Valentina's Corner
This Blueberry Banana Bread is the ultimate twist on the classic banana bread recipe. The bread is moist and fluffy and the added blueberries burst in your mouth for a juicy pop of flavor.
It’s the perfect sweet bread loaf for breakfast or to satisfy the sweet tooth for dessert, similar to our lemon blueberry pancakes.
Blueberry Banana Bread
Blueberry banana bread is a tender, sweet bread loaf packed with ripe bananas and fresh blueberries. It takes just 20 minutes of prep time to whip together the ingredients and have the loaf ready for the oven. Enjoy it with an evening cup of tea or serve it to the kids for an after-school snack! This loaf is sure to become a regular in your home!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Don’t throw away bananas. The best way to use up browning bananas is without throwing them away.
- Not overly sweet. Nice balance of sweetness and tang from the blueberries and bananas.
- So easy to make. An easy dessert to make for last-minute company or to take to brunch!
- Healthier dessert option. Kid-friendly recipe that’s a healthier dessert option to satisfy cravings.
Ingredients for Blueberry Banana Bread
- Flour- all-purpose flour, measured correctly and sifted, and 2 teaspoons extra to toss the blueberries in to keep them from sinking.
- Baking powder & soda- gives the loaf lift in the oven and keeps its shape.
- Sugar- granulated sugar works just well to sweeten the loaf with the bananas.
- Eggs- use large eggs in the recipe.
- Sour cream & oil- helps the bread stay moist and keep the loaf soft.
- Bananas- make sure the bananas are very ripe for the best flavor and texture in the bread. Don’t throw away those browned bananas!
- Blueberries- fresh blueberries or frozen can be used in this recipe.
How to Make Blueberry Banana Bread
The blueberry banana bread recipe is quick and easy to make and results in a soft loaf ready to be enjoyed in 1 hour!
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9”x5” bread pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray, or grease with butter and dust the sides of the loaf pan with flour.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream sugar and eggs. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer at high speed.
- Stir in wet ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and vinegar. Add sour cream to the egg mix, along with the oil and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed just until combined.
- Add bananas. Mash the bananas and fold them in with the wet ingredients.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to prevent a flat loaf.
- Prepare blueberries. Toss the blueberries with 2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan while baking.
- Add to prepared pan. Add ¼ of the batter to the pan, then top with ¼ of the blueberries. Repeat this process until all of the batter and blueberries are in the pan. Do not mix the blueberries into the batter, or it will turn blue.
- Bake. Bake the loaf for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
- Cool. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy, friends!
| Expert Tip: The bake time will depend on your oven and the bread pan used. Start checking on your bread at 40 minutes of baking time so you don’t overbake the bread. |
Substitutions and Variations
If you’re looking to add something extra to the banana bread recipe with blueberries, try one of these ideas:
- Citrus zest: Add a tang of citrus flavor by adding about a tablespoon of orange or lemon zest to the batter.
- Chocolate chips: Add more sweetness by adding chocolate chips along with the blueberries. Semisweet, milk, or even white chocolate chips will work in the loaf.
- Nuts: Mix in sliced almonds or crushed walnuts for a satisfying crunch in the baked bread!
- Glaze: We serve many of our sweet loaves with a drizzle of a sweet glaze on top. The cream cheese and lemon glaze from our lemon blueberry bread will complement the blueberry banana loaf nicely, especially if you choose to add citrus zest to the loaf before baking!
- Muffins: Easily make the loaf mini by baking it in a mini muffin tin! Be sure to keep an eye on your oven, as baking time will be shorter.
Serving Suggestions
This bread is typically served on its own, but can also be served along with these options:
- Tea: Relax after a long day with a cup of hot or iced tea and a slice of sweet bread!
- Ice cream: Top a slice of warm bread with vanilla ice cream.
- Salted butter: Smear a dollop of salted butter onto the baked loaf for rich flavor!
REcipe FAQs
You can use frozen blueberries in this loaf without thawing them. Keep in mind that mixing frozen berries may turn the bread blue and leave streaks throughout the loaf. To prevent this, alternate adding batter and blueberries into the prepared pan to prevent streaking.
Bananas will ripen within a day and a half if stored in a sealed paper bag with another ripe fruit, such as a ripe apple. Or, to instantly soften bananas, preheat the oven to 275°F. Place the unpeeled bananas onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until the banana peels turn black. Then, scoop and use as directed in the recipe card.
You can substitute the sour cream with an equal amount of Greek yogurt or buttermilk.
Though it is still a dessert made with sugar, this loaf is packed with potassium and fiber from the bananas and vitamin C from the blueberries, making it a healthier option to serve to kiddos!
Store & Freeze
- Storage. Store the bread at room temperature for 4 days, or in the fridge covered tightly for up to 1 week.
- Freeze. The cooked bread freezes wonderfully to enjoy at any time. Allow the banana bread to cool completely to room temperature. You can freeze either the entire loaf or individual slices. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap, then place it into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat before enjoying.
More Sweet Bread Recipes
If you enjoyed this blueberry bread recipe, check out these other sweet loaf bread recipes:
Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup canola oil or extra-light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large bananas mashed
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour to toss blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9”x5” pan with parchment paper (or grease with butter and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking).
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, on high speed, beat together the sugar and eggs until mixture is fluffy.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and vinegar and add to the egg mixture with the oil and vanilla; beat on low just until combined. Fold in the mashed bananas with a spatula.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until flour is incorporated.
- Add the blueberries in a separate bowl and toss with 2 tsp flour.
- Pour about ¼ of the batter into the pan, add about ¼ of the blueberries. Continue until all the batter and blueberries are in the pan, leave some blueberries to add to the top of the batter for decoration. DON’T mix blueberries in with the batter or your loaf will become blue.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Slightly cool bread in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy, friends!