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Ripe bananas, rich caramel, and a touch of salt creates an irresistible flavor. This Salted Caramel Banana Bread is a unique twist on a classic.

You have brown bananas sitting on your counter, just waiting for a fresh batch of banana bread. Traditional banana bread (just like grandma used to make) is always a hit, but you’re wanting to be creative and try something a little different.

What do you make? This.

Salted Caramel Banana Bread.

It’s everything you love about banana bread, with a simple salted caramel sauce baked inside and then drizzled on top. It’s the perfect way to wow your friends and family.

a slice of banana bread with a bite out of it on a table

About this Salted Caramel Banana Bread Recipe:

Flavor: You’ll have the flavor of banana as you would expect, but just as strongly, you’ll taste the richness of the salted caramel. Coarse salt adds that sweet & salty flavor you love!
Texture: This bread bakes up tender and moist. It’s stays soft and makes an excellent freezer bread.
Method: This bakes in an 8 ½ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. If your pan is a slightly different size, that’s ok. Just adjust the baking time: a few minutes more for a smaller pan and a few minutes less for a larger pan.

What bananas are best for banana bread?

If you have bananas on the counter that have black or brown stripes and spots then you know they are ready to make banana bread. Bananas for banana bread should be more brown than yellow. There’s really no “too ripe” bananas for banana bread. The more brown they are, the better it will be.

Can you make banana bread with yellow bananas? You can, but they won’t be very sweet and won’t mash well, so it isn’t recommended.

Ingredients

How to Make Salted Caramel Banana Bread

Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray an 8½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

dry ingredients for bread in a mixing bowl

Wet Ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar and light brown sugar together. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla, mashed bananas and caramel sauce and mix to combine. (A large fork or potato masher works great to mash the bananas.)

eggs, milk, vanilla and bananas in a bowl

Mix gently. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix! Mix just until combined.

dry ingredients over wet ingredients in a bowl

Bake. Pour the banana bread batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. The internal temperature of the bread should be 200ºF. If the bread is not done and getting too brown, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake. Cool on a wire rack before topping with caramel sauce.

Drizzle. Heat the caramel sauce for 30 seconds or so to make it pourable. Stir together the caramel sauce and table salt. Pour the caramel mixture over the banana bread and sprinkle with coarse salt.

caramel drizzling over slices of banana bread

How do you know when banana bread is done?

Sometimes it is tricky to know if quick bread is done all the way through or not. If you have an internal probe thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200º Fahrenheit.

If the bread starts getting too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake until the internal temperature is correct.

**We LOVE our Thermoworks ThermaPen to quickly water and bread temperatures. This probe thermometer is AMAZING. Get it here.**

closeup of salted caramel banana bread slices

Storage Instructions

This cake is safe to store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you are going to have it any longer, freeze it in an airtight container. This bread freezes really well for up to 2 months.

Allow the bread to thaw fully in the container you froze it in before opening it. This will keep it the freshest.