Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Bread
by Chungah
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Mini banana bread! The most perfect way to use up those spotty, overripe bananas. Incredibly moist and loaded with all the banana flavor!
Featured Comment
why i love these mini banana bread loaves
- Faster baking time. A full-sized banana bread loaf will typically bake in 1 hour, whereas these mini banana bread loaves bake in about 30-35 minutes.
- Evenly baked. No more burning-sides-overcooked-insides! Because these mini loaves are so much smaller, the banana bread bakes through evenly (no more doughy insides!) without drying out the edges.
- Freezer-friendly. Banana bread freezes very well, keeping in the freezer for at least 3 months, perfect for a rainy (or snowy, sunny, lazy) day.
- So customizable. This banana bread recipe can easily be customized with various mix-ins like nuts, shredded coconut, chocolate chips and so much more.
- Versatile. Little banana loaves work so well for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or even an after school snack for the kids (and grown ups, of course).
- Makes for great gifts. Who doesn’t love homemade banana bread? These cute little loaves make for the most adorable, charming gifts for neighbors, teachers, friends and family. The best part? This recipe yields 5 mini loaves!
Why add buttermilk to banana bread?
The buttermilk serves many purposes here, adding increased moisture and tenderness to the banana bread, reacting with the baking soda for a superior rise (think lighter, fluffier bread!), and also adding a subtle tang to balance out the sweetness of the bananas.
freezer hack
Overripe bananas can be frozen.
Have some brown bananas but not ready to make banana bread? These overripe bananas can be frozen for up to 3 months! Peel the brown bananas first and store in a freezer-safe bag, thawing at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Banana Bread variations and Mix-Ins
One of the best things about banana bread is how highly adaptable it is, dressing it up or down as needed with any of these mix-ins.
Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips or mini chocolate chips
Nuts
Pecans or walnuts (nuts can be toasted beforehand for extra flavor)
Coconut
Shredded coconut
Fruit
Raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or dried pineapple
Swirl
Cream cheese, peanut butter or Nutella
Tips and tricks for success
- Use ripe bananas. Bananas for banana bread should be ripe to overripe (heavily spotted to mostly black). The browner the banana, the sweeter, more fragrant it will be, yielding moist banana bread. Bright yellow bananas are not ideal as they will be too starchy.
- Frozen blueberries can be used. Both fresh or frozen blueberries can be used in this recipe, while many prefer frozen blueberries for convenience. When using frozen blueberries, skip the thaw and add them directly from the freezer to the batter or else they will bleed. Frozen blueberries can also be coated in a little bit of all-purpose flour to suspend them in the batter and to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- Fill 2/3 full. For the best results, fill the mini loaf pans 2/3 full, allowing the batter to rise without overflowing. Overfilling the loaf pans can yield an uncooked center with crusty edges.
- Serve at room temperature or warm. Banana bread is so versatile, and can be served with a morning cup of coffee or as an after school snack. Serve at room temperature or warm (lightly toasted) with a slather of butter, if desired.
- Cool on a wire rack. Cooling the warm banana bread on a wire rack prevents over baking and ensures even cooling – allowing air to circulate throughout and preventing the steam from trapping at the very bottom of the loaf pan (which can yield soggy, wet banana bread loaves).
- Freeze as needed. Let the banana bread cool completely on a wire rack prior to freezing to prevent sogginess and freezer burn.
freezing and storage
Make ahead
Banana bread tastes even better the very next day, fully distributing the moisture from the bananas and allowing all the banana flavors to really meld and deepen overnight. If time permits, bake the banana bread 1 day prior, covering tightly with plastic wrap and storing overnight at room temperature.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Avoid storing the banana bread in the fridge as the cold air can cause the bread to dry out much faster (think stale, hard banana bread).
Freeze
These mini banana bread loaves can keep in the freezer for a few months. Cool completely and cover the banana bread tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil (this will help prevent freezer burn). Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw at room temperature on a wire rack for 2-3 hours (or in the fridge overnight for a slow, consistent thaw). Optional: once thawed, reheat in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
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Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Bread: Frequently Asked Questions
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
You can add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
Yes! When using frozen blueberries, skip the thaw and toss them in with some flour before adding to the batter at the very end, mixing gently and as little as possible.
