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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Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe! I found your website yesterday and can’t wait to make your dishes!
I just made banana chai bread and instead using regular sugar I used coconut sugar. It came out perfect and whole house smells amazing! Cardamom is such a great addition! Thank you!
Agnes
can we replace the spices with actual ground up chai tea bag leaves mix?
Hi Elle, I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
I made a vegan version by replacing the butter with 1/2 cup of cultured unsalted vegan butter. The eggs I replaced with 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce + 2 tsp ground flax and however much water it took to get to 1/2 cup. I replaced the sour cream with vegan sour cream and reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup. As long as your bananas are truly (over)ripe, you can get away with less sugar. The bread turned out great! Texture was moist but the bread sliced cleanly and didn’t fall apart. This will be a fall go-to recipe!
Turned out amazing ! One of the best I’ve eaten tbh. It crumbled a bit from the bottom while getting it out of the pan. Was kind of caramelised and took some technique to slice it without it falling apart but otherwise it was fab 👌🏻Thanks
Hi Jenn. Is there a healthier alternative to the butter and sugar in this recipe which won’t alter the original taste ?
Hi Charmaine, You could replace the butter with coconut oil and reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup (please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with these changes). If you try it, please LMK how it turns out!
Incredible! I have made this for friends and they all are amazed by the flavor and moistness of the bread. I agree, I daydream about it and on rough days I pop one in the oven to turn the day around. I’m even printing it out for my kids and putting it in a binder of “mom’s recipes” so they can take my recipes to college and beyond. A real keeper!!!!!
Hi, Jenn – I baked the muffins for about 27 minutes and they came out great (checked with a toothpick). I’ve made them several times using two different ovens and 25-27 minutes seems to work perfectly. I also make them gluten-free using Cup4cup multipurpose flour. Everybody loves them!
Hi Jenn – if I make this recipe as muffins, how long do you recommend they bake for? 20 minutes?
This really is the best banana bread and so easy to make!
Hi Catherine, So glad you like this! For muffins, I’d start checking them for doneness at 25 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out!
Hi Jenn
Can we substitute yogurt for sour cream in this recipe?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
Oh Jenn – this chai spiced banana bread is amazing!! The first time i made it (several years ago), I had to run out and buy cardamom. Since then, I make sure there’s always cardamom in my spice cupboard, and my kids and I root for the bananas to brown quickly! 🙂 We also love your chocolate banana bread and “regular” banana bread – but the chai spiced is our favorite.
I LOVE this banana bread. It’s so easy to throw together and the chai spices are a delightful update. No-one can ever quite guess what sets this bread apart and it never lasts more than a few days in my house. Thanks Jenn for another fool proof and delicious recipe.