Caramelized Banana Bread

I love banana bread, and as a Filipino, I also love fried bananas. This simple caramelized banana bread recipe is a combination of my love for these two things. The bananas are pan-fried to coax out the sugars in the bananas. The result is a deeper banana flavor that is rich and deep. This recipe also helps when you don't have that brown sugar in the kitchen but want to achieve that flavor in banana bread.

Update Disclosure: This post has been updated for one or more of the following reasons: easier reading, updated photos, clearer instructions, and just plain ol' improvements to the recipe (as noted).

Jump to:

• Ingredients for Caramelized Banana Bread
• Substitutes
• Recipe Tips For a Rich Banana Bread
• How to Make Caramelized Banana Bread
• How to Serve
• Caramelized Banana Bread Recipe
• Have You Tried This Recipe?

Ingredients for Caramelized Banana Bread

The ingredients for this recipe is an adaptation from this luscious All Recipes banana bread post. Instead of using overly ripe bananas, you can use bananas with a few brown spots on its skin. They will hold up better as you fry them in the pan, but will soften to the same consistency as browned bananas.

You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:

• Bananas
• Unsalted Butter
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Flour
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Chopped Pecans (optional)
• Chopped Chocolate (optional)

Substitutes

• Pecans: Walnuts are the typical options to add to banana bread. Nuts are an optional ingredients so you can choose not to use them at all.
  
  
• Sour Cream: You can use heavy cream instead of sour cream for this recipe. Heavy cream will yield a moist banana bread as well.

Recipe Tips For a Rich Banana Bread

• Slice Bananas in Half: Take your bananas first and slice each one down its length. Don't worry if it breaks in half. We just need a flat surface to develop the caramelization. 

• Cool Bananas: Make sure the bananas are cool because if you plan to add chocolate chips, they will melt if they are still warm.
  
  
• Work Quickly: The sugars in the bananas will make them very soft, so work quickly and transfer them into a bowl when they develop caramelized marks on both sides.

How to Make Caramelized Banana Bread

Here is a thorough summary of this recipe to achieve a yummy soft banana bread!

• Fry bananas on the pan until caramelization marks show and they soften.
• Mash bananas in bowl, let them cool.
• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl, mix them together, then set aside.
• In another large bowl, crack the eggs, then add the melted butter and sugar and whisk them together until the sugar is completely incorporated. 
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then, add the flour mixture and the cooled bananas and sour cream to this bowl. 
• Fold in the chopped chocolate chips and pecans. 
• Pour the caramelized banana bread filling into a prepared baking dish, leaving about a half-inch space from the top of your loaf pan.
• Bake the banana bread for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it and pull it out.

How to Serve

My favorite way of eating banana bread is by taking a thick slice and heating it. Then I take a butter slab and allow it to melt on top of the piece. Grab a cup of coffee and treat yourself to the banana bread's nutty, sweet, caramelized, and chocolate flavors.