Description
This recipe for the Best Honey Vanilla Banana Bread enhances the familiar comfort of classic banana bread with the subtle floral sweetness of honey and the warm fragrance of pure vanilla. Naturally sweetened and incredibly moist, this simple quick bread comes together in minutes and makes the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert. Get ready to bake your new favorite loaf!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 Medium Ripe Bananas (or 2 large), about 1 1/2 cups mashed
- 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature preferred
- 1/4 cup Milk (any kind)
- 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract or Paste
- 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour, spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Optional Mix-ins: 1/2 cup Crushed Walnuts or Pecans, 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
- Optional Topping: 1 Sliced Banana
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Generously grease an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper with an overhang.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth. Whisk in the slightly cooled melted butter and honey. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract; whisk again until smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula just until combined. Do not overmix; a few streaks of flour are okay.
- Add Mix-Ins (Optional) & Pour: Gently fold in any optional mix-ins (nuts, chocolate chips). Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. If topping with banana, place halves cut-side up on top.
- Bake: Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top should be golden brown.
- Cool Before Slicing: Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully invert the loaf onto the wire rack and let it cool completely (at least another 30 minutes) before slicing.
Notes
- Low & Slow Bake: A lower oven temperature (325°F) helps the banana bread cook through evenly without the outside becoming too dark before the center is done.
- Use Very Ripe Bananas: For the sweetest flavor and most moist texture, use heavily speckled, very ripe bananas. Mash them well.
- Do Not Overmix! Overmixing develops gluten and results in a tough, dense bread. Stop mixing as soon as you don’t see large patches of dry flour.
- Cooling is Crucial: Letting the bread cool significantly before slicing allows the internal structure to set, preventing crumbling and ensuring clean slices.
- Check for Doneness: Check the bread around the 45-minute mark. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent the loaf pan with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Bread, Quick Bread, Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 295 kcal
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 185 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
