Banana Bread Brownies have the gratifying density and moistness of a brownie, the old-fashioned, homey flavor of banana bread, and the sky-high reaches of a banana sheet cake. Top ’em off with browned butter frosting and you’ll agree: this is best way to use your ripe bananas!
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Fold in toasted walnuts for warmth and crunch, and you have 8×8 inches of pure banana dessert bliss.
You’ll need 1 cup of mashed ripe banana for this recipe, which comes out to be about 3 medium bananas.
The riper the bananas, the better for baking, so bring on the spots!
About Banana Brownies
If you like banana bread, you’ll love this blondie brownie-inspired version.
It has the deep, sweet fruitiness of banana bread, with the chewy decadence and intense brown sugar notes of a blondie.
Even more ripe bananas to use? Try Healthy Banana Bread, this Oatmeal Banana Bread, or these Healthy Banana Muffins!
5 Star Review
“WOW!!! This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! I am very impressed. These are a hit with both of my parents!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!”
— Dena —
How to Make Banana Bread Brownies
You’ll notice these banana bread brownies are made with no sour cream, a deviation from other recipes I found online.
These banana bread brownies are still mega moist, and leaving out the sour cream allows the natural sweetness of the bananas to shine.
As with all of my healthy dessert recipes, I used more wholesome, natural ingredients in these banana bread blondies anywhere I could without sacrificing flavor.
You’ll find whole grains, honey, and the natural sweetness of the bananas themselves.
The Ingredients
- Banana. Bananas bring natural sweetness, happy, familiar flavors, and moisture to baked goods. You’ll love the way they blend seamlessly with the other ingredients in these blondies. Plus, bananas are packed with potassium and fiber.
- Flour. To make these blondies more wholesome, I used a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour, which offers whole grain benefits like additional fiber and nutrients. You won’t even notice the swap.
- Brown Butter. Browning butter intensifies its flavor (so it tastes even more buttery!) and adds a delightfully nutty nuance. Those cute brown specs in the frosting? That’s the browned butter bits. Once you taste it, you’ll want to brown butter everything.
- Honey. It stands in for most of the sugar and tastes magical with bananas and cinnamon.
- Brown Sugar. A key ingredient for making blondie-style brownies like these.
- Cinnamon. A dash of cinnamon in banana bread anything is mandatory. Fact.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Baking soda is necessary anytime you are using honey in place of all or some of the sugar in a recipe (in baking science, it reacts with the honey’s acidity). Because I like my bar desserts like this one to be sky-high and ultra thick, I also added baking powder to help the brownies rise.
The Directions
- Toast the walnuts in the oven at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, then chop them. Mash the banana in a big bowl.
- Brown the butter, then add it to the bowl with the banana.
- Whisk in the remaining wet ingredients. No mixer needed!
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add them to the wet mixture. Stir until the flour disappears, then add the walnuts.
- Bake the banana bread brownies for 22 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let cool in the pan.
- To make the frosting: Brown the butter, then remove it from the heat and slowly add the sugar, then the cream and vanilla. Frost the bars (eat the rest of the frosting off of the spatula), and DIG IN!
Recipe Variations
- Banana Bread Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Instead of the brown butter frosting called for in this recipe, use the cream cheese frosting from this Banana Cake or this Pumpkin Sheet Cake. You will only need about 1/2 the amount of cream cheese frosting (unless you are doubling this blondie recipe and baking it in a 9×13-inch pan).
- Banana Bread Brownies without Eggs. Swap the egg for a flax egg or for an additional 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana. (**Note: I have not yet tested these methods, but I do think they have a good chance of working. If you experiment, I’d love to hear how it goes!).
- Chocolate Banana Bread Brownies. Replace the walnuts with 2/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. (Make sure to check out my Chocolate Banana Bread too.)
- Gluten Free Banana Bread Brownies. Swap 1:1 GF flour for both the all-purpose and white whole wheat flour.
- To Bake in a 9×13-inch Pan: Double the recipe, extending the baking time by a few minutes as needed (do start checking around 20 minutes though!).
Storage Tips
- To Store. Store brownies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze. Place brownies (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
What to Serve with Banana Bread Brownies
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Rimmed Baking Sheet. Perfect for toasting the walnuts.
- Baking Pan. Perfect corners and no sticking. I love this pan so much, I own two.
- Rubber Spatula. Sturdy and ideal for both baking and cooking.
These banana bread brownies are a new dessert recipe in our family of two, but I know that they are going to be one I make again and again.
