This delicious and moist pecan banana bread is made with brown butter, and chopped pecans, and is spiced with cinnamon.
This banana pecan bread is perfect for you if you like pecans, soft and moist banana bread, brown butter, and nutty flavors!
This recipe uses super ripe bananas, greek yogurt, and browned butter which creates the most tender and soft banana bread crumb.
The combination of ripe bananas, brown butter, and chopped pecans creates a perfect balance of flavors, making it a popular choice for breakfast or as a delicious snack.
Whether you are looking for a comforting homemade baked good or a unique twist on traditional banana bread, pecan banana bread is sure to satisfy your cravings.
For more pecan recipes, check out my butter pecan chocolate chip cookies, pecan upside down cake, easy turtle cookies, fudgy turtle brownies, and caramel pecan cheesecake.
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Why this recipe works
- Ease- this recipe comes together in one bowl and is super easy to make!
- Pecan- this banana bread is filled with chopped pecans for an added crunch, texture, and delicious flavor.
- Brown butter- it is made with brown butter which gives this banana bread an extra nutty flavor.
- Foolproof- this bread turns out perfect every time and is very hard to mess up!
- Texture- this banana bread has a moist and tender texture that will melt in your mouth with the help of browned butter, greek yogurt, and mashed bananas.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this banana bread with pecans recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Ripe bananas- Use only ripe bananas for this recipe! Overripe bananas are more sweet, moist, and easy to mash into a pudding consistency.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda – to allow the banana bread to rise. 1 teaspoon of baking soda is what you will need for this recipe. Don't replace baking soda with baking powder!
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this banana bread.
Greek yogurt- get your greek yogurt to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe. If you don't have greek yogurt, you can use sour cream instead.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Cinnamon- using cinnamon is optional, but we love the flavor it gives to this banana bread!
Brown sugar- adds a nice texture and a rich flavor to the banana bread.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract is what you will need for this recipe.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Pecan- you will need to roughly chop your pecan. We like to use toasted pecan, it has more flavor to it.
Instructions
Start by browning the butter. In a medium-sized saucepan add the butter (which has been at room temperature for 20-30 minutes) and melt on medium heat swirling the saucepan constantly.
Once the butter has melted, the butter will start to sizzle up and a layer of foam will cover the entire pan. Once you can't see the butter, remove it from the heat and transfer the brown butter to a big mixing bowl to cool to room temperature.
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper. Add the ripe bananas to a big mixing bowl and mash them into a pudding-like consistency with a fork or a potato masher.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, eggs, brown sugar, mashed bananas, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, greek yogurt, and sugar, and mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
Finally, add the chopped pecans, flour, and baking soda and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and top the batter with extra pecans!
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the banana bread comes out clean.
Let the banana bread cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and yogurt. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist banana bread and not dense and dry banana bread.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Use only ripe bananas for this recipe! ripe bananas are more sweet, moist, and easy to mash into a pudding consistency. If you don’t have ripe bananas, bake regular bananas in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 10 minutes, this will soften the bananas and make them into a ripe banana texture.
- Use a light-colored pan when browning the butter, that way you will be able to see the golden specks or the brown butter on the bottom of the pan.
- When browning the butter, keep an eye on the pan at all times. The butter can burn very easily and quickly. So when you brown the butter, mix it constantly, and don’t walk away!
- After your butter has been browned, immediately remove it from the heat and pour the brown butter into a heat-safe mixing bowl to cool completely to room temperature. If you will remove the brown butter from the heat and do not pour it into a heat-safe mixing bowl, it will keep cooking and will burn.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this banana bread as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
Faq's
We use all-purpose flour for this banana bread. Self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
If you want to make this banana bread, but you don’t have ripe bananas on hand, don’t worry! Bake regular bananas in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, this will soften the bananas and make them into a ripe banana texture.
