Banana Coconut Bread
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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.
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Wondering about your use of a mixer. Most banana breads don’t require one. Can I mix this by hand? Thanks, Jenn!
Sure, mixing by hand would be fine. Hope you enjoy!
This bread came out delicious! I used melted coconut oil instead of butter and coconut sugar instead of white sugar (and I reduced the amount slightly) and it came out wonderful. I was trying to punch up the coconut flavor a bit and it tastes beautiful! I also threw in some chocolate chips and I couldn’t be happier with the result. It was moist and so tasty!
Hi Jenn
I love your website so much! It’s all fabulous and makes me feel like I am a good cook!
I was wondering does this bread not have baking soda in it?
Hi Melissa, so glad you like the site and the recipes give you confidence in the kitchen! This recipe uses baking powder as a leavener instead of baking soda. Hope you enjoy if you make it. 🙂
so, so, good. This was one of the few times I ate a muffin as soon as it came out of the oven. My grandson is allergic to nuts so omitted nuts and added dried cranberries. Had four overripe bananas and so I added them all and used half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. Oh I also made them into muffins as easier to handle for the grandchildren.
My first loaf was made with whole wheat pastry flour, and I thought it turned out great. One of my hubby’s favorite foods is coconut, so when he said the loaf wasn’t “dry”, but just not as good as the Chai-Spiced Banana Bread recipe, I knew I had gone overboard on the whole wheat substitution. Next loaf will use half white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour. Anyway, this is a great recipe!
I made this today and it came out great. Might add a little more coconut next time.
Delicious and easy. As I only had sweetened coconut, I did not add the additional 2 spoons of sugar. The coconut gave it a distinct flavor so that it wasn’t like most banana breads.
This is by far the best banana bread. It is great as is. However, my husband is diabetic and I have given up sugar, so I substitute the sugar for Monkfruit using only 1/2 cup. I also bake using an ancient grain flour called einkorn flour. The final result is the same…delicious..and much healthier for us. I love all of your recipes.
I lowered the amount of sugar to 2/3 cup and made these into muffins. So good. As usual, Jenn’s recipes don’t disappoint. Show your gratitude for all she does by purchasing her cookbook.
Thanks so much for your support!!! 💕
It was too sweet and though i measured the flour correctly as you recommended, it was still dry. Also, why do you melt the butter?
Hi Simran, sorry to hear you found this to be a little dry. Might it have been a bit overbaked? And regarding the butter, I know it’s not the typical cake method — I may have adapted this recipe from one that used oil (and think that butter adds more flavor to the bread) so adding the butter in melted form is a bit easier. Hope that clarifies!