With a rich, nutty and almost toffee like flavor, Brown Butter Banana Bread is an absolute stand out among banana breads. Combining brown butter flavor with a moist, melt in your mouth texture – this just might become your favorite banana bread recipe yet!
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You’ll Love Brown Butter Banana Bread
With an entire collection of banana bread recipes here at Love From The Oven, it’s hard to pick a favorite. This one brings you the incredible tender texture of my extremely popular Sour Cream Banana Bread but with the elevated flavor of brown butter. It only takes a few minutes longer to make and it truly is something special.
What I Love:
- It’s richer and more complex than classic banana bread, yet still simple to make.
- From a slice with coffee for breakfast to an after dinner slice for dessert, you can enjoy this any time of the day.
- It maintains it’s moist texture for days, and it freezes wonderfully.
- Those sad, browning bananas on your countertop are magically transformed into a loaf that everyone will want a slice of.
- It’s impossible to describe how amazing your kitchen will smell while this is baking!
Brown Butter Banana Bread Ingredients
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Bananas: You know those dark, overripe bananas? Those are perfect for this recipe – the riper the better as they add both sweetness and moisture. If you want to add a banana to the top as I do here, that banana can be a bit fresher as it will hold it’s shape better than the ripe bananas will. It’s not necessary, but it’s a nice presentation.
- Unsalted Butter: Since we’ll add salt to the recipe, I like to use unsalted butter. You can use salted butter and omit the salt.
- Dry Milk Powder: The milk powder is used to intensify the taste of the brown butter. You will really taste the brown butter in this banana bread recipe.
- Sour Cream: I hardly make banana bread without sour cream. It makes the loaf incredibly soft and moist.
- Sugars: This recipe use both granulated and brown sugar, which can be light or dark.
- Eggs – You’ll want two large eggs. If your eggs are on the small side you can add in an extra yolk. I also recommend having them at room temperature.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – These help the bread rise. Always double check the expiration dates to make sure they are fresh.
- Vanilla Extract – Whenever possible I recommend using real vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon helps give banana bread that warm and cozy flavor we all know and love. You can also add in a bit of nutmeg if you like.
- Coarse Raw Sugar: This is optional, but I find it adds a nice crunch and caramelizes the banana on top.
- Flour – This is made with all-purpose flour, and I have not tested it with other flours. Make sure to see my tip below on measuring flour correctly.
Measure Flour Correctly
For the best results, make sure to measure flour correctly using the following steps:
- Fluff the flour by giving it a stir. This will aerate it so that it’s not compacted.
- Using a spoon, spoon flour into a measuring cup until it’s overflowing. Do not scoop the flour with the measuring cup as this will compact it, giving you more than you need.
- Level the flour using a flat edge, such as a butter knife or spoon handle.
Following these steps helps to avoid adding too much flour to the recipe, which can result in dry and dense baked goods. If measuring by weight this should be in the 125-135 gram range. Get all my flour tips, tricks and info here!
How to Make Brown Butter Banana Bread
This is just a visual overview of how this recipe is made to help you visualize the process. For the actual recipe directions with full details, please see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Brown the butter and milk powder in a saucepan then allow to cool.
Step 2: Whisk sugars and melted butter until combined.
Step 3: Add eggs, vanilla, banana, and sour cream, then combine. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Step 4: Transfer the batter to a loaf pan, then if desired top with a sliced banana and coarse sugar, then bake.
Christi’s Tips For Success!
Low and Slow: Brown the butter over low heat and take your time with it. It can go from perfect to burnt quickly if the heat’s too high. You’ll know it’s done once the butter turns an amber color, with little brown flecks, and it smells sweet, like toffee.
Cool Off: After browning the butter, make sure you let it cool significantly, or else it may cook the eggs. When you remove it from the stove and add it to the bowl, make sure to scrape all the bits and pieces into the bowl. That’s the good stuff!
Take It Easy: It’s important not to overmix the batter or the bread can become dense or tough. Mix just until you no longer see any raw flour.
To Top Or Not: Adding the sliced banana to the top really gives a great look, but is not necessary. The same goes to adding the coarse sugar on top – which adds a nice texture. Both are great, but optional. Your bread will be delicious with or without these toppings.
Storage Tips
Storing: You can store this covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. When I’m ready to eat it again, I like to warm up a slice in the microwave for a few seconds! You can also wrap it tightly and store in the freezer for later.
More Banana Recipes To Try
We go a little bananas for banana recipes around here! Here are some other delicious banana recipes to try:
Banana Bread Recipes
Can’t get enough banana bread? I feel that! Here are some other irresistible banana bread recipes to try!
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large overripe bananas (mashed)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional Topping
- 1 large ripe banana (not as ripe as the bananas in the bread)
- 1 tablespoon course raw sugar (also known as turbinado sugar)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, add the unsalted butter. Let it melt, then add the dry milk powder. Whisk continuously until the butter becomes an amber-brown color and has a nutty, sweet smell. Foam and brown bits are normal. Keep a very close eye on this as it can quickly go from brown to burnt.
- Once the butter has browned, transfer all of it to a large mixing bowl and allow it to come to room temperature. While it cools, grease a 9×5 loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325°F.
- To the cooled butter, add both the white and brown sugar. Whisk well until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and mix. Next add vanilla, mashed bananas and sour cream, and stir well until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until no dry ingredients are visible in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Slice a banana lengthwise and lay it on top of the batter. If you're using the coarse sugar, sprinkle it on top right before baking. Bake in the oven for 45-48 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs.*
- Let the banana bread sit in the loaf pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then gently loosen the edges with a dull knife (a plastic knife works great for this). Remove it from the pan and transfer it back to the wire rack to cool completely. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
