Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread
by Pioneer Woman
What is Pioneer Woman’s Banana Nut Bread?
This version is adapted from Ree Drummond’s original pumpkin banana bread by halving the recipe for a single loaf. I removed the pumpkin and replaced it with more mashed ripe banana, increased the pecans for extra crunch, and kept the egg count to one for simplicity. The result is a moist, banana-forward bread with warm spices and buttery richness.
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Why You’ll Like It
Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread is essentially a crunchy spiced nut bread with bananas added to give the bread sweetness and moisture. I like to use this recipe as a base and voilà — you end up with a fruit bake or a quick savoury bread. Sometimes I love dressing it up a bit and topping it with creamy mascarpone cheese, which I usually use on top of Barefoot Contessa’s carrot cake.
In a nutshell, we love it cause:
- it’s SO crunchy
- versatile (10 recipes in 1)
- never fail recipe
- quickly whipping it up.
Video
Tips for The Perfect Banana Nut Bread
- To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the centre and make sure it comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- If the tops are browning more than you’d like, tent with foil towards the end of baking.
- To store, wrap the bread in foil and place it in an airtight container at room temperature. Otherwise, refrigerate to extend its shelf life.
- Add chocolate chips or dried fruits for extra flavour variations.
What You Need
Ingredients for Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread
Dry Ingredients
- Flour Mixture –
- All-Purpose Flour – (1½ cups) Base for the batter
- Baking Soda – (1 tsp) Leavening agent
- Kosher Salt – (½ tsp) Balances sweetness (can substitute with sea salt)
- Baking Powder – (¼ tsp) Provides extra lift
- Spices –
- Cinnamon – (½ tsp) Adds warmth
- Ginger – (½ tsp) Adds a subtle spice
- Nutmeg – (¼ tsp) Freshly grated for flavour (optional, or adjust to taste)
Wet Ingredients
- Fat & Liquids –
- Salted Butter – (6 tbsp) Adds richness (use unsalted butter + ¼ tsp salt if preferred)
- Egg – (1 large) Binds ingredients together
- Sugar –
- Granulated Sugar – (½ cup) Sweetener
- Light Brown Sugar – (¼ cup) Adds moisture and a hint of molasses (substitute with dark brown sugar for a deeper flavour)
- Fruit & Nuts –
- Ripe Banana – (1½ cups, or about 3 bananas) Adds natural sweetness and moisture
- Pecans – (1 cup) Chopped for texture. Substitute with walnuts or omit if nut-free. You can also replace the pecans with pumpkin and chia seeds.
Variations
- Rolled oats – Turn it into a banana oat bake by replacing part or all of the flour with rolled oats.
- Turn it into savoury bread – By adding salt and omitting the spices and sugar, it turns into a quick savoury bread.
How to Make Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). Grease a loaf pan (8×4 or 9×5 inches).
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk melted butter, sugars, and the egg in a separate bowl until smooth.
- Fold in the mashed bananas to the wet mixture.
- Gradually sprinkle in the flour mixture, folding gently. Add chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool the loaf for 5 minutes, run a knife around the edges, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Saving the Banana Nut Bread For Later
To keep your Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread fresh and delicious:
- Store leftovers: If you plan to consume the banana nut bread within 2-3 days, in an airtight container at room temperature. Remember to allow the banana nut bread to cool completely before storing it.
- Refrigerate: To extend its shelf life for up to a week, refrigerate the bread in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze individual slices or the entire loaf wrapped in slices or as a whole loaf in an airtight freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temperature and optionally reheat in the oven or microwave for a warm, freshly baked taste.
Serving The Banana Nut Bread
I’ve discovered several ways how to dress and serve banana bread. You can:
- Serve with butter, and cream cheese or with Cream Cheese Balls.
- Dress with homemade Biscoff sauce or this coconut topping from my favourite Coconut Cake.
- Top the bread with chocolate or fresh strawberries.
- Toast the bread and spread it with peanut butter.
- Wrap individual slices and pack these lunch box favourites.
Health Info
| Calories: | 407.89 |
| Sugar: | 34.54 |
| Sodium: | 311.52 |
| Fat: | 19.29 |
| Carbohydrates: | 56.98 |
| Fiber: | 2.75 |
| Protein: | 4.85 |
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Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Description
Ingredients
For the flour mixture
- 1½ cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ginger
- ½ tsp (a pinch) Nutmeg grated
For the wet mixture
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 6 tbsp Salted Butter
- 1 large Egg
- 1½ cups (or 3) Ripe Banana mashed
For the banana cake
- 1 cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF / 176ºC. Grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 inches or 9 x 5 inches).
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices together in a bowl.
- Mix the sugar with the melted butter, and eggs. Then fold in the mashed banana puree and continue to blend.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture and fold in blending with the hand mixer and fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour batter into the pans. Bake for 45–60 minutes. See tips below.
- Cool for 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edge to pop the loaf out. Cool on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
- To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the centre and make sure it comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- If the tops are browning more than you’d like, tent with foil towards the end of baking.
- To store, wrap the bread in foil.
Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread FAQ
Yes! For a seasonal twist, replace part of the banana with pumpkin purée. Use ¾ cup mashed banana + ¾ cup pumpkin purée instead of 1½ cups banana. Keep the rest of the recipe the same. You can also boost the warm, cosy flavour with a pinch of cloves or extra cinnamon if you like.
Absolutely. You can omit the pecans or swap them for:
½–1 cup chocolate chips
Walnuts (for a different crunch)
Nothing at all — for a classic, plain banana loaf
Room temperature: Wrap the fully cooled loaf in foil or plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Double-wrap slices or the whole loaf and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight before serving.
Try these fixes:
Use extra-ripe bananas for more moisture and natural sweetness.
Measure flour correctly — spoon it into the cup and level off (don’t scoop and pack!).
Check baking time early — all ovens vary, so test with a toothpick around 50 minutes.
Yes! Spoon the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 18–22 minutes.
Try one or more of these simple swaps:
Replace half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
Reduce the sugar by ¼ cup — ripe bananas already add plenty of sweetness.
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I have tried this recipe once or twice with my kids as enjoy bonding while baking. The way the ripe bananas infuse their sweet flavor into every bite, combined with the crunchy goodness of the nuts, is simply divine.
However, could you please clarify the baking time and oven temperature? Is there any way to expedite the process, or is the full 60-minute bake time necessary?
You can try to increase the oven temperature to 200C or 290F (-20 degrees with fan) and you might gain 5 to 10 minutes. However, this also depends on your oven. Unfortunately with banana bread even using an air fryer doesn’t decrease baking time. On the upside, the recipe is very easy to make and also each to freeze so that you can prepare ahead.