This honey banana bread is made with honey instead of sugar, making it incredibly soft with a tender crumb. The sweetness from the honey and bananas paired with cinnamon makes it a go-to banana bread recipe for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack.
My favorite part is the topping made of cinnamon and coarse sugar, which adds a delicious crunch. It's super easy to make with a few ripe bananas in one bowl in just over an hour!
If you're looking for more ways to use up overripe bananas sitting on your counter, you should try making chia seed banana bread, small batch banana muffins, banana bread with cream cheese frosting, or banana bread with streusel!
Jump to:
Why Honey Matters
Besides adding sweetness and moisture, honey interacts uniquely with the other ingredients in this banana bread. Its natural enzymes improve the bread's texture. Plus, because honey is a liquid sweetener, it changes the batter's consistency slightly, which affects how the bread rises and bakes. It results in a tender crumb that's just perfect!
I prefer using wildflower or clover honey, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
How to Make It
Step 1: Mash the bananas until smooth or slightly chunky, whatever you prefer. A fork or potato masher works great.
Step 2: Whisk in the wet ingredients. I like baking banana bread with oil instead of butter because it keeps it moist!
Also don't forget the apple cider vinegar- the secret ingredient that tenderizes the gluten strands, making the banana bread soft.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Stir just until the dry streaks of flour disappear. If you overmix, the banana bread will turn out gummy instead of tender.
Step 4: Pour the batter into a loaf pan. Make sure the pan has a 1-pound capacity or the batter might overflow in the oven!
Step 5: Make the cinnamon sugar topping. Sprinkle it on top of the banana bread batter.
Step 6: Bake! You'll know it's done baking when a toothpick comes out clean. A few moist crumbs are fine, but there should be no wet batter on the toothpick.
Making banana bread is great for using up brown bananas, but if you want something more creative, try these chocolate banana cupcakes. They're rich chocolate cupcakes filled with banana puree and frosted with banana buttercream!
Frequently Asked Questions
To ripen your bananas quickly, place them in a paper or plastic bag overnight to speed up the process. You can also roast them at 300ยฐF (150ยฐC) for 15-25 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Honey is sweeter than sugar, so it's not a 1:1 substitute. I don't recommend substituting it with maple syrup either.
Because of its thick and wet batter, this banana bread takes a while to bake. Be patient because it usually takes more time than you'd think. If it's not done within 60-70 minutes, I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven has a consistent temperature throughout. It could be getting cold, causing the bread to not bake through.
More Breads to Try
๐ Recipe
Honey Banana Bread
Equipment
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 2 cups mashed bananas 4-5 bananas
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ยฝ cup vegetable oil use any flavorless oil
- โ cup honey any kind
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC). Grease an 9X5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Leave about 2 inches of overhang and secure with binder clips so the loaf is easy to remove later.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl and then whisk in the eggs, oil, honey, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar until well combined.2 cups mashed bananas, 2 large eggs, ยฝ cup vegetable oil, โ cup honey, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Fold the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients just until you can't see any dry streaks of flour.2 cups all purpose flour, ยฝ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ยฝ teaspoon salt, ยฝ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and turbinado sugar.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the banana bread batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely, slice, and enjoy.
Comments
No Comments