This olive oil banana bread recipe is super easy to make and comes out incredibly moist. I flavor it with cinnamon and cardamom, but you can use whatever spices you enjoy best—or add some mix-ins! This banana bread is a great addition to your breakfast or brunch spread, or just as an afternoon snack.
How Do You Make Banana Bread from Scratch?
It all starts with ripe bananas. I like buying a bunch to eat for breakfast on-the-go or as a quick snack, and sometimes I end up going through them all. But on the fortunate occasion that a few have turned pretty black, then it’s prime time for baking! (You can also peel the bananas and put them in the freezer for later if you don’t plan to bake within the next day or two.)
From there you mix the ripe bananas with some eggs, fat, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and flavorings, throw it in the oven for it bit, and before you know it you’ve got yourself a beautiful baked good.
Melted butter is the standard fat—though I think brown butter is even better for banana bread—but for this recipe I opt for olive oil instead. It’s better for you, adding a bunch of good things for your body, and ends up making this dairy free.
What Olive Should You Bake and Cook With?
Short answer: You should always use the best olive oil that you have on hand. Yes, I’m talking extra-virgin here. In fact, I’d recommend that you only ever keep extra-virgin olive oil in your house. Despite what you may have heard previously, extra-virgin olive oil is perfectly good to use for all of your culinary needs, from drizzling and vinaigrettes to baking and cooking. In terms of what brands to buy, here’s some recommendations from the lovely folks over at Simply Recipes. (Not listed, I’m also a fan of the stuff from Cobram Estates.)
How Do You Add Flavor to Banana Bread?
From spices to extracts to mix-ins, the possibilities are endless! This particular recipe lists cinnamon and cardamom in the ingredient list, but any sort of warming spice—such as nutmeg, clove, or allspice—would be good to use. Similarly, vanilla, almond, or banana extract (for extra banana-y goodness) could all be used interchangeably in this banana bread. Lastly, I kept this banana bread “pure,” but feel free to throw some chocolate chips, toasted nuts, or maybe even a swirl of Nutella into the batter before baking to make this banana bread your own.
How Do You Store Banana Bread?
The best way to keep banana bread moist and prevent it from drying out is to only cut off slices as you need them. Once cooled, it should be stored in an airtight container or securely wrapped in plastic wrap. Kept this way, it should keep for a few days (if you’re able to keep yourself from eating it all for that long).
Yield: one 9-inch loaf
Olive Oil Banana Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This olive oil banana bread is super easy to make and comes out incredibly moist. Flavored with cinnamon and cardamom, it's the perfect snack or breakfast food.
Ingredients
- Nonstick spray
- 3 ripe bananas
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350˚F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl (I like to make them as smooth as possible, but some chunks are okay). Mix together with the eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients (flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices). Mix together and break apart the brown sugar so that there aren't any more large clumps.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients together and mix until thoroughly combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a knife, skewer, or cake tester (my preferred tool) inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a baking rack to finish cooling completely. Slice and serve.
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