I love banana bread and adding strawberries to an already good thing makes it that much better.
When I saw a recipe for Strawberry Bread at Evan’s Eat Laugh Love for my Secret Recipe Club of the month assignment, I knew I wanted to play around with that recipe and see what I could come up with, and this was the lucky loaf.
If there’s one thing I despise, it’s dry baked goods. Muffins and bread can be among the worst offenders in the dry baked goods category, so I was especially careful to make sure this bread stayed moist.
I did that by adding some brown sugar because brown sugar tends to keep baked goodies moist. There’s a handy chart here about what to add and incorporate for chewy, soft, and moist cookies.
And bananas make anything moist and dense and such was the case with this loaf.
Don’t you just want to bite off the very top layer?
It’s the muffin top principle. Eat the muffin tops because they’re so moist, packed with flavor, and best part of the muffin, and then pawn off the remainder of the muffin onto less-clued in others, like my husband, who isn’t quite the moisture-content-connoisseur that I am.
I promise the entire loaf of bread tastes like a muffin top, so you don’t have to go cherry-picking off the best parts.
Or strawberry-picking, or banana-picking, in this case.
When the strawberries baked, not only did they make my house smell amazing, but they released a bit of moisture, also helping to create a really moist, luscious loaf.
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Strawberry Banana Bread (with Gluten-Free & Vegan suggestions)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium banana, divided (mash half – about 1/4 cup mashed banana; slice the other half – about 10 thin slices)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries, diced (I used TJ’s frozen strawberries, thawed and diced; or try mixed berries)
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan by either lining it with foil, allowing for overhang to easily lift out the bread or by spraying well with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon and stir to combine. Slice a banana in half and mash one half with a fork and slice the other half into thin discs. Add the mashed banana to the dry ingredients and stir. Add the oil, beaten egg white, vanilla and stir until just combined. Gently fold in 3/4 cup strawberries. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with 1/4 cup strawberries and banana slices, pressing them very gently into the surface of the batter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean (Depending on moisture content bananas and berries, cooking times may vary from 40 to 50 minutes). Allow bread to cool before removing it from the pan. Slice and serve as is, or add butter, cream cheese, jelly, or frosting, if desired. Store extra bread in an airtight container on the countertop or store in the freezer for up to three months.
Notes: I suspect you could use this batter as muffin batter. I’d bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F and start watching them closely from there. To keep gluten free, use GF flour. To keep vegan, replace the egg white with a chia/flax egg, egg replacer, or add extra banana or applesauce.
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This bread was very quick to make. A true quick bread.
And it’s almost vegan, shy of one little beaten egg white, which I’m sure could be omitted and replaced with a bit of extra banana, applesauce, or a flax egg.
I hate flimsy, thin little slices of bread that break, crumble, and don’t hold their shape from plate to mouth, so I sliced this bread nice and thick.
There’s that muffin top principle again.
Even though there are bananas and strawberries woven into the bread, it’s the slices of bananas and strawberry pieces layered on top of the loaf that are so tempting.
I love butter on bread. Who doesn’t?
But this bread was so moist that it didn’t even need to be buttered. Not that I would have complained with a pat of butter placed on warm bread or anything, but it was good enough that Skylar and I inhaled half the loaf the minute the pictures were done, sans butter.
Related banana recipes:
Peanut Butter Banana Bread (Vegan, GF)
Banana Crepes Roll-Ups (Raw, Vegan, GF)
Cinnamon Raisin Banana Oatmeal Muffins (Vegan, GF)
Banana Nut Muffins (Vegan, GF)
I also have a banana recipes post highlighting some of my favorite recipes using bananas.
And if you like fruit in baked goods, try these Mango and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
this looks amazing! fabulous pictures!!
Tripping out a little bit. I JUST took some banana chocolate chip muffins out of the oven for the boys after school snack. Must be banana bread day! I love the idea of strawberry banana bread. Never tried it…definitely need to!
We could swap kitchens some days I think. We are always on the same wavelength!
yum!! i love the strawberry + banana combo. it’s one of my favorite yogurt flavors too.
I used to eat strawberry + banana yogurt as a kid all the time!
Your so right, dry baked goods is the worst! This banana bread looks incredible! So moist and delicious!
Oh I love the idea of slicing bananas on the top! I think I’ll need to do that the next time I make banana bread. Great SRC choice!
Totally in love with these Strawberry Banana! :)
That. Bread. Looks. Perfect.
Oh what a good pick Averie!!! LOVE how moist this bread looks. You really can’t go wrong with banana and strawberry.
Thanks, Heather! And been loving your instagram progress pics with your bun :)
I totally eat the top off my quick breads. And I also pawn the rest off on my husband. Or I’ll cut us both a slice but by the time his is put in front of him, the top was already eaten off. Hey, I slaved away making the bread, I should get to eat the part I want :). And honestly, I don’t even think he knows what hes missing since I do it every time, he may have never even tasted how good the top is! Or he is just a really good husband and pretends he doesnt care.
That’s what husbands are for, and I’m convinced mine also has no idea what he’s missing. lol
Wow, wow, and wow! Oh, yes, I do love me some butter on bread! The real deal, no margarine. Yum!
Never had bread with strawberries… it sounds amazing, especially with banana!
try it! so good!
Lovely banana bread ~ it’s the best way to use ripe bananas and I really like how you’ve added strawberries to it :) Yum! Thanks for sharing!
looks delicious, and for some reason, I’ve never thought about adding strawberries to banana bread! However, I just added strawberries to my banana ice cream I made :) So I guess we are on the same wave length there! Stop by and check out my SRC post https://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/2012/03/one-ingredient-banana-ice-cream.html
These look so most! I love a banana and strawberry combination!
I LOVE banana bread and I used to make a really awesome one before I went gluten-free. I haven’t been able to find the right combination of flours to make anything decent. Although your peanut butter banana bread cake is just plain awesome. I don’t know if anything can top that. But these pictures are sure tempting!
The banana bread I linked in this post is pretty much the same recipe as the cake you speak so highly of :)
And you should try this strawberry bread and maybe underbake it by a touch, or keep a close eye on it, b/c GF flours are prone to getting to dry!~
I always put sliced bananas on top of the bread like that too – so delicious. They get all caramleixzed and gooey and really help the bread retain the moistness that is necessary for a good bread.
I only bake with strawberries every so often, because they seem to turn everything an unfortunate shade of brownish green. Maybe I’m doing something wrong though, because yours look great!
all caramleixzed and gooey and really help the bread retain the moistness <--- YES And I never have had the brown/green issue. I know that sunflower seed butter can turn things green but I've never had that issue come up so I think you're safe!