Easy Hawaiian Banana Bread
This moist and tropical Hawaiian Banana Bread combines ripe bananas, crushed pineapple and shredded coconut for a delicious twist on the classic banana bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe
- Flavor – Packed with bananas, crushed pineapple and coconut. These flavors are refreshing and light.
- Use those overripe bananas – Dreaming of something more tropical than plain ol’ banana bread? Try something a little over the top. This tropical banana bread is super moist and easy to make. Only a couple of extra ingredients to send this banana bread into the ultimate quick bread.
- Not just a snack – Quick breads are perfect for breakfast or a midmorning pick me up or even as a simple dessert.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- All-purpose flour – unbleached flour is preferable.
- Baking soda – this is a leavening agent that activates when combined with an acidic ingredient. The crushed pineapple makes the baking soda react in this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon – this adds another level of flavor which complements the banana.
- Salt – balances out the sweetness.
- Sugar – you could use granulated sugar or cane sugar to sweeten this quick bread.
- Eggs – use large eggs. They help to lighten the crumb and add moistness.
- Butter – unsalted or salted butter is fine. Use what you have on hand. I used salted butter. The butter should be softened to make it easier to cream with the sugar.
- Overripe bananas – the bananas should be close to black for the best flavor. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash them before adding to the batter.
- Crushed pineapple – it’s important for the pineapple to be completely drained before adding to the batter. You don’t want excess liquid in this batter. This would affect the texture and the cooking time for the banana bread. Pour the crushed pineapple into a fine mesh strainer and press all the liquid out with a fork.
- Shredded coconut – this is what makes this bread fun. The delicate taste of coconut throughout. It adds a bit of crunch along with the walnuts. There’s a lot of sweetness in this recipe so be sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Coconut extract – when it comes to extracts, vanilla always seems to be included. Try coconut extract to intensify the tropical flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute vanilla extract.
- Walnuts – buy the prepackaged walnuts that are already chopped. This will save time and the hassle of chopping them yourself.
More Quick Bread Recipes
Looking for more banana recipes? Check out these banana chocolate chip muffins. So good!
Or how about this blueberry lemon bread. Another muffin recipe that is a family favorite is my lemon raspberry muffins. Quick breads are easy to make and satisfying to eat.
Creaming The Butter And Sugar
This banana bread uses butter as the fat instead of oil. This helps keep the banana bread a bit lighter while adding additional flavor. This is still a dense banana bread which means it will not dome like a traditional quick bread.
Creaming butter and sugar together creates air pockets which help to leaven the banana bread as it bakes. This also evenly distributes the sugar into the butter which improves the texture of the finished banana bread.
The easiest way to cream butter and sugar together is with a stand mixer or hand mixer. These small appliances make short work of this task.
For a stand mixer, I like to use a paddle attachment with a scraper edge. It creams the butter and sugar while scraping the bowl. This is necessary to fully incorporate the sugar into the butter. The regular paddle attachment works, too. Periodically scrape down the bowl with a silicone spatula.
For the best results, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 – 3 minutes to fully incorporate the two. When finished, the mixture will be pale in color. It will no longer be a bright yellow.
How To Make Hawaiian Banana Bread
For the complete ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Step One: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Step Two: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This mixture should be pale in color.
Step Three: Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Step Four: Mix in the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut and coconut extract. Add walnuts, if desired. Stir the flour mixture into the batter.
Step Five: Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Place into the preheated 350℉ oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
Pro Tip
During baking, check the banana bread at 40 minutes. If it looks like it’s browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over it. Continue to bake. This will help to minimize it from browning too much before the inside of the bread is done.
How To Store
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
- For longer storage, wrap the completely cooled banana bread in a labeled freezer bag. This should be tightly sealed. Make sure to record the month and year on the freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
Hawaiian Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup mashed bananas (2 – 3 bananas)
- 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple (drained)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt. Set aside.1½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Approximately 2 – 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. The mixture should be pale in color after creaming.½ cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.2 eggs
- Stir in the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple (drained), shredded coconut, walnuts and coconut extract.1 cup mashed bananas, 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, 1 cup shredded coconut , ½ cup walnuts, 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Evenly spread the batter.
- Place into the 350℉ preheated oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Note – Check the bread at 40 minutes. If the banana bread is getting too brown, place a piece of aluminum foil tented over the top.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
-
- To drain the pineapple – Pour the crushed pineapple into a fine mesh strainer and press all the liquid out with a fork.
- Store in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature.
- For longer storage, wrap the completely cooled banana bread in a labeled freezer bag. This should be tightly sealed. Make sure to record the month and year on the freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.