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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I was curious as to the average calories in a slice of this banana bread? Btw I already made it and it tasted amazing. thank you!!
Hi Faith, So glad you enjoyed the banana bread. I’ve added the nutritional info beneath the recipe. Hope it helps!
Well Jenn, I finally bought the “right” kind of green cardamom and made your great chai banana bread last night. Perfect! Many thanks!
This banana bread is fantastic! I gave it a try because Chai tea latte was one of my favorite drinks and normal plain banana bread wasn’t my favorite, I’m glad I made this one! Very nicely spiced flavor and it wasn’t too much at all. My picky 2 year old (BTW, is there any two year old out there who’s not a picky eater ?) loved this bread, too!
I made this batter a day before and kept in the air tight container in the fridge, then baked the next morning for breakfast. I like freshly baked ones but never have enough time to make from the beginning in the morning, so I tried doing this way and it turned out just as good. Also I baked in the muffin pan to reduce baking time (it took about 20 mins), it made 12 regular sized muffins. Thanks for great recipe!
OH MY GOODNESSSSS! I made this in muffin form today and it was AMAZING! I used 3/4 cup of granulated sugar as opposed to 1 cup and didnt use cardamom since I didnt have it. Sooooo good with walnuts. I had a question though. Can I refurgerate, freeze these or store at room temp? Again thanks. Made this for my son and my friend’s elderly father. They were a hit!
Hi Linda, Store the muffins at room temperature; or they freeze beautifully.
AMAZING. Normally I carefully convert US measures to metric and weight things out gram by gram, but I just winged it and the result was perfect. Will be making this again!
I’ve made 4 of the very top-rated banana bread recipes, and this one was my personal favorite. It’s still good with cinnamon only, and tastes more like a traditional banana bread. It’s also very forgiving and you can use melted butter and it will STILL turn out amazing and moist. Thank you for this. I love your blog and none of your recipes have failed me so far.
This Chai Spiced Banana Bread is the best! I have a work friend who begs me to make it as often as I can! It is such a simple and delicious bread. I made it one morning before work. I pre-mixed the dry ingredients and had all the wet measured out and in the fridge. It worked out nicely baking while I was showering for work.
I have made it with butter and margarine (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter) and it works with either. The margarine actually made it taller and fluffier.
One of the best on the site!
I was a little hesitant to buy the spices necessary to bake this until I found all in the bulk section at our local health food store. I purchased only the amounts I needed and it was very economical. The bread was absolutely delicious! Will be baking again and again!
This banana bread recipe looks great…how can I make it gluten free?
Thanks
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia, You’d have to use a gluten free flour mix.
Can you suggest ingredients for a complementary glaze for this loaf? I love to bake quick bread in small loves to give as gifts and love the decorative look of a glaze drizzled on top. Thanks!!
Hi Gina, Check out the glaze on my cinnamon buns or oatmeal maple scones — I think either will work well.