Banana Bread with Coconut and Pecans
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Bananas and coconut are a natural combination; this banana bread is a great way to enjoy them.
Banana and coconut are a natural combination and this quick bread is a great way to enjoy them. Like most banana breads, it’s easy to throw together: you can whip up the batter in twenty minutes, and then just let the oven do its work. Enjoy warm out of the oven or toasted for breakfast the next day.
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Banana Bread with Coconut & Pecans
Bananas and coconut are a natural combination; this banana bread is a great way to enjoy them.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth (from about 3 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped (see note below)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the melted butter and sugar until just combined. Beat in the eggs, bananas and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. Gently stir in the coconut and nuts (the batter will look lumpy).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center is relatively clean (tester should not be totally dry; the bananas keep it moist) and the top is golden brown. Do not overcook. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then turn out onto rack. Slice while still warm or store in an airtight container. Toast individual slices for best results.
- Note: Toasting the pecans is optional but enhances their flavor. Simply spread the pecans on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 282
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 109 mg
- Cholesterol: 51 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What would you suggest as a way to reduce the amount of butter in this recipe. It sounds so good that I probably will have more than one slice. Do you think I could use half the butter and it will still be good?
Hi Danielle, Unfortunately I don’t think you can reduce the butter; the bread will turn out heavy and dense. You could try replacing some of the butter with applesauce, but the texture won’t be quite the same. Hope that helps, and please let me know how it turns out.
Will it be just as yummy if I substitute whole wheat pastry flour?
Hi Sandra, I would either use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or half whole wheat and half regular.
Hi Sandra,
I used the white whole wheat flour. It was wonderful & healthy!
Hi,
Is there a way I can go eggless on this recipe? Please let me know the substitute and any variations if at all. Looking forward to baking this.
Hi Sam, I can’t recommend this recipe without the eggs. So sorry!
Look up Aquafaba for egg substitutions. 😉
Hi can I make these in a cupcake pan? If so for how long and what temp? Thank you and totally love the website!!
Hi Tara, Yes, that should work — same temp and I’m guessing 20-25 min but definitely keep an eye on it 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I only have two very ripe bananas in the freezer, do you think this recipe would still work with them?
Hi Mary, If they are large you might have enough but if you’re short you can fill in with applesauce.
A great variation on banana bread. I substituted some whole wheat flour (1/4 cup) and almond flour (1/4 cup) as well as coconut oil in place of the butter and coconut sugar (1/2 cup) to add in some healthy fiber and boost the coconut flavor.
Tired after some garden work, I couldn’t sleep and happened on this recipe. This is so delicious and great. My only deviation was a bit of creme cheese and it still turned out great. My wife, mom and kid have devoured most of it before it cooled so I have to make another and post a pic.
Thanks Chef!
I thought the banana loaf was not done at 55 minutes as the knife I used to check doneness came out sticky. So I chickened out and kept it longer in the oven (at least 7 minutes more) but then it was getting blacker. This felt like bad news. So then I took it out and left it on the top of the oven. Later I took it out of the loaf pan (I used a glass pan) and it was done so I guess I could have just baked it for 55 minutes and have it look like the loaf in your picture. It is very good. I didn’t have pecans so I used raisins. I am going to make this loaf later this week as we have a ton of black bananas in the banana box.
This is my favorite banana bread recipe. I am wondering if I use spelt flower, how much should I use and will I have to alter anything else?
Hi Kim, I would use the same amount — if possible, you might want to use half white spelt flour and half whole-grain spelt flour so the taste is not altered too much.
Hi Jenn,
I made the banana bread using all white spelt flour. The taste was the same as the original! It seemed a little bit dry, I may have slightly over cooked it. Will have to try it again. Thank you for responding to my question. I love so many of your recipes and your recipes make me appear to be a good cook! Kim
Hi, I recently found your blog and simply just fell in love with everything of it. Great selection of recipes with lots of cooking / baking tips, beautiful photos and food styling, etc. Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve learned as a professional to people like me who love to cook, bake, feed and eat, but with no time and opportunities to learn professionally.
BTW, I have a question on this recipe. Can I use virgin coconut oil instead of butter for this bread? I’ve got a jar of it and don’t know where to use. Since this recipe calls for coconut flakes anyways, I thought the slight scent of coconut oil wouldn’t ruin the whole flavor. What do you think?
