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Home » Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread

Bourbon Banana Bread

November 16, 2012 by Debi 88 Comments

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Bourbon Banana Bread with walnuts is full flavored, moist, sweet Banana nut bread recipe, and a great way to use older bananas. Try it for a special breakfast like Christmas day or Mother’s Day brunch.

Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread sliced on a wooden cutting board with the title

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread two slices in front of the loaf, a bread knife behind on a wooden cutting board with some walnuts around

What to do with extra bananas?

I often find myself with a couple extra bananas, meaning to eat them. I really do. But, for one reason or another, there they are, sitting on the counter looking all brown and kinda mushy.

Sometimes I’ll take the bananas and make that banana “ice cream” you see all over Pinterest.

a loaf of banana bread that's been sliced.

Ripe bananas are necessary

Sometimes, when I have time, I’ll make this awesome banana bread.

It’s a moist, tender quick bread with loads of banana flavor. The trick to getting a sweet moist bread is to use really ripe bananas.

Ones that are covered with little brown spots. No green at all.

At that point, the starches in the banana have converted to sugars, and the banana is so sweet, so good.

Take a look at the picture below for the stage of banana I’m talking about. really ripe bananas – loads of brown spots all over & when you pick them up, they’re soft.

two really ripe bananas on white marble.

changes to the recipe

I’ve been asked about changing up the recipe a few times, so here are some of the suggestions.

can I use different nuts?

Feel free to swap the walnut for you favorite nuts. Pecans would be lovely, and my first choice. Hazelnuts and almonds would also be great.

You could also try these Bourbon Candied Pecans!

other ad-ins

Other add-ins would be great too, like chocolate chips, vegan chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.

Shredded coconut, blueberries, or raisins would be fantastic as well. I’d recommend 1/2 cup of additional add-ins would be great.

can I use something other than bourbon?

If you don’t like bourbon or don’t have any, yes, you can swap it for another liquor.

Try rum, Whiskey, Irish whisky, honey bourbon, or even Franglico. Or you can simply leave the liquor out of this recipe.

use more bourbon?

If you really like the flavor, you can double the amount of bourbon in the recipe.

topping

I love the banana bread plain, but you could add a topping to it as well.

Try a streusel topping or a dusting of brown sugar before baking. Add some nuts or a banana split in half lengthwise to the top and let them bake in.

My favorite icing recipe (if you want to try it) is a nice basic one that you can embellish if you like. Make it fancy with browned butter or a nice bourbon glaze. Just mix the ingredients together and pour or drizzle over the cooled bread. You may need to add a little more milk to get a thinner icing if desired.

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons milk or cream
  • 1 tablespoon liquid like maple syrup, bourbon,
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter, optional
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt

After baking it, allow it to cool and top it with icing, frosting, or a drizzle of caramel.

changing the size

Instead of making a loaf, make it in muffin pans or cupcake pans for individual servings. Keep an eye on the muffins as the bake, they’ll probably take less time to bake.

You can also bake it in {affiliate link} mini loaf pans to give as gifts.

It also doubles well, keep an eye on baking time if you bake it in a larger pan, as it will probably take a bit more time.

is this gluten free?

This recipe is not gluten free, though I suspect that it would be very easy to swap the all purpose flour for a {affiliate link} one for one flour. Let me know if you try it, I’d love to hear back.

Thanksgiving

I like to serve this bread at Thanksgiving dinner.

I know, that sounds a bit odd, but who doesn’t love banana bread? And, it goes so well on the Thanksgiving table.

Or serve it on the dessert table as a kind of cake. And, Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies are another great treat on the Thanksgiving dessert table!

Great breakfast

You can have any Banana walnut bread recipe leftovers for breakfast the next day too; toast it up and smear some butter on it.

Or, use it as French Toast. So yummy!

Some of my other favorite things to have for breakfast are Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole, Cinnamon Sore Throat Tea, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, or Homemade Granola.

Sliced Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread on a wooden cutting board with walnuts around it and the title at the top

Other quick bread recipes

Quick breads are great; they don’t take much time or effort. You’ll want to try Cherry Bread, Orange Marmalade Bread, and Best Zucchini Bread.

And don’t ignore yeast breads; they’re amazing and really not that difficult to make. Check out No Knead Parmesan Rosemary Bread and Garlic Tomato Twist Bread.

sliced Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread on a wood cutting board with some walnuts around

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square crop of Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread on a wooden cutting board with Life Currents logo in the bottom left corner

Kitchen tools you may need

Note: these are affiliate links
9×5 loaf pan
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Hand held mixer
Stand mixer
Toothpicks
Hot pads
Cooling rack
You can bake them in paper loaf pans as gifts
Loaf keeper storage container

Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread is a great way to use older bananas, and it's great for a special breakfast

Recipe

a loaf of banana bread that's been sliced into two slices and some walnuts around the bread.

Bourbon Banana Bread

Debi
Bourbon Banana Walnut Bread – full flavored, moist, sweet quick bread is a great way to use older bananas, and it’s great for a special breakfast.
4.81 from 109 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 302 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon fine grain salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 2 very ripe bananas mashed
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon

Instructions
 

  • Have all ingredients at room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, and set aside.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients (flour through baking powder) together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using a sturdy fork or in a Kitchen-aid until it’s lightened in color and texture. Mix in the flour mixture until well blended and the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the mashed bananas, walnuts, and bourbon. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350° F for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 – 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Makes one loaf: a 9×5 loaf, or 8 servings
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
If you’d like a stronger bourbon flavor, double the amount of bourbon. The recipe gives a great flavored balanced banana bread, but if you’re looking for a hit of bourbon, double it.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 304mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 313IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword banana bread
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
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Filed Under: Bars, Bites, Dessert Nibbles, Breakfast, Gifts, Mother's Day, spring Tagged With: banana, bourbon, bread, Breakfast, Cooking, desserts, eggs, Food, Holiday, recipe, vegetarian, walnuts

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Comments

  1. Wabi via Pinterest

    September 22, 2024 at 5:59 am

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe. I use use the ever smallest scoche of baking powder and it makes it ever so lighter. Ok…I also added yellow carrots and fresh pineapple chunks. It’s super delicious

  2. Mary via Pinterest

    September 24, 2024 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    I put a vanilla and bourbon glaze on top. Delicious!!!

  3. norma via Pinterest

    October 6, 2024 at 5:41 am

    5 stars
    Used Maker’s Mark. Double. Came out great! Family loved it. Added some cinnamon and a bit of coconut oil. Will definitely make it again.

  4. Gail

    December 15, 2024 at 4:57 am

    5 stars
    Looks goods. Question: 2 bananas mashed = how many cups?

  5. Debi

    December 15, 2024 at 5:18 am

    Gail, 2 mashed bananas equal roughly 1 cup of mashed banana.

  6. Brittany

    January 6, 2025 at 5:32 am

    5 stars
    I made this and kind of tweaked it. We had a crown bourbon maple syrup and I used like 3 tablespoons of that plus 1 tsp of maple extract. Then I sprinkled a thin layer of brown sugar over the top for a nice crunch. Left out the walnuts. Texture was AMAZING! Super good. Printed and saving!!

  7. Dawn via Pinterest

    January 14, 2025 at 5:31 am

    5 stars
    I’m a HUGE fan of banana bread and I came across this recipe and thought ‘hmmm this sounds like it could be amazing’ and to my wondrous surprise it was! My husband whose even diabetic and doesn’t eat anything sweet had to try it out and he said it came out so tasteful with just that tbsp of his best bourbon. I’m keeping this recipe forever lol!!

  8. John or Lisa

    March 14, 2025 at 5:42 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is fantastic!! Super moist too! Light, buttery goodness and with just the right amount of toasted pecans.

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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