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This blueberry banana bread turns out incredibly moist and flavorful every time! Perfect for using up overripe bananas and fresh or frozen blueberries, this recipe delivers thick, bakery-style slices with bits of juicy blueberries throughout – don’t skip a pat of salted butter over a warm slice of bread. Heaven!
Grab your mixing bowls, we’re baking bread.
The Best of Both Worlds
When my kiddos were younger, they always wanted to go to Bob Evans for dinner.
I used to joke that they were basically tiny senior citizens, requesting Bob Evans for dinner and wanting to eat it at 4pm. 😉
I didn’t complain about it too much, because Bob Evans often brings out a slice of banana bread with your meal and that made everything right in my world.
Our classic banana bread recipe is always a favorite, but when you’ve got a pile of overripe bananas AND a container of blueberries on the verge of death, it’s time to whip this one out.
Little pops of juicy bluebs are in every bite, adding the perfect touch of sweetness. You’re going to love this smeared with melty, salty butter.
♥ Why You’ll Love Our Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe:
- Moist: The bananas help to keep this bread moist and tender. No dry, overbaked bread here!
- Produce: If you weren’t making banana bread those over ripe bananas and soft blueberries would probably just get tossed. We’re saving them from a sad death.
- Freezable: Slice this up, pop it in the freezer, and grab it on busy mornings. Love having fresh banana bread with my coffee.
What Readers are Saying!
“Delicious! I just made this to use up blueberries and overly ripe bananas I had in my freezer. Frozen blueberries work just fine! I also added 1 cup of chopped walnuts because we love nuts in our banana bread. I forgot to try adding the lemon zest but, plan to do so next time I make it. Thanks for sharing.” – Joyce H.
Swaps & Tips
Blueberry options: We like fresh blueberries here, but frozen should work just fine. No need to thaw them.
Banana substitutes: You need 1 cup mashed banana total. If you’re short, add a bit of applesauce or Greek yogurt.
Flour alternatives: All-purpose works best, but you can substitute up to half with whole wheat flour. The bread will be a bit more dense.
Make it extra special: Add lemon zest to the batter for a bright pop of flavor.
Flour the berries: Adding a bit of flour to the blueberries helps to keep them from sinking as the bread bakes.
My Favorite Vanilla!
A good quality vanilla really does make a difference and this is my favorite brand.
Storage:
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
For longer storage, wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or toast directly from frozen.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! Don’t thaw them first – use them straight from the freezer. Toss in flour just like fresh blueberries.
Your bananas should be very spotty and soft. If they’re not quite there, you can speed up ripening by baking them at 300°F for 15-20 minutes until the skins turn black.
A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The top should spring back when lightly touched.
Blueberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 medium ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup blueberries tossed in flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Add the mashed bananas to the mixture and mix by hand until combined, scraping down the bowl as you stir.
- Stir in the dry ingredients by hand, being sure not to overmix the batter.
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Tent the pan with aluminum foil if the bread is starting to get too brown towards the end of baking.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Heike Yonker says
I will try this
Nina C says
I’ve made this recipe 5 times in the past 3 weeks because family keeps taking the loaves home with them. I used fresh blueberries the first time and frozen the rest of the times- frozen is much better! They burst in the oven keeping all the moisture and flavor in the bread.
Karly says
Oh, interesting! We always use fresh in baking, but good to know that frozen is a good choice. 🙂
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Deborah Smith says
Followed recipe as is. Delicious,
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed it!
sandra nelson says
Loved this recipe. Had all the ingredients and only make 1 loaf. I think the blueberries
made the bread super moist.
Debbie Gregory says
Love this recipe, thank you! I have one I’ve made for years that uses shortening and I’m much happier with a butter version and the blueberries add a great flavor. I love to have a cup of tea in the evenings with a little something yummy so I made them as muffins and will freeze most to enjoy over the next few weeks. As a muffin I started checking at 20 min and they took about 40 to be done.
Karly says
Thanks for sharing, Debbie!
Karen says
Hi Karly! I haven’t tried this recipe yet (or a couple other banana recipes) becauase right now I only have 2 ripe bananas. Could I substitute applesauce, or something else for the third banana in the recipe? Thanks!
Karly says
I’ve never tried doing that, but I think it would work out just fine. 🙂 Let us know how it goes!
WandaB says
I followed the recipe exactly except I doubled it to make two loaves. They turned out amazing! I gave one loaf to my daughter and she loved it. I decided to bake a loaf for my sister and had extra bananas so I made two loaves again. My sister thought it was fabulous and wanted the recipe. It’s hard to believe that something so easy could be so yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Karly says
Love to hear that! And aren’t you sweet for sharing the goodness. 🙂
Mary says
I made this May 18th this was the best banana blueberry bread. Very moist and full of flavor. I will be making this again.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mary!
Judy Connor says
This is the best banana blueberry recipe I’ve ever tried. It’s so moist. You can’t eat just one slice!
Jacqueline E Koscheski says
Can GF flour be used?
Karly says
I’ve only made this with all purpose flour.
Melinda T. says
Great timing! I had both bananas and a cup of blueberries that were on their way out. The bread is delicious! This recipe is a keeper.
Karly says
So glad you gave it a try!
Rachael says
awesome recipe – exactly as written! I’m always careful with banana bread because I never think it tastes like anything- but the blueberries in this and the cinnamon (only use what the recipe says here) really brought out the banana flavor–loved it! :-))
Karly says
Yay! Love that this was a hit! 🙂
Tina says
I followed you recipe and everything worked well. My entire family loves it 🙂
xoxo
tina from wimpernverlängerung salzburg
Karly says
Love to hear that!
Connie Wright says
I followed the recipe exactly as written. At 50 minutes I checked the bread and it was raised in the middle and all over outside and on top (worse) very hard, not burnt just browned. It was so hard that when I tried to slice it fell apart (browned part) . The rest of the bread was perfect and I agree this bread tastes delicious. Just wish it was soft on top and corners. What could have caused this.
Karly says
Hi Connie! I’m sorry you had that issue. I would check to be sure that your oven temperature is accurate, because baking the bread at too high of a temp can cause that issue. Otherwise, tenting the bread with foil may help. I’ve never had this issue with this recipe myself and it’s a riff on the classic banana bread I make regularly.
Ann says
I would like to give this bread as a gift, how long would I bake it in those mini loaf pans, sorry, I don’t have the size! Thank you Ann
Karly says
Hi Ann! There are a couple of different mini loaf sizes and I haven’t tested it, so I can’t say for sure. I’d just start watching them around 20-25 minutes and keep an eye on them. Check with a tester for doneness when the tops are browned and they spring back when gently poked. 🙂