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Best Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnuts – Easy Recipe

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This brown butter banana bread with walnuts is the ultimate comfort food. The nutty, caramel-like brown butter adds depth, while toasted walnuts provide a satisfying crunch. It’s simple enough for a weekday bake but impressive enough for brunch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides for easy lifting. Set aside.
  2. Brown the butter: Place the ½ cup unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt completely, then continue cooking, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. The butter will foam, then bubble, and eventually turn golden amber. You’ll see brown specks forming at the bottom—that’s the milk solids toasting. This takes about 5-7 minutes. As soon as it smells nutty and looks like liquid gold, remove it from the heat. Pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Le…
  3. Toast the walnuts: While the butter cools, spread the 1 cup chopped walnuts on a baking sheet. Toast them in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Watch them closely—they can burn quickly. Remove and let cool.
  4. Mash the bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash the 3 ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine—they add texture. You should have about 1½ cups of mashed banana.
  5. Combine the wet ingredients: Add the ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Slowly pour in the cooled brown butter, whisking continuously until fully incorporated. The mixture should look glossy and slightly thickened.
  6. Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Make sure there are no lumps.
  7. Combine wet and dry: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix—a few streaks of flour are okay. Overmixing will develop gluten and make the bread tough.
  8. Fold in the walnuts: Add the cooled toasted walnuts to the batter. Fold them in with a few gentle strokes. Reserve a handful to sprinkle on top if you like.
  9. Transfer to the pan: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread it evenly with the spatula. Sprinkle the reserved walnuts on top, pressing them gently into the batter so they stick.
  10. Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil after 40 minutes.
  11. Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then lift it out using the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before slicing—about 1 hour. This step is crucial for clean slices.

Notes

Don’t walk away from the brown butter; it can go from perfect to burnt in seconds. Use a light-colored pan for browning to see the color change. Let your eggs come to room temperature to prevent the brown butter from seizing. Measure bananas by volume (about 1½ cups mashed). Toast walnuts twice for extra crunch. Let the bread cool completely before slicing for clean slices. If the bread sinks in the middle, the oven temperature may be too low or the batter overmixed.

Nutrition

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