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Brown Butter Banana Bread

Brown Butter Banana Bread with a nutty, caramelized aroma and a golden, tender crumb. Melt-and-brown butter deepens the flavor, then the loaf bakes until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 58 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 13 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butter
  • 0.5 cup butter Use unsalted or salted; either works.
Bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas Mashed until mostly smooth.
Brown sugar
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
Egg
  • 1 egg Large egg.
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking soda
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt Use a pinch.
All-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Brown the butter
  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling until it turns golden brown with a nutty aroma. Watch closely, as it can go from browned to burnt quickly.
  2. Cool the browned butter slightly so it’s no longer scorching before mixing. This helps prevent cooking the egg.
Mix and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan. Set the pan on a sheet pan for easier handling.
  2. Mash the ripe bananas and stir them into the bowl, then add the browned butter and mix until combined.
  3. Mix in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until the batter looks smooth and glossy.
  4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the batter and stir until evenly distributed.
  5. Fold in the all-purpose flour until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  6. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Pro tip: keep swirling as the butter browns and pull it as soon as it smells nutty and amber. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days; freezing is yes (slice first, wrap well, freeze up to 2 months). For a lighter swap, replace half the brown sugar with an equal amount of mashed ripe banana or use a 1:1 baking sugar substitute.