Ginger Spiced Banana Bread
Bananas aren’t “seasonal” anywhere I’ve ever lived, yet I still firmly associate banana recipes – particularly banana breads and muffins – with early fall. Maybe it’s simply that as the days begin to cool, the baking season around here begins, and bananas pair so wonderfully with traditional fall spices: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
This time, the baking was inspired by my Honey, who was desperately in need of some spoiling after missing out on countless home-cooked meals while traveling for work so often during the last month. A little early-morning treat was in order, and a sweet, dense banana bread was just the ticket. I decided to mix up my go-to recipe by adding some spicy, fresh ginger and a touch of aromatic cardamom, which I think deepens the already comforting flavors.
Now a quick note on the cardamom; it’s pretty expensive (I think the last jar of it I bought was around $14 dollars). That being said, you only need a pinch, and I think it adds a really nice element to the bread, but if it’s not a spice that you use regularly or already have on hand, please don’t feel obligated to go out and buy it just for this recipe; its omission will not be a deal-breaker.
Ginger Spiced Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 2 Loaves 1x
Ingredients
6–7 (about 3–1/2 cups) very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened.
4 egg whites
2 cups sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cardamom*
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 4-inch-by-8-1/2-inch loaf pans; grease the bottom and sides of each pan with butter and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, use the back of a large fork to mash together the bananas, Greek yogurt, milk and ginger. The mixture should be well-mixed with small chunks of banana remaining. Add to a stand-up mixer. With the mixer running on low speed, add the vanilla, butter, egg whites and sugar, until well-combined.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and cardamom, if using. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer, a half cup at a time until just mixed. Be careful not to overbeat. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until the tops are golden brown and a cake-tester inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a baking rack for 10-15 mins. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, and gently flip over to remove the loaves. Let cool completely on a baking rack. Slice and serve.
The bread can be stored for up to a week, if refrigerated and wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It will continue to get more moist over time.
Delicious so light and fluffy. I didn’t have plain flour so I used self raising whole meal flour. I also used sour cream instresd of Greek yogurt and 2 whole eggs instead of 4 egg whites. I love it. Best banana bread I’ve ever made. Thankyou
Thank you so much, Belinda! So happy to hear you loved it!
This is by far the most successful and delicious banana bread I’ve ever made. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’d saved, and finally got around to using this wonderful recipe today!! Best Banana Bread ever! I added chopped dates for fun, but it’d be just as great without them!
★★★★★
Aww, an oldie but a goodie 🙂 Thanks, Patty! So happy to hear you loved this one! 🙂
Hi, have made this a few times. Delicious. Use two whole eggs and just one cup of sugar.
★★★★★
So glad to hear it, Helen!
Is the butter supposed to be chunky in the batter? I put really soft butter, should I have melted it first?
Hi Miranda! The butter should be soft enough to spread easily, but not melted. When you mix it with the other wet ingredients it should become a nice, smooth batter (without chunks). If you’re still having trouble getting the butter to incorporate, you can always add it to the mixer first, beat on medium speed for about 15-30 seconds until really smooth, then continue mixing the other wet ingredients. Hope that helps!
First time I’ve ever made banana bread (for some reason it’s not a regular thing here in n. Europe.), but anyways, it turned out really good. I used less sugar (~1cup) and it was still sweet enough for my taste. Big thanks.
Nice photos too.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Harrih!
Hands down, best banana bread I’ve ever made!! Thank you!
★★★★★
do i really need to use Greek yoghurt , its not really handy in my area
do u have any other substitute ,or may i not use it at all ??
Hi Sally, You could definitely substitute regular yogurt, but don’t omit it entirely. It helps to keep the banana bread nice and moist. You could also try using sour cream, which I haven’t tested with this recipe, but I often used in baked goods for the same purpose.
I used sour cream. I always do. Sometimes i top with banana slices on top and serve with maple syrup and walnuts. I found grilled banana bread is good too.
★★★★
Hi, I happened upon your web site through pinterest looking for banana bread recipes. Your recipe with the ginger caught my eye. I made it recently and want to say that it is the best banana bread I have ever had. I now happily read your blog and look forward to making many more of your recipes. You have a well written beautiful blog.