Even Ben, whose dessert preferences are notoriously limited to burned chocolate chip cookies—don’t get me started—and cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream, was a big fan, which in our house, is a BIG DEAL. I hope these banana bread-meets-brownie bars are a smash in your family too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Never toss an overripe banana, even if you don’t plan to bake with it right away. Instead, freeze it! Bananas can last in the freezer for 3 months or even longer, and you can use them in baking. Let your frozen banana slices thaw in the refrigerator (or if you forget, heat them up in the microwave very slowly). Once they’re thawed, drain off the excess moisture and juices. Mash and use as directed.
Peel your banana, and chop it into 1/2 to 1-inch slices. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place it in the freezer until the slices are frozen solid. Then, add your slices to a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. (Confession: Sometimes I just toss all of my banana slices into a bag without freezing them flat. They form a big banana lump that I have to force apart. You can decide which route is more worth the effort.)
You can skip browning the butter just like you can skip the frosting all together…but these bars won’t be as richly flavored. Browning the butter toasts its milk solids, resulting in a more intense, nutty butter taste. It’s a simple step that is well worth it.
Banana Bread Brownies
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Ingredients
For the Banana Bread Brownies:
- 1 cup raw walnut halves*
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana about 3 medium
- ⅔ cup honey
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour or swap additional all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Brown Butter Frosting:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream if you have it or half-and-half or milk of choice
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, so that two opposite sides overhang like handles, then coat the paper with nonstick spray. Set aside. Spread the walnuts on an ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until fragrant and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash your banana (double check to make sure you have 1 cup).
- Brown the butter: Heat the butter in a small/medium light-colored saucepan over medium-low. This will take several minutes. Continue to heat until butter melts completely, foams and crackles, turns clear golden (the crackling will stop), then turns toasty brown, swirling the pan periodically. This entire process will take 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon your pan. Once the butter begins to smell lightly nutty, whisk it frequently, scraping up any browned bits from bottom. Watch the pan carefully in the last few minutes to ensure that the butter does not burn. As soon as the bits of butter in the bottom of the pan turn the color of a pecan, remove the butter from the heat and pour it immediately into the bowl with the banana to prevent the butter from burning, along with any toasted bits that are at the bottom. If you’ll be making the brown butter frosting, keep the pan handy.
- To the banana mixture, add the honey and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. At this point, the mixture should be cooled to lukewarm, but if it’s not, let it rest for a few minutes (or pop it into the fridge to cool it more quickly). Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture. With a rubber spatula, gently and slowly fold just until the flour disappears. The batter will look lumpy. Fold in the walnuts.
- Scrape the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with spatula. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool in the pan completely if you will be frosting them. If not, wait at least 10 minutes before you lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment and cut them into squares. If they’re cool, the squares will be tidy; if they’re still warm, they’ll be messy. No one will mind.
To Make the Frosting:
- Brown the butter in the same sauce pan you used previously (unless it is super tiny, in which case, switch to a larger one), following the directions in step 3 above (if there are any burned bits of butter on the pan, wash them out first. If your pan is relatively clean, no need to wash in between). As soon as the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately, begin to stir in the powdered sugar with a rubber spatula or whisk, 1/4 cup at a time. If at any point it becomes too thick to whisk (likely by the fourth or fifth addition of powdered sugar), switch to a rubber spatula and add 1 tablespoon of the cream, then continue adding the powdered sugar, until the frosting is thick but spreadable. Stir in the vanilla extract. If needed, continue adding cream, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency (the butter might look like it's separating but just keep stirring. As long as you combine everything well, it will all cool together beautifully as the bars sit). Frost the cooled bars. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- *Not into walnuts? Swap them for 2/3 chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips (YUM!) or try a mix.
- TO STORE: Store blondies in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: Place blondies (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
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I just made banana pancakes this morning and can’t wait to make these. These sound delicious.
I don’t comment on everything I’ve made from well-plated. Please know that whatever I have made, and there are many, all have been delicious.
Thank you SO much for sharing this kind comment, Judy van Riper! I hope you love this recipe if you try it!
I baked it for 25 minutes and the toothpick came out clean. But after cooling it and cutting, it had raw dough in the middle. Now I am putting it back in the oven and I hope I don’t ruin it. It looks and smells so good. What went wrong?
Hi Lily! Baked banana goods can be tricky, and sometimes the mashed banana can clump together and resemble raw dough. I hope it turned out delicious!
OH MY WORD. I was going to make a banana bread but decided to take a risk and make these instead. I practically had to kick my family out of the kitchen to keep them from eating them all in minutes!!! Thank you. Will be making these again soon.
