Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Extra moist. All of my banana bread recipes are wonderfully moist, but this one goes the extra mile. Brown sugar naturally adds more moisture to whatever it’s added to.
• Mouthwatering glaze. A simple glaze marries the richness of butter and the caramel notes of brown sugar, with the sweet notes of honey.
• Easy to make. Whisk together your dry ingredients, combine your wet ingredients, and put it all together. Bake, then add your glaze!

What Does Brown Sugar Banana Bread Taste Like?

I’m a banana bread fiend I have quite a few banana bread recipes. For instance, this incredible Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and this Buttermilk Banana Bread.

So, what sets this one apart? First, the brown sugar glaze. With notes of honey and caramel, it delivers an extra layer of sweetness that my other banana breads don’t have. Second, using only brown sugar in the batter makes this loaf extra moist and flavorful. Plus, it has a tiny hint of cinnamon to it. Too good!

Ingredient Notes

Here’s what you’ll need to make this brown sugar banana bread recipe. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for a printable list.

For the banana bread

• All-purpose flour – A quality 1:1 gluten-free flour will also work here.
• Light brown sugar – If you’d like a deeper, more caramel-y flavor, opt for dark brown sugar.
• Baking soda + kosher salt
• Cinnamon
• Mashed banana – You’ll need roughly 3 medium bananas. They should be pretty ripe. Lots of brown spots. But not totally brown.
• Greek Yogurt – This makes the banana bread extra moist and tender. Make sure you grab plain Greek yogurt (rather than flavored). Sour cream will also do the trick.
• Eggs
• Butter – I always use salted butter. I don’t care what anyone says. It’s the best.
• Vanilla extract

For the glaze

• Light brown sugar – You can use dark brown sugar if you’d like a richer, deeper caramel-y flavor.
• Heavy cream
• Honey – You could use extra brown sugar here in place of honey, but I love the added flavor dimension the honey brings to this glaze.
• Butter – Again. Salted butter! It balances out the sweetness of the glaze beautifully.

How to Make Brown Sugar Banana Bread

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9X5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
• Mixthe wet ingredients. Mix together mashed banana, sour cream, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.

• Put it all together. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
• Bake. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
• Cool. Cool in the pan for 10 min. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack.

• Make the glaze. Whisk together the brown sugar, heavy cream, honey, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
• Cool. Allow the glaze to cool for 5 minutes.
• Glaze the banana bread. Pour the glaze over the fully-cooled banana bread.

Tips for Success

• Get the bananas right. It’s important to make sure your bananas are ripe enough. They should be heavily speckled with brown spots but not fully brown.
• Grease liberally. This banana bread can stick to the pan if it isn’t prepared properly, so make sure to grease yours with plenty of cooking spray.
• Don’t over-mix. When folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix just until everything is combined. Over-mixing can cause tough banana bread.
• Loosen things up. Before turning the loaf out onto a cooling rack, run a knife around the edges of the loaf pan. It will come out much cleaner that way.
• Cool completely. Allow the banana bread to cool completely before adding the glaze. If it’s still warm, the glaze won’t set up properly on top of the loaf.
• Let the glaze set. Once you take the glaze off of the heat, let it sit for 5 minutes or so. If it’s too hot, it’ll be runny and will melt into the bread instead of sitting on top of it.

How to Store

• Counter: Once the glaze has set on top of the loaf, seal the brown sugar banana bread in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap instead, but the glaze will stick to the plastic.
• Freezer: Allow the glaze to set on top of the banana bread before popping the loaf in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once it has firmed up a bit, wrap the whole loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the loaf (or a slice or two) to thaw at room temperature before enjoying. You can also freeze individual slices in airtight, freezer-safe containers.

More Banana Recipes to Try

• Banana Blondie Cheesecake
• The Best Banana Pudding Recipe
• Banana Pudding Cheesecake
• Best Banana Cake Recipe
• Bananas Foster Cookies