Level up your classic banana nut bread recipe with authentic chai spices plus easy homemade whipped honey butter for the perfect finishing touch! My chai banana nut bread comes together in less than an hour with layers of flavor so you'll want to make it again and again.
If you're here for an easy spiced banana bread recipe, you in the right spot, boo. Let's get into it!
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What does it taste like?
This is a fall flavored banana bread with sweet warm spices and it's nutty, buttery, and you'll also taste very subtle citrus and pepper notes. Texture-wise it's soft and chewy with crunchy walnut bits.
The banana flavor can be dialed up or down depending on how many you use. For example, with just one, this is a great banana bread for people who don't even like bananas like that.
And if you enjoy this chai spice walnut banana bread recipe, you'll also love my Carrot Cake Loaf with Praline Cream Cheese Frosting or this Applesauce Quick Bread!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Bananas Why do I need ripe bananas for banana bread? For both flavor and texture. Overripe bananas are sweeter, thus you won't need to add as much sweetener to the batter. They are also easier to mash and incorporate into the batter.
Brown Sugar perfectly complements the flavors in this recipe so I recommend it instead of granulated sugar. Light or dark brown sugar will work.
Vanilla Extract plays a background role but you'll definitely notice if it's missing so don't skip it! Use pure vanilla extract, if possible, over imitation vanilla or vanilla flavoring.
Chai Spice Mix for baking is slightly different from what you would use for teatime. We need ground spices for this recipe rather than whole cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, etc.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Nuts - Walnuts are my favorite nut for baking banana nut bread and I use halved walnuts or pieces in this recipe but If you don't have access to walnuts, you can leave them out altogether or substitute with pecans.
Milk - You can use your favorite dairy or plant based milk in this recipe except for buttermilk because of its acidity.
Method - You can easily transform this loaf into chai banana muffins by using a 6 count muffin pan instead!
How to Make Banana Chai Bread
Step One: Mash the banana in a large mixing bowl then stir in the wet banana bread ingredients.
Step Two: Whisk together the dry ingredients in another bowl.
Pro Tip: When mixing the dry ingredients, be sure to dredge (coat) the nuts in the dry mixture. This helps them to float in the banana bread batter instead of sinking to the bottom or clustering together and burning.
Step Three: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
Step Four: Transfer the batter to a loaf pan and place a split banana on top. Place the pan in the oven to bake.
Pro Tip: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal and easy cleanup!
Step Five: While the banana nut bread bakes, assemble the whipped honey butter ingredients.
Step Six: Beat the honey butter ingredients with a stand or hand mixer until combined and fluffy.
Step Seven: The banana bread is done when it's golden brown on top and the bananas are soft and slightly browned.
Step Eight: Slice the banana nut chai bread and serve with whipped honey butter.
Pro Tip: Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to check for doneness. The toothpick should come out dry but because this banana bread is moist, a tender crumb or two might cling to it and that's ok!
Baking with chai adds flavor complexity that quite literally spices up your favorite desserts. I love it in my Pumpkin Chai Cookies and my Chai Spiced Peanut Butter Cookies are another fave--try them both after you make this bread!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store banana bread in plastic wrap or wrapped in paper towel and sealed in an airtight container to keep it fresh and soft.
Banana bread made at home keeps for up to five days at room temperature when stored properly. To keep it longer, I recommend freezing.
More Favorite Unique Banana Bread Recipes
Banana nut bread is a classic staple that everyone should know how to make and now you have the perfect banana bread for fall in your arsenal. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Chai Spiced Banana Nut Bread with Honey Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chai Spiced Banana Nut Bread
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour sifted and fluffed (see notes)
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bananas (the riper the sweeter and easier to work with)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Instructions
To Make the Chai Banana Nut Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add flour, walnuts, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, allspice, and black pepper to a mixing bowl and stir until uniform, making sure to coat the walnuts in the dry mixture.
- Peel two bananas and place into another mixing bowl. Mash bananas into a kind of puree or paste using a kitchen spoon or the back of a fork.
- Add brown sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, and egg to mashed banana and mix until combined.
- Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined. Some bits of flour will remain around the walnuts and that's OK.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Peel remaining banana then cut it down the middle, lengthwise (as you would for a banana split). Lay the pieces, cut side up, on top of batter and gently press.
- Place pan on center oven rack and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing loaf from pan.
To Make the Whipped Honey Butter
- While banana bread cools, combine honey, butter, milk, and sea salt in a bowl and beat with hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and uniform.
Janis says
Made this today and its a winner ! spicy moist and the honey butter is a delightful touch highly recommend
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Janis! So glad you enjoyed the banana bread.
danni says
super yummy! i doubled the recipe for two loaf pans- used a total of 8 bananas and a tablespoon of cinnamon, forgoed sugar, added chia seeds, subbed walnut for pumpkin seeds on hand, and cooked for 30min, switched the pans positions in the oven, and about 20 more minutes. i sprinkled coarse salt on top and next time i think ill increase the salt. such a delicious recipe, and the sliced bananas on top really adds moisture to each slice. Thank you Jazzmine! <3
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your feedback, Danni! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe and could make it your own. And doubling banana bread is never a bad idea!