Cranberry banana nut bread
Cranberry banana nut bread is a moist and tasty quick bread made with mashed bananas, dried cranberries, mixed seeds, and crunchy nuts like cashew, walnuts, or pecans. It’s a great breakfast treat or snack.
Making banana bread is both easy and delicious. It is a perfect treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or as part of a wholesome breakfast. For the best results, use overripe bananas, ideally ones that are close to turning brown.
This cranberry banana nut bread recipe is a healthier version of the classic banana bread. Although I’m not a big fan of nuts myself, my boyfriend loves them and wanted to incorporate them into this recipe. He opted for a nut mix that includes cashews, which perfectly complement the cranberries and bananas. It’s safe to say that this is now his favorite homemade banana nut bread recipe.
If you’re not a fan of nuts, don’t worry! You can easily substitute them with other ingredients like chopped dates, coconut flakes, or even dark chocolate chips. Additionally, you can experiment with adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice to give your banana bread an extra burst of flavor.
Overall, this recipe is a fantastic and healthier take on the classic banana bread. Don’t be afraid to make it your own by adding your favorite ingredients and spices. Your taste buds will thank you!
Looking for some other banana bread recipes? Try out the recipe for easy pumpkin banana bread, peanut butter banana bread or Tiktok Banana Bread Baked Oats.
🍌 What is banana bread?
Banana bread is a sweet, moist, dense bread made from mashed bananas. It’s often enjoyed as a snack or dessert and can be made with other ingredients like walnuts, chocolate chips, and cinnamon.
🧁 Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: I love to regulate the amount of salt I use for baking, that is why I always use unsalted butter. It also will create the perfect buttery base. Make sure the butter is at room temperature
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar – adds more moisture and sweetness to the recipe.
- Bananas – the best is to have overripe bananas for banana bread. The darker the better (brown or black). Overripe bananas make your banana bread sweet and moist.
- Eggs – room temperature
- Salt – adding a pinch of salt enhances the natural flavors of the banana bread.
- Baking soda – chemical leavener. Helps the banana bread rise to tender, moist, and fluffy perfection.
- Cashewnuts -for an extra crunch. You can substitute the cashew nuts with other nuts as well.
- Vanilla extract – gives baked goods more taste. Choose a good quality vanilla extract, because that really makes a difference.
- Dried cranberries – use dried cranberries for more texture and flavor.
Nuts for banana bread
When it comes to incorporating nuts into banana bread, walnuts reign supreme as the go-to choice. These nuts, when chopped into small pieces, provide a delightful crunchy texture that beautifully complements the cake-like consistency of the banana bread. Pecans are another great option as they add a unique, sweet and nutty flavor to the bread.
For a twist, consider using macadamia nuts. These nuts are known for their creamy, buttery flavor and can bring a whole new dimension of taste to your banana bread. No matter which nut you decide to use, your banana bread is sure to be deliciously nutty! If cashews aren’t your preferred choice, feel free to substitute them with any other type of nut that you prefer.
Are cashew and banana bread a good combination?
Yes, cashew and banana bread can be a delicious and nutritious combination. The nuttiness of the cashews pairs nicely with the sweetness of the bananas. If you’re looking for an interesting twist on banana bread, this is definitely worth a try!
🔪 Step-by-step instructions
Here’s an awesome recipe for banana bread with mixed nuts that I think you’ll love! For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ (356 °F).
- Grease the cake tin and place a piece of parchment paper in the cake tin.
- Put butter (at room temperature) and sugar together in a bowl and mix until creamy. If the butter is not at room temperature, you can also heat it for a while, so that no lumps form in the mix.
- Add the eggs one by one and mix them together briefly. Sift the flour into the mixture. Also, add the cinnamon and baking soda to the mixture and mix it briefly.
- Mash the bananas with a fork in a separate bowl or put them in a blender. Add the bananas to the mixture and mix until smooth.
- Crunch the cashews into small pieces. Add the cashews, nut mix, and cranberries to the mixture and stir into the mixture.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Check the cake for doneness with a wooden stick.
