Banana Coconut Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
If you’re looking for a fresh twist on classic banana bread, this recipe is it. Coconut and pecans make every slice extra delicious, and the loaf freezes beautifully.
Banana and coconut are a natural pairing, and this moist, tender quick bread is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them together. The shredded coconut adds a subtle sweetness and delicate chew that makes every slice just a little more special than classic banana bread. It’s easy to make—you can have the batter mixed in about 20 minutes, then let the oven do the rest. Enjoy a warm slice fresh from the oven, or toast one for breakfast the next morning.
“Best banana bread EVER! This is definitely a keeper and one that I will be proud to share in gift baskets!”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread With Coconut And Pecans
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the bread. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the bread rise and become fluffy.
- Butter: Adds moisture and richness to the bread.
- Sugar: Sweetens the bread and helps create a tender crumb.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add richness.
- Very Ripe Bananas: Provide moisture, natural sweetness, and big banana flavor. They should be dark yellow with lots of brown spots, or even fully brown. (Pro Tip: To ripen quickly, bake bananas in their peels at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and blackened. Extra-ripe bananas freeze well too—see my post how to freeze bananas for details on freezing and thawing.)
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the bread with its aromatic richness.
- Shredded Unsweetened Coconut: Adds a subtle tropical flavor and texture.
- Pecans: Contribute crunch and a nutty flavor, especially when toasted.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Start by whisking together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Whisking them together first ensures the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, so you won’t get an occasional bitter or salty bite—and it also means less mixing is needed once the dry ingredients meet the batter.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. In the mixer bowl, beat together the melted butter and sugar until combined. It’ll look a bit lumpy, and that’s fine. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients and add-ins. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined. Be careful not to overmix—at this stage, mixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make the loaf dense and tough instead of tender. Fold in the coconut and pecans by hand.
Step 4: Prepare the pan. Scrape the batter into the greased loaf pan and give it a gentle tap on the counter to settle it and release any air bubbles.
Step 5: Bake and cool. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine, since the bananas keep the loaf from ever baking fully dry). The top will crack as it bakes, which is completely normal for a banana bread. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about ten minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack; that short rest lets it firm up enough to hold together as you unmold it.
This loaf keeps very well at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, it freezes beautifully; wrap it well and it’ll keep for a couple of months, ready whenever a banana bread craving hits. Toasting individual slices brings back that just-baked warmth and crisps up the edges a bit, which is my favorite way to serve it after the first day.
More Banana Bread Recipes You’ll Love
Banana Coconut Bread
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth (from about 3 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped (see note below)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the melted butter and sugar until just combined. Beat in the eggs, bananas and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. Gently stir in the coconut and the pecans (the batter will look lumpy).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center is relatively clean (tester should not be totally dry; the bananas keep it moist) and the top is golden brown. Do not overbake. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Slice while still warm. It will keep nicely covered with foil, at room temperature, for 3 to 4 days. Toast individual slices to get the same fresh-baked effect.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Should batter be thick? it was exceptionally thick.. I ask because you said to pour into pan.. I had to spread it into pan.. hoping I didn’t mess something up .. Thank you
Hi Jennifer, No worries — it is a thick batter. Hope it turns out!
I used sweetened coconut and left out the 2 T of sugar I also didn’t toast the pecans. It was really good and will be making again.
Just baked this very late last night and the scent of coconut and banana was heavenly! I love banana breads but this is the best one ever: a perfect balance of ripe banana to flour and coconut (I used sweetened flaked coconut, as it had texture), but forgot to toast the pecans and to add less sugar. I hand whisked the softened, half melted butter with sugar and hand mixed the rest of dry etc. when tasting the oh so yummy batter, my error with sugar made it a little too sweet. So taking a clue from your chocolate marble banana bread, mixed half of batter with 4 measured tablespoons of unsweetened organic cocoa powder, put that light cocoa chocolate batter on top of other half in the loaf pan and swirled just a little. Tasted batter and it balanced the over sweetness and didn’t overwhelm the coconut. This bread baked beautifully brown and perfectly moist and such a delicious blend of flavors!! Toasted up this morning and tried with some butter and another with a little home-made lemon curd. Super Yummy! This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Question: I bought some canned mango slices(Thailand product) and would this work in any sweet bread or only fresh or dried fruits?
Hi Gina, So glad you enjoyed the banana bread! I do think you could use the canned mango slices; just chop them up.
This recipe was to die for! I loved it and thankfully I doubled it because everyone wants more!
How many mini loaves sized 6×3 would this make and hhw long would I bake them for. Thanks
Hi Charlene, I’m guessing two, and I’d start checking after about 30 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This is another awesome recipe, Jenn! Like one of the other commenters, I only had walnuts on hand so I toasted and added them, and we loved the end product Nice variation of banana bread.
Hi Jenn, do you think the taste would suffer if instead of melted butter I use melted coconut oil? Just trying to make it dairy-free…
Hi Koek, I think the coconut oil would actually taste wonderful. Please let me know how it turns out.
Hello! Well, I just made it using coconut oil, and yes, it’s pretty awesome. I used an odourless variety of coconut oil (so it didn’t add any new flavour), and the texture was somewhat fluffier, and it felt definitely lighter than the original recipe. So I would definitely use coconut oil again, maybe next time the one with the flavour to see if it adds a new dimension.
I loved this bread and have added it to my “recipes I will make again on Pinterest”
I used sweetened coconut because it was what I had in the house and left out the 2 T of sugar I also didn’t toast the pecans.
I had to bake it for 1 hr my oven.
This recipe is SO GOOD. I added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and made muffins instead of the loaf. The coconut makes it nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside!!! SO GOOD.
It was wonderful. I tried to use a bundt pan, didn’t rise, but still good. Toasted the coconut and walnuts. Used sweetened coconut and deleted the sugar, used salted butter and deleted the salt. Husband loved it. Thanks.