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.
Table of Contents
“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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This banana bread is excellent. Perfect as written. I opted not to add nuts. I might try to reduce the sugar a little next time for a better nutrition profile. Super moist even the next day. I wanted to eat the whole thing myself.
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had and everyone I feed it to agrees. I already had a garam masala spice mix, so I used that (a lot) and it was perfect. I suggest this for those who don’t normally use or buy a lot of spices, it is sold at most grocery stores. I have made it a few times with both sour cream and Greek yogurt, and the only difference I found was that sour cream gave a better rise. This isn’t my new secret recipe. Thanks!
How do you use garam masala? It doesn’t come out savory? I will have to try that!!
Thanks so much was wondering the same thing…$15 for cardomman spice…no thanks! Have to make it to our local Indian grocery store to see what they have!
Outstanding banana bread, I’m not fond of banana bread, but do love cardamom which I may increase next time. Subtle flavors, soft texture, any time of day delicious.
This was heavenly, even with old cardamon…can’t wait to try it with a new bottle. Added the walnuts which I think are a must, At 55 minutes the top was perfectly browned, but it needed another few minutes, so I covered it with foil. At 60 minutes a perfect bread. Lately, some of my breads have been testing done, but have not been thoroughly baked in the middle,,,why? This has been so frustrating. Saveur is having a contest for the best food blog of 2018. Threw Once Upon a Chef into the mix. Anyone who reads this, go there and make your voice heard!
Hi Carol, Thanks for nominating me on Saveur!! ❤️ Interesting that you’re just recently having a problem with your breads browning on top but not being done in the middle. If this is a new problem, it makes me wonder if you need to check your oven to determine if the temperature is accurate. Here are some tips on how to check it. Also, you may want to try lowering the oven temp by 25 degrees and give it a little more time. (And as you’ve been doing, cover it with a piece of foil if it starts to brown on top before being done in the middle.)
Used an oven thermometer, right on target. The mystery to me is why is my cake tester coming out clean when it’s not done. It’s a skinny skinny metal tester. Is there another kind that you recommend?
Hmmm… that is a bit of a mystery. I don’t really use a thermometer much for baking but I really like this thermometer which can be used for meat and baking.
I made this recipe for me because I love chai tea. My kids ate it all up! We loved the flavor and the texture was perfect.
I’m not a fan of banana anything, but the choice of spices for this recipe made me want to try it. It turned out perfect and friends and family loved it. I’ve already shared the recipe with another friend. The first time through a recipe I make it as directed. When I make it again, I’ll be doubling at least the cardamom. Mine was fresh ground and still very faint to my palate. I recommend it — even this non-banana lover managed a slice!
Best unchocolate banana bread ever. This is my go-to breakfast banana bread. It has a lovely Swedish flavor thanks to the cardamon. I double all the spices to intensify the taste. Rich and moist and keeps well for days. Love it!
(My husband eats it for dessert with whipped cream.)
Hi Jennifer. Denise O’Callaghan here again from South Africa. Do you have a foolproof and fail proof recipe for tiramisu?
Loved your chai banana bread! Banana Bread can be as boring as Carrot Cake sometimes unless there’s a little extra oomph! By the way, how do you keep so slim after testing all those awesome delights? thanks.
Hi Denise, Glad you enjoyed the banana bread! I do have a tiramisu! You can find the recipe here. 🙂
This is, hands down, the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever come across. The flavours and deep and nuanced. The texture is perfect. I’ve made it many times.
This is the best banana bread I have had.
I think the spices really make the bread!
Thank you.