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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We LOVE this bread. Tonight though I doubled the recipe and used 3/4 cup maple syrup and 3/4 cup sucanat instead of white sugar and used 1-15 oz can of pumpkin instead of banana. YUM! Thanks for a great recipe.
(recipe rated as written originally)
I can’t eat dairy products. Do you think this delicious-sounding banana bread would work with a soured milk substitute, such as coconut milk or almond milk?
Sure, Margaret. But I’d add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice as well.
Thanks. When I want one cup of “sour milk,” I do it by putting a tablespoon of vinegar in the measuring cup, and adding coconut milk to make one cup. Now to try the banana bread!
With a banana-loving kid off to college, I had a chance to make this today. Delicious! But some tips for other bakers:
– I had only salted butter at home, so based on some online research, reduced the salt in recipe by 1/2 tsp. Probably should have been 1tsp after tasting.
– my Cardamom was old! This is a spice I don’t use much. Check yours if you are thinking of making this.
– This overflows a DeMarle scalloped flexi loaf mold. I used the overflow to taste, but could have put it in a mini-load pan.
This is one of my daughter’s favorite, so when she comes to visit I always make it for her. My husband likes it warm with butter, I like it just the way it is warm or cold. This is the only banana bread recipe I use.
This is how banana bread should always taste! My go-to recipe.
Perfect! This recipe is absolutely spot on and the result was an amazingly moist and flavorful tea bread. This is a keeper!
This recipe was so good! I had to make some substitutions (based on what I had available/ wanted to use up). Used half the amount of sugar. Used 4 frozen bananas which I thawed and drained. Used plain natural yogurt made from light milk (ie not full cream) instead of the sour cream. Did not add walnuts.
It was so so tasty. I could probably have added the full cup of sugar and a bit more of the spices because I love chai. What a great recipe, loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Once again, Jenn, you have the BEST recipe for something that I’ve already been making for years! This is an incredible banana bread, and although I didn’t have sour cream on hand, a little splash of buttermilk was a perfect sub. BTW, I was the same gal who raved about your white cupcakes (and asked for your chocolate equivalent which I haven’t made yet) and I would love to send you a photo of what I did at Easter using your recipe! If you send me your email address you can decide if you’d like to share the picture! Thanks again for helping me be a great baker!!!
Whoops – forgot to rate this a 5 out of 5!
So glad you enjoyed the banana bread! And I’d love to see a photo of your Easter recipe- you can email it to jennifer@onceuponachef.com.
This is my favourite banana bread recipe! I want to start making muffins instead. At what temperature should I cook them and for how long?
Hi Kelly, Glad you like it! For muffins, I’d keep the temp the same and bake them for 20 – 25 minutes.
So good! you can also use chai to make a frosting on this or any of her other delicious goods!