Hi Kat, I don’t have much experience baking with coconut oil, although from my understanding it works well as a butter substitute — and the flavor would certainly be wonderful here. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Hi Jenn, thanks for the answer! I finally had overripe bananas on hand and tried this recipe with coconut oil. The result was awesome! Since I’ve never tried this bread with butter yet, I cannot tell how exactly different, but the texture was a bit lighter and fluffier than the other banana bread I’ve made with butter. Mine also got some beautiful cracks on the top, but I’m not sure if it’s from using different oil or using different pan (I used ceramic loaf pan). The combination of banana and coconut with toasted nuts was great! Even with the extra coconut scent from the coconut oil, coconut flavor wasn’t over powering, it was just right! I’ve tried your Chai Spiced Banana Bread and this one with coconut and pecans, both were really good, even though usually banana bread isn’t my favorite. Thanks for great recipe again!
Hi Kat,
I have a couple questions for you about your use of coconut oil. Was it solid or liquid? Did you use the same amount as called for with the butter?
Thank you,
Should batter be thick? it was exceptionally thick.. I ask because you said to pour into pan.. I had to spread it into pan.. hoping I didn’t mess something up .. Thank you
Hi Jennifer, No worries — it is a thick batter. Hope it turns out!
I used sweetened coconut and left out the 2 T of sugar I also didn’t toast the pecans. It was really good and will be making again.
Just baked this very late last night and the scent of coconut and banana was heavenly! I love banana breads but this is the best one ever: a perfect balance of ripe banana to flour and coconut (I used sweetened flaked coconut, as it had texture), but forgot to toast the pecans and to add less sugar. I hand whisked the softened, half melted butter with sugar and hand mixed the rest of dry etc. when tasting the oh so yummy batter, my error with sugar made it a little too sweet. So taking a clue from your chocolate marble banana bread, mixed half of batter with 4 measured tablespoons of unsweetened organic cocoa powder, put that light cocoa chocolate batter on top of other half in the loaf pan and swirled just a little. Tasted batter and it balanced the over sweetness and didn’t overwhelm the coconut. This bread baked beautifully brown and perfectly moist and such a delicious blend of flavors!! Toasted up this morning and tried with some butter and another with a little home-made lemon curd. Super Yummy! This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Question: I bought some canned mango slices(Thailand product) and would this work in any sweet bread or only fresh or dried fruits?
Hi Gina, So glad you enjoyed the banana bread! I do think you could use the canned mango slices; just chop them up.
This recipe was to die for! I loved it and thankfully I doubled it because everyone wants more!
How many mini loaves sized 6×3 would this make and hhw long would I bake them for. Thanks
Hi Charlene, I’m guessing two, and I’d start checking after about 30 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This is another awesome recipe, Jenn! Like one of the other commenters, I only had walnuts on hand so I toasted and added them, and we loved the end product Nice variation of banana bread.
Hi Jenn, do you think the taste would suffer if instead of melted butter I use melted coconut oil? Just trying to make it dairy-free…
Hi Koek, I think the coconut oil would actually taste wonderful. Please let me know how it turns out.
Hello! Well, I just made it using coconut oil, and yes, it’s pretty awesome. I used an odourless variety of coconut oil (so it didn’t add any new flavour), and the texture was somewhat fluffier, and it felt definitely lighter than the original recipe. So I would definitely use coconut oil again, maybe next time the one with the flavour to see if it adds a new dimension.
I loved this bread and have added it to my “recipes I will make again on Pinterest”
I used sweetened coconut because it was what I had in the house and left out the 2 T of sugar I also didn’t toast the pecans.
I had to bake it for 1 hr my oven.
This recipe is SO GOOD. I added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and made muffins instead of the loaf. The coconut makes it nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside!!! SO GOOD.
It was wonderful. I tried to use a bundt pan, didn’t rise, but still good. Toasted the coconut and walnuts. Used sweetened coconut and deleted the sugar, used salted butter and deleted the salt. Husband loved it. Thanks.
This is a GREAT recipe for banana bread. I don’t like many, I can always taste the four and/or just in general lacks flavor or is way too dense. This is PERFECT. Its dense but still soft and moist. I used sweetened coconut (it was what I had). I also used toasted walnuts instead of pecans (didnt have pecans). I’ve got this recipe and will use it from now on when making banana bread. WONDERFUL, THANK YOU!!!
