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Starbucks Copycat Banana Bread

Starbucks banana bread copycat delivers a deeply golden, dense bakery-style loaf with walnuts throughout and a caramelized, nearly mahogany top. Baked low and slow at 325°F for a thick crumb that slices clean.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed the riper the better
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.75 cup walnuts, roughly chopped, divided

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (lower and slower than typical — this is the Starbucks secret for the dense, bakery-style crumb) and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Make the batter
  1. Beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
  3. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla until fully incorporated.
  4. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just combined.
  5. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts.
Bake the loaf
  1. Pour batter into the prepared pan, scatter remaining walnuts across the top, and press lightly.
  2. Bake for 60–70 minutes until deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean; the top should be nearly mahogany in color.

Notes

Pro tip: mash bananas until smooth so the loaf stays dense and evenly moist. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze sliced portions up to 3 months. For a nut-friendly swap, substitute chopped toasted pecans for the walnuts without changing the bake time.