Moist Banana Nut Bread with Salted Caramel

Caramel-Swirled Banana Nut Bread, a very moist and flavorful banana bread topped with a buttery brown sugar crumb. Finely chopped pecans add a little crunch! A thick caramel sauce is swirled and baked inside, then drizzled over the top with sea salt flakes. It's a must-make loaf that is out of this world!

5 Reasons You Should Bake This Bread

1. So much flavor. Very ripe bananas give this bread its classic, rich banana taste. Add the sweet and salty crumb topping and a thick caramel sauce, and your taste buds will be in heaven.
2. The texture. Without a doubt, this loaf is very moist. The sweet, salty crumb topping adds a little crunch from the finely chopped pecans. A thick caramel sauce drizzled over the top ties it all together.
3. Easy to make. I skipped my hand-held mixer and stand mixer entirely, which I can tell you is a relief! You only need basic baking tools for this salted caramel banana nut bread.
4. Put those overly ripe bananas to use. I bet many of you have overly ripe bananas in your kitchen right now. You buy them meaning to eat them within a few days, and then they sit there collecting more freckles each day. Those freckles turn into an overall brown, and a day or two later you wonder if they are still usable. They are, yes, they really are!
5. Bake and share. This recipe makes two loaves of salted caramel banana nut bread. Keep one for yourself and give the other to a friend, neighbor, or family member! It is a sweet, simple way to let someone know you are thinking of them.

How Ripe Should Bananas Be for Banana Nut Bread?

Keep this in mind: the browner and darker the banana, the sweeter the bread will be!

Look for bananas where the freckles have started to grow into larger dark spots.

Shopping List

Here is everything you will need to make this salted caramel banana nut bread recipe!

Crumb Topping

• All-Purpose Flour
• Light Brown Sugar
• Unsalted Butter. This needs to be very cold and cut into cubes.
• Pecans. Finely chopped works best and adds a little crunch to the top of the bread.

Bread Batter

• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Coconut oil. Vegetable oil or canola oil works as well. I've been on a coconut oil kick lately, so that's what I chose. I'm saving my vegetable and canola oil for my homemade donuts!
• Eggs. Always use them at room temperature!
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla Flavoring
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Bananas. 2 large or 3 medium-size bananas will give you the 1 cup of mashed bananas you need for this recipe.
• Caramel Sauce. Thicker is better, ideally the kind you would drizzle over ice cream.
• Sea Salt Flakes. You can sprinkle these into the crumb topping before baking, or add them after along with the caramel sauce.

How to Make the Recipe

Here is a step-by-step look at how to make this super moist salted caramel banana nut bread!

1. Make the crumb topping. Grab a small to medium bowl and whisk together the all-purpose flour and light brown sugar. The two tablespoons of unsalted butter added next should be very cold and cut into little cubes. A pastry blender or fork will bring it into a crumbly mix. Last, fold in the chopped pecans and set the bowl aside.
2. Mash the bananas. I used a small mixing bowl and a fork to mash the bananas. That is the whole step, and it is a very easy one!
3. Whisk together the wet ingredients. Use a large mixing bowl, since you'll add the dry ingredients to it next. Whisk the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, coconut oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
4. Add in the dry ingredients. Stir in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix everything with a whisk (my preference) or switch to a spatula. The batter will be thick.
5. Add in the mashed bananas and caramel sauce. Warm the caramel sauce in the microwave for a few seconds so it is easier to mix into the batter.
6. Divide the batter and add the crumb toppings. You can sprinkle on some sea salt flakes now, or save them for the end when you drizzle on the extra caramel sauce. Or do both. It is up to you! I chose to add them in this step and again at the end.
7. Bake the bread. Bake the two prepared loaf tins for 55-60 minutes at 350ºF. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before lifting the loaves out of the tins, then cool for another 20 minutes before serving. I added the extra caramel sauce and sea salt flakes before cutting the bread. You can also add them after slicing.

Baking Equipment

A hand-held or stand mixer works here, but the simplest approach for this banana nut bread is using these basic baking tools:

• 2 Loaf Tins. These can be 9″ x 5″ or 8″ x 4″. I used Jaime Oliver loaf tins for this banana nut bread. They are well made and easy to clean. I also love their light blue, vintage look.
• Mixing Bowls. A set in glass, stainless steel, or ceramic always comes in handy!
• Whisks and Spatulas. No one paid me to say this, but I love GIR whisks and spatulas. They are very well made, hold up to high heat, and come in a rainbow of colors!
• Baking Spray. If you've been around here a while, you know Baker's Joy is the only baking spray I love!
• Parchment Paper. Because of the crumb topping, I strongly suggest a parchment paper sling in the loaf tins. It means you won't have to flip the loaves over after baking.

A fork for mashing the bananas and a spoon for the caramel sauce are handy to have as well.

Recipe Tips Before You Start

• Since this bread has a crumb topping, I found the parchment paper slings very helpful for lifting the loaves out of the tins.
• No jar of caramel sauce on hand? Melt a bag of caramel squares over medium heat with two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream or water.
• The recipe notes do not include any cooling time. You do not have to serve this bread completely cooled. See the next tip.
• This salted caramel banana bread tastes best slightly warm, with extra caramel sauce drizzled on and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes.
• To store it, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Slices can be reheated in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.

More Delicious Breads and Breakfast Treats to Enjoy!