Best Brown Butter Banana Bread
Soft and tender, this moist brown butter banana bread has lovely caramel notes that complement the banana flavor. Browning butter is just one little extra step and the caramelized milk solids in the brown butter pair perfectly with the banana flavor. I’ve also got a secret ingredient tip to make it even better (spoiler, it’s milk powder) that makes it even better!
The brown butter addition
I make this brown butter banana bread whenever I have overripe bananas on the counter, which is pretty much all the time. Browning the butter first adds this deep flavor that makes it so much better than regular banana bread. Milk solids in the butter are what actually do the browning, so adding a little extra in the form of milk powder gives you even more of that toasty, caramel flavor. You just add 1 tablespoon once the butter starts to foam, then carry on as normal. It’s optional, but I really love what it does here. I go into more detail on this in my how to brown butter post.
If you want that same toasty, caramel flavor without browning any butter at all, my toasted milk powder post is worth a read too. I use it in recipes like my white chocolate chip cookies to add that same depth of flavor without the extra step.
Key ingredients and why
- Butter. This can be salted or unsalted. It gets browned first before anything else. Use a light-colored saucepan so you can see the milk solids changing color (a dark pan makes it easy to burn the butter without realizing it.)
- Very ripe bananas. The riper the better. You want brown, spotty bananas that are soft and almost collapsing.
- Soft brown sugar. The molasses notes in brown sugar complement the caramel flavor of the brown butter and banana really well. It’s a better match here than white sugar.
- Natural yogurt. A generous amount of yogurt keeps the crumb moist and tender even after a few days. It also adds acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to give the loaf a good rise. Sour cream works just as well if that’s what you have.
- Baking soda. The leavening agent here. It needs that acidity from the yogurt to activate properly, which is why you don’t want to swap the yogurt for plain milk.
- 2 large eggs. These give the loaf structure so it slices cleanly rather than crumbling.
- Milk powder (optional). Adding 1 tablespoon to the butter once it starts to foam gives you more milk solids to brown, which means more of that deep, toasty flavor.
Method
- Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring regularly. Once it starts to foam, add the milk powder if using. Keep stirring until the milk solids are deep amber and the butter smells rich and nutty.
- Pour it into a large bowl immediately, scraping in all the brown bits, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Mash the ripe bananas well with a fork until mostly smooth.
- Add the mashed banana, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the cooled brown butter and whisk until well combined.
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and yogurt with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stop as soon as you can’t see any dry streaks.
- Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan. Slice a banana lengthwise and press both halves cut-side up into the surface of the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if using.
- Bake until deep golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tips
- Don’t rush the brown butter. It goes through stages: melting, foaming, then browning. Keep the heat at medium and stir regularly. The moment the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn deep amber and it smells rich and nutty, take it off the heat and pour it into your bowl straight away.
- Use a light-colored pan. A stainless steel or enameled saucepan lets you see the color change clearly. A dark non-stick pan hides what’s happening at the bottom, which makes it easy to overshoot.
- Your bananas really need to be very ripe. Yellow bananas don’t have enough sugar or flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can ripen them quickly by baking unpeeled bananas at 300°F (150°C) for about 15-20 minutes until the skins turn black and the flesh is completely soft.
- Check doneness with a skewer. The top will crack and look set well before the center is cooked through. Insert a skewer into the thickest part of the loaf and it should come out with no wet batter on it. A few moist crumbs are fine.
- Storage. Wrap the cooled loaf and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. It also freezes well, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Slices can go straight from frozen into the toaster.
Related recipes
- Brown butter banana muffins
- Sourdough banana bread with chocolate chips
- Small batch banana muffins
- Brown butter brownies
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting
Related recipes
This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes, and I hope you love it too! For more delicious recipes, check out these!
Brown Butter Banana Bread
This brown butter banana bread has lovely caramel notes complementing the banana flavor.
Ingredients
- 113 g butter salted or unsalted
- 7 g milk powder optional
- 240 g bananas very ripe
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 125 g natural yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 large banana sliced lengthwise
- Turbinado sugar optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease or line an 8.5×4.5-inch (21x11cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to foam, add the milk powder if using. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn deep amber. Pour it immediately into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown bits. Let it cool for 10 minutes. 113 g butter, 7 g milk powder
- Mash the ripe bananas directly into the cooled brown butter with a fork until mostly smooth. 240 g bananas
- Add the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt and whisk until well combined. 150 g soft brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 125 g natural yogurt
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Fold this into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. 250 g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread level. Slice the banana lengthwise and press both halves cut-side up into the surface of the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if using. 1 large banana, Turbinado sugar
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is deep golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
Both US customary and metric measurements are provided. Use the toggle to switch between the two.
Milk powder: Adding 1 tablespoon of milk powder to the butter once it starts to foam gives you extra milk solids to caramelize, which makes the toasty flavor noticeably deeper. It’s optional but worth trying.
Very ripe bananas: The riper the better. Brown, spotty bananas are sweeter and more flavorful.
Add-ins: Fold through 100g / 3.5oz of chocolate chips or chopped walnuts with the dry ingredients if you like.
Storage: Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Slices can go straight from frozen into the toaster.
Brown butter banana bread muffins – You can bake this batter in muffins too! Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and grease or line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Make the batter, then divide over the muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven heat to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The total time will depend on your oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 2884kcalCarbohydrates: 437gProtein: 53gFat: 107gSaturated Fat: 63gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 4gCholesterol: 624mgSodium: 3299mgPotassium: 2396mgFiber: 17gSugar: 205gVitamin A: 3679IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 578mgIron: 16mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I made this bread today for my family. It smells Devine in our home.
When do you add in the sour cream that you have listed in the ingredients?
Hey Kati, I say that you can use sour cream in place of yogurt, this is added in step 6.
The best banana bread recipe! I made it without sugar and used spelt flour for my toddler, it’s just as fluffy. I referred to the muffin pan notes and baked in madeleine pan (fun shape for my toddler). Thank you so much!
Love this recipe, added walnut and dark chocolate chunks.