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Brown Butter Banana Bread

Brown butter banana bread with a deeply golden, nutty crumb and a darker crust from browned butter. This easy banana bread bakes into a moist loaf with a clean toothpick finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth, measure after mashing.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Brown until golden and nutty; cool 10 minutes before using.
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar Use packed brown sugar for best flavor.
  • 2 large eggs Room temperature helps blend smoothly.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips Optional mix-ins; choose one.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the butter
  1. Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling frequently, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, then remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Mix the batter
  1. Whisk the cooled browned butter and brown sugar together until smooth, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
  2. Stir in the mashed bananas until fully combined and no dry banana streaks remain.
Bake
  1. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined, then fold in any optional chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.
  2. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 60–70 minutes at 350°F until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Cool the browned butter for the full 10 minutes so the eggs don’t scramble when mixed. Store leftover banana bread tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 4 days; freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. For a dairy swap, use a 1:1 plant-based butter that browns well (it may caramelize slightly faster).