Butter Pecan Banana Bread is a fun twist on this classic recipe with lots of buttery, nutty flavor and soft yet crunchy texture. It's our new favorite!
Yield:
1 loaf
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:1hour
Butter Pecan Banana Bread is a fun twist on this classic recipe with lots of buttery, nutty flavor and soft yet crunchy texture. It’s our new favorite!
I cannot type the word banana without think of Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback song. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Never have I spelled that word wrong since hearing that song. By the way, can you believe that song was released ten years ago?! I can remember listening to that song in Jr. high school with the first generation iPod mini. That’s… bananas.
If I got that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, my apology is this recipe. It’s my new favorite banana bread and I think you’re going to love it too! It’s ultra rich and buttery, but not too dense. It’s super soft and moist with perfect crunchy bites of pecans throughout. It’s weird because I’m usually not a huge fan of nuts in baked goods, but for some reason I adore them in banana bread.
Recipe Rundown:
Taste: Like banana bread taken up a notch with ultra rich, buttery, sweet, and nutty flavors. Be sure to use overripe bananas for the sweetest banana flavor.
Texture: I know people hate this word, but this banana bread is super moist, there’s no other way to say it! It’s ultra soft yet rich with crunchy bites of pecans throughout.
Ease: Buttering the pecans does dirty an extra dish but it only takes 5 minutes. We also use an electric mixer in this recipe to get the lightest yet richest texture. So just a bit more work than your average banana bread recipe.
Pros: The perfect balance of textures, not too dense and not too light. Plus the flavors are just wonderful. Such comfort food!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
Butter Pecan Banana Bread is a fun twist on this classic recipe with lots of buttery, nutty flavor and soft yet crunchy texture. It's our new favorite!
Ingredients
For the butter pecans:
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
1cuppecans, chopped
1/4teaspoonfine salt
For the banana bread:
1 1/2cups(6.75 ounces or 191 grams) all-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/4teaspoonground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonfine salt
1cupplus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2large eggs
1stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3very ripe large bananas, mashed
2tablespoonssour cream or plain yogurt
1teaspoonsvanilla extract
Directions
For the butter pecans:
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the pecans and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is lightly browned, 5 minutes. Let cool.
For the banana bread:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On low speed gradually add in the melted butter. Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, beating until just combined.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until golden brown on top and the center springs back when gently pressed. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from loaf pan to cool completely.
Banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 3 days at room temperature or 2 weeks frozen (thaw overnight at room temperature before serving).
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness — June 30, 2014 at 3:21 am
So I hate and love you today.
Bad news first:
I totally forgot about that song…and now it’s stuck in my head forever.
Good news:
Banana bread is my husband OBSESSION, so he will go nuts (had to) for this version! Pinning 🙂
I know I am late to the part with this banana bread, but I just made some today for gifts. This is the best banana bread ever! Thank you so much for the recipe and your food blog! BTW-I love your recipes and reading your blog!
Amazing, sweet, moist and simply delicious!
This is my “sweet indulgence”. Small slice is all you need to feel satisfied and it’s a good thing with all the goodies in this bread. I cut butter back by 1/4 stick and increased my yogurt by 1 tablespoon. Turned out great:)
OK Tess, I’ve read several of your recipes and would like to make them but please tell me how you are calculating your flour amounts? 1 cup flour = 4.25oz, if this is not the case, please tell me the oz you are measuring the flour?
I love this butter pecan banana bread – moist & delicious – the only thing – it fell a little bit in the middle while cooling – not sure why – I know sometimes the baking soda may be an issue ? I added what was called for in the recipe – howeve, it did not affect the wonderful Tate
I am going to make this recipe for Xmas gifts this year ❤️
MerryChristmas Claus — November 14, 2019 at 10:28 pm
I made this tonight and it will be the hit of my husband’s morning. His favorite breakfast treat is banana bread… and anything with pecans is always a hit. I had salted pecans on hand and adding the extra salt would have made it overly salty so I added a bit of brown sugar to the pecans to make them a bit more praline and butter pecans. I have to say they came out perfect by following everything else in your recipe, especially toasting the pecans. Would never have thought of that.
You are right the recipe is just chewy enough to be delicious, yet soft enough to be a great banana bread. This recipe is not at all dry or dense, just light and fabulous. Thanks!
I made this two nights ago and it is SO good! It doubled really well. The only thing I changed from the recipe was to sub out plain greek yogurt for sour cream. I just didn’t have sour cream on hand. I found my new Banana Nut Bread recipe! Thanks!
