This easy quick bread recipe is full of tropical flavor and it stays moist for days.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- This Hawaiian banana bread recipe is a quick bread with the perfect combination of sweet banana and tangy crushed pineapple flavors.
- Everyone loves banana bread for breakfast, but it's also great as a dessert or a tropical treat any time of day.
- Chopped macadamia nuts are optional, but they give homemade banana bread a delightful crunch. Try it and see for yourself!
Can you think of any tropical flavors that taste better than coconut and pineapple? I sure can't!
Take your taste buds on a Maui vacation with flavorful banana bread that has a delicious Hawaiian twist.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Amp up the coconut flavor by using melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.
- You can add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to complement the sweet flavors with a little nutty spice.
- Transform this bread recipe into mini loaves or Hawaiian muffins. They won't take as long to bake-check out the FAQs for more on that.
- Top it with maraschino cherries before baking if you're feeling fancy-I like to call that "cocktail style!"
- Want an extra sweet finishing touch? Smother the loaf in cream cheese frosting or whip up an easy powdered sugar icing.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Mix the creamed butter and sugar together with the eggs and oil in a large bowl.
- Add the mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the coconut flakes and chopped macadamia nuts.
Hawaiian banana bread pan exchanges
Sometimes you need to bake two things at once - here's how to adjust the time and/or temperatures of your casserole! These times are only an estimate. Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.
| Item | Yield | Temperature | Time |
| Regular Loaf | 1 loaf | 350F | 1 hour |
| Muffins | 12 | 400F | 20-30 minutes |
| 5x3-inch Mini Loaves | 3 mini loaves | 350F | 25-35 minutes |
🥫 How to store leftover Hawaiian banana bread
Store homemade pineapple banana bread at room temperature to keep your leftovers tasting tropical and fresh.
Room temperature
Simply place the loaf on top of a piece of paper towel in an airtight container. Enjoy it within three or four days.
Hawaiian banana bread, like most quick breads, will lose its moist texture when you store it in the fridge. So, I don't recommend that method.
Freezer
However, banana bread freezes well! Once the loaf is cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.
Thaw
To enjoy, let it thaw on the counter for two to three hours and enjoy at room temperature. You can also pop a slice in the microwave and heat it for ten seconds at a time until it is warm.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Overripe bananas make the best banana bread. Let 'em get nice and soft, full of brown spots all over the peels.
- Be sure your butter is softened so you can easily cream it with the sugar. Pull it out of the fridge an hour or two before you plan to bake.
- Always use room-temperature eggs in any baking recipe.
- The pineapple may look like it's curdling the eggs at first, but the wet ingredients will eventually become smooth. Trust the process.
- Don't overmix the batter-you can end up with dense, dry bread.
- You'll know the bread is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Wait until your Hawaiian banana bread has fully cooled before digging in. I know, I know-waiting is the toughest part!
👩🍳 FAQs
You can, but make sure to cut the pineapple into small chunks and blend it in a food processor or blender. You'll also want to add some canned pineapple juice since fresh pineapple won't have enough.
Whole pineapple chunks will make the bread crumble-the batter won't stay together very well. If all you have is a can of pineapple chunks, blitz it in a food processor/blender, then add it to the batter.
Ripening bananas more quickly is easy! Just put your bananas in a paper bag and roll down the top. You can use this technique with several other kinds of fruit, too.
To turn the 9x5 inch loaf into 12 regular-sized muffins, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and reduce the baking time to 20-30 minutes.
A 9x5 inch loaf will make about three mini loaves. Keep the oven temperature at 350 degrees F but reduce the baking time to 30-35 minutes.
📚 Related recipes
- Hawaiian Wedding Cake is an easy, from-scratch cake that even coconut haters will love-it's converted many picky eaters.
- Save your garden squash for this Zucchini Bread with Pineapple. It gives old-fashioned country bread a delightful summer sweetness.
- Mix crushed pineapple with cream cheese and Cool Whip, and top it with pretzel brittle-just like that, the Best Pineapple Fluff is born!
If you've got leftover crushed pineapple try one of these recipes -
🍽️ Serve with...
We love enjoying a slice of pineapple banana nut bread after a dinner of Huli Huli BBQ Chicken or 4-Ingredient Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken.
Then, while the kids clear the table, drizzle the glaze from my Amish Apple Fritter Bread over your banana loaf for some extra sweetness.
And, if you're really in the mood for a treat, mix up a Blue Hawaiian Cocktail for an extra dose of pineapple and coconut! It's got all the fruity, rummy goodness of a piña colada with a luscious, creamy texture.
🫶 Restless Chipotle recommends
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These are the loaf pans that I use. I just love pyrex and I've had these for decades.
📞 The last word
This is so good plain but add a little cinnamon or honey butter... or a little cream cheese and :::chef's kiss:::
Read this post to know more about quick breads vs yeast breads.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars
📖 Recipe
Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Blend in eggs and oil.
- Slowly mix in the mashed banana, pineapple, and vanilla.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
- Stir in the shredded coconut and macadamia nuts, if using.
- Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until an insta-read thermometer reads 200℉ when inserted in the center. Start checking at 55 minutes.
- All the bread to cool completely before removing it from the pan
Notes
-
- Overripe bananas are the best for this.
- Be sure your butter is softened so you can easily cream it with the sugar. Pull it out of the fridge an hour or two before you plan to bake.
-
- Always use room-temperature eggs in any baking recipe.
-
- The pineapple may look like it's curdling the eggs at first, but the wet ingredients will eventually become smooth. Trust the process.
-
- Don't overmix the batter-you can end up with dense, dry bread.
-
- You'll know the bread is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it. Or, it registers 190F - 200F on an instant-read thermometer.
-
- Wait until your Hawaiian banana bread has fully cooled before digging in. I know, I know-waiting is the toughest part!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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charissa gordon says
Perfect balance of flavors and the texture is very good. I've been baking for 50 years and this recipe is a keeper. My husband complimented the bread twice and he hardly, hardly ever does that.