Enjoy a mini trip to Hawaii in your own kitchen with this delightfully sweet and tropical Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe! Ripe bananas, juicy pineapple, and coconut flakes take this basic quick bread recipe to new flavor heights, while keeping it moist and tender. For more tastes of Hawaii, try my Hawaiian Macaroni Salad and Hawaiian Beef Stew. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are also a tropical favorite!
Banana Bread with Coconut and Pineapple
An Easy Quick Bread Recipe –Quick breads are recipes that don’t require any yeast, and instead rely on baking soda to rise. This gives them the benefit of being fast to mix up and bake. With A Tropical Twist – Swap your traditional banana bread recipe for this Hawaiian version – you might never go back! A Family Favorite – If you have kids who don’t usually like banana bread, let them try this version! The pineapple gives the bread extra natural sweetness, so kids (and adults) love it even more than the original.
Ingredients In Hawaiian Banana Bread
Here’s what you need to make this Hawaiian banana bread with pineapple: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Bananas: This is a two banana bread recipe, so it’s perfect for using up the last couple of very ripe bananas from the bunch you bought early in the week. Be sure that your bananas are fully yellow with brown spots so that they are soft and sweet. Crushed Pineapple: Canned crushed pineapple adds moisture, sweetness, and a tropical flavor to Hawaiian Banana Bread. Don’t drain it; we want all of that delicious juice in the batter. Shredded Coconut: You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes in this recipe. I’m using sweetened coconut, but you can reduce the sugar in the recipe by using the unsweetened kind. Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: I love using brown sugar in banana bread! It gives the bread a caramel flavor and keeps it tender and moist. Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt: Baking soda does most of the work here, helping the quick bread to rise and giving it a soft, tender crumb. Sour Cream: For extra richness and moisture. In place of sour cream, you can also use plain greek yogurt. Eggs: Allow your eggs to come to room temperature before baking with them. This simple step is key to mixing up super smooth batters and doughs. Vanilla Extract: Vanilla has this magical power to enhance all of the other sweet flavors from the other ingredients! You could also add a few drops of coconut extract to this recipe.
How To Make This Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe
Expert Tips for the Best Banana Bread
Use active baking soda. This leavener can go “bad” if it’s been stored too long. To test yours, add a little bit of baking soda to a bowl and then mix it with a splash of vinegar. If it’s fizzing, that means it’s still good to use! Add Nuts: To make this recipe extra Hawaiian, fold in chopped macadamia nuts before baking. You could also try slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. Prepare your pan: I like to generously line my bread pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides so that I can lift the bread right out when it’s finished baking. Instead of paper, you can spray the pan really well with cooking spray. Allow it to cool: Warm banana bread is amazing, but try to be patient! If you cut into the loaf too soon it will fall apart, and the steam escaping can make the quick bread dry. If you want to warm up slices later, microwave them for 20-30 seconds.
Storing Tips
This banana bread will keep well at room temperature, either wrapped tightly or in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. You can also store it in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. While you’re thinking about banana bread, go grab my recipe for Brown Butter Banana Bread too!
Why did my banana bread sink in the center?
Usually, this is caused by the batter being overmixed. Be sure to only mix the flour in until there are no dry patches left. Banana bread that doesn’t rise properly can also be due to old or inactive baking soda. See my tip above for how to test your baking soda!
Can I bake This Recipe into mini loaves?
Sure! The baking time will be decreased if your Hawaiian Banana Bread is baked in smaller pans, so be sure to check the bread for doneness after 35 minutes.
Can I make this gluten free?
I haven’t specifically tested it, but I do think that this recipe would work wonderfully with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. If you try it, please stop back and leave a comment to let me know! Enjoy a warm slice of Hawaiian Banana Bread for breakfast, or wrap up a few as a snack in the afternoon. Don’t forget to Pin the recipe, too – you’ll want it the next time you have some ripe bananas to bake with! © Little Sunny Kitchen
