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Honey Vanilla Banana Bread

Honey vanilla banana bread with a honey-glazed crust and tender, lightly golden crumb. Real vanilla flavor bakes through the loaf, making an easy banana bread with naturally sweet notes from ripe bananas and honey.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 240
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth with a few small lumps ok.
Wet ingredients
  • 1 cup butter Melted; helps create a tender crumb.
  • 1 cup honey Use 1/2 cup in the batter plus 1 tablespoon for brushing.
  • 1 large egg Room temperature blends more smoothly.
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract Or use seeds of 1 vanilla bean for flecks in the crumb.
Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour Spoon into the measuring cup and level.
  • 1 tsp baking soda Provides lift; check freshness.
  • 0.5 tsp salt Balances sweetness.
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon Adds warmth and aroma.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Set the greased pan aside while you mix the batter.
Mix the batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, honey, egg, and vanilla into the mashed bananas until smooth and well combined.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined; do not overmix.
Bake and glaze
  1. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60–70 minutes until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with 1 tablespoon of honey while still warm.
  3. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out and slicing when cooled to room temperature.

Notes

Pro tip: mash bananas thoroughly so the loaf stays silky, then stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients disappear to avoid a dense crumb. Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, refrigerated up to 5 days, and freeze slices up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use a plant-based butter substitute cup-for-cup and keep the honey the same for the classic honey-glazed crust.