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Banana Nut Bread With Pecans

Banana nut bread with pecans that bakes up golden and moist, with toasty nut crunch in every slice. A simple banana-butter batter is baked until a toothpick comes out clean for bakery-style loaf texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 salt pinch
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
Wet ingredients
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 0.333 cup melted butter
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Nut topping
  • 0.75 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan for easy release.
Build the banana mixture
  1. Mash the bananas and stir in the melted butter until evenly combined.
  2. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla until the batter looks smooth and glossy.
  3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir in just until incorporated.
Combine and add pecans
  1. Fold in the flour until just combined to keep the loaf tender.
  2. Fold in most of the toasted pecans, saving a portion for the top.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining pecans.
  2. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish setting.

Notes

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes to deepen their nutty flavor, and chop them coarsely so you get a nice crunch in every bite. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended for best texture. For a lighter option, replace the sugar with an equal amount of a 1:1 baking sweetener (follow package conversion) and expect slightly less browning.