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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.
Michelle says
I’ve made this twice and enjoyed it both times. The first time I did it exactly as stated but the second time I replaced the banana with rhubarb I reduced with some sugar. I also made muffins. I find the recipe slightly on the dry side, but I also used margarine instead of butter so
That may be why. Thanks so much, this is a great one!
Karly says
Hi Michelle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. We always recommend butter when baking, so I’d give that a try. Rhubarb may also be the culprit there since it’s not going to have the same texture/moisture content as banana.
Candice says
I haven’t made this yet, but I’m very excited to! Could I use original almond milk instead of normal milk?
Karly says
I think that would work fine, but I really don’t have a lot of experience cooking with almond milk.
PSanton says
Where is the milk in the recipe?
Karly says
Haha, there isn’t any. I didn’t even double check the recipe…just assumed that almond milk would work in a baking recipe. 🙂
PSanton says
Where is the milk in the recipe?
Meg D says
I made this recipe once and shared some slices with some friends who are no begging me to make it again. I currently have bananas browning in the fruit bowl. However…. I was thinking of trying to make a double batch and making them into muffins. Do you think that would work?
Karly says
Yep, these would be great as muffins. Just watch the bake time. I’m guessing around 18-20 minutes but keep an eye on them.
Meg says
Just made them. They came out AMAZING! Thank you for ur help
Karly says
So glad to hear that!
Merlene Steward says
I love it, delicious!!!
Karly says
Thanks, Merlene!
Ruby says
This bread is wonderful! I had to bake it for a little longer, probably because I used frozen bananas, but it is so good! Thank you for sharing!
Karly says
Thanks, Ruby!
Diane O'Barr says
I love this recipe. I have made it several times when my bananas get too ripe for me to eat. It is super delicious.
Karly says
Thanks, Diane!
Debby Batchelder says
I just made it, exactly as directed. It turned out beautiful and taste delicious. Thank You for this recipe.
Karly says
Thanks, Debby!
Lee says
I won’t use this site again, “black lives matter “ are killers.
Karly says
Hi Lee! Black lives matter is a statement that we believe in wholeheartedly. If you click on the ad you’ll see that we’re not promoting the group, BLM. We’re promoting racial justice and equality. If that is at odds with your beliefs, please don’t come back, because I am not the person for you and you are definitely not the person for me.
Carrie Lopez says
Well said Karly. God Speed and God Bless America and ALL Americans!
Bridgette says
Thank you for supporting a better quality of life for all humans.
mimi says
I’ve made this recipe twice. The first time I followed the recipe and it looked like cooked concrete.
The second time, I added 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1 tsp vanilla.
Much better.
Christy Wilke says
Make SURE you leave it in the oven for at LEAST an hour. I have a convection oven that tends to cook things faster. I pulled this out at 51 minutes because it was so dark (glass pan) all around that I truly thought it was going to burn. It e fed up falling in the center because it was raw in the middle. The ends were cooked and tasted great. Don’t make the same mistake I made.
Sue Ralph says
This blueberry and banana bread is just awesome. Moist and delicious. I used fresh berries.
Karly says
Thanks, Sue!
Rochelle says
I love blueberry banana bread, and pulled up your recipe. I only had about 1/2 cup of blueberries in the fridge so I added another 1/2 cup of raspberries! Its so beautiful with the red and blue colors throughout. It would make a nice 4th of july bread! Just wanted to share 🙂 Thanks for your yummy recipe
Karly says
Sounds gorgeous! Thanks, Rochelle!
Heather L says
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had, even having burned it! (I’m still learning my oven.) I used frozen and it all came together really well! Thanks!
Heather L says
Can you tell me how, and how long you store it?
Kathy Bedard says
This is pretty good, but the cinnamon kind of overwhelms the taste. I only put 1 tsp in and I’m glad I did. Leave out the cinnmon
Anita says
Baked the chocolate banana bread turned out amazing also made the blueberry banana bread it was fantastic thanks so much for sharing these lovely recipes I’ll keep watching and baking
Karly says
Thanks, Anita!