Delicious and so simple, Brown Sugar Banana Bread is the perfect tasty breakfast or treat. This quick bread is packed with amazing banana flavor and is an easy from-scratch recipe.
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You’re going to love this brown sugar banana bread for a delicious make-ahead breakfast.
Slice and freeze the leftovers and sit back and watch while your family gets their own breakfast in the morning. Winning looks great on you.
What Does Brown Sugar Do in Bread?
Brown sugar contains more moisture than traditional white sugar, which creates a super moist and delicious banana bread.
The moisture content of light and dark brown sugar is essentially the same, so choosing one over the other doesn’t impact the texture. Light brown sugar has a subtle flavor, whereas dark brown sugar has stronger notes of caramel and molasses.
Check out my tutorial on how to make brown sugar to see how easy this delicious ingredient is to DIY.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! We’re looking for overly ripe bananas with black spots on the skin. They should be soft without being completely mushy.
Bananas that are overly bruised or gooey are best for smoothies or the compost pile.
Yes, you can! Defrost the bananas first and discard any liquid that was produced during the defrosting process.
Stored at room temperature, banana bread will last for 2-3 days. To extend its life, store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Cool completely before storing.
You can wrap the entire fully-cooled loaf in foil and then place it in a freezer-proof bag for 3-6 months.
We prefer to pre-slice it and place each slice on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Freeze for 2 hours and then transfer to a freezer-proof bag.
You can replace brown sugar with white sugar. If you happen to have a jar of molasses in your pantry, add 1/2 – 1 tsp with the other ingredients. White sugar + molasses = homemade brown sugar.
Yes, absolutely! Using our Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe as the guide, bake this mixture at 350F for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove and place them on a cooling rack.
Variations
- Sub in whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour for a whole grain version of this banana bread with brown sugar. For best results, add 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten per cup of whole wheat flour.
- You can reduce the brown sugar by up to 1/2 cup without it impacting the overall texture.
- Add up to 1 cup of “mix-ins” like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc., to personalize this recipe.
- For next-level flavor, if you want to add chopped nuts, dry roast them in a frying pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add 1-2 tsp of ground cinnamon.
- You can use up to 2 cups of mashed bananas for this easy banana bread. Increase flour by 3 tbsp to account for the extra banana.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp – 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top of the bread before baking for a streusel-like topping. You could even mix a bit of cinnamon with the extra brown sugar.
- For mini loaves, you can bake in 1-cup Souper Cubes. Check for doneness at 25 minutes.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can use a fork, potato masher, hand, or stand mixer when mashing the bananas. You want the bananas to be mashed and not pureed/watery/liquified. A few chunks of bananas in the mixture are ok. Overly processed bananas will impact the texture and overall cooking time of the bread.
- For best results, use a metal or glass 9×5 loaf pan. Ceramic/stoneware pans can impact the cooking time.
- Spoon and level the flour into your measuring cups. Scooping the measuring cup into the flour will lead to too much flour, resulting in a dense bread texture.
- To prevent the top of the banana bread from baking too quickly, don’t skip the step of tenting the bread with foil.
- Short on time? Pour the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan. Bake at 350F and check for doneness at 23 minutes.
- Banana bread is baked through when a wooden toothpick or skewer is inserted in the middle and comes out clean when removed.
More Delicious Bread, Muffin, and Breakfast Recipes
Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups mashed banana {~3 medium very ripe bananas}
- 1 egg {room temperature}
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter {softened}
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour {spooned and leveled}
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a 9×5 metal or glass loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, potato masher, or fork, mash/mix banana, egg, softened butter, and vanilla until the banana is mostly smooth. A few lumps are ok.1.5 cups mashed banana, 1 egg, 4 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything is combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not overmix.1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 cup brown sugar
- Pour banana mixture into the loaf pan. Loosely tent with foil.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool on a baking rack before serving.
Notes
- You want the bananas to be mashed and not pureed/watery/liquified. A few chunks of bananas in the mixture is ok.
- You can reduce the brown sugar by up to 1/2 cup without it impacting the overall texture.
- Add up to 1 cup of “mix-ins” like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc., to personalize this recipe.
- You can use up to 2 cups of mashed bananas for this easy banana bread. Increase flour by 3 tbsp to account for the extra banana.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp – 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top of the bread before baking for a streusel-like topping. You could even mix a bit of cinnamon with the extra brown sugar.
- If you don’t have parchment, butter the insides of the loaf pan or use non-stick cooking spray.
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