nut bread loaded with walnuts, chocolate chips and topped with the most delicious (and easy!) crumb topping.
let's talk ripe bananas
You can't have banana nut bread without bananas, so let's start there. For this recipe you need 4 (regular sized) bananas. The key to flavorful, moist banana bread is SUPER RIPE bananas. I'm talking brown and black spots all over the peel, and on the actually fruit too. You want them really, really ripe. Bananas are the star of the show in this recipe, they give the bread delicious flavor, and add moisture as well as texture. If you make a point to make sure the bananas are super ripe, this recipe will be a success for you.
banana nut bread questions & answers
What kind of nuts are best for banana nut bread?
I highly recommend using either walnuts or pecans. I've used both in this recipe and each time the taste & texture was perfect. I try to buy walnut or pecan baking pieces that are already chopped but if you can't find them just by them whole and chop them up a little bit before using them in the recipe.
What type of chocolate is best for this recipe?
I typically use semi sweet chocolate chips but I think dark chocolate and milk chocolate would be great in this recipe too! And adding the chocolate chips is completely optional. If you don't have chocolate chips on hand this recipe still comes out delicious without them, it'll be more of a traditional banana nut bread.
I don't have buttermilk on hand, any tips or suggestions?
Easy fix! Just take a ¼ cup of milk (must be cow's milk) preferably 2% or higher and add ¾ teaspoon of lemon juice to it. Let this mixture stand for 10 minutes to thicken. Give it a quick stir before you add it to the batter. It works perfectly.
Can I make this recipe in any size baking pan?
This recipe requires a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan.
Banana Nut Bread
Equipment
- 9X5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- dash nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 very ripe bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup buttermilk see recipe notes for subsitution
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
For the Crumb Topping:
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly melted
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, set aside. Measure out ¾ cup of pecans, lightly chop into small pieces and toast in a small pan over medium heat for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping first: In a bowl combine flour, brown sugar, & cinnamon. Whisk together. Add in butter and use a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. Small crumbs/pieces should form. Fold in pecans. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl combine the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together. Mix on medium speed using a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. Use a wooden spoon and mix in the mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredients (still mixing with a wooden spoon) and mix everything together just to combined. Once everything is combined stop mixing, DO NOT over mix the batter. Gently fold in the pecans. Pour the batter into the load pan and sprinkle the top of the batter with all of the crumb topping.
- Bake in the oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the load pan. Let bread cool a little longer on a wire rack after removed from loaf pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.