Enjoy your delicious banana bread!
🍽 Equipment
- Hand mixer with whisks – optional
- Loaf pan 8,5×4,5 inch
- Mixing bowl
- Baking paper
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Overripe bananas are best for making banana bread, as they are sweeter and the fruit has broken down more, making for a softer texture. However, if you don’t have overripe bananas, you can still use them. Just place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 120°C (250°F) until they are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- You can easily check if the banana bread is fully cooked by inserting a skewer in the center of the loaf. If the skewer comes out clean, then the bread is done.
- Make sure that the butter you use is at room temperature, as this will ensure no lumps form in the mix. If the butter isn’t quite there yet, you can heat it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Hope this helps!
🍞 How long can you store banana bread?
A covered cranberry. nut banana bread can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze cranberry nut banana bread in an airtight container for about 3 months. Remove the banana bread from the freezer 24 hours before serving.
❓FAQ
Banana bread is a type of bread that is prepared from mashed bananas, sugar, water, and wheat (flour). It usually tastes a bit cakey and sweet. The best way to make banana bread is to use overripe bananas (near the browning).
Check the doneness of the cake with a wooden tooth stick. Insert a wooden toothpick near the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for about 10 minutes. After that turn the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
Bananas become sweeter and more assertive in their flavor when they ripen. Let them ripen at room temperature. The darker the banana the better its flavor.
Yes, cranberry banana nut bread is a good source of key vitamins and minerals. Despite the sugar and calories, it has a good amount of nutrients.
⚖️ Baking in grams
The most accurate way to bake is by baking by weight. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can lead to baking failures. Therefore all of my recipes are posted in grams. I always bake with a scale, so I have a recipe card that automatically converts metrics to US customary, but it can have errors. So I advise you to bake with a digital scale. You can find them on Amazon for around 10 dollars.
⭐️ Did you make this? Please leave a star rating below or a review in the comments section.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry banana nut bread
Equipment
- 1 Bread loaf 8,5 x 4,5 inch
- Electric mixer Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 150 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 80 grams sugar
- 2 eggs
- 190 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 3 mashed bananas +1 banana for on top of the banana bread
- 30 grams cashew nuts or nut mix
- 60 grams dried cranberries
- 50 grams mix of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and pine nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ (356 °F). Grease the cake tin and place a piece of parchment paper in the cake tin.
- Put the unsalted butter (at room temperature) and sugar together in a bowl and mix until creamy. If the butter is not at room temperature, you can also heat it for a while, so that no lumps form in the mix.150 grams unsalted butter, 80 grams sugar
- Add the eggs one by one and mix them together briefly. Sift the flour into the mixture. Also, add the cinnamon and baking soda to the mixture and mix it briefly.2 eggs, 190 grams all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp baking soda
- Mash the bananas with a fork in a bowl or put them in a blender. Add the bananas to the mixture and mix until smooth.3 mashed bananas
- Crunch the cashews into small pieces. Add the cashews, nut mix, and cranberries to the mixture and stir into the mixture.30 grams cashew nuts, 50 grams mix of seeds, 60 grams dried cranberries
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Check the cake for doneness with a wooden stick.
Notes
- Overripe bananas are best for making banana bread, as they are sweeter and the fruit has broken down more, making for a softer texture. However, if you don’t have overripe bananas, you can still use them. Just place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 120°C (250°F) until they are soft about 15-20 minutes.
- You can easily check if the banana bread is fully cooked by inserting a skewer in the center of the loaf. If the skewer comes out clean, then the bread is done.
- Make sure that the butter you use is at room temperature, as this will ensure no lumps form in the mix. If the butter isn’t quite there yet, you can heat it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Hope this helps!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
👉🏻 Recommended
- Peanut butter banana bread
- Easy Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe
- Passion fruit cheesecake
- Classic Dutch Pancakes
- No-bake mojito cheesecake
- Dutch Arretjescake
- Tiktok Banana Bread Baked Oats
- Strawberry tiramisu with alcohol
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