EverydayDesserts and bakingMeatless
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Butter browned until it smells of toffee, very ripe bananas and a crackly sugar top. The blacker the bananas, the better the loaf.
At a glance: This loaf takes about 1 hour 45 minutes, plus about 2 hours cooling on a rack, and cuts into 10 slices. Browning the butter gives it a toffee-like, nutty flavour, and weighing the mashed banana at 300 to 330 g keeps the moisture predictable. Demerara sugar scattered over the batter bakes into a crackly top.
- Hands-on
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
By Pip @flour.power · Cookt Kitchen · 21 October 2026
Ingredients
Quantities for 10. Tick things off as you go.
Method
Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 175°C conventional or 160°C fan. Line a 900 g loaf tin, about 23 x 13 x 7 cm, with baking paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
Brown the butter
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, swirling often, until it smells nutty and the milk solids are deep golden; remove from the heat.
Cool the butter
Pour all the butter, including the browned milk solids, into a large bowl; the browned amount will weigh less than 115 g. Cool for 10 minutes until warm, not hot.
Mix the wet ingredients
Whisk the mashed bananas, brown sugar, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla into the butter for about 30 seconds, until combined.
Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl for 20 seconds, then fold into the wet mixture just until no dry flour remains.
Fill the tin
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin, level the top and scatter the demerara sugar evenly over the batter.
Bake
Bake at 175°C conventional or 160°C fan for 55 to 70 minutes, checking from 55 minutes; the top may crack. It is done when a centre skewer has moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Cool
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack and cool completely for about 2 hours, until the centre is set.
Tips
- Weigh the bananas after peeling and mashing; if they weigh more than 330 g, reserve the excess.
- Check the loaf from 55 minutes; oven and tin differences affect baking time, so use the skewer cue rather than relying only on the clock.
- Watch the butter closely near the end of browning, as the milk solids can burn quickly.
- Fold the flour in gently and stop as soon as no dry flour remains.
Swaps
- Greek-style yoghurt can replace plain yoghurt.
- Light brown sugar can replace soft brown sugar, with a milder flavour.
- Ground mixed spice can replace the cinnamon.
Storing
Keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.
Kitchen notes
- Watch the butter closely near the end of browning. The milk solids go from deep golden to burnt quickly, and they all go into the bowl.
- Cool the browned butter for 10 minutes so it is warm, not hot, before the eggs go in.
- Start checking at 55 minutes. The loaf is done when a skewer in the centre comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter; the top may crack.
- Let it cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing so the crumb sets.
Brown Butter Banana Bread FAQ
What is the difference between brown butter banana bread and regular banana bread?
The butter is cooked for 4 to 6 minutes until the milk solids turn deep golden and smell nutty, then used in the batter. That gives the loaf a toffee-like flavour that plain melted butter does not.
How do you make brown butter banana bread from scratch?
Brown the butter, cool it for 10 minutes, then whisk in mashed banana, brown sugar, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla. Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt, top with demerara sugar and bake at 175°C (160°C fan) for 55 to 70 minutes.
Can you use Greek yoghurt in banana bread?
Yes. Greek-style yoghurt can replace the plain yoghurt in the same amount.
Can you freeze brown butter banana bread?
Yes. Wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature. Unfrozen, it keeps wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
273 kcal · protein 4 g · carbs 41 g · fat 11 g · fibre 2 g. This is an estimate, not a lab measurement.
Allergens
Read the label on every ingredient you buy. We can't account for how a product was made or packed.
How this page was made
Written by the Cookt team for the Cookt app, following our recipe standards. AI tools help us draft, check and illustrate recipes. No star ratings until enough people have rated this recipe in Cookt.
