Brown Butter Banana Bread

20 mins Prep Time

1 hours 0 mins Cook Time

Written By

Nadia Boachie

Brown butter has so many uses and if I can incorporate it into any baking recipe, I do. This banana bread recipe uses beautifully browned butter that adds nuttiness, richness and extra flavour to the loaf. I have also added a bit of nutmeg and cardamom in this recipe, which I find are perfect complements to the browned butter. I prefer banana bread without any add-ins, but of course, if you love chocolate chips or nuts, you can add anywhere from half a cup to a full cup of mix-ins. One tip to remember when baking anything is that if you do not have a scale, use the spoon and level technique when measuring out your flour to avoid adding too much flour and making a dry, overly dense loaf. Try this recipe out if you are looking for a no-fail recipe that is a level above your classic banana bread.

Ingredients

Brown Butter Banana Bread

2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (190 grams) packed dark brown sugar
5 medium-large very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25 grams) dark brown sugar (for top)

Directions

Brown Butter Banana Bread

11 Steps

Step 1

Brown your butter. To brown butter, place in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. The butter can burn easily after it foams so watch carefully and be prepared to take off heat. Set aside.
Step 2

Let your browned butter cool slightly and weigh out 115 grams of browned butter. If there is extra, you can save for the next time you are making pasta or sautéing vegetables but 150 grams of regular unsalted butter should make just the amount of browned butter you need for this recipe.
Step 3

Mash your ripe bananas until smooth and set aside.
Step 4

In a medium sized bowl, add all your dry ingredients and set aside. Add your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cardamom.
Step 5

In a separate bowl, beat your brown butter and dark brown sugar together. Add your eggs one at a time and beat.
Step 6

Add your vanilla extract and your mashed ripe bananas.
Step 7

Slowly mix your dry ingredients into the wet banana mixture until just combined.
Step 8

Pour your batter into a greased loaf tin and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Make sure to check doneness at around 45-50 minutes to decide how much longer you will need to bake. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of your loaf and check if it comes out clean.
Step 9

Let cool for at least 15 minutes when it comes out, carefully turn out of loaf pan, slice warm or wait until it completely cools. Banana bread tastes amazing the next day as well when it is has firmed up and flavours have melded together.
Step 10

Store in an airtight container for about 5 days or slice, and freeze for fresh banana bread for weeks.
Step 11

You can enjoy on its own or with toppings like salted caramel, whipped cream, peanut butter or Nutella (the possibilities are endless).