Definitely my new go to recipe! I’ve made it several times with no changes. I made muffins this time and they are like pillows. Very light and airy unlike some recipes that make a heavier muffin. They’re so good that I couldn’t finish one before rating this recipe. Oh I did add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon instead of 1/4 tsp.
This was the best recipe I’ve tried! Note: for me, the toasted pecans were done in about 3-1/2 min. I took them off at 4 mins because they were starting to burn.
This is the most amazing banana bread I have ever made. I made it the first time I’m a 9×5 pan let it cook an hour but a little of the center did not get done, the next I used 2 smaller pans cooked it 59min. And it was great could not stop eating it. I highly recommend this recipe. Can’t wait to mk it and give for gifts. I can’t say enough about the flavor and taste of this bread. Thank u
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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So I hate and love you today.
Bad news first:
I totally forgot about that song…and now it’s stuck in my head forever.
Good news:
Banana bread is my husband OBSESSION, so he will go nuts (had to) for this version! Pinning 🙂
B-A-N-A-N-A-S. UGH. All day.
Butter pecan + Banana Bread + Perfection.
I could eat the whole loaf by myself! Love this!
Butter pecans in banana bread is the best idea ever!
I baked it 3 times . It is a perfect banana bread thanks for recipe.
I know I am late to the part with this banana bread, but I just made some today for gifts. This is the best banana bread ever! Thank you so much for the recipe and your food blog! BTW-I love your recipes and reading your blog!
Thank you so much!! Thrilled to hear that. Merry Christmas!
I’m gonna make it… love banana bread… thank u for the recipe
how much pecan?
Amazing, sweet, moist and simply delicious!
This is my “sweet indulgence”. Small slice is all you need to feel satisfied and it’s a good thing with all the goodies in this bread. I cut butter back by 1/4 stick and increased my yogurt by 1 tablespoon. Turned out great:)
I’ve only got two bananas! Should I cut back the other ingredients by 1/3 also or just go for it?
OK Tess, I’ve read several of your recipes and would like to make them but please tell me how you are calculating your flour amounts? 1 cup flour = 4.25oz, if this is not the case, please tell me the oz you are measuring the flour?
I calculate flour as 1 cup = 4.5 ounces! Here’s some more info: https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-guide-measuring/
I love this butter pecan banana bread – moist & delicious – the only thing – it fell a little bit in the middle while cooling – not sure why – I know sometimes the baking soda may be an issue ? I added what was called for in the recipe – howeve, it did not affect the wonderful Tate
I am going to make this recipe for Xmas gifts this year ❤️
Ty & Merry Christmas
Phyl Ferrentino
Can I use regular butter instead of unsalted?
What sugar is? Brown?
I was wondering if you have ever used this to make ice cream sandwiches? I was thinking buttered pecan ice cream would be very good.
I made this tonight and it will be the hit of my husband’s morning. His favorite breakfast treat is banana bread… and anything with pecans is always a hit. I had salted pecans on hand and adding the extra salt would have made it overly salty so I added a bit of brown sugar to the pecans to make them a bit more praline and butter pecans. I have to say they came out perfect by following everything else in your recipe, especially toasting the pecans. Would never have thought of that.
You are right the recipe is just chewy enough to be delicious, yet soft enough to be a great banana bread. This recipe is not at all dry or dense, just light and fabulous. Thanks!
I made this two nights ago and it is SO good! It doubled really well. The only thing I changed from the recipe was to sub out plain greek yogurt for sour cream. I just didn’t have sour cream on hand. I found my new Banana Nut Bread recipe! Thanks!
Definitely my new go to recipe! I’ve made it several times with no changes. I made muffins this time and they are like pillows. Very light and airy unlike some recipes that make a heavier muffin. They’re so good that I couldn’t finish one before rating this recipe. Oh I did add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon instead of 1/4 tsp.
This recipe tasted delicous but it was too wet. The next time I make it I’m either going to back off on the bananas or add more flour.
This was the best recipe I’ve tried! Note: for me, the toasted pecans were done in about 3-1/2 min. I took them off at 4 mins because they were starting to burn.
This is the most amazing banana bread I have ever made. I made it the first time I’m a 9×5 pan let it cook an hour but a little of the center did not get done, the next I used 2 smaller pans cooked it 59min. And it was great could not stop eating it. I highly recommend this recipe. Can’t wait to mk it and give for gifts. I can’t say enough about the flavor and taste of this bread. Thank u
I made this for my family and toasting the pecans and butter made this banana nut bread over the top scrumptious. My family loved it!
My family LOVES this banana bread! Thank you!!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
I have found my new banana bread recipe! This was easy and delicious. I will add more pecans next time.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Can you please tell me if I can make this eggless? Is so, what can I substitute the eggs with?