This chai-spiced banana bread is amazingly moist and popping with banana flavor! Warm chai spice adds depth and perfectly complements the banana. It's super quick and only uses one bowl!
I love to make this recipe whenever I have bananas crossing over to the dark side (which is pretty much all of the time) and I'm craving a hit of cinnamon-spice goodness.
I use my Homemade Chai Spice Mix Recipe to kick up the flavor with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Tangy sour cream is the secret ingredient for the ideal texture. I also dust the pan with a little chai-sugar mix to make a delicious crunchy crust. YUM!
Jump to:
Ingredients
The main ingredient here is ripe bananas--the riper the better. The rest of the ingredients are common pantry staples you probably already have, just waiting to be crafted into this spicy banana masterpiece!
- bananas - the riper the better. As bananas ripen their starch turns to sugar, which makes them perfect for this sweet bread.
- melted butter
- brown sugar - I love the deep molasses notes of brown sugar.
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- sour cream
- Homemade Chai Spice
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Banana Bread
This recipe really couldn't be easier--it uses just one bowl and you don't need an electric mixer.
In a medium bowl combine the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, and chai spice and mix until just combined.
Add sour cream and bananas, mashing the bananas with a large spoon against the sides of the bowl. Stir until no streaks of sour cream remain and banana is dispersed throughout the batter with no large chunks. If desired you can mash the banana with a potato masher before adding.
Grease the sides of four small loaf pans with butter.
Mix 1 tablespoon of chai spice blend with 4 tablespoons of sugar. Dust the greased pans lightly with the chai spice-sugar mixture.
Divide the batter evenly into the four prepared pans, making sure not to fill over ⅔ of the pan with batter.
Sprinkle the remaining chai spice-sugar mixture evenly over the tops of all 4 filled loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Substitutions
If you don't have all of the ingredients for the Homemade Chai Spice Mix, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon, or just use a combination of the spices you do have. You'll have slightly less depth of flavor, but it will still be delish!
Plain yogurt is fine to sub for sour cream.
Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend instead of AP flour to make this gluten-free banana bread.
Variations
Chocolate chips are a great addition if you have them, as are raisins or your favorite nuts.
Loaf Pan Size for Banana Bread
I wrote this recipe for small loaf pans (approximately 3-½ by 6 inches). I find the smaller loaves cook more predictably and allow for more delicious chai spice-sugar coating per bite. Plus you can give a loaf or two to a friend!
You can absolutely use a larger size loaf pan if desired. Just make sure to only fill it ⅔ of the way full, or it will likely overflow in the oven. If you have extra batter make a few muffins! A 9x5 inch loaf pan will take about 65 minutes to cook in a 350-degree oven. Muffins will take about 20-25 minutes.
Top Tip for Delicious Banana Bread
Make sure to use the ripest bananas you can for the most intense flavor! If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, throw them in a paper bag for a day or two and they'll get there faster. If you have super-ripe bananas but aren't ready to make banana bread yet, throw the whole banana in the freezer. When you're ready to use just pull the bananas out and let them thaw or throw in the microwave for 10-second intervals until they can be mashed.
FAQ
This banana bread recipe is extra moist because of the addition of sour cream, which makes for a delicious tender crumb and prevents drying out. Also make sure not to overbake your banana bread past the point of doneness.
Insert a skewer or toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs, the bread is done. If it comes out with uncooked batter on it, return the bread to the oven.
Banana bread can be kept covered at room temperature for 4-5 days. It will keep a few days longer in the fridge. If you want to store it longer than a week, wrap it tightly with several layers of plastic wrap and store in the freezer.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Perfect Chai-Spiced Banana Bread
Equipment
- 4 small loaf pans about 3-½ by 6 inches
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter plus extra to grease the pans
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus 4 tablespoons for dusting the pans
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-½ tablespoons chai spice mix divided
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and 1-½ tablespoons of chai spice and mix until combined. Set aside the remaining 1 tablespoon of chai spice.
- Add the mashed ripe bananas and sour cream. Stir until combined.
- Grease four small loaf pans (3-½ x 6 inches) with butter. Combine reserved 1 tablespoon chai spice with 4 tablespoons granulated sugar. Dust the prepared pans lightly.
- Divide the batter evenly between the four loaf pans, making sure not to fill more than ⅔ full. Sprinkle remaining chai-sugar mixture over the top of the batter, dividing evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes in 350-degree F oven, until a skewer inserted comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Leave a Reply