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Honey Vanilla Banana Bread

Honey vanilla banana bread with a honey-brushed, deeply golden crust and a tender, lightly golden crumb. This easy banana bread uses mashed ripe bananas plus real vanilla bean flavor for a fragrant, naturally sweet loaf.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana loaf base
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups mashed).
  • 0.33333333333333 cup butter Melted, for a tender crumb.
  • 0.5 cup honey Use 1/2 cup in the batter; reserve 1 tablespoon to brush the warm loaf.
  • 1 large egg Whisk in until the mixture is smooth.
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract Use vanilla bean seeds instead if preferred.
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Preheat and prep pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Grease the loaf pan thoroughly so the golden loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Whisk melted butter, honey, egg, and vanilla into the mashed bananas until smooth and well combined.
  2. Keep whisking just until no streaks remain through the batter.
Add dry ingredients
  1. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined—do not overmix.
  2. Stop folding as soon as the dry flour disappears to keep the crumb tender.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60–70 minutes until the top is deeply golden.
  2. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Glaze and cool
  1. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with 1 tablespoon of honey while still warm.
  2. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out.
  3. Slice when cooled to room temperature for clean, lightly golden slices.

Notes

Pro tip: For the best texture, mash the bananas until smooth and fold the dry ingredients in gently until just combined. Store the cooled loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, reduce honey by 1/4 cup and replace with an equal amount of unsweetened apple purée (texture will be slightly softer).