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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. Real vanilla bean flecks and mashed ripe bananas create fragrant, naturally sweet flavor in an easy 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
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread base
  • 3 ripe bananas Mashed until mostly smooth.
  • 0.33 cup butter Melted.
  • 0.5 cup honey Plus 1 tablespoon for brushing.
  • 1 large egg Room temperature for easier mixing.
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract Or seeds of 1 vanilla bean.
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
Honey glaze
  • 1 tbsp honey For brushing while warm.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and bake
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Whisk melted butter, honey, egg, and vanilla into the mashed bananas until smooth and well combined.
  3. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined—do not overmix.
  4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60–70 minutes until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Remove from oven and immediately brush the top with 1 tablespoon honey while still warm.
  6. Cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out, then slice when cooled to room temperature.

Notes

For best texture, mash bananas until mostly smooth so the loaf is tender without big lumps. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days (bring to room temperature before serving). Freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use half the butter amount replaced with unsweetened applesauce while keeping the honey amount the same.