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Last Updated on February 24, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Update, Feb. 2021: I’ve updated this pineapple banana bread post to add some new photos and some additional tips, but the recipe, one of my favorites on the site, remains the same! Enjoy!
Today we’re making pineapple banana bread! This banana bread was one of the first treats I made for myself during my first week of working from home in March 2020. Perhaps it’s because bananas are such a common kitchen table fruit. Or because it’s made with ingredients that are simple and easy to find. Either way, banana bread has certainly been having a moment.
So maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that since then I’ve made my fair share of banana recipes! But this one is my favorite because it’s a delicious twist on a classic home baking recipe. My pineapple banana bread has the banana bread flavor you already love, with the sweet addition of crushed pineapple, the nuttiness of brown butter, and the crunch of roasted pecans.
What keeps banana bread moist?
Banana bread is a favorite for a reason — it’s easy to make and so tasty! And it’s often got a soft, moist texture that everyone loves! That comes from the bananas, mainly — in this pineapple banana bread we’re using three overripe bananas, full of sweetness and ready to add moisture.
But also, if you’ve worked with pineapple in baking before, you know that it often helps produce a moist result and add flavor. Carrot cake or hummingbird cake are perfect examples! So the pineapple in this banana bread gives us the texture we want, plus a fun hint of pineapple flavor!
And finally, this pineapple banana bread uses an ingredient that I LOVE: sour cream! You’ll note that I use sour cream a lot in my baking: my Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake or my Lemon Poppyseed Scones are examples of that. I find that it adds to that moist texture that we want, plus it reacts with the baking soda in this banana bread to give it a bit more rise.
Ingredients
- browned butter – check out this blog post for details on how to brown butter with images and step-by-step instructions! Once your butter is browned, let it cool a bit to room temperature.
- granulated sugar and light brown sugar – this combination of sugars gives this pineapple banana bread a nice balanced sweetness. The brown sugar also adds a bit of moisture as well.
- eggs – make sure your eggs are room temperature so that they can help to give you the maximum rise and help your banana bread to bake evenly.
- sour cream – adds moisture, lift, and added flavor!
- overripe bananas – they should be nice and spotty, almost black. Mash them up really well!
- canned crushed pineapple – adds a bit of pineapple flavor and a lot of moisture to this banana bread.
- pure vanilla extract – the vanilla adds great flavor to this banana pineapple bread. Make sure you’re using high-quality pure vanilla extract.
- all-purpose flour – measure it out using the spoon-and-level method, or even better, use a food scale to measure out 256 grams.
- baking soda – gives this pineapple banana bread a nice lift, interacting with the acid in the sour cream and the bananas.
- salt – brings out all those flavors!
- chopped toasted pecans – my favorite part – I love pecans, and they work so well in this recipe. You can also use walnuts and they work just as well, but you don’t need to toast them beforehand.
Tips and F.A.Q.
Almost! Your bananas should be overripe — definitely past the point where you would eat them. They should have lots of dark spots and should basically be black.
The difficulty with this is that sometimes you’ll want to make this pineapple banana bread, but your bananas aren’t ripe enough! To prevent that, just save some bananas that are overripe and ready to use for baking, peel them, and pop them in the freezer! That’s what I do whenever I have one or two extra bananas, so that I always have a stockpile of frozen overripe bananas ready to go!
If you’re in a banana bread emergency and need to ripen your bananas quickly, check out these tips to get your bananas ready ASAP!
You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Also, this pineapple banana bread freezes so well! Just let it cool completely, and wrap the loaf or slices in foil and place in a zipper freezer bag. Then freeze for up to 2 months!
Once your butter is melted and the milk solids have sunk to the bottom of the pan, they’ll start to turn a deep golden brown. You may also smell a nutty or toasty aroma. That’s when your brown butter is ready and when you should remove it from the heat right away! For more details on browning butter, check out my Brown Butter Appreciation Post.
Once you’ve finished browning your butter, you’ll need to cool it to room temperature before adding it to this recipe.
I love to eat this banana bread still warm, or even better — toasted! With a bit of salted butter melted on top of the slice. And as you can see in the image above, a little honey just adds that much more deliciousness, since this banana bread isn’t overly sweet. Other topping ideas are softened cream cheese, Nutella, or coconut whipped cream!
You can also use this pineapple banana bread in my banana bread french toast recipe, as I mention below, or top it with ice cream and caramel sauce for a decadent dessert!
Related Recipes
Once you’ve made this pineapple banana bread, you’re just a few steps away from my favorite decadent brunch treat — Banana Bread French Toast! It’s so simple to make with leftover or store-bought banana bread, and that cinnamon cream cheese sauce is to die for!
You’ll also love my Pumpkin Bread with Maple Brown Butter Glaze, a recipe that is based on this banana bread recipe! It’s so moist and fluffy, and you’ll love the maple brown butter glaze!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown butter - cooled to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs - beaten
- ¼ cup sour cream - room temperature
- 3 medium overripe bananas - mashed (see note)
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple - drained
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - (256g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup roasted pecans - chopped (or raw walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, pineapple, eggs, sour cream, and crushed bananas. Stir until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Fold flour mixture and pecans gently into wet ingredients until just combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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This banana bread is so moist and delicious! My family absolutely loved it and it is now our favorite banana bread recipe!
I’m so glad! Thank you for giving it a try!
Looks amazing!! Tomorrow is Fathers Day here in Germany, I am going to bake this for my husband.
Thanks Kate!! I hope he loves it!