This Banana Bread Recipe is about classic comfort food.

Originally Published 03/21/2021

Most of us probably grew up eating some version of banana bread. It’s simple, tastes good, and is familiar. I’ve made some different variations of banana bread and loved them. Chocolate chip banana bread…yumm. However, I usually end up coming right back to the original.

This recipe calls for brown butter, which mostly just gives the flavor of the bread some depth. Although, if you didn’t know it had been done, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to nail down the taste. I also toasted the walnuts which adds to the warm flavor of this Brown Butter Banana Nut bread. Anyways, on to the recipe! Hope you enjoy it!

If you’ve never used brown butter in a recipe, prepare to be obsessed.

I really don’t understand the magic that happens when butter is browned, but the taste is amazing!

It’s just so toasty and good!

The brown butter kind of takes on a nuttiness which I think perfectly compliments the walnuts that are also in this recipe.

Start this recipe out by browning the butter so you can transfer it to a heat-proof bowl and chill it in the fridge for a bit while you get everything else going.

It’s ok to add warm butter to the batter, but you don’t want it super hot straight out of the frying pan.

For this Brown Butter Banana Nut Bread, melt 7 tbsp over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring it consistently. Keep a close eye on it! Butter goes from a nice golden brown to burnt pretty quickly!

 After the butter is brown and transferred to a different bowl, use the same frying pan and melt the last tbsp of butter from the stick. Add in the chopped walnuts and sauté them for a few minutes until they’re nice and toasted as well. Also, make sure to keep an eye on them as they will burn quickly too if left unattended! Set them aside to cool off for a minute too.

Now that the butter and nuts are out of the way, it’s time to start on the Banana Bread batter.

I also like to make the crumble topping before mixing the batter so it’s ready to sprinkle on top as soon as I’m ready for it. 

After this, mix all the dry ingredients (except the sugar) together in a separate bowl.

Then pour the brown butter into your mixer and add the sugar. Beat them together for a minute and then add the eggs and mix. After that, throw in the bananas, vanilla, milk, lemon juice. You might be wondering why the lemon juice? 

A lot of banana bread recipes call for buttermilk. Most households don’t just have a carton of buttermilk lying around. If you do, definitely feel free to substitute the 1/2 cup of milk for a 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

Basically, the lemon juice adds the necessary acidity (like the buttermilk would) to help activate the baking powder and baking soda which helps rise the bread! Finally, add in the dry ingredients and toasted walnuts and finish mixing!

This banana bread recipe will make one 9×5 loaf.

Or 4 mini loaves which make great gifts! I am a Pampered Chef fan and I love their stoneware. 

They don’t currently offer this stoneware mini loaf pan anymore, but you can find it used on Etsy and eBay if you’re interested! I also have the Pampered Chef Stone Loaf Pan and use that quite frequently for single large loaves. 

Once you’ve poured the bread batter into the greased pan, don’t forget to sprinkle the crumble topping over it before putting the loaf in the oven! It might also be a good idea to place a baking sheet beneath the loaf as the crumble can tumble off as the top of the bread rises up. This will save you from having to clean up a mess in the bottom of your oven later!

Bake the Brown Butter Banana Nut Bread until it’s golden!

This will take every bit of 50-60 minutes. I guess it’s called quick bread because of how quickly the ingredients come together, not because of the baking time 😉.

Use the toothpick test to tell when it’s done! Once it’s finished baking, get it out and let it cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before tipping out. If you tip it out hot, some of the sides may stick.

Enjoy warm with butter!

Print Recipe

Brown Butter Banana Nut Bread

An old-fashioned classic, this delicious banana bread has a comforting cinnamon-nut flavor deepened by hints of warm browned butter.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Keyword: banana bread

Servings: 1 loaf

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• 9×5″ Loaf Pan
• Rubber Spatula
• Small Sauté pan
• Small heat-proof bowl
• Medium Bowl
• Small Bowl
• Knife

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup Salted Butter 1 stick browned
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Bananas 3-4 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup Walnuts chopped and toasted
• Crumble Topping
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar packed
• 1/3 Cup Walnuts chopped
• 3 tbsp All-purpose Flour
• 2 tbsp Salted Butter room temperature

Instructions

Brown Butter and Toasted Walnuts

• In a small sauté pan over medium heat, place 7 tbsp of butter and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring continually until butter turns a nice golden brown color. Once the butter is brown immediately remove it from the heat, pour it into a small heat-proof bowl, and place it in the fridge to cool.
• Chop up 1/2 cup of walnuts. Place the small sauté pan back over medium heat and melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter. Add in the chopped walnuts. Sauté until the walnuts are slightly brown and toasted, keep stirring so they don’t burn. This should only take about 3-5 minutes. Once they are done, remove the pan from the heat and set the walnuts to the side to cool as well.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Crumble Topping

• In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, and 1/3 cup chopped walnuts. Cut together until coarse crumbs form. Set to the side.

Banana Bread

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• In the Kitchenaid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the brown butter and 1 cup of sugar and mix together. Then add in the eggs and mix them together.
• Next add in the bananas, vanilla, milk, and lemon juice and mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Finally, add in the dry ingredients, and toasted walnuts, and mix until everything is well incorporated.
• Pour the banana bread batter into the greased 9″x5″ loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the crumble topping.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the bread is risen, set, and golden brown. If you stick it in the center with a toothpick the toothpick should come out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove from the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack for the rest of the time.
• Enjoy warm with butter!!

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