Honey Poppy Seed Banana Bread

Soft and lightly sweet banana bread sweetened with honey and brown sugar and speckled with crunchy poppy seeds makes for an unforgettable treat.

Homemade banana bread has been everybody's favorite quarantine baking project and I count myself among the crowd. The version we're talking about today will step up your banana bread baking game with two easy twists. It's a simple recipe with unique flavor and slightly nutty texture...without nuts! My honey sweetened banana bread has a perfectly tender crumb decked out with an abundance of little poppy seeds. Let's get into the details on how to make it.

If you like unique banana bread recipes, check these out, too!

• Banana Rum Pecan Bread
• Spiced Banana Nut Bread
• Vegan Harvest Banana Bread

What You'll Need for this Recipe

Although this may seem like a fancy banana bread recipe, you can see above that the ingredients are simple--pantry and fridge staples except for maybe the poppy seeds. Here's the list of things to add to your grocery cart.

• Baking Soda
• Brown Sugar
• Butter
• Cinnamon
• Flour
• Honey
• Milk - Any kind of dairy or plant-based milk will work.
• Nutmeg
• Poppy Seeds
• Sea Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Very Ripe Bananas - Use this trick to soften your bananas in a pinch.

This banana bread is sweetened with honey instead of granulated sugar but I still like to add in a bit of brown sugar for a deeper flavor. Feel free to reduce the amount, if needed. It will still be a sweet treat since banana bread is really just banana cake in a loaf pan, anyway. The bananas themselves lend natural sweetness.

How to Make Honey Banana Bread at Home

Here's a simple how-to video for my fellow visual learners. I see you!

Kitchen Tools for this Recipe

As far as tools for this recipe, grab a large mixing bowl and a wire whisk to combine the dry ingredients. You will also need a kitchen spoon or (my preference) a silicone spatula to mix up the batter and scrape the bowl when it's time to bake. Speaking of baking, the magic happens in this nonstick loaf pan, which I typically spray down with a light oil and line in parchment paper just to be on the safe side.

Tips for Making Banana Bread with Poppy Seeds

If you're new to baking with poppy seeds, don't worry. They're an easy add into a variety of baked goods, including this honey banana bread. Check out my jumbo lemon blueberry & poppy seed muffins next. I also like to add them to salad dressings.

• How to keep poppy seeds from sticking to the side of pan? You have a couple of options. First is to dredge or mix poppy seeds in the dry mixture before adding in wet ingredients. This step coats the poppy seeds with flour, which helps them "float" in the batter rather than clustering together, sinking to the bottom and burning or sticking to the sides of pan. I use this tip in any baking recipe that calls for mix ins. Second option: Since this is a one-bowl banana bread recipe, I reverse the order by mixing up all the wet ingredients first then adding in the dry. Once I've mixed up a uniform batter, I stir in the poppy seeds last--just before baking and this works almost just as well.

• What else can I add to banana bread? Nuts and or banana chips would work wonderfully in this recipe. I'm all about chunky banana bread and love playing with different mix in ideas. Check out my apple carrot banana nut bread and my banana nut baked oatmeal muffins for inspiration.
• How can I tell when banana bread is done? When finished baking, the top of the loaf should be glossy and golden brown and the edges will pull away from the pan slightly. Although this quick bread should have a very soft and tender crumb, you don't want any raw batter, so insert a toothpick into multiple places of the loaf to check for doneness. The toothpick should come out dry with just a few moist (but not wet) crumbs.
• How do I store extra banana bread? I hardly ever have leftovers of this but if you do, wrap it snugly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for a few days but you can also refrigerate it to be on the safe side.
• Can I freeze it? Yes, absolutely! When freezing banana bread, I prefer to slice the loaf rather than freezing it whole for easier and quicker thawing. Then just wrap it tightly in either aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place inside a freezer zip-seal bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing and label it with the date. Your banana bread slices will keep in the freezer for up to four months this way. When it's time to eat, thaw a slice at room temperature for about 30 minutes then toast, microwave, or eat as is.

Here's an up close look at that lovely texture I was talking about. See all the poppy seeds?! It's giving perfection.

Despite not being a big fan of bananas in their raw form, I have lots of easy banana bread ideas, as you can see. I hope you'll try out the recipe and enjoy very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this quick bread with poppy seeds and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

Honey & Poppyseed Banana Bread Recipe