Great as it is,but I bet a little pineapple would be great in this bread too!
I really loved this as a change from my usual banana bread. I used half white & half whole wheat flours and it was delicious. Very, very moist. I also had to use sweetened coconut since its what I had on-hand, so I reduced the sugar a little. Turned out perfectly. Had no nuts in the pantry, but I didn’t miss them at all. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you for providing some variation to the traditional banana bread. Theaddition of coconut and pecan really enhance this bread.
I made this banana bread and the coconut really takes it up a notch. It is great sliced and toasted even days after making it (if it last that long). It is very easy to whip up and I always have the ingredients on hand. Thank you!
I made this for my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group last week. It was a total hit! I must have given your website to at least 20 moms! My 5 year old wants me to make it every day! 🙂
I ate way too many pieces of banana bread when I was a kid. It’s a favorite all across America so I had to give in and bake another. I wanted something different and not so “bananaish” so I tried this recipe. It’s different and I am so happy to say I like banana bread again! The coconut and pecans give it that extra “something” that brought me back to the world of banana bread!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I have 8 mini loaves of this now baking. I think it will be delicious. I didn’t notice until too late that the coconut is unsweetened, so I just used the sweetened coconut that I had on hand. We’ll see how that turns out! I doubled the recipe, so you can tell I was pretty confident that it will be wonderful.
Love how the coconut makes the banana bread a bit more special… yum!
i love the addition of the coconut. my son doesn’t like nuts in his banana bread so I made some with and some without and everyone loved it!
OOOH! I am on such a coconut kick right now….this sounds amazing!
Love the idea of toasting each slice before tasting. I am going to give this a try tonight. Thanks! Also, am so excited about the Boos cutting board giveaway.
I always save old bananas in the freezer to make banana bread and this recipe looks like a delicious addition to my same old same old recipe. I cannot wait to try it this weekend.
The coconut and pecans take regular banana bread to a whole new level – it makes a wonderful dessert with coffee or a quick breakfast. I especially liked it toasted with peanut butter.
i do love banana bread but have never thought about adding coconut to it but that certainly does look delicious. i look forward to trying it.
I have made this several times, but used the regular coconut it my local grocery store. Tastes great. Next time I get to Whole Foods (not too often), I will pick up the unsweetened coconut and try it. Freezes well.
This recipe looks delicious! We love coconut at my house. I bought some overripe bananas the other day, but my hubby ate them already. I’ll have to try it next week.
I made this last week to take to a play date. Everyone loved it! I also substituted sweetened coconut and omitted the sugar as that’s what I had on hand. This is going to be my favorite banana bread recipe from now on.
Love the addition of coconut. I buy a cookie with pecans and coconut that is to die for. Looking forward to this recipe.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! My grandmother is barely eating now a days but has been asking for banana bread for days now – this looks brilliant!
This is an awesome recipe! I first made muffins thinking it would help control how much I ate! Ha! Ha! These are so good & moist!! Luv, luv luv them!!
This is our favorite ” go to ” banana bread recipe….thank you for sharing!
loved this bread! the addition of coconut subtley enhances the banana flavor for a fruitier tasting banana bread. yum!
can we use whole wheat or spelt flour instead of all purpose flour ?
Thanks for the post, I want to try this recipe this weekend.
I had to search forever to find this recipe. I’d remembered seeing it, but never bookmarked it. So worth the search.
Oh my word! This is so good. It just got done literally 10 minutes ago and I had to try it 5 minutes after it came out of the oven. I did not have unsweetened coconut so I also omitted the 2 tbsp of sugar like the one poster above me.
wow. fantastic banana bread recipe. I always freeze my overripe bananas and make bread or muffins. this recipe is a keeper. I am truly enjoying your recipes, have made several of them already.
This is absolutely delish. Another winner Jen! I didn’t have unsweetened coconut, but I just omitted the 2 tbs of sugar, and added my sweetened with wonderful results! 🙂
The difficulty will be sticking to just ONE piece, even fresh out of the oven. The coconut and banana are a wonderful complimentary combo –
One can never try too many banana bread recipes! Especially recipes that improve a they sit–those are gems. Bookmarking this one now. Happy New Year, Jenn!