Thank you so much, Jacqueline! I’m so happy you loved the recipe, and to have you as a new reader! Feel free to also send me a note, or comment, if you ever have any recipe requests… Merry Christmas to you and yours!
This looks great! Just wondering why you dont use whole eggs? Whats the advantage of just the whites when you dont beat them stiff before adding them?
It cuts the cholesterol from the egg yolks (but using whole eggs in place of the egg whites shouldn’t be a problem here, particularly if you only use 2 whole eggs instead of four egg whites).
This looks wonderful! How would the baking time change if I wanted to do this as muffins? I’d love to take this for a Christmas carry-in this week!
Hi Kassie! I haven’t tried this recipe as muffins (although I just might now!), but I would imagine it would be somewhere around 20-25 mins for regular sized muffins… I’d start checking around 18-20 mins and go from there. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Can you sub crystallized ginger for fresh? The recipe looks amazing!
Hi Megan! I’ve never tried it, so I’m not sure… I would think you could substitute dried, ground ginger for fresh. I haven’t tried that either (I’m a big fan of the fresh stuff, and pretty much always have some on hand…) but I think about a teaspoon or so would work. Hope that helps! 🙂
Your photography is stunning! I just pinned this to my banana bread board. I have a recipe for a 6-banana one-loaf bread. I love using LOTS of bananas in my banana bread. Love the spices you used, too. Soooo gorgeous!
Averie, thanks so much for the pin! I will have to check out your 6-banana bread! That sounds great!
Averie – where can we find your 6 banana one loaf bread? Link please? 🙂
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Your photos are stunning, and this spicy banana bread looks like a dream come true. I’m a cardamom junkie! Thanks for such a beautiful post – looking forward to reading more. 🙂
Oh, thank you so much, Alanna! I’m just starting to really discover cardamom… and experimenting with sneaking it in to some of my regular recipes. I’d love you to stick around! 🙂
MMMMMMMM…..
Thank you, Eva!
I love the look of over ripe bananas! You just know how delicious they will taste when converted into baked good form. Delicious sounding banana bread, with the yoghurt no doubt giving it an amazing moistness! Yum!
★★★★★
I love them too! They remind me of leopard spots… 🙂 This is a very moist banana bread; I hope you try it!
Mmm, fresh ginger and cardamom, very nice upgrade from ordinary banana bread. And it looks like a deliberately slimmed-down recipe for banana bread that’s on the healthy side. I wonder if there is somewhere near you that you can buy spices in bulk? I get mine that way from my food co-op and they are very inexpensive that way.
Thank you, Mary! And I’m going to investigate bulk spices… and maybe see if there is a co-op around here. When we lived near Whole Foods and then Fresh Market, I was able to get lots of stuff in bulk, but alas, our current grocery stores don’t have that option 🙁
My go-tos for inexpensive spices, produce, meat, fish (especially unusual cuts or species) and grocery items are a variety of ethnic produce markets. Find an ethnic neighborhood near you and check it out! You’ll find items you’ve never seen before, and/or items you buy all the time, but at far lower prices. Many stores that focus on one particular ethnic group will also have products for others (Hispanic markets often stock Asian ingredients, Eastern European ones will have Indian items, etc.) so you don’t have to go to a different market for every different cuisine you want to try. On the other hand, they’re all so fascinating, why not check them all out? And your fellow shoppers — whatever their native language — are usually happy to answer the question, “How do you cook with this?”
Fran – that’s a great suggestion. I should definitely see if I can find an Asian/Middle Eastern market around here to find the more “exotic” spices I’m often looking for. Cardamom in particular is craaaazy expensive at our regular grocery store. Or maybe I’ll just ask at our favorite local Indian restaurant where they get their spices! 🙂
I love these picture-loaded recipes way more! Thanks for including photos of the process, it makes the recipe look way more tantalizing
Thank you, Mim! I’m really glad you like the new direction! Each recipe will definitely have a lot more pictures going forward… 🙂