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Best Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnuts

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This brown butter banana bread with toasted walnuts is a simple yet elevated twist on a classic. The nutty depth of browned butter and crunchy walnuts create a tender, moist loaf that’s perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter
  • 3 medium ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed / 340g)
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (60g) toasted walnuts, chopped (for batter)
  • ¼ cup (30g) toasted walnuts, roughly chopped (for topping)
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado or demerara sugar (optional, for topping)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides. Lightly grease the parchment.
  2. Brown the butter: In a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt ½ cup unsalted butter. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until it foams, then subsides, and small brown specks appear at the bottom (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat immediately and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Toast the walnuts: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast walnuts for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from pan and let cool. Chop ½ cup for the batter and roughly chop ¼ cup for the topping.
  4. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth with a few small lumps.
  5. Add the cooled browned butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract to the bananas. Whisk until smooth.
  6. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  7. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup walnuts and turbinado sugar on top.
  9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil after 40 minutes.
  10. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then lift out using parchment and cool completely on rack (at least 1 hour) before slicing.

Notes

For best results, use very ripe bananas with brown spots. Room temperature ingredients ensure even mixing. Do not overmix the batter to keep the bread tender. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. Browned butter can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter banana bread, banana bread with walnuts, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, brown butter recipe

Find it online: https://evabakery.com/best-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnuts/