Macadamia Nut Banana Bread is a classic Hawaiian take on Bannana bread with toasted macadiamia nuts, ripe bananas and vanilla. The perfect flavors of the island.
My classic one bowl Easy Banana Bread is a hit on the site and this recipe takes that classic and adds in flavors of the island like my Hawaiian Nut Banana Bread.
MACADAMIA NUT BANANA BREAD
Similar to my recipe for Banana Nut Bread, Macadamia Nut Banana Bread is a blend of moist, sweet bread that has the texture of an amazing cake with the rich, earthy flavor and satisfying crunch of macadamia nuts.
We were in Hawaii in July and enjoyed this delicious recipe while we were driving the Road to Hana. Quick tip if you have plans to travel to Maui, we downloaded an app called Gypsy that went based off your navigation and narrated the Road to Hana with cool stops even without cell service. It took us to this one spot we’d never have known about with amazing lava rocks on the beach.
When we got to about the halfway point we stopped at a little strip mall of restaurants where we stopped into a bakery where we bought an awesome Macadamia Nut Banana Bread. In case you happen to be in Maui and want to buy some of this delicious bread here is the label from the bread for you:
It’s really easy to make and you can keep it for a quick breakfast on days when you’re running late and have to get out the door right now. Not to mention, banana bread is a fantastic way to get rid of those more than ripe bananas that have been hanging out in your kitchen for weeks. You’ll need at least 4 of them for this banana bread recipe to get that rich, sweet banana flavor that everyone knows and loves.
A trick of the trade to remember when you want to check the middle of the bread to see if it has cooked through is the toothpick test. Get a toothpick and stick it into the bread. If you pull it out and the stick is clean then the insides are solid and the banana bread is done. If batter sticks to the toothpick then the inside is still molten and you should let it cook a little longer.
HOW TO MAKE MACADAMIA NUT BANANA BREAD
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray loaf pan with baking spray.
- Add bananas to stand mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 30-45 seconds.
- Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and oil to banana mixture.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Add it to the stand mixer on low speed until just combined.
- Mix in ¾ cup macadamia nuts with a spatula, then pour into loaf pan.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup macadamia nuts.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
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VARIATIONS ON MACADAMIA NUT BANANA BREAD
- Chocolate chips: I challenge you to come up a baked good that chocolate chips don’t go great with. It’s hard to think of any, and that’s because those little crunchy, chewy, sweet morsels add personality and texture to anything. They’re especially good in banana bread and, in this particular recipe, they go perfectly with the macadamia nuts.
- Brown sugar: Once you pull the bread out of the oven, dust the top with a handful of brown sugar. The warmth of the loaf will partially caramelize the sugar and it will add a sweet and crunchy element to your bread that you didn’t know you were missing.
- Muffins: Instead of pouring the bread batter into a loaf pan, divide it up into a muffin tin. These tiny shareable loaves are great for brunches and parties and you can serve them up in perfect portions. Make sure you keep an eye on them as they’re cooking though, as the shape of the muffin pan can influence how quickly they bake.
- Nutella: Spread Nutella over a fresh slice of banana bread for a delicious, decadent treat. I suggest using Nutella on warm banana bread so that it spreads easier and melts slightly, but serving it on cold banana bread is equally delicious.
HOW LONG IS MACADAMIA NUT BANANA BREAD GOOD?
- Serve: You can keep Macadamia Nut Banana Bread on your counter at room temperature for about 2 days before it starts to get stale. Keep it fresh for longer by covering it with a sealable bag or plastic wrap.
- Store: Macadamia Nut Banana Bread is good in the fridge for up to a week before it starts to lose its flavor. Make sure that you allow it to fully cool before you refrigerate it or it can make you sick.
- Freeze: You can keep banana bread in the freezer for up to 3 months before you should throw it out and make a new batch.
Ingredients
- 4 large bananas , mashed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup macadamia nuts , chopped (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray loaf pan with baking spray.
- Add bananas, sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil to stand mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add it to the stand mixer on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Mix in ¾ cup macadamia nuts with a spatula, then pour into loaf pan.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup macadamia nuts.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes.
Nutrition
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I assume four at 350 degrees is not correct ?
I am not sure what you mean by four at 350 degrees? The oven is preheated to 350 degrees and the bread is usually baked for 60 – 65 minutes. Feel free to use the “toothpick in the middle” test when you see the bread begin to slightly pull away from the edge of the baking tin or pan.
Hi, sorry but i cant seem to find the serving size. do you perhaps have the serving size in grams?
Hi Anna, the serving size is on the recipe card next to the word Yield. If you prefer to view the recipe in Metric Click on Metric by the word Ingredients. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the great recipe. I assume that the bread is done using the toothpick method. Used that method at 60 min so added the additional 5 min. I think I overbaked my bread 🙁 Do you suggest just pulling it out of the oven at 60 min even if toothpick test is not clean?
yes!
Made this this morning. Did muffins. They are delicious. Thank for a great recipe.
I used over-ripe apple bananas approx. 5-5 1/2″ long, from my freezer, defrosted & liquid drained. 4 mashed bananas made little over 1 cup which was just the right amount for a 9″ loaf. Don’t add too much banana or it will be wet and soggy. I also used unsalted preroasted whole macnuts I crushed into midsized pieces and incorporated into Sabrinas batter. Very good result for someone who has never baked anyting in my life.
Question about the amount of bananas used in the macadamia nut banana bread – the recipe calls for 4 large bananas, mashed. Can you provide me with how many cups that equals or the weight once mashed?
Thank you, I enjoy making your recipes.
Getting ready to buy the ingredients. Most local stores seem to only carry macadamia nuts that are roasted and salted. Are these nuts supposed to be roasted without salt added for this recipe?
Do you suggest toasting the macadamia nuts? I don’t see to do so in the instructions. Thanks
I’ve made a lot of banana bread over the years. This was so different and so yummy. I followed the recipe exactly as stated. I left my macadamia nuts super chunky because I like them that way. I did notice though that when I poured the batter into one loaf pan that it was almost to the top. I knew from experience that it would burn on the outside before the inside was done if I didn’t take some of the batter out. I took the batter down until the pan was about 2/3 of the way full and put the rest into muffin tins. I’m not sure if my bananas were bigger or why it was so full. Either way it turned out amazing. Very nutty, rustic, and simple recipe. I’m putting this one in my keep binder. Thank you!
Hi! I made this the other day and it was so good I made it for the second time tonight. But, I’m not sure if I added the oil last time or not. I noticed this time, the directions don’t include the vegetable oil. So now I’m wondering, did I do it right or wrong the first time, and did I even use oil ?. I guess I’ll find out in about 45 min, they are in the oven!
Thank you for catching that! I included it in the directions in the post but it looks like it was skipped in the instructions in the recipe card.
Hi Sabrina, can’t wait to make this. Could you tell me what size loaf pan you used? If i were to make jumbo muffins how long will the bake be? Your blog keeps me busy in my kitchen.
I used a 9×5 loaf pan for this recipe. If you want to make them into muffins, I would bake them at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Enjoy!
Your MACADAMIA NUT BANANA BREAD is in the oven as we speak. When do I remove it from the loaf pan?
So sorry I didn’t see this earlier. How did it turn out? You can generally remove from the pan when cooled.
At what point is oil added?
This bread was all that I hoped it would be!! This will for sure be a new staple for my family!
Thanks for coming back to let me know Pam.
Love the addition of macadamia nuts in this bread! Banana bread is the perfect bread for adding little pieces of yumminess!
Enjoy!
Macadamia nuts are such a great way to take banana bread to the next level. Love it!
Thanks! It’s always fun to switch up classics!
OMG this was so good. Macadamia nuts are like candy to me, and I couldn’t stop eating this!
I agree – sorry not sorry but I could eat them all day 🙂
Can I use melted butter instead of oil?
Yes 🙂