Our Hawaiian banana bread recipe makes four mini loaves of fluffy banana bread inspired by the farm stands that you find all over Maui. I have been known to frequent these stands on every trip to Hawaii and have enjoyed A LOT of banana bread. Sour cream and canola oil give this bread its softness, and a quick blast at 425°F for the first ten minutes creates tall loaves with serious banana flavor. After several rounds of testing in my kitchen and a final pass with my usual taste testers, this is the version that made the cut.
Hawaiian banana bread runs just a bit sweeter than a classic banana bread and is often baked in mini pans - there's nothing quite like unwrapping a warm one at a roadside pull-off. Keep it plain or fold in mini chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, or coconut flakes. If you're building out a breakfast or brunch spread, pair it with our Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes or our Tropical Smoothie Bowl.
Quick Look: Hawaiian Banana Bread
- Ready In: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Makes: 4 mini loaves of banana bread
- Calories: 301 kcal per slice
- Add to Your Shopping List: sour cream, mini chocolate chips, and optional macadamia nuts and coconut flake
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, eggs and dairy
- Baker's Note: This recipe is a great way to use up the overripe bananas sitting on your counter. Keep the loaves plain or fold in crunchy macadamia nuts, mini chocolate chips, or toasted coconut flakes.
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🎉 Reader Review
The Best Banana Bread Recipe
This has been the best banana bread recipe I have ever had ever tried. I recieved a ton of compliments and asks for the recipe. I did with both small loaves and a large one and had to bake a bit longer for the regular loaf pan. Thank you! - Damaris
Hawaiian Banana Bread Ingredients
Ripe bananas - The riper the better. Look for heavy speckling and skins that are more brown than yellow. Overripe bananas are sweeter and add plenty of banana flavor to the finished bread.
Sour cream - Adds tenderness and flavor. Full-fat Greek yogurt works as a one-to-one swap if that's what you have in the fridge.
Canola oil - Helps the loaves stay fresh for days. Any neutral oil works well here.
Optional Mix-Ins
- Mini chocolate chips - I love adding mini chocolate chips to baked goods. They distribute evenly through the batter so there is plenty of chocolate in every bite.
- Salted macadamia nuts - Roughly chopped macadamia nuts add a savory crunch to the sweet loaves.
- Toasted coconut flakes - Toast at 290°F for 5-7 minutes. Cool before adding to your batter.
How To Make Hawaiian Banana Bread
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients.
In a large measuring cup, combine your liquid ingredients.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter just comes together. Stir in any desired mix-ins.
Pour batter into prepared mini loaf pans. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350° and bake for an additional 40 minutes.
Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack before removing from the baking pans.
Enjoy a slice of Maui banana bread with your favorite mug of coffee.
Hint: This batter tends to spread just a little onto the top of the mini loaf pans. When you are spraying the pans, be sure to hit the top edges with your cooking spray.
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
Sour cream - Full-fat Greek yogurt works as a perfect swap and will work just as well as the sour cream.
Canola oil - Any neutral oil works - vegetable oil, grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil are all great options. Melted butter will work in a pinch but the loaves won't stay quite as soft.
All-purpose flour - For a gluten free version, swap in a 1:1 gluten free baking mix like King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1. The texture is just as good as the original.
Variations
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - Fold 1 cup of mini chocolate chips into the batter. This is the most popular combo in our house for sure!
Coconut Banana Bread - Toast 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes on a parchment lined sheet pan at 290°F for 5-7 minutes. Cool completely before adding to your banana bread batter.
Macadamia Nut Banana Bread - Fold in 1 cup of roughly chopped salted macadamia nuts for a true Hawaii-inspired loaf.
The Trifecta - Add ½ cup each of mini chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and toasted coconut flakes for the ultimate Hawaiian banana bread.
Full-Sized Loaf - This recipe can be baked in two, 1-pound loaf pans. Bake at 425°F for the first 10 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake for 35-40 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. If you're thinking muffins instead, try our banana chocolate chip muffins.
Streusel Topped - I love streusel on everything and this is no exception. Start with our streusel topping and definitely consider adding a few mini chocolate chips to your streusel.
Notes From My Test Kitchen
I really wanted this recipe to taste like the banana bread I've had at farm stands all over Maui - real banana flavor, super tender, and just sweet enough to feel like a treat. Getting there took a few rounds of recipe testing.
I tested a plain version without any mix-ins and was disappointed - it was fine, but it didn't have the wow factor that I am always looking for in a recipe. The mini chocolate chips, Macadamia nuts, and toasted coconut are the details that take this loaf from good to the kind of banana bread you'd pull over for. If you only go with one add-in, I'd go with the chocolate.
My first few batches were just a little bit flat. I tried a few things and ended up going with the high-low bake. Starting at 425°F for the first ten minutes and then lowering the oven to 350°F to finish baking gives the finished loaves nice height and they will cook all the way through.
One more thing worth mentioning, this is a bigger recipe than most banana breads and it makes four mini loaves which is part of why I love it. They freeze beautifully. Wrap them individually and tuck them into a freezer bag. Perfect for on the go breakfasts and easy after school snacks.
Storage
Counter - These loaves are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer, but they'll be okay for a day or two on the counter if you are planning to eat the m quickly. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
Refrigerator - Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Honestly, this banana bread is surprisingly delicious straight from the fridge but if you want to warm it up, microwave a slice for 10-15 seconds.
Freezer - Wrap each loaf individually in plastic wrap. Move the wrapped loaves to a large ziplock bag and then store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Maui/Hawaiian Banana Bread FAQs
Mini loaf pans hold 1.5 - 2 cups of batter.
This recipe makes enough batter to make two standard sized loaves of banana bread. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes. To test for doneness, the loaves should have an even color across the top and no evidence of unbaked batter in the center crack of the loaf. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out with just a few crumbs on it.
Absolutely! I like to wrap the cool loaves individually with plastic wrap and then store the wrapped loaves all in a large freezer bag or airtight container. Loaves are good in the freezer for 2-3 months.
The riper the better! Look for bananas that are very yellow with brown specks all over. You want the bananas to easily mash with a fork when you are making the batter. If your bananas are not overripe, give them a few days on the counter.
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Hawaiian Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the Banana Bread:
- 2½ cups (325g) flour
- 1½ cups (337g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 cups mashed bananas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional Add Ins:
- 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts
- 1 cup of toasted coconut flakes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large measuring cup, combine the sour cream, canola oil, eggs and vanilla.
- Mash bananas in a small bowl using a fork - measure out two cups of mashed banana.
- Add the banana mixture and liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in any desired mix-ins.
- Arrange your mini loaf pans on a parchment lined quarter sheet pan. Generously spray your loaf pans with cooking spray.
- Pour your batter into the 4 mini loaf pans.
- Bake banana bread at 425° for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375° and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes.
- Begin check the loaves at 40 minutes. If the tops are getting too dark, cover them with a sheet of parchment paper for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
- Move the slightly cooled loaf pans to a wire rack to cool. Allow banana bread to cool completely before removing from the pans.
Video
Damaris says
This has been the best banana bread recipe I have ever had ever tried. I recieved a ton of compliments and asks for the recipe. I did with both small loaves and a large one and had to bake a bit longer for the regular loaf pan. Thank you!
Amanda Smallwood says
Thanks so much for the feedback! This makes me so happy! I’m glad you are enjoying the recipe! xo Amanda
Leslie says
I sure wish you'd included the time for baking in a regular loaf pan!
Amanda Smallwood says
That’s a great suggestion! I’ll update the recipe asap! I would say start with 40 minutes and go from there. Check every 5 minutes until it is fully baked on the top/no visible batter in the center crack. I’ll test and update soon! Thank you! Amanda