Leftover banana bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
For the best results, banana bread should be stored at room temperature for a few days or the freezer for long term storage. Unfortunately, the fridge can cause the banana bread to stale much faster (unless the banana bread contains a cream cheese filling or swirl).
Absolutely! Banana bread freezes beautifully for about 3 months, and can be frozen in individual slices or whole loaves.
Buttermilk Banana Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined.
- Beat in bananas until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated.
- Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the loaf pans. Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before inverting the loaves onto a wire rack.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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I was wondering could I do Strawberries or another fruit instead of blueberries?
Yes, of course!
This is an amazing recipe. I have never made bread of any sort, and these came out perfect. I experimented with the second batch and used whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of bananas and half sugar/half brown sugar and upped the blueberries. It was even more moist than the first batch. Thank you for this recipe. I will be experimenting with all kinds of mini breads now!
This is by far the best banana bread recipe I have come across. I make it every time I have bananas that are overly ripe, it is my husbands favorite!
Love the idea of mini loafs! Looks delicious! Have you ever tried making it gluten free? Curious to see if it would hold moisture well.
Unfortunately, I have not tried a gluten-free version.
I do not have unsalted butter, can regular butter be used?
Yes, but I recommend omitting the 1/4 tsp salt if salted butter is used.
I hate loaf pans too! I always bake my breads in a tube pan. They come out perfect and no gooey uncooked middle to worry about. Thanks for this great recipe.
Great recipe! Converted to gluten free by using Namaste Foods flour. Subbed almond extract for the vanilla and made “buttermilk” by mixing apple cider vinegar with almond milk. Also, I cut the sugar by 1/4 and used raw sugar. Next time I’ll cut it down to 1/4 cup and sub cactus honey powder.
made this tonight! Is amazing! Easy to make and possibly the best tasting banana bread I have ever had. Can’t wait to make it again. My bananas were really really ripe so I had to bake a little longer. Maybe next time if my bananas are so ripe I will just use 2. Delicious!
I just made this recipe and it turned out delicious, but I had to bake them for a few minutes longer because my bananas were really ripe. But I will be making this again and again. YUMMMMM!
This is the 3rd time I’ve made this! I cook it in muffin pans and my whole family loves them! Thanks for a great recipe!
Can I cut this recipe in half if I only have 2 mini loaf pans instead of using the pans twice?
Yes, absolutely.
I just made the banana bread and it tasted so good! But the bottom of the bread was tacky. The top of the brea was brown and was cracking. It looked down. I actually bakes it 37 minutes and some how the bottom was not done?
It really depends on your internal oven temperature. Even though it was set to 350 F, it may have been much higher, result in overcooking the bottom and top.
I used glass baking dishes. Will I need to change baking time??
It should be fine but I would still check with a toothpick (about 5-10 min before the required time in the recipe) to check if it is completely baked through.
Would this recipe make two regular size loaf pans??
This recipe will yield 1 loaf.
How can I make this recipe a little more low sugar/fat? I am not a baker, but I like the smaller portions and I would like to try it. Thank you Lynn
Lynn, you can certainly reduce the amount of sugar to taste, although with 4 mini loaves, I felt that 1 cup was not too much with just enough sweetness. But if your bananas are super ripe, you may not need much sugar at all!
This is absolutely amazing! It did take me much longer to cook, but maybe that is because I am in Denver. Thanks for the recipe! It is a keeper! My fiance says he gives it a 10! Plus he moans about how great it is when he is taking his bites.
FINALLY made this recipe this week and it was brilliant – great use of fresh blueberries. Just HAD to share as they were so damn delicious over on http://www.mumhowmuchlonger.com (like you’ve NEVER heard that before huh? lol 🙂 ) – thank you!
I subbed Cup4Cup gluten free flour and made exactly as directed and it came out FABULOUS! cooking time was a little longer but well worth the wait! Very moist!
How long would I bake for mini muffins? I made this in a large bread loaf and it was Great!!
Unfortunately I cannot give you a specific time frame as I have never tried baking these as mini muffins. I recommend starting at 8 minutes and going from there.
I added the zest of 2 lemons!
Yummy!