Best Banana Bread Recipes

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

A favorite holiday gift, hostess offering, or breakfast treat, any of these banana bread recipes will be welcome at the table any time of year.

Start Slideshow

1 of 19

Avocado Matcha Banana Bread

Photo by Daniel Agee

Avocado Matcha Banana Bread Recipe
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.

2 of 19

Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze

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

Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze Recipe
Miso and yuzu add a little flair to classic banana bread.

3 of 19

Eggnog Banana Bread

Jennifer Causey

Eggnog Banana Bread Recipe
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.

4 of 19

Chocolate-Tahini Banana Bread

Chocolate-Tahini Banana Bread Recipe
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.

5 of 19

Basic Banana Bread

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Basic Banana Bread Recipe
Add ground flaxseed to a traditional banana bread to add a hearty flavor and additional B vitaminds and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

6 of 19

Jamaican Banana Bread

Photo: Howard L. Puckett

Jamaican Banana Bread Recipe
Photo: Howard L. Puckett Dark rum, lime, and flaked, sweetened coconut give this easy banana bread delicious Caribbean flair.

7 of 19

Eileen's Best Banana Bread

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

Eileen's Best Banana Bread Recipe
This top-rated banana bread recipe comes from a Cooking Light reader and has extra health benefits from flaxseed meal, walnuts, and yogurt.

8 of 19

Chocolate Banana Bread

Photo: Alex Farnum; Styling: Randy Mon

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

9 of 19

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Oxmoor House

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe
Peanut butter is whipped into the basic recipe for a moist banana bread with a hint of nutty flavor. A small amount of chopped roasted peanuts offers delightfully surprising crunch.

10 of 19

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Jan Gautro

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
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.

11 of 19

Blueberry-Banana Bread

Tina Rupp

Blueberry-Banana Bread Recipe
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.

12 of 19

Banana-Apricot Bread

Photo: Maura McEvoy

Banana-Apricot Bread Recipe
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.

13 of 19

Classic Banana Bread

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

Classic Banana Bread Recipe
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.

14 of 19

Banana-Oatmeal Bread

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

Banana-Oatmeal Bread Recipe
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.

15 of 19

Mom's Banana Bread

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

Mom's Banana Bread Recipe
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 miniloaves would be a perfect holiday gift.

16 of 19

Bananas Foster Bread

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Bananas Foster Bread Recipe
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.

17 of 19

Banana-Chocolate-Walnut Bread

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Banana-Chocolate-Walnut Bread Recipe
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.

18 of 19

Cinnamon Crisp-Topped Cream Cheese-Banana-Nut Bread

Cinnamon Crisp-Topped Cream Cheese-Banana-Nut Bread Recipe
Dress up your banana bread loaf with a crumbly topping of cinnamon-flavored pecans, butter, and brown sugar.

19 of 19

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

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

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze Recipe
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.

Replay gallery

Account

Banana Bread Bonanza

1 of 19

Avocado Matcha Banana Bread

1 of 19

2 of 19

Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze

2 of 19

3 of 19

Eggnog Banana Bread

3 of 19

4 of 19

Chocolate-Tahini Banana Bread

4 of 19

5 of 19

Basic Banana Bread

5 of 19

6 of 19

Jamaican Banana Bread

6 of 19

7 of 19

Eileen's Best Banana Bread

7 of 19

8 of 19

Chocolate Banana Bread

8 of 19

9 of 19

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

9 of 19

10 of 19

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

10 of 19

11 of 19

Blueberry-Banana Bread

11 of 19

12 of 19

Banana-Apricot Bread

12 of 19

13 of 19

Classic Banana Bread

13 of 19

14 of 19

Banana-Oatmeal Bread

14 of 19

15 of 19

Mom's Banana Bread

15 of 19

16 of 19

Bananas Foster Bread

16 of 19

17 of 19

Banana-Chocolate-Walnut Bread

17 of 19

18 of 19

Cinnamon Crisp-Topped Cream Cheese-Banana-Nut Bread

18 of 19

19 of 19

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

19 of 19

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery