Chai-Spiced Banana Bread
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Infused with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, this chai-spiced banana bread is a lovely twist on basic banana bread.
Chai is the actual word for tea in many countries but when we say chai in the States, we’re usually referring to Masala chai, which is a smooth and calming beverage made of black tea, milk, and fragrant Indian spices. Its flavor goes beautifully with banana bread, so I’ve taken one of my favorite banana bread recipes and subtly infused it with warm chai spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.
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“This is my favorite banana bread recipe on your site! I think the spices and the sour cream really make it great! I served it at a get together and got so many compliments on it…Yum!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chai-Spiced Banana Bread
As with all banana bread recipes, use very ripe bananas for the most intense banana flavor and a texture that mashes easily.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
Incorporating well after each addition.
In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Whisk well.
Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture.
Mix to blend.
Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla.
Mix well.
Transfer the batter to a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about ten minutes.
Then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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Chai-Spiced Banana Bread
Infused with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, this chai-spiced banana bread is a lovely twist on basic banana bread.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat gently until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in nuts if using.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until deep golden brown and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely. This bread is best enjoyed warm out of the oven or toasted.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice (without nuts)
- Calories: 232
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 271 mg
- Cholesterol: 56 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi, Jenn, I only use whole wheat flour, which should be okay, right? I’m thinking to add a little more banana for the extra liquid. Thanks.
Hi Katherine, Yes, that should work. If you have it, King Arthur white whole wheat flour is best.
I’m giving this five stars because it’s just delicious (and addictive). I could eat the whole loaf by myself and the cardamom and other “chai spices” add a unique character without overpowering this bread. But mine, for the first time since trying your recipes (every day for the last couple of weeks), didn’t turn out like yours in the pictures. It looks and probably tastes a little drier. It didn’t have that uniform brownness, but got slightly burnt on the bottom and about half way up the sides, then very light colored on top. Any ideas on where I went wrong? I’d like to try again, but want that beautiful browned loaf like yours!
Hi Jane, Sorry you had trouble with the bread. It sounds like it was cooked too long or your oven was too hot. Did you cook it in a convection oven by chance?
Wow, Jenn–you’re a genius. I thought that unlikely since I never cook on convection (I can’t quite figure it out). But I checked and you’re right–my husband had cooked something recently, changed the setting to convection and never changed it back. The bread was still absolutely wonderful, just not looking much like the pretty picture. (I had checked it 5 min. earlier and a toothpick still came out wet and gooey so I cooked a little more). I gave some to my daughter and her boyfriend, who both loved it and didn’t care it wasn’t really pretty. I’ll make again and make sure the convection setting is off and hopefully it will be as gorgeous as yours! I’m impressed you knew exactly what I’d done wrong!
Great, glad the problem is solved 🙂
I made this again (making sure the oven was on bake, not convection this time:-)) and this time it came out gorgeous and delicious–probably my favorite banana bread ever. I made it in three mini loaves instead of one loaf and baked it about 45-50 minutes. (I started checking after 30, but it took a while longer to be golden and cooked all the way through).
I wonder if I could substitute the butter with olive oil. Has anyone tried this? Thanks!
Hi Ariane, You might try coconut oil over olive oil; I worry the flavor of the olive oil would be too strong.
has anyone tried baking this recipe in a 8×3 pan? if so, how long did you let it bake for?
Does this pair well while drinking chai tea? Or is this more of a standalone treat? Thanks!
Hi Mario, Yes I think it would pair well with chai tea but it is also delicious on its own.
Followed every step of the recipe and I got great comments from my friends and family. This is my “first ever” venture on the use of spices. It’s amazing to see and “taste” how all these ingredients work together to make 1 great – tasting bread….love it!!!
I agree with all the other reviewers.. one of the best banana bread recipes ever! Never thought cardamom will add so much subtle taste! Loved it.
I baked this recipe today and it was the best banana bread I have ever tried ! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe. This will be a regular at my house. I replaced the sour cream with an extra banana because I am allergic to milk and it worked great.
What can I use for a substitute if I don’t have sour cream? Could I use low-fat yogurt maybe?
Hi Austa, Yes, I think low fat plain yogurt will work.
Hi Austa. I replaced the sour cream with 2% Greek yogurt and it came out perfectly—light and delicious!!! I happen to use a lactose-free Gr. yogurt.
Happy New Year!
Marcie
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