Looking for a loaf of bread that is super easy to make? This Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread is great for any time this season. It’s made with real bananas and cranberries, which means you just cannot go wrong making it.
Banana Cranberry Bread Recipe has an amazing texture. Since it’s a loaf of homemade bread, you can continuously make this recipe and taste the sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts together at any time.
If you need a reason to make this bread, remember you can freeze it and enjoy the bread loaf later at any time. When I make this bread, I make 2-3 loaves! It also makes a great gift when you want something sweet to a gift this holiday season.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas.
- It’s moist, flavorful, and loaded with antioxidants from cranberries and walnuts.
- It’s like banana bread but taken up a notch…with some added cranberries and walnuts!
Ingredients
- butter, room temperature
- sugar
- mashed banana (2 to 3 bananas)
- milk
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- fresh cranberries, chopped
- pecans or walnuts, chopped
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar, beating for about 5 minutes or until fluffy.
Scrape down the sides again and add the banana, milk, and eggs. Beat until well blended.
Stir the baking powder into the flour and then add the flour to the wet ingredients a little at a time, scraping the sides down as needed, until it is just mixed.
Stir in the cranberries and nuts.
Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle returns clean.
Allow cooling in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to cool on a wire rack.
Substitutions
Don’t have everything you need on hand to make this recipe? With a few slight changes, you can make this recipe!
- Add pumpkin – instead of adding cranberries and bananas, give the pumpkin puree a try!
- Use pecans – if you’d rather not use walnuts, you can totally use pecans! They add the same great crunch, but have a slightly different nutty taste.
- Bake in a cake pan – if you don’t have a proper pan for making a loaf, make it in a cake pan! It will be thinner, but you’ll still get that same delicious taste.
Sometimes you just need to make a slight change in the recipe, so that you can enjoy it!
Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? There are a few fun things you can do to make this Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread even more amazing.
- Put vanilla icing on top – some loafs call for glaze, but to step this banana bread up a notch, add vanilla frosting on top. *Chef’s kiss*
- Add powdered sugar on top – want the bread to be just a little sweeter? Sprinkle powdered sugar on top!
- Dunk in coffee– in order to make this loaf perfect for breakfast, make yourself a nice cup of coffee and dunk the bread in there.
Love loaf bread? Give this Mardi Gras Cinnamon Loaf Cake a try! YUM!
Equipment
- loaf pan
- hand mixer
- mixing bowl
Storage
Store the loaf in an airtight container on the counter.
You can also freeze this bread in a freezer-safe container or wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil for up to three months.
Tips
- Switch out the ingredients for making this bread. For example, if you don’t want cranberry bread, then add raisins. You can keep it strictly banana bread or add your favorite fruit. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
- Be careful not to overmix your batter. You want to stir until just combined. Overmixing can result in tough bread.
- Make sure your bananas are extra ripe for this recipe so the bread has a nice banana flavor.
FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Believe it or not, but you don’t have to place the Cranberry Banana Bread in the fridge after baking.
If you want to keep a loaf moist, double wrap it in plastic wrap.
If you accidentally add too much flour, it can dry out the bread. Make sure you follow the recipe for the best results.
More Bread and Loaf Recipes
Do you enjoy bread? Try these delicious recipes:
Cranberry Banana Bread
Want to make this delicious recipe? Print the recipe card below, or toggle on Cook Mode to prevent your screen from going dark. Not ready to cook this recipe yet? Pin this recipe so you can find it later.
Want to pin this recipe from your cell phone? Turn your phone horizontally and a red Pin and blue Facebook button will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. How easy is that?
Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
- Mixing Bowl
- hand mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup mashed banana 2 to 3 bananas
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries chopped
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar beating for about 5 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides again and add the banana, milk, and eggs. Beat until well blended.
- Stir the baking powder into the flour and then add the flour to the wet ingredients a little at a time, scraping the sides down as needed, until it is just mixed.
- Stir in the cranberries and nuts.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle returns clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Switch out the ingredients for making this bread. For example, if you don’t want cranberry bread, then add raisins. You can keep it strictly banana bread or add your favorite fruit. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
- Be careful not to overmix your batter. You want to stir until just combined. Overmixing can result in tough bread.
- Make sure your bananas are extra ripe for this recipe so the bread has a nice banana flavor.
- This loaf of bread is also great topped with a quick vanilla icing.
- Store this bread on the counter for up to one week.
- This fruity banana bread is great in the freezer also.
Error- the sugar needs to be added to the butter and that should then be beaten until fluffy.
Well, my goodness! How did I miss that? Thanks for letting me know!