Our 30 Best Banana Bread Recipes (2024)

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Credit: Photo by Daniel Agee

Avocado and matcha green tea powder may not be part of your regular baking routine, but not only do they dye banana bread a delightful deep green, they add earthy flavors that tone down the banana-ness of the loaf.

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Credit: Photography: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer.

Miso and yuzu add a little flair to classic banana bread.

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Credit: Jennifer Causey

A mash-up of the retro holiday drink and the classic quick bread makes perfect sense: Booze, cream, and nutmeg pair perfectly with banana, vanilla, and brown sugar. These whole-grain mini loaves are a great alternative to cupcakes, and much easier to package without a dome of messy frosting. If you don't have mini loaf pans, you can use 12 muffin cups lined with cupcake liners. For a kid-friendly drizzle, you can swap the alcohol for fresh orange juice.

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Bananas and peanut butter are a likely duo, but bananas and tahini? Mind-blowing. For those with nut allergies, tahini is a great, slightly more complex, substitute. Try spreading Soom's chocolate-sesame spread over each slice for an extra tahini hit.

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Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski

Even if you usually swear by icings, drizzles, and toppings, a classic banana bread recipe, perfect on its own, is hard to beat. With over 100 reviews, this is one of our top-rated favorites.

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Credit: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Add ground flaxseed to a traditional banana bread to add a hearty flavor and additional B vitamins and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

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Credit: Howard L. Puckett

Dark rum, lime, and flaked, sweetened coconut give this easy banana bread delicious Caribbean flair.

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Credit: Alex Farnum; Styling: Randy Mon

What could make a loaf of banana bread better other than the addition of chocolate chips?

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

This top-rated banana bread recipe comes from a Cooking Light reader and has extra health benefits from flaxseed meal, walnuts, and yogurt.

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Credit: Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Jan Gautro

Chocolate and bananas pair nicely in sweet desserts, so give them a try in this top-rated bread. Our reviewers went bananas for the flavor and moist texture of the loaf.

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Credit: Tina Rupp

When company is in town, wake them up with the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. Blueberries add an extra punch of tart flavor and a vibrant purple hue.

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Credit: Maura McEvoy

Try a favorite banana bread recpie and add fun ingredients, like dried apricots. Other favorite additions include dried cranberries, white raisins, or chopped nuts. Personalize the loaf and gift it to friends and family.

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Credit: David Malosh; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps

Chocolate chips, oatmeal, and walnuts come together to add something extra to this recipe. This hearty banana bread recipe is perfect for breakfast or snacking.

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Martin

My mom's recipe was the model for this banana bread. The new version is liked so much we make it all the time--at least every two weeks. I think the mini loaves would be a perfect holiday gift.

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Credit: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

This adult interpretation switches all of the sugar to brown sugar and cooks the mashed bananas with butter and cognac or dark rum. And it's topped with a slightly boozy glaze.

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Credit: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Turn a basic loaf of banana bread into a special treat with the addition of chocolate chip and chopped walnuts. Adding flaxseed to the batter gives the bread a hearty, nutty flavor and increases the omega-3 content of the bread.

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Dress up your banana bread loaf with a crumbly topping of cinnamon-flavored pecans, butter, and brown sugar.

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Credit: Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Jan Gautro; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley and Kathryn Conrad

A top-rated favorite, this recipe updates the standard banana bread recipe with a coconut crunch and a tart lime glaze. Dark rum adds a festive Caribbean-inspired flavor.

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Credit: Raymond Hom; Styling: Pamela Duncan Silver

Most tempting of all our quick breads.Mom's Banana Bread, a recipe dating back to 1996, when it was submitted by reader Stacey A. Johnson, has been a consistent staff and reader favorite. The new chocolate topping makes it even more irresistible.

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Credit: Photos by Teresa Sabga

When you're baking a loaf of homemade banana bread, you no longer have to fuss with flour, baking powder, eggs, etc.—all of that stuff's included in just-add-water pancake mix. Okay, it might seem a little weird at first glance, but it's totally possible to make bread with pancake batter. (Uh, hello, it's darn cheap, too.) This budget-friendly banana bread is perfectly tailored for those of us trying to save a few bucks (a.k.a. all of us) since it just calls for three ingredients: pancake mix, banana, and peanut butter.

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Credit: Caroline Arcangeli; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Liz Mervosh

Though this company-worthy loaf is, no doubt, impressive, it's really nothing more than a foolproof banana bread recipe with a few flavor tricks up its sleeve. A power couple combo of earthy turmeric and fragrant cardamon play extremely well with banana's dense sweetness, boosting this classic quick bread's comfy-cozy factor to delicious new heights. A sprinkling of pine nuts over top adds textural and visual intrigue with minimal effort (though, you could really use any nut you like here). And to really take your Turmeric Banana Bread up a notch, serve it with our stunning Golden Turmeric Butter.

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Credit: Hannah Whitaker; Styling: Tizana Agnello

A few smart techniques take banana bread to the next level: Cooking ripe banana slices in butter deepens the sweet banana flavor, while browned butter gives the glaze nutty richness.

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Credit: Lee Harrelson

Don't throw away overripe bananas. With just a few pantry staples you can turn those bruised beauties into delicious Banana-Nut Bread. You'll love my version spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

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Credit: Travis Rathbone

Crunchy walnuts and flaky coconut pieces take this banana bread from basic to wow-worthy.

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Credit: Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Nicole McLaughlin

A simple slice of this banana bread recipe is all you need to get a dose of nostalgia for grandma's kitchen.

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Credit: Mary Britton Senseney/Wonderful Machine; Styling: Lindsey Lower

You'll find all the delicious spices of Chai tea in one melt-in-your-mouth loaf of Chai Banana Bread. These spices work really well together and are a good contrast with the sweetness of the banana.

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Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

No gluten? No problem! For best results, use a light-colored pan. Or, turn your dark pan into a shiny one by wrapping the outside of it with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

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Thanks to the addition of cream cheese, this classic bread is unbelievably moist. And while it won't be easy, you should wait until it is completely cooled before slicing to enjoy.

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Credit: Hannah Whitaker; Styling: Tizana Agnello

Use a light hand when swirling the batter; too much swirling may lose the stripe effect.

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Credit: Oxmoor House

This gluten-free quick bread features a harmonious blend of bananas and walnuts wrapped in the sweetness of pure maple syrup. It makes an easy breakfast treat or an after-school snack.

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