If your banana bread turned out dry, it could be due to overmixing the batter or baking it for too long. Also, you may have added too much flour to your banana bread. Make sure that you follow the instructions correctly.
Banana bread cracks since it is high in water content. The batter is high in water content which creates a moist bread. In the baking process, the water evaporates and creates a crack usually in the middle of the bread.
Storing
It’s okay to store this bread at room temperature. Store this bread at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure that you store the bread in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
Freezing
This banana bread is very easy to freeze. After baking, let the loaf cool to room temperature, transfer it into a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze this as a loaf or as slices.
To thaw: place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free - you can make this cake dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter.
Variations
Add-ins- make this recipe your own and add your favorite add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, etc.
Toppings- this banana bread can be topped with crumble topping (or streusel topping), cinnamon sugar mixture, nuts, etc.
Maple syrup- top your warm banana bread with a drizzle of maple syrup for more flavor and moist texture.
Spices- add warmth and depth to your banana bread with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, complemented by the nutty crunch of pecans.
Serving Tips
I like to serve the bread as is with our morning coffee or tea on the side. There are many ways to upgrade your bread:
Spread- Spread a slice of this bread with peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, or even pumpkin butter!
Berries- top this with sliced berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries for a fresh and delicious flavor.
Whipped cream- top each slice of bread with a dollop of whipped cream.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this bread.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- our favorite copper whisk set.
- Loaf pan
- Rubber spatula
More banana bread recipes
Banana bread without baking soda- This fluffy banana bread without baking soda is moist, made in one bowl, easy to make, and tastes absolutely delish!
Tahini banana bread- This tahini banana bread is moist, fluffy, and filled with tahini which gives this banana bread a delicious nutty flavor.
Chocolate chip banana bread- This chocolate chip banana bread is extra moist banana bread that is made with brown butter, greek yogurt, and plenty of mashed bananas making this banana bread super moist, flavorful, and fluffy.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe:
📖 Recipe
Moist Pecan Banana Bread (w/ Brown Butter)
Ingredients
- 140 g Butter
- ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- ½ cups Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Mashed bananas
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cups Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 cup Pecans Chopped
Instructions
- Start by browning the butter. In a medium-sized saucepan add the butter (which has been at room temperature for 20-30 minutes) and melt on medium heat swirling the saucepan constantly.
- Once the butter has melted, the butter will start to sizzle up and a layer of foam will cover the entire pan. Once you can't see the butter, remove it from the heat and transfer the brown butter to a big mixing bowl to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper. Add the ripe bananas to a big mixing bowl and mash them into a pudding-like consistency with a fork or a potato masher.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, eggs, brown sugar, mashed bananas, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, greek yogurt, and sugar, and mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
- Finally, add the chopped pecans, flour, and baking soda and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and top the batter with extra pecans!
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the banana bread comes out clean.
- Let the banana bread cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and yogurt. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist banana bread and not dense and dry banana bread.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Use only ripe bananas for this recipe! ripe bananas are more sweet, moist, and easy to mash into a pudding consistency. If you don’t have ripe bananas, bake regular bananas in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 10 minutes, this will soften the bananas and make them into a ripe banana texture.
- Use a light-colored pan when browning the butter, that way you will be able to see the golden specks or the brown butter on the bottom of the pan.
- When browning the butter, keep an eye on the pan at all times. The butter can burn very easily and quickly. So when you brown the butter, mix it constantly, and don’t walk away!
- After your butter has been browned, immediately remove it from the heat and pour the brown butter into a heat-safe mixing bowl to cool completely to room temperature. If you will remove the brown butter from the heat and do not pour it into a heat-safe mixing bowl, it will keep cooking and will burn.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this banana bread as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
Alein
Can you use sour cream instead of yogurt?
RichandDelish
Hi Alein, you can use sour cream instead of yogurt. It will have the same effect.
Linda
I made this exactly as you said. It was fantastic. Thankyou, super delicious with and without butter as a slice. Excellent recipe.