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I will never tire of brown butter, and apparently neither will you! This brown butter banana bread is off-the-charts delicious and is so easy to make. I added cottage cheese to the bread to help pump up the protein and add moisture. You don’t need to blend it, and I promise you won’t notice it in the final product. Cottage cheese has been having a serious moment on the internet these days, and it’s showing up in a bunch of my recipes. It’s kind of crazy that when I was a vegan I was missing out on so much protein and probiotics per tablespoon – you truly don’t need a lot of cottage cheese to reap the benefits of it!
As you all know, I have been reducing my sugar intake and increasing my protein and it seems you are all trying to do the same. Menopause is gnarly and very real; this has been my experience at least and making these small changes to my diet has made a big impact. I love reducing the sugar in my baked goods. Why? Because I have a major sweet tooth and don’t want to give it up. My rule is that as long as I make it I get to eat it. Having control of your blood sugar is so important especially at this time of our lives. What goes into our bodies and onto our bodies makes the biggest difference!
You may have noticed that my recipes are no longer gluten-free. When I separated, I decided to cut that cord too. I realized a few years ago (after being gf for 10 years!) that I didn’t have issues with gluten. Well, now that I don’t NEED to be gluten free, I am happily NOT. Don’t fret, I have so many gluten free recipes on my website, and they aren’t going anywhere – also nowadays gluten free all purpose flour is so amazing that you pretty much can swap it in this recipe or any of them without any issue! Happy Baking!
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this banana bread with brown butter. Each ingredient has its purpose, and a few of them might surprise you:
Start by placing a stick of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. As the butter begins to melt, stir continuously with a rubber spatula, gently swirling the pan. The butter will foam and start to smell toasty. After about a minute, you’ll notice brown specks forming underneath the foam — that’s the milk solids browning. Once the butter turns golden with amber flecks and gives off a rich, nutty aroma, remove it from the heat immediately.
Keep swirling the pan off the heat for a few seconds to let the butter finish browning evenly. Let it cool to room temperature before using. If it’s still slightly warm, that’s totally fine.
Pro tip: Brown butter can burn fast, so keep a close eye on it and don’t walk away from the stove.
Making this Brown Butter Banana Bread is so easy. Just start by preheating your oven to 375°F and lining a standard loaf tin with parchment paper. Grease it well to make sure your loaf releases easily once baked.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas and whisk them together with the coconut sugar and cooled brown butter. The mixture should look smooth and glossy.
Add the eggs, cottage cheese, and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until everything is fully combined. The cottage cheese will blend right in – I promise you won’t notice it! In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (if using), and sea salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until no dry patches remain.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin. Smooth out the top and draw a line down the center using your spatula