The Secret to Perfect Banana Bread

The Secret to Perfect Banana Bread

Ah, the age old problem of overripe bananas. Much like avocados, they have a narrow window of perfect ripeness, before they turn into this. Unappetizing to eat as a snack, but in actuality still perfectly good. What to do with them?

bananas

1 option is to freeze them to use in smoothies and protein shakes. Just remove the peel and store in a freezer ziplock bag.

The other is banana bread! Warm, moist, perfectly sweet banana bread. Now there are a ton of recipes out there, to suit many tastes, and we have tried a lot. This recipe is our family’s favorite.

jello vanilla pudding

For the perfectly sweet, nearly cakelike status, we use Vanilla Jell-o instant pudding, along with a few chocolate chips for good measure. Not overly sweet, but enough to make it feel like a treat and not a punishment.

banana bread

This recipe makes 2 loaves of banana bread goodness for you to enjoy.

Watch us make it here:

banana bread

The Best Banana Bread

How can I make great banana bread? This is a question I asked myself for years. Apparently, there's a secret ingredient! Vanilla Jello pudding and some chocolate chips make this the best banana bread I have ever had! Moist & tender, with delicious flavor and texture, it is now our family's favorite recipe, and I'm happy to get to share it with you! Bonus, it's dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course bread, Breakfast, Snack
Servings 16 slices

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 4 bananas 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups mashed
  • 4 eggs
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and pudding mix.
  • In a medium bowl, mash bananas, then add eggs, and vegetable oil and mix to combine.
  • Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix to combine.
  • Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 1 hour 10 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes if needed to prevent over browning.
  • Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool on wire rack.
  • Enjoy warm!
Keyword banana bread, bananas, quick bread