This easy Blueberry Banana Bread is everything you love about traditional banana bread, just with bright bursts of juicy blueberries throughout!
Of course, there’s the original recipe, the OG banana bread, my gramma’s Easy Banana Bread - a moist bread that’s highly customizable.
It’s probably my favorite banana bread recipe, just because of how easy, forgiving, and versatile it is.
I’ve also shared my Peanut Butter Banana Bread, and my Gluten Free Banana Bread.
This time of year - as I keep my eye on the farmers markets and U pick signage - I figure it’s time to share my blueberry banana bread recipe.
A moist, very fruity bread, it’s the perfect combination of bananas and summer blueberry goodness!
Or, as I like to say, it’s the perfect breakfast for those times when a slice of banana bread sounds good... but so do blueberry muffins.
Anyway, it’s a great recipe, so let’s get to it!
Ingredients
This wonderful recipe requires only a few simple ingredients to make. Odds are good that you already have most of them on hand, and are closer than you think to pulling a delicious bread out of your oven!
A few notes for you:
Fresh Bananas
You want to use spotty overripe bananas - VERY ripe bananas.
They can even go beyond being just spotty bananas - the more black the peel, better.
These overripe, mushy bananas not only mash smoother, they provide a bit more sweetness, are key to a moist banana bread, and give a more robust banana flavor than less-ripe bananas.
If you have ugly brown bananas that are perfectly extra ripe for banana bread, but need to hold off on actually making it… just toss them in the freezer.
The peel will go black, but the bananas will be perfect when you’re ready to use them!
One caveat - you’ll need to let them thaw, and then drain off the excess water before mashing them.
Blueberries
I let seasonality and availability dictate what form of blueberries I use in this blueberry bread.
When blueberries are in season, I use fresh blueberries. When I have access to a patch, I’ll use wild blueberries. The rest of the year, I use frozen blueberries.
When using frozen berries, I just measure them in as-is, without thawing. If you thaw first, they can mash / “bleed”, which is fine - when you’re not photographing them for a blog
Whether using frozen or fresh berries, I toss them with a little flour before folding them into the batter.
This helps control the bleed a little, and supposedly helps keep them “suspended” throughout the bread.
Personally, I’ve never had berries sink to the bottom of a quick bread, but it sounds like it’s a thing for some, so ... easy enough to avoid!
All Purpose Flour
I use all-purpose flour for pretty much every sweet bread or muffin recipe I develop.
It’s cheap, versatile, easy to come by, and - given how many gluten free flours I have to have on hand - I can’t be arsed to keep several different wheat flours in the pantry.
That said, you can make this classic banana bread recipe into more of a whole wheat banana bread by swapping up to a third of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
Two things to note:
1. It’ll make a slightly more dense banana bread.
2. Using any more than ⅓ of the flour as whole wheat will likely need additional liquid added.
Butter or Vegetable Oil
While I initially grew up using melted unsalted butter in a lot of my muffin and quick bread recipes, creating a good banana bread that was gluten free got me in the habit of using vegetable oil instead.
I find it retains a nicer texture, even straight from the fridge - butter tends to lead to a more dry texture at cooler temperatures.
Also, the cost of butter here is WILD right now!
Anyway, I use just basic vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral flavoured oil - canola oil and avocado oil are great options.
Olive oil has a bit too robust of a flavour for this easy breakfast recipe, IMHO, and melted coconut oil tends to run into the same temperature issue as using butter.
Coarse Sugar - Optional
Optionally, I like to top this easy banana bread recipe with coarse sugar - specifically Pearl Sugar.
It’s what I use to give a nice crunchy, crystallized topping to sweet baked goods, like my Blueberry Bagels, Red Velvet Muffins, Gingerbread Scones, Banana Nut Bagels, and Homemade Apple Turnovers.
Sometimes I'll sprinkle some over an unbaked Pie Crust, after brushing on the egg wash.
Love the stuff!
If you don’t have any on hand but like the idea of a bit of a sugar crunch on top of this delicious treat, raw sugar also works!
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg
Pure Vanilla Extract
Baking Soda
Salt
.. I just don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!
How to Make Blueberry Banana Bread
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 1 regular bread pan, or line with parchment paper.
Add the melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the mashed bananas, whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients mix to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients.
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir just until combined, with no obvious streaks of flour in the batter.
Note: I don’t recommend using a hand mixer / electric mixer or stand mixer. You want to JUST mix it - if you overwork it, you’ll develop the gluten and get a tougher bread.
Add floured blueberries to the batter, gently folding in to incorporate.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle with coarse sugar and/or extra blueberries, if desired.
Note: For a nice, moist, blueberry banana bread be to not over bake it. Keep an eye on it, and take it out as soon as it passes the test!
Taking the whole loaf out of the pan - as pictured - and placing it on a wire rack will help it cool.
Leftovers
Leftovers can be cooled to room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil - or stored in an airtight container - and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
Best served at room temperature or warmer.
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Looking for more ideas to jazz up your breakfast experience! Here are a few more of my favorite recipes for you:
Ambrosia Belgian Waffles
Apple Cinnamon Buns
Baking Powder Biscuits
Biscuits and Gravy - MY Way!
Breakfast Bagel Strata
Breakfast Pizza
Deluxe Pizza Strata
Fig, Honey, and Goat Cheese Strudel
Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Gluten-Free Pop-Tarts
Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
Ham & Swiss Breakfast Pizza
Ham, Swiss, and Kale Strata
Rosemary Peach Balsamic Scones
Smoked Gouda and Chive Scones
The BEST Hash Browns Recipe
Looking for even quicker options? Check out my Muffin Recipes, too! There are also some fantastic Bagel Recipes on this blog...
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
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Easy Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 3 Large Bananas Mashed*
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter melted
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¾ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
- Coarse Sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 1 regular/large loaf pan, or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash together bananas and sugar until relatively smooth.
- Add the melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the mashed bananas, whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir just until combined, with no obvious streaks of flour in the batter.
- In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons of flour, until coated. Add floured blueberries to the batter, gently folding in to incorporate.
- Pour batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and/or additional blueberries, if desired.
- Bake for about 1 hour 20 minutes, or until crust is a rich golden brown, and knife inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean.
- Once fully cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting - if you’ve got that kind of patience!
- Leftovers can be cooled to room temperature, wrapped in Saran wrap and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Best served at room temperature or warmer.
Notes
Nutrition
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