SO SO glad you loved these too Joanie, thank you!
Made these immediately after seeing your post and SO GOOD. We were licking the pan!
Tara, I’m so happy to hear that you loved these too, thank you!!
Made these this past weekend and can’t taste any banana at all, just honey. 2/3 cup honey is WAY too much; would scale it back if making again. So disappointing as we were wanting banana and ended up with basically a honey cake.
Hi Kristen, I’m so sorry to hear that these weren’t a hit for you. I know it can be frustrating to try a new recipe and not have it turn out as planned, so I really wish you would’ve loved them as much as we did!
Simply to die for! Super easy and quick to make with those brown bananas sitting on your counter! Soft, sweet, moist and healthy! Checks all the boxes! The icing is a MUST too! Who doesn’t love browned butter!? Thanks for the fabulous recipe Erin ???
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Brynn! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Oh. My. Goodness. These are THE BEST!!! I have literally had to make them twice since you first posted them last week! I had to turn down the request for them to be made a third time, I made your oatmeal banana bread instead, which is another family favorite, figured I would cut down on the processed sugar a bit. Thanks for always giving us the BEST recipes. I am super excited for your cookbook to be released!
Thank you SO much for sharing this kind review, Brandi! I’m happy that this recipe has been a hit!
This is probably the best banana recipe I have every tried. We did the double batch, and baked it on a half sheet pan (Texas sheet cake). Every bit of it came out perfectly. Everyone in the family loved it, and I was amazed at how easily it went together. I will never bake regular banana bread again! Thank you so much and I shared it with all my friends!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Kathy! I’m SO pleased that you enjoyed the recipe!
AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! I had a bunch of overripe bananas and felt like something more dessert-ish than bread. Plus q boredom. So I made these and doubled the recipe to share with a neighbor. So good and moist! I didn’t have walnuts so did half toasted pecans and half chocolate chips. I had planned on making the frosting too but didn’t have enough powdered sugar in the house. But honestly they don’t need it. Great recipe
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe, Alisa! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I want to try this recipe, but not a big family of honey. You recipe didn’t mention if you could substitute sugar and how much. Is that possible with this recipe?
Hi Betty! I would not suggest this swap. The honey adds moisture to the bars, so they will be dry if you use sugar. Maple syrup would be the only swap I can recommend. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
WOW!!! This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! I am very impressed… I also enjoy most desserts without the frosting, but after reading about melting the butter for the frosting as you do to make the brownies (which I truly LOVE!!!), I thought I would try it!!! I also agree, you NEED to do it. These are a hit with both of my parents!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Dena! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is so delicious !!! I am gluten free so I used half oat flour, half Bobs Red Mill 1 for 1 GF flour and maple syrup instead of honey (that’s what I had at home) It is super moist and I wish I did a double batch!
I’m SO pleased that you enjoyed the recipe, Patricia! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made these last night. Like another fan, I baked 25 minutes, but my toothpick came out a little gooey. I gave it another five minutes, the top was puffed nicely, I was on the phone so didn’t bother to re-test since it seemed close the first time. I also had ‘raw dough’ appearance in the middle squares.
I see Author’s comment about clumping bananas, that might have been it. My Viking ovens are calibrated, I used an 8″ square, new Calphalon metal pan, everything exactly (which is kinda rare for me to not change something, LOL). They’re tasty. Not sure they’re worth the calories n fat, but then we don’t eat many desserts to begin with. At least they’re quality, delicious calories and fat. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Leslie! I’m sorry to hear that these didn’t turn out as you’d hoped. It definitely sounds like it could’ve been the bananas. I’m happy that you still enjoyed the flavors!
I tried this banana brownie recipe for the first time a few weeks ago, and we loved it. The texture was dense and moist. I could almost detect a hint of butterscotch — perhaps due to the combination of the browned butter and brown sugar? The brownies alone are sweet enough, so I didn’t frost them. I also had to add baking time, but it wasn’t an issue. They turned out great. Anyway, the recipe was a hit, and I’ll be making it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Nena! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Yum! I can’t wait to try! Can I just omit the walnuts without substituting chocolate chips? Thanks so much!
Emily, yes that should be fine. I hope you love them!
These turned out delicious! I didn’t quite have a full cup (maybe 2/3?) of banana so I topped it up with apple sauce and used only 1/2 cup of honey as the apple sauce had added sugar. I also used milk in the icing and everything turned out great ? Thankyou for the tasty recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Bee! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I’m sure these are good But the way it has been presented on the internet makes printing off these recipes really tedious and a HUGE waste of paper.
