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Maple Banana Bread

Maple banana bread with a warm amber crust and soft, tender crumb—real maple syrup perfumes every slice. This easy banana loaf bakes golden and is brushed with warm syrup for a classic fall banana bread feel.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas
butter and sweetener
  • 0.333 cup butter, melted
  • 0.5 cup pure maple syrup
  • extra maple syrup for brushing
wet ingredients
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp salt
nuts
  • 0.5 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Mix the batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla into the mashed bananas until smooth.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until just combined, keeping the batter thick.
  3. Fold in chopped pecans or walnuts so they’re evenly distributed through the crumb.
Bake and glaze
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60–70 minutes, until the loaf is deep golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Immediately brush the top with 1–2 tablespoons of warm maple syrup while still hot to create a glossy, amber finish.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before unmolding so the loaf sets cleanly.

Notes

For best texture, mash bananas until mostly smooth with a few small lumps, then stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients disappear to keep the crumb soft. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 2–3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze sliced portions for up to 3 months. For a lower-sugar option, replace part of the maple syrup with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce (keep the full baking soda amount) so the loaf stays tender without changing the bake time much.