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Lighter Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnut Streusel

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A lighter version of classic banana bread featuring nutty browned butter, moist Greek yogurt, and a crunchy walnut streusel topping. Perfect for breakfast or a snack, this recipe delivers comfort food reimagined with less butter and sugar.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (for browning)
  • 3 medium ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed)
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (pure)
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed (for streusel)
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (lightly toasted)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches overhang on long sides. Lightly grease short sides with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Brown the butter: Place 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl occasionally as it melts. It will foam, then subside, and brown specks will form at the bottom (about 4-5 minutes). When it smells nutty and is amber-colored, remove from heat and pour into a small bowl to cool slightly.
  3. Mash bananas: In a large bowl, mash 3 ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth (a few lumps are fine). You should have about 1 cup.
  4. Mix wet ingredients: Add cooled browned butter, ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk until combined.
  5. Add sugars: Whisk in ⅓ cup packed brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar until dissolved.
  6. Mix dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until no lumps remain.
  7. Combine wet and dry: Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined (no streaks of flour). Do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
  8. Make streusel: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in ⅓ cup chopped walnuts.
  9. Assemble loaf: Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle streusel evenly over top, pressing down lightly so it sticks.
  10. Bake: Place pan in center of oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. At 30 minutes, check top; if streusel is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
  11. Cool: Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Use parchment overhang to lift out and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (about 1 hour).

Notes

When browning butter, watch it closely—it goes from perfect to burnt in about 30 seconds. If you see black specks, start over. Room temperature ingredients matter: cold eggs and yogurt can seize the browned butter. For even baking, use an oven thermometer. The bread tastes even better on day two as flavors meld.

Nutrition

Keywords: banana bread, brown butter, walnut streusel, lighter banana bread, healthy banana bread, Greek yogurt banana bread

Find it online: https://vexifood.com/lighter-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnut-streusel/