This Easy Cranberry Banana Nut Bread is perfect for the holiday season. Tart cranberries and sweet banana flavors make this bread recipe a festive favorite. This bread is perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast or an afternoon snack or can be made to give as gifts for the holidays!
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Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Cranberry Banana Nut Bread Recipe!
Cranberries are one of those ingredients that just emulate the festive season and this time of year, don’t you think? Cranberry sauce is one of those highlights on the Christmas and Thanksgiving tables, but cranberries can be used in other ways and I think this recipe is one of the best. Banana bread is always a favorite and the perfect way to use up overripe bananas that you might normally throw away. No waste here! Adding cranberries adds a different element of flavor making a sweet and tart delicious bread.
I love finding different ways to make ordinary recipes that are a bit more festive and I think adding cranberries to this classic banana bread is ideal for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Serve it as a dessert or make a loaf to enjoy throughout the day. Why not cut a slice and enjoy it with mulled wine, mulled cider, or a cup of coffee to satisfy that sweet craving? It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things to bake. This cranberry banana nut bread recipe is super easy to make and totally delicious, you have to try it!
- Easy to make - This recipe is easy to follow and uses simple ingredients to make something tasty.
- Packed full of flavor - The combination and sweetness of the bananas and the tart cranberries is a match made in heaven.
- Perfect for the holiday season - This is a sweet delicious banana bread recipe perfect for Thanksgiving or the Christmas season. It’s also ideal to serve at holiday parties.
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Equipment Needed
- Mixing bowl
- Loaf pan- a standard 9x5inch bread pan is perfect for this bread. If you have two smaller pans you can divide the batter and make two loaves of bread, but remember the baking time will need to bee adjusted.
Key Ingredients
Bananas - Overripe bananas are perfect for this recipe. When there are several brown spots on the skin they are soft and at their sweetest. They are so easy to mash them up and combine them with the batter.
Cranberries - The juicy cranberries add tartness and fresh flavor to the banana bread. I love using fresh cranberries in this recipe.
Pecans - Crunchy nuts are ideal to add to this recipe. They give the bread a little extra texture and a nutty flavor that works perfectly with the other ingredients.
All-Purpose Flour - Gives banana bread a delicate cake like texture.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder- Are the leavening agents that help the quick bread rise.
Eggs and Vegetable oil - This is what helps to keep the banana bread moist and soft. Remember room temperature eggs work the best.
Sugar and Salt - They help to balance out the sweet flavors. You only need a little salt to add to the sugar.
Vanilla extract and nutmeg - A great way to add some extra flavor. The vanilla adds sweetness and the nutmeg gives that warmth and spice to the cake.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Gather all of your ingredients together and preheat the oven to 325° F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside until ready to bake.
In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork. You can use an electric mixer but when bananas are super ripe they mash easily with just a fork. Add the oil and eggs to the bowl and stir with a spoon to incorporate.
Then add the sugar and vanilla extract to the banana mixture and stir to combine.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg to the wet ingredients. Stir just until no white streaks of flour remain. Add the cranberries and pecans and stir just to incorporate being careful to not mix the batter too much which could result in dry banana bread. You don’t want to make the mixture too dense by over stirring it.
Bake in a preheated oven for 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. All ovens are different so check this before the recommended time. Also, cover the bread halfway through the baking time with a piece of aluminum foil so that the top does not get too brown.
Let it cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting the pan and removing the bread. You can serve warm or continue to cool before slicing to store.
Can I Use Fresh Or Frozen Cranberries?
You can use frozen instead of fresh cranberries. You may find that the red color bleeds into the bread mixture a little more, but the flavor is still there.
Serving
This is an ideal recipe to enjoy as it is but you could also serve it warm. Toast a slice in your toaster and spread with a little butter or cream cheese on top.
Storage
This banana bread recipe is ideal to store at room temperature in an airtight container. You can leave it on the counter at room temp for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This is also a great recipe to freeze. Once the bread has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil to protect it from freezer burn and keep it moist. It will last for up to three months. Allow it to thaw before enjoying it.
Why Is My Banana Bread So Moist?
This is a recipe that will create a moist cake but if it seems too moist then the ratio between banana flavor and flour might be a little off. It will still be good to eat, you can just leave it in the oven a little longer. However, next time be mindful of how much flour and mashed banana you use.
Substitutions And Additions
- Pecans - You could use walnuts instead of pecans to make cranberry walnut banana bread. Or omit them completely if you want to keep this nut-free.
- Vanilla extract - You could use any vanilla essence or even a different extract like almond to give it a different flavor.
- Individual muffins - Why not use a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan to make this delicious recipe?
- Cranberries - You can use dried cranberries instead of fresh cranberries if you want to make this when fresh cranberries are out of season. You won’t need as many as dried cranberries and they have a sweeter flavor.
- Different flavor - Add some orange zest or orange juice to this to make it even more festive.
- Chocolate - Add some chocolate chips or white chocolates to this bread recipe to make it extra sweet and it will enhance this easy cranberry banana bread recipe.
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Easy Cranberry Banana Nut Bread (Holiday Recipe)
Equipment
- 9x5inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, or cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Add the oil and eggs to the bowl and stir with a spoon to incorporate.
- Add sugar and vanilla extract to the banana mixture and stir to combine.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and stir just until no white streaks of flour remain. Add the cranberries and pecans and stir just to incorporate being careful to not over mix the batter which could result in dry banana bread.
- Bake in preheated oven for 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. All ovens are different so check this before the recommended time. Also cover the bread half way through the baking time with a piece of aluminum foil so that the top does not get too brown.
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