• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers & Dips
    • Bakery Recipes
    • Bars & Brownie Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Brunch & Breakfast Recipes
    • Cakes, Cupcakes & Cheesecakes
    • Cheese Recipes
    • Chocolate Recipes
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • Cookies & Crackers
    • Desserts
    • Fruit Recipes
    • Grains & Legumes
    • Muffins and Quick Breads
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Pies & Tarts
    • Readers' Favorite Recipes
  • Collections
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Heritage Recipes
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
    • Vintage Recipes
    • Holiday Recipes
      • Christmas
      • Easter
      • St. Patrick's Day
      • Thanksgiving
      • Valentine's Day
  • Basic recipes
  • About this blog
    • The author
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Accessibility statement

Vintage Kitchen Notes logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • ALL RECIPES
  • Holidays
  • Seasonal
  • Vintage
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ALL RECIPES
    • Holidays
    • Seasonal
    • Vintage
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Fruit Recipes

    Published: Oct 9, 2017 · Modified: May 18, 2021 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 16 Comments

    Roasted Banana Bread

    Jump to Recipe
    roasted banana bread long pin with text

    This is the perfect banana bread: moist, sweet, and very easy to make. The recipe is for a plain loaf, but you can add chips or nuts. Roasting bananas makes them sweeter and ready to use, so you don't have to wait for bananas to ripen, you can make this quick bread even if you only have green fruit! It keeps well and can be frozen.

    Half loaf of banana bread on beige surface and background

    I love finding overripe bananas in the market. They're usually cast aside to a corner, already bagged and weighed so people don't have to go through the messy business of touching them. Just grab them. Then go home and bake your absolute-best-ever banana bread. Either that or you find blackened bananas in your fridge or wherever it is that you keep them. Again.

    Cut loaf of banana bread and slices on beige parchment paper

    But, what if I want to make banana bread right now and they are all bright yellow and firm, even a bit green? Am I supposed to wait an entire week before I bake? I might not feel like it by then. Yes, life is tough.

    In comes this recipe with the simplest trick to help banana bread lovers everywhere. By roasting bananas in the oven, you soften them and they concentrate the flavor so they're ready to be used.

    Top view of two slices of banana bread on beige surface
    Table of Contents Hide
    Ingredients
    Best bananas for baking
    Easy steps
    Top tips
    Related recipes you might like:
    Roasted Banana Bread

    Ingredients

    This is an old-fashioned banana bread recipe that uses everyday ingredients.

    • Bananas: use overripe or roasted bananas, they both work of course.
    • Oil: I like to use sunflower, but I've made it with olive oil with great results.
    • Sugar: I love using both white and brown sugar, similar to what we use in chocolate chip cookies.
    • Eggs: fresh are always recommended.
    • Flour: all purpose flour always works, and I've also made it with cake flour with great results.
    • Salt: it brings out the flavors. I like kosher salt.
    • Baking powder and baking soda: these are the leavening agents in the bread that will make it rise beautifully when it bakes.
    • Lemon juice: just a tiny bit to tenderize the crumb and help the baking soda (it needs acid to balance it).
    White surface with bowls containing ingredients for banana bread including oil, vanilla, lemon, eggs, sugars, dry ingredients

    Best bananas for baking

    We all know that the best banana for this type of recipe is one that is overripe, soft, mushy, that smells barely fermented with spotted skin.

    You probably wouldn't eat it raw, but it does make the best bread. Why? Because the flesh is sweeter and the banana flavor of the bread is more intense. That doesn't happen with very firm bananas.

    Enter this recipe for roasted banana bread. Where you roast your underripe bananas and half an hour later have soft, sweet bananas for your bread.

