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.
What would you suggest as a way to reduce the amount of butter in this recipe. It sounds so good that I probably will have more than one slice. Do you think I could use half the butter and it will still be good?
Hi Danielle, Unfortunately I don’t think you can reduce the butter; the bread will turn out heavy and dense. You could try replacing some of the butter with applesauce, but the texture won’t be quite the same. Hope that helps, and please let me know how it turns out.
Will it be just as yummy if I substitute whole wheat pastry flour?
Hi Sandra, I would either use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or half whole wheat and half regular.
Hi Sandra,
I used the white whole wheat flour. It was wonderful & healthy!
Hi,
Is there a way I can go eggless on this recipe? Please let me know the substitute and any variations if at all. Looking forward to baking this.
Hi Sam, I can’t recommend this recipe without the eggs. So sorry!
Look up Aquafaba for egg substitutions. 😉
Hi can I make these in a cupcake pan? If so for how long and what temp? Thank you and totally love the website!!
Hi Tara, Yes, that should work — same temp and I’m guessing 20-25 min but definitely keep an eye on it 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I only have two very ripe bananas in the freezer, do you think this recipe would still work with them?
Hi Mary, If they are large you might have enough but if you’re short you can fill in with applesauce.
A great variation on banana bread. I substituted some whole wheat flour (1/4 cup) and almond flour (1/4 cup) as well as coconut oil in place of the butter and coconut sugar (1/2 cup) to add in some healthy fiber and boost the coconut flavor.
Tired after some garden work, I couldn’t sleep and happened on this recipe. This is so delicious and great. My only deviation was a bit of creme cheese and it still turned out great. My wife, mom and kid have devoured most of it before it cooled so I have to make another and post a pic.
Thanks Chef!
I thought the banana loaf was not done at 55 minutes as the knife I used to check doneness came out sticky. So I chickened out and kept it longer in the oven (at least 7 minutes more) but then it was getting blacker. This felt like bad news. So then I took it out and left it on the top of the oven. Later I took it out of the loaf pan (I used a glass pan) and it was done so I guess I could have just baked it for 55 minutes and have it look like the loaf in your picture. It is very good. I didn’t have pecans so I used raisins. I am going to make this loaf later this week as we have a ton of black bananas in the banana box.
This is my favorite banana bread recipe. I am wondering if I use spelt flower, how much should I use and will I have to alter anything else?
Hi Kim, I would use the same amount — if possible, you might want to use half white spelt flour and half whole-grain spelt flour so the taste is not altered too much.
Hi Jenn,
I made the banana bread using all white spelt flour. The taste was the same as the original! It seemed a little bit dry, I may have slightly over cooked it. Will have to try it again. Thank you for responding to my question. I love so many of your recipes and your recipes make me appear to be a good cook! Kim
Hi, I recently found your blog and simply just fell in love with everything of it. Great selection of recipes with lots of cooking / baking tips, beautiful photos and food styling, etc. Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve learned as a professional to people like me who love to cook, bake, feed and eat, but with no time and opportunities to learn professionally.
BTW, I have a question on this recipe. Can I use virgin coconut oil instead of butter for this bread? I’ve got a jar of it and don’t know where to use. Since this recipe calls for coconut flakes anyways, I thought the slight scent of coconut oil wouldn’t ruin the whole flavor. What do you think?
Hi Kat, I don’t have much experience baking with coconut oil, although from my understanding it works well as a butter substitute — and the flavor would certainly be wonderful here. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Hi Jenn, thanks for the answer! I finally had overripe bananas on hand and tried this recipe with coconut oil. The result was awesome! Since I’ve never tried this bread with butter yet, I cannot tell how exactly different, but the texture was a bit lighter and fluffier than the other banana bread I’ve made with butter. Mine also got some beautiful cracks on the top, but I’m not sure if it’s from using different oil or using different pan (I used ceramic loaf pan). The combination of banana and coconut with toasted nuts was great! Even with the extra coconut scent from the coconut oil, coconut flavor wasn’t over powering, it was just right! I’ve tried your Chai Spiced Banana Bread and this one with coconut and pecans, both were really good, even though usually banana bread isn’t my favorite. Thanks for great recipe again!
Hi Kat,
I have a couple questions for you about your use of coconut oil. Was it solid or liquid? Did you use the same amount as called for with the butter?
Thank you,