Hi Leila! If you scroll down to the recipe card, there is a “Print” button that will allow you to only print the recipe. I hope this helps!
I think I missed an instruction on either to be size of pan or the baking time. Mine ended up baking for close to 50 mins like banana bread in an 8 in square pan.
Hi Cheyenne! Did you bake them at 325 degrees F? I hope you were able to enjoy them!
Can I substitute sugar for honey..and how much?
Hi Patricia! I would not suggest this swap. The honey adds moisture to the bars, so they will be dry if you use sugar. Maple syrup would be the only swap I can recommend. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
I undercooked these brownies and had to initiate a rescue operation LOL (baking 20 minutes more after they had been cooled and cut into pieces), but the flavor of these ‘brownies’ is exquisite (love brown butter) so I have to perfect them. I think the main issue was that I was a bit heavy handed with the banana/honey and I used a mix of white chocolate/butterscotch chips versus walnuts, so I had an extra moist batter. Curious if the brown sugar should be packed or not? Also, could you describe the target consistency after baking? Am I shooting for cakey or fudgy brownies? Appreciate your thoughts on this one. It’s a 5 star recipe despite my 3 star execution! Love your blog, I’ve tried at least 50 recipes and have been delighted with the results! BTW – the brown butter mashed sweet potatoes from your cookbook are heavenly!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa! Thank you for sharing this kind review! The brown sugar should be packed, and the texture of the brownies should be moist, thick, and chewy. I hope this helps!
Absolutely the best I’ve baked by far in a very long time ! I did increase the baking time about 15 minutes but with my oven that’s not uncommon.
I did make the brown butter frosting ( I’m tired of the cream cheese frostings ) it was over the top ! There is so much delicious flavor in this frosted brownie !
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Jackie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These look AMAZING! I cannot wait to bake them later this week! Brown butter + banana = a match made in heaven!
Will the frosting get a “crust” over it for easy handling or will it stay soft?
I hope you love the recipe, Kamaria! The frosting is soft but will harden a little over time.
Sooo delish!! Added chocolate chips instead of walnuts. Didn’t have 8×8 so had to increase baking time by 15 more min.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Ashley! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Fantastic recipe! I will be making these again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Robyn! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These were so yummy, gooey & delicious! I subbed pecans for walnuts because that’s what I had! They took closer to 35 min for them to bake.
They’ve been out of the oven for a few hours and my daughters snuck 3 of them! Highly highly recommend!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Becky! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Best recipe I’ve tried by far. Browning the butter and adding honey takes it to the next level!
It really does, doesn’t it! So glad you enjoyed it Gayle! Thank you for this kind review!
So good! I used only AP flour (all I had on hand). The brown butter in the brownie and the frosting makes this dessert spectacular! Took a bit longer to bake (27 minutes).
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Susan! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
So good I dreamt I are all of them in one night
Hi Betsy! So glad you enjoyed the brownies! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this last night and can’t stop eating it! It was my before-bed snack and my breakfast. I’m sure it will be gone soon.
Although I am more of a “throw the ingredients together” baker, I toasted the walnuts and browned the butter, and am glad I did. It turned out super moist and yummy – much better than ordinary banana bread. Because my pan was a bit smaller than recommended, I added a few minutes to the baking time. I was out of honey, so used the rest of my monkfruit sweetener, which was only half the amount of honey in the recipe but was fine as far as sweetness goes, possibly because my bananas were way overripe.
Next time I will make a double recipe and maybe then I will have enough to freeze for later. : )
Hi JR! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Mmmmmm…..We loved these! So moist. I’m allergic to honey, so I used a honey substitute I make with allulose and subbed the brown sugar with Swerve brown sugar. Using the sugar alternatives, I had to lower the temp and extend the baking time. I also used whole wheat pastry flour in place of AP flour. So happy when a recipe can stand up to the adjustments my dietary needs require.
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I struggle with baking and these banana brownies turned out perfectly! They tasted as good as they do at a nice bakery. Thank you!
Hi Shelby! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made these on a whim, late on a Thursday evening because I had bananas to use. I doubled the recipe and made a 9×13 since we had visitors over the weekend. So glad that I did! These are DELICIOUS!!! The brown butter is next level and makes these decadent. Will definitely be making these again!
Hi Grace! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I have been baking for almost 60 years and haven’t messed up a recipe this much since I was a beginner. But, they were still delicious! Can’t wait to make the actual recipe as I am sure they will be wonderful. Thanks for all you do, Erin!
Thanks Barb!
Super easy to make and turned out absolutely perfect!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Thank you Maggie!