Brown Butter Banana Bread
This brown butter banana bread is the best banana bread you’ll ever make! It has the perfect flavor and texture, and is incredibly delicious!

When it comes to comfort food baked goods, it seems like banana bread is pretty near the top of the list! Just the smell of it is so warm and comforting, and reminds me of home (which is funny, because I don’t remember my mom making banana bread very often when I was growing up). Every time my kids get home from school and smell banana bread in the air, they are totally thrilled! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love banana bread. It’s the best!
I have a great banana bread recipe that I’ve been baking for years, and I love it, but I thought it would be fun to make a slightly more sophisticated version with some brown butter and sea salt. This brown butter banana bread is unbelievably delicious, and doesn’t take much more time than the standard banana bread recipe. But the brown butter adds such a rich and delicious flavor to it, and makes it extra special!

I’m a huge fan of the combination of sea salt and brown butter, so I sprinkled a little extra flaky sea salt on top of the loaf before baking, but that’s totally optional depending on your tastes. This banana bread will keep well for 2-3 days after baking (I usually just wrap the loaf in foil to keep it fresh). It makes fantastic French toast, but is pretty perfect just as it is. It’s great as a breakfast, snack, or dessert. This brown butter banana bread is the perfect way to take your banana bread to the next level!
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 overripe bananas mashed
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment, spray with cooking spray, and set aside. To brown the butter, add it to a saucepan and melt it over medium heat, whisking frequently. After the butter begins to foam, watch it carefully and continue whisking until the butter begins to brown. Immediately remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer to prevent burning.
- Add the sugar to the bowl and mix until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, and mix until smooth. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas and pour into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
