Are you ready to bake up a loaf of almond butter banana bread that is fluffy and moist with just the right amount of sweetness, spice and comforting favors? If so, I have just the recipe for you. Join me in the kitchen as I share with you my perfected and easy banana bread recipe!
I’ve had my fair share of failed attempts of baking banana bread. I remember years ago following along banana bread recipes I found online that ended up being not sweet enough, too dense or just plain flavorless. But knowing how wonderful home baked banana bread could be, I took the best of what I knew and tinkered until I found the perfect combination of sweetness, texture, moistness and comforting spice.
This almond butter banana recipe is so tasty I intentionally over buy bananas during my grocery shop about every now and then, so come weekend, the bananas are perfectly over-ripe for baking up a loaf of banana bread.
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Equipment
- 9 x 5 inch glass or light steel loaf pan: Stick with a glass or light steel loaf pan when baking this recipe. A dark metal loaf pan absorbs and distributes heat quicker, and the loaf crust could potentially burn.
- 2 mixing bowls: A large mixing bowl will be needed for the dry ingredients and a smaller mixing bowl will be used for the wet ingredients. The wet ingredients will be poured into the large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Potato Masher: Used to mash the bananas.
- Wire whisk, wooden spoon and silicone spatula
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Granular sugar: I use standard white granular sugar while baking. You can use your favorite granular sweetener instead.
- Baking soda: Baking soda is needed to help the loaf rise while baking. Insure your baking soda is not old or expired to avoid a flat loaf.
- Salt: White table salt, ground sea salt or kosher salt can be used in this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon: A small amount of ground cinnamon is used in this recipe, but it sure does accelerate the final flavor. Don’t skip it if you enjoy a bit of spice in your banana bread.
- Over-ripe bananas: I purchase bananas over the weekend and allow them to ripen all week prior to using them in the banana bread recipe. Over the week, they will turn from a mix of green and yellow to yellow and brown. A banana that is over ripe is covered with brown spots and patches and is soft to the touch. The more brown areas the bananas have, the sweeter they will be.
- Egg: Allow the egg to come to room temperature prior to mixing it in with the other ingredients to ensure it easily blends in.
- Melted unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter instead of salted butter, so you can control how much salt is added to the final product.
- Melted almond butter: Almond butter has a high fat content, bringing extra moistness and flavor to the banana bread.
- Light olive oil: The light olive oil can easily be replaced with other light oils you may have on hand, such a canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Raisins: Raisins bring in even more sweetness, texture and variety to banana bread.
- Chopped nuts: Today, I will be using chopped pecans, but often use chopped walnuts in this recipe as well. Use which every you prefer for a bit of crunchy texture.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the loaf pan with cooking spray, melted butter or light olive oil. Set aside.
- Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, granular sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) and mix with a wire whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- Step 3: In a second mixing bowl, peel the ripe bananas and add to the bowl. Mash the bananas with a potato masher until almost all lumps are gone. Add the remaining wet ingredients (whisked egg, melted almond butter and light olive oil). Whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Lightly stir until all the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients, until a chunky batter forms. Do not over mix.
- Step 5: Fold the raisins and chopped nuts into the batter with a spatula. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Use the spatula to scrap the batter out of the mixing bowl.
- Step 5: Place the loaf pan into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the crust is a dark golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.
- Step 6: Allow the banana bread to cool on the stove top or counter for at least 1 hour prior to slicing.
Hint: Do not skip the toothpick test before pulling the banana bread from the oven. I skip this step once after getting a new oven and the banana bread ended up being completely raw in the middle. Nobody needs that kind of disappointment in their life. Simply insert a toothpick in the top middle of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the loaf is fully cooked. If not, let it bake for another 10 minutes and test again.
Banana Bread Variations
Once you know how to bake a beautiful banana bread loaf, the variations that follow are endless. Here are just a few suggestions to change up the recipe from time to time.
- Blueberry Banana Bread: Remove the raisins and fold in a cup of fresh blueberries.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Replace the almond butter and raisins with peanut butter and chocolate chips.
- Topping: Top with a cinnamon streusel topping or a sugar glaze drizzle.
How to Store Banana Bread
Countertop or Refrigerator: Homemade banana read can be placed in an airtight container and stored on the counter for up to 3 days. To extend the life a little more, store the bread in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. The banana bread slices can be enjoyed cold or warmed in a toaster oven or the microwave.
Freezer: Slice the banana bread and place in a freezer proof bag or container for up to 3 months. Slices can be removed and placed on the counter to thaw a few hours before consuming, or warmed up in a toaster oven.
Baking Banana Bread Tips & Tricks
- Use an 8 x 5 loaf pan that is made of glass or light metal/steel. A loaf pan that is dark may cause the loaf to cook too quickly and burn the crust.
- Ensure your ingredients are fresh and not expired. Some expired ingredients, such as flour and baking soda, could result in a flat and tasteless loaf.
- Avoid over mixing the batter. Instead, mix until all ingredients are just combined to keep as much air in the batter as possible. Over mixing may yield a banana bread that is too dense.
- Allow the banana bread to completely cool for at lest one hour. I know it’s tempting, but if you slice too early, the slices will crumble and fall apart.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
Almond Butter Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 9 x 5 inch glass or light steel loaf pan
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Potato masher
- Wire whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granular sugar or your favorite granular sugar substitute
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 medium-sized ripened bananas approximately 1 cup mashed
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- ⅓ cup melted almond butter
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil or your choice of light baking oil
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the loaf pan with cooking spray, melted butter or light olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, granular sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) and mix with a wire whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- In a second mixing bowl, peel the ripe bananas and add to the bowl. Mash the bananas with a potato masher until almost all lumps are gone. Add the remaining wet ingredients (whisked egg, melted almond butter and light olive oil). Whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Lightly stir until all the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients, until a chunky batter forms. Do not over mix.
- Fold the raisins and chopped nuts into the batter with a spatula. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Use the spatula to scrap the batter out of the mixing bowl.
- Place the loaf pan into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the crust is a dark golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.
- Allow the banana bread to cool on the stove top or counter for at least 1 hour prior to slicing.
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