The Best Banana Gingerbread Loaf Recipe
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This Banana Gingerbread Loaf is the antidote to frantic holiday prep. Picture this: the scent of warm gingerbread spices wafting through your kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand, and a cozy slice of this moist, spiced loaf at your side. Suddenly, the mountain of holiday wrapping feels a little less daunting, right?
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Honestly, I love my Sour Cream Banana Bread, but this is my new favorite. This bread is darker, more complex, and more serious. This loaf is what happens when banana bread and gingerbread fall madly in love—a match made in holiday heaven. It boasts a rich flavor that’s sweet but never overpowering, with classic gingerbread spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves lending their warm, cozy charm.
The mashed bananas and molasses ensure a moist, tender texture that stays fresh for days, making it as practical as it is delicious. Its versatility is another reason to love it—perfect for breakfast, a snack with tea, or even a festive dessert.
And let’s not forget the holiday magic it brings to your home, filling the air with the unmistakable scent of Christmas. Pro tip: Spread a little butter on a warm slice, and you’ll be hooked from the very first bite!
Ingredient Notes
Before you dive in, let’s break down the simple ingredients that make this loaf shine:
- Baking Staples: All-purpose flour, eggs, salt, and baking soda.
- Bananas: Overripe with lots of brown spots work best. Their natural sweetness complements the warm spices.
- Molasses: Adds that unmistakable gingerbread flavor.
- Brown sugar: Add a touch of sweetness to complement the molasses (but not too sweet!)
- Classic gingerbread spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves provide the cozy gingerbread spice mix you know and love.
- Melted butter: Keeps the loaf rich and tender.
- Milk: Adds moisture and brings everything together.
See the full recipe card for exact ingredient amounts and printable instructions below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make this festive banana gingerbread loaf:
Step 1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and thoroughly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper and grease the bottom.
Step 2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Step 3. Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, followed by milk and mashed bananas.
Step 4. Bring It Together: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
Step 5. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6. Cool: Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Use overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Stir the batter just until combined to avoid a dense loaf– don’t overmix!
- Check the center of the loaf with a toothpick—when it’s done, it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Serving Tips
This Banana Gingerbread Loaf is versatile and can be served in so many ways:
- With a smear of butter or cream cheese (and your morning coffee) for a classic breakfast.
- Alongside a cup of tea for a lovely afternoon treat.
- Drizzled with maple syrup or topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Storage Tips
- To store: Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: I love freezing quick bread. Freeze the whole loaf tightly wrapped, or slice it and separate pieces with wax paper for grab-and-go treats. It’ll keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
Molasses is key for the gingerbread flavor, but you can substitute dark maple syrup in a pinch. I would decrease the brown sugar to 1/3 cup if making this swap.
Check the center of the loaf with a toothpick. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, it’s ready! If the center looks goopy or shiny at all, it needs more time!
More Cozy Bread Recipes
- Sour Cream Banana Bread: A classic with unbeatable moisture.
- Easy Pumpkin Bread: Fall flavors in every bite.
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins: Perfect for breakfast or snacking.
- Caramel Monkey Bread: The ideal take-along for any gathering.
This Banana Gingerbread Loaf isn’t just a recipe– it’s a little slice of holiday magic. Whether you’re treating yourself or gifting it to loved ones, it’s sure to bring a smile (and maybe a few “mmms”) to anyone who takes a bite. Bake this loaf, brew a fresh cup of coffee, and savor the cozy joy it brings to your holiday season!
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Banana Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1 stick butter, melted (8 Tablespoons, 1/2 cup )
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 3 large bananas (about 1 cup, smashed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and molasses until well combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Stir in the milk and smashed bananas.
- Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until no white remains. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or 45-55 minutes.
Notes
- To store: Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: I love freezing quick bread. Freeze the whole loaf tightly wrapped, or slice it and separate pieces with wax paper for grab-and-go treats. It’ll keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight.
Equipment
Nutrition
Love this recipe.
TIP: if there are no overripe bananas, cut up ripe ones in small bowl, add milk from recipe, microwave for 1 1/2 min, check for softness. Microwave in 20 second increments until desired softness is obtained.
This recipe is awesome! I love being able to use up bananas in a bread with a different flavor besides regular banana bread. It’s delicious and I make it all the time!
Curious,a stick of butter but no saturated fact in nutritional information
Found this recipe by pure chance as had some bananas and black treacle to use up and am so glad I did, what a great twist on the usual banana bread and so yummy, didn’t have a loaf tin so made muffins instead but perfect for a quick and scrummy breakfast on the go 👍
So glad you discovered it and that it was a hit! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
It was so easy to make and family loved it!!!
yum yum.
Hey I made this with my nephew (he’s 2 and the best at mashing bananas) and it turned out wonderful! As with any recipe I added a little bit more cinnamon than it calls for because my family loves cinnamon. The only issue we had with it was that it took a lot longer to cook than what the recipe says… and I mean like I had it in for an 1hr 40mins and it was barely done. But it didn’t matter, he enjoyed staying up late and the bread was delicious!
It was absolutely fabulous and very moist to serve my family!
Delicious ! Husband hardly ever eats cake/desserts. I’ve made two batches of 2 loaves of this, and they went FAST.
Now going to make more.
Inspired recipe.
I love banana bread and this is a nice twist for the holiday season. Pinned and will be including this in a Christmas recipe roundup.
Perfect post. I feel things these so much today, having been woken up many, many, many (many) times last night by my 6 month old daughter. We were doing so well on sleeping- what happened?!? Ugh.
But, after more coffees today than I care to admit, she’s finally down for a nap and I am ready to have some me time. What am I doing with that time? Making this stupendous looking loaf. Thank you, Courtney!
“I feel these things so much today”* excellent, I’m mixing up my words now.
Aaaand, just put the loaf in the oven and I realized the eggs were still on the counter. Phew, not ideal, but at least I caught it before it was cooked and whipped them in. Maybe I shouldn’t cook/bake sleep deprived after all! :O
Haha! I totally understand! Seems like you just get into a rhythm and thy change on you! 6 month sleep was rooooough for us, but it got so much better from there! I hope the bread turns out just great and I’m so glad you discovered the eggs before it was too late! I totally have those moments!
Aw, thanks for sharing your stories, Courtney! I can’t empathize with parenthood, but I can say that it sounds beautiful and crazy and all the more wonderful because of it. Wishing you many slices of this gorgeous bread, just in case though 😉
This made me laugh so much: “You see a faceless monster who is trying to steal your sleep.” I don’t have kids yet, but I can totally see how this is SO true!! I can also see how waking up to this bread (and coffee!!) would help make things a little bit better.
Hahaha…It’s so true! A monster you love very much, but a monster nonetheless. 🙂