    How to roast the bananas

    • Whole: simply bake them in a medium oven (350°F/180°C) whole, unpeeled. After a half hour or so, they will turn completely dark, almost black. Not nice people, on that we can all agree (image below). But it's just the skin that is blackened. Inside it's soft and caramelized. You will understand the second you peel the banana how this changes everything.
    • Without skin: you can also peel them, sprinkle with some sugar (optional) and bake in a aluminum pouch (a large piece of foil where you place the fruit and then close by lifting the edges and closing them together at the top) until soft and juicy.
    Two images showing whole yellow bananas and black skinned roasted bananas

    Easy steps

    • The eggs are beaten with the sugar until thick, about 1 minute and then the oil is added in a stream. The batter will be silky and unctuous. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla and the buttermilk (or use 2 teaspoon milk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice).
    • I like some banana chunks to show, I feel it gives the bread a good texture.
    Glass bowls with batter and mashed banana and all mixed
    • Sift the dry ingredients beforehand or have them measured and sift them directly over the batter (I do it this way). At this point I like to use a spatula to integrate well. If you use the hand beater make sure you beat at low speed just until combined.
    Collage sifting flour and mixing batter in glass bowl
    • A tablespoon of sugar is sprinkled just before baking and it makes a wonderfully crunchy topping! You can also top with a raw banana, like we do in the chocolate chip banana bread recipe.
    Banana bread batter in metal pan sprinkled with sugar, baked bread on wire rack

    Top tips

    • Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
    • Bananas: roasting them means you can use very firm or even greenish bananas and the flavor will be amazing. Besides roasting them whole in the oven, you can also peel them, sprinkle with some sugar and bake in a aluminum pouch until soft and juicy.
    • Oil: you can use any vegetable oil. I use sunflower or coconut but I've used canola, and even olive oil.
    • Keeping: as with most banana bread recipes, it tastes much better a day (or two) after it's baked. It freezes well, well wrapped. Defrost at room temperature, unwrapped. I recommend warming it or toasting it before eating.
    • Add-ons: chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips... a half cup of any or a mix of these and you have a fabulous flavored roasted banana bread.
    • Butter: use butter instead of oil. The same volume, that is half a cup or 115g. Cream the soft butter with the sugars for 2-3 minutes, add the eggs one at a time, then the banana with the buttermilk and vanilla, and finally the sifted dry ingredients.
    Half loaf of banana bread on beige surface and background

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Banoffee Cake (easy recipe)
    • Best Banana Bundt Cake Recipe
    • Hummingbird Layer Cake
    • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe (one bowl)

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    Print
    clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon
    Cut loaf of banana bread and slices on beige parchment paper

    Roasted Banana Bread

    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    This is the perfect banana bread. Moist, sweet, very easy to make, and you don't even have to wait for bananas to ripen!

    • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    Units
    • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ cup oil (I use sunflower)
    • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
    • ½ cup packed (100g) brown sugar
    • 2 eggs, at room temperature
    • 2 cups coarsely mashed bananas (3 or 4 depending on the size)
    • 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or use 2 scant tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
    • Drops of vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon extra sugar, for sprinkling

    Instructions

    1. Grease one 11x4-inch (27x9cm) loaf pan.
    2. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
    3. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking tray and roast until the skin turns completely dark and the inside is lightly soft to the touch, around 40 minutes. Let cool and mash.
    4. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. 
    5. In a bowl beat eggs with sugar until they start to thicken. 
    6. Add oil in a stream and beat until completely incorporated. 
    7. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.
    8. Add flour mixture in 2 parts and mix with a spatula until well combined.
    9. Pour into prepared pan.
    10. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.
    11. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean.
    12. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes.
    13. Invert and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
    14. Store, covered, at room temperature, for 3 days. If the room is too warm I suggest keeping it in the fridge after the second day.

    Notes

    Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

    Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 

    Bananas: roasting them means you can use very firm or even greenish bananas and the flavor will be amazing. Besides roasting them whole in the oven, you can also peel them, sprinkle with some sugar and bake in a aluminum pouch until soft and juicy.

    Oil: you can use any vegetable oil. I use sunflower or coconut but I've used canola, and even olive oil.

    Keeping: as with most banana bread recipes, it tastes much better a day (or two) after it's baked. It freezes well, well wrapped. Defrost at room temperature, unwrapped. I recommend warming it or toasting it before eating.

    Add-ons: chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips... a half cup of any or a mix of these and you have a fabulous flavored roasted banana bread.

    Butter: use butter instead of oil. The same volume, that is half a cup or 115g. Cream the soft butter with the sugars for 2-3 minutes, add the eggs one at a time, then the banana with the buttermilk and vanilla, and finally the sifted dry ingredients.

