Sweet, nutty, and packed with banana flavour, brown butter banana bread adds an extra step (browning the butter) but it makes a real difference in terms of flavour. Plenty of butter is used to grease the tin, and the loaf is topped with coarse sugar, so you get a nice thin crisp top and sides on the banana bread. This is a very thoughtful recipe from Kelly with all the boxes ticked for getting the most flavourful, texturally interesting recipe possible. Our sourdough banana bread was adapted from this recipe.
Do you have too many bananas and need something to bake? Try our banana Nutella muffins, whip up a batch of chocolate chip banana pancakes, or go plant-based with easy vegan banana bread.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Bananas: as ripe as you can get them. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the loaf will be and the stronger the banana flavour. Feel free to use thawed from frozen black bananas, or at the very least, brown spotted bananas.
- Brown sugar: light or dark brown sugar are both fine.
- Sour cream: this reacts with the baking soda, causing more lift in the loaf, and can't be omitted. You can use full-fat yogurt if you don't have sour cream.
- Butter: regular salted butter. Instructions are provided in the recipe card, and here is a more in-depth guide on how to brown butter.
- Add-ins: stir in about a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, or chopped dark chocolate, if you'd like a little something extra.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: grease the tin generously.
Step 2: brown the butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
Step 3: mix the sugars and brown butter.
Step 4: add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
Step 5: mix well to combine. Stir in the mashed bananas.
Step 6: add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step 7: transfer the batter to the prepared tin.
Step 8: bake until golden brown and cool before serving.
Top Tips
- If using frozen bananas: be sure to fully thaw them first, and then remove the peel (it sticks when the fruit is frozen). They will release a little more liquid than bananas that haven't been frozen so you can use slightly smaller fruit.
- Start at room temperature: for the best texture, try to have all of the ingredients at room temperature before mixing. Don't worry if they're not - it'll still taste good.
- Butter the tin: this makes for a deliciously crisp, buttery outer layer to the banana bread. You don't need to use quite as much butter as instructed or can even line the pan if preferred but you will miss out on that extra textural element and flavour boost.
Recipe Notes
Using very ripe bananas is the key, always, to an excellent banana bread. Fruit that is just ripe - light yellow - or even worse, still green, will result in a loaf that's bland, not sweet enough, and makes your mouth feel like cotton balls.
When browning the butter, stir or swirl it occasionally to prevent burning. As soon as the butter turns golden brown, remove it from the heat. Make sure to scrape out and use as many of the browned bits at the bottom of the pot as possible. They add a concentrated flavor that enhances the taste of your brown butter banana bread.
How to Store
Storage: store in a sealed container at room temperature on the counter for up to 2 days. After a couple of days, the loaf should be stored in the fridge or freezer. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing: keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To freeze, slice the cooled bread the day it's baked and place the slices in an airtight container. When ready to eat, thaw the slices on the counter for 30 minutes, or heat gently in the microwave.
More Quick Bread Recipes
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Brown Butter Banana Bread
Equipment
- Standard loaf tin 9 x 5 inches (23 x 13-cm)
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Saucepan
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Fork
- Fine mesh sieve
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup, tightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream, full-fat
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 medium overripe bananas, mashed with a fork
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Coarse sugar, optional topping before baking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and grease a standard loaf tin with ¼ cup (56g) of butter. Set aside.1 cup salted butter
- Place the remaining ¾ cup (170g) of butter in a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-low heat on the stove top. Cook the butter until it turns dark golden brown, about the color of maple syrup. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the browned butter into a heatproof mixing bowl. See how to brown butter.
- Let the butter cool for about 10 minutes, then whisk in the brown and white sugar. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and eggs to the bowl and mix until combined.½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup, tightly packed brown sugar, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Add the mashed bananas to the bowl and mix again. If you prefer no lumps of banana, you can use an immersion blender to make it very smooth.3 medium overripe bananas
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and fold the batter by hand until the flour is just mixed in. A few streaks of flour are okay.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Spoon the batter into the greased loaf tin, smooth the top, and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.Coarse sugar
- Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the very center of the loaf springs back when pressed lightly with a fingertip. Once baked, remove and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the loaf out of the tin onto the rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
- Keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
- When browning the butter, stir or swirl it occasionally to prevent burning. As soon as the butter turns golden brown, remove it from the heat. Make sure to scrape out and use as many of the browned bits at the bottom of the pot as possible. They contain a concentrated flavor that will enhance the taste of your brown butter banana bread. For maximum flavor and sweetness, be sure to choose bananas that are yellow with brown spots or are completely black.
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To prevent large mushy pockets of banana in the loaf, mash the bananas thoroughly with a fork or mixer.
Depending on the accuracy of your oven, you may need a little longer for the loaf to bake. Once you reach one hour of baking time, press the loaf's center with a fingertip every 5 minutes until it springs back and no longer seems jiggly underneath.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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