Chai-Spiced Banana Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Another yummy recipe…. next time I might add a handful of dark chocolate chips!! Great way to use up ripe bananas… always looking for new ways to bake them up! (definitely add the walnuts… )
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. It is moist, but not too dense and has great flavor. Yum!
This is by far the best recipe I have used for banana nut bread ever!! Highly Recommend.
Followed the recipe exactly, no modifications were needed.
what do you think about adding raisins, i am thinking soaked overnight in rum
Sure, Lovell, that will work. Just make sure you drain them well so they don’t add more moisture to the batter. Please LMK how it turns out!
Could you make this in a 8 x 8 pan for squares
Sure, Lorna, that should work. Enjoy!
This is by far the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried.
I followed a tip from another commenter and made this as muffins, at 375F for 20-25 min and it was phenomenal. This will be my go to from now on.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Loved these! I made a half batch, subbing sour cream for regular cream with a drop of vinegar as that was all I had on hand. My all-spice had also run out so I added a tiny pinch of nutmeg for deepness of flavor. I toasted the walnuts for a few minutes before chopping them up, they stayed nice and crunchy.
Since I made a half portion it made sense to bake them in a cupcake tin, which yielded 11 small cakes. I baked them for 20 minutes at 175C, which was perfect – they turned dark golden and stayed moist and fluffy on the inside.
Everyone was grabbing seconds and thirds, they were that good! Thanks Jen!
Excellent recipe! After many trials of different banana bread recipes, I think this will be my go-to. I was heavy-handed with the spices, and could not find allspice so I subbed with ground cloves and freshly grated nutmeg. I don’t think it tastes distinctly like chai, but the spices complement the banana flavour beautifully.
Baked this evening- house smells amazing!!! My college age daughters Love this version of banana bread (they have 1/4 of a loaf in their freezer – only taking out a bit at a time). This will be one loaf of many while they are home for break. Thank you!
The absolute best banana bread! I do add walnuts as suggested in the notes. I sometimes make this recipe as muffins when heading out on a road trip or camping, just easier to grab. Set your oven 25 degrees hotter than what the recipe calls for and bake for less time, start checking at 13 minutes. But whatever you do, don’t alter the recipe, it is perfect.
Just took this out of the oven, waited 10 min. Couldn’t stand it any longer & cut a 1” square from a corner and tasted it and OMG!!! Delicious, light and FANTASTIC!!! Thank you for the great recipe, Jenn. And, I know my husband will love it, because he’s not a chocolate aficionado(an unfortunate genetic anomaly, which our son, thankfully didn’t inherit😉😂).
I made a little mistake in adding an ingredient out of order, which could have gone either way—made it a dismal failure or added to the success. Seems to have been an asset, rather than a liability. WHEW!!!
Again, thank you for another sensational recipe, Jenn! Wishing you and yours a wonderful New Year!