    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 45
    • Cook Time: 45
    • Category: Quick breads
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: ⅛
    • Calories: 377
    • Sugar: 31.3 g
    • Sodium: 102.7 mg
    • Fat: 13.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 60.8 g
    • Protein: 5.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 77.2 mg

    Keywords: roasted banana bread

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

    Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Complete Book of Baking

    More Fruit Recipes

    • Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
    • Apple Blackberry Crumble
    • Apple Blueberry Muffins
    • Easy Apple Cobbler

    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Thank you for leaving a review for this recipe Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Allison says

      February 16, 2022 at 3:50 pm

      We loved this recipe! The sugar sprinkled on top was a nice extra touch.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        February 17, 2022 at 8:24 am

        Happy to know that Allison! Have a great week.

        Reply
    2. Cate Chapman says

      February 06, 2022 at 1:26 pm

      Hi Paula,
      In one place it says to use oil. In another place, butter is recommended. Should the butter be melted to add in a stream just as the oil is added?
      Thank you.
      Cate

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        February 06, 2022 at 5:43 pm

        Hi Cate! You can use oil or butter. I rewrote it both in the post and the recipe card notes so it's easier to understand. The butter can be used soft (creamed with the sugars as you would in a cake) or melted. I find that room temperature butter makes for a less dense bread than melted.

        Reply
        • Cate says

          February 06, 2022 at 6:04 pm

          Thank you. I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    3. Margi says

      July 18, 2021 at 5:11 pm

      Hi Paula,
      So nice to be able to get your excellent recipes in my email now.
      I have one question, you said to bake this banana bread in an 11x4 inch pan……I only have 9x5 and 10x4&1/2 inch loaf pans. Would either of them work for your suggested baking time?

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        July 18, 2021 at 5:33 pm

        HI Margi! Both will work, but I think I'd go with the 10x4.5

        Reply
    4. Jill Swartz says

      May 29, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Excellent. My daughter has been after me to try roasting the bananas and I just haven’t taken the time to do it!!! Huge mistake-this is WAY better than any other banana bread I have ever made.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        May 29, 2021 at 6:59 pm

        So happy to hear that it turned out so well Jill! Happy baking!

        Reply
      • Sarah Kellas says

        May 18, 2022 at 11:53 pm

        I do think roasting the bananas is what makes this particularly awesome. Note: don't think that using older bananas means you ought skip the roasting. While roasting does speedily ripen less ripe fruit, with already over-ripe ones it straight up caramelizes them into a dulce de leche like creamy banana-ness.
        I will never use bananas without roasting them in my baked goods again! Thanks for sharing!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Paula Montenegro says

          May 19, 2022 at 6:26 am

          That's great to know Sarah! I'll definitely try it next time. Have a great day.

    5. Abbe@This is How I Cook says

      October 13, 2017 at 12:05 am

      Love the roasting of the bananas. And I love the simplicity of the recipe. Sometimes when too many ingredients are added you forget you are eating banana bread!

      Reply
    6. The Ninja Baker says

      October 10, 2017 at 1:22 am

      Sooo interesting and of course, everything you make looks amazing. P.s. Roasted oranges sounds great, too =)

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        October 11, 2017 at 9:40 am

        Thanks Kim!

        Reply
    7. Renee Diak-Witek says

      January 25, 2014 at 12:38 am

      Love the idea of roasting the bananas. Got to be a whole new flavor. Thanks

      Reply
    8. Renee Diak-Witek says

      January 25, 2014 at 12:36 am

      I love the idea of roasting the bananas. Can't wait to try this.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Person with apron and tray of scones

    Hi, I'm Paula!

    A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

    More about me →

    Featured in:

    Several colorful logos on white canvas

    Popular recipes

    • Caramel Apple Dump Cake
    • Old Fashioned Zucchini Bundt Cake
    • Easy No Bake Lemon Dessert
    • Easy Homemade Blueberry Sauce (or topping)
    • Almond Plum Cake
    • Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

    Footer

    About

    The author
    Privacy Policy
    Amazon Associate
    Cookie Policy
    Accessibility

    Contact

    Sign Up! for emails and updates
    Contact


    Copyright © 2022 Vintage Kitchen Notes