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Best Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnut Streusel

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This brown butter banana bread with walnut streusel is the ultimate comfort food, featuring deep nutty flavor from browned butter and a crunchy, buttery topping. It’s a simple yet impressive recipe that turns overripe bananas into a bakery-worthy treat.

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter, ½ cup (1 stick or 113g)
  • Ripe bananas, 3 medium (about 1½ cups mashed, 340g)
  • Granulated sugar, ¾ cup (150g)
  • Light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g), packed
  • Large eggs, 2, at room temperature
  • Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
  • Plain full-fat yogurt or sour cream, ¼ cup (60g)
  • All-purpose flour, 1¾ cups (220g)
  • Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
  • Salt, ½ teaspoon
  • Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
  • All-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (40g) (for streusel)
  • Light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g), packed (for streusel)
  • Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (for streusel)
  • Cold unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons (42g), cut into small cubes (for streusel)
  • Chopped walnuts, ½ cup (60g) (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides. Lightly grease the exposed ends. Set aside.
  2. Brown the butter. Place the ½ cup unsalted butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it melts. It will foam up, then the foam will subside. Watch closely—you’ll see golden specks form at the bottom. When it smells nutty and the specks are amber (about 5-7 minutes), remove it from the heat immediately. Pour it into a heat-safe bowl to stop cooking. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Mash the bananas. In a large bowl, mash the 3 ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine—they add texture. You should have about 1½ cups.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients. To the mashed bananas, add the ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup packed light brown sugar. Stir until combined. Add the 2 room-temperature eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ cup yogurt or sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Then, slowly drizzle in the cooled brown butter while stirring. The mixture will look glossy and smell incredible.
  5. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Whisking aerates the flour and ensures even distribution of leavening.
  6. Fold the dry into the wet. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold gently—just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing makes the bread tough. A few lumps are okay. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
  7. Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add the 3 tablespoons cold cubed butter. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the ½ cup chopped walnuts.
  8. Assemble the loaf. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the walnut streusel over the top, pressing it gently into the batter so it sticks during baking.
  9. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes. At 50 minutes, start checking. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too fast, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
  10. Cool properly. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then use the parchment overhang to lift it out. Cool completely on the rack before slicing—at least 1 hour. I know it’s hard to wait, but cutting too early makes the bread crumble.

Notes

Watch the butter carefully to avoid burning. Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Do not overmix the batter. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. Toast walnuts for extra flavor.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter banana bread, walnut streusel, banana bread, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, brown butter recipe

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