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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This is officially my favorite banana bread recipe. Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe twice now, once as a loaf and once as muffins. Both turned out great. For the muffins, I baked them at 350F for about 17 minutes.
Have to say this is the best tasting banana bread/muffins I have ever made.
I ended up buying green cardamon seeds and grinding up the insides myself, a slightly cheaper option as lots of reviews have mentioned how pricey ground cardamon is!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Well! I finally invested in Cardamom ;-). Today I had all my ducks in a row and decided to bake this bread. The other thing I decided to do – was – make muffins instead of a loaf. Mistake #1.
I am soooo NOT a baker! One of the reviewers said she made muffins instead of a loaf and I think she said she baked them for 17 minutes. Don’t quote me. Anyhow that’s what I did. They were mucky inside. I put them back in the oven until the toothpick came out clean. They were still not baked properly. I eventually lost track of how many minutes they travelled from counter to oven and back ;-).
The taste is really nice. Perfect for tea with a friend. Next time (and there WILL be a next time) I will do as I was told and use a loaf pan!
I don’t usually bake, but I’ve made this bread 3 times in two weeks! It tastes great…and is apparently quite forgiving.
Round 1 – I forgot the baking soda. Thought I was doomed to a brick of bread. It didn’t rise as much, but it still tasted great. I had to try it again.
Round 2 – Remembered the baking soda! Fluffier, but I think I should try 3 bananas rather than the two I’d used previously. I’m rather proud of this one.
Very fragrant recipe, helps I like chai!
Round 3 – I got cocky. And. . . accidentally combined the sugar in with the ‘dry’ ingredients, instead of mixing it with the eggs first with the kitchen-aid. Salvaged what sugar I could trying to spare the flower and other spices. . .then added more to whisk to the consistency I remembered from previous attempts.
STILL TURNED OUT! This recipe even stands up to MY baking.
It’s a keeper
This is my kids favorite banana bread. Every time we have overripe bananas, they beg me to make it. So different, and so delicious!
oops … forgot to ask: Those three black bananas I thawed out today are now very gooey and languishing in the fridge. Do I have to toss them out now that they’ve been thawed for so many hours???
Hi Shae, No worries, the bananas will be absolutely fine to use. As for the cardamom, you can leave it out and the bread will still be delicious, but it really does add that distinct chai flavor. I wouldn’t use the black cardamom though — as you read online, it’s better used in savory dishes. If you could find a small bottle of ground cardamom, that would be ideal. Hope that helps, and please let me know how it turns out. Good luck!
Two things I really enjoy: Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks and Banana Bread! I was all set to make a 3rd recipe of yours this afternoon after having huge success with two of your salads the past two days … until I got to Save On and discovered Cardamom is $10.00 a bottle! Yikes! So, knowing absolutely nothing about Cardamom I selected six nasty-looking black nut-like things from the bin section, took them home and opened them … after reading about Cardamom on the net and realizing black was the wrong choice for my task … I should have picked green. I borrowed a spice grinder and was almost ready to start my task when I realized I’d forgotten to buy sour cream! So much for making the recipe today :-(. Having said that … I still plan to make it. I didn’t like the smell of Cardamom. Would it spoil the recipe if I left it out? I know the black is said to be “smoky” and more for heavy Indian dishes etc. I’d appreciate a heads up on this spice and what changes it would make to your recipe if I left it out. I am somewhat … (read totally) OCD about following recipes to a “T.” I don’t know about you, but always find it rather off-putting when I read recipe reviews where people have made several alterations to a professional’s creation … and then give it a mediocre review. Is it just me?
Hi Jenn,
I just wanted to say that I LOVE your site. This is the third recipe I’ve made (I also made the morning glory muffins and chocolate chip scones) and all three were EXCELLENT! I definitely plan on making more of your awesome recipes. Thanks for doing what you do! 🙂
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Sandy 🙂
This is the best banana bread I ever made. thanks
the best so far
I came across this recipe last week and have been “stewing” a bunch of bananas with much anticipation. I did add some ground black pepper for a little more chai heat. The only thing it was missing was a glob of honey-mascarpone smeared on top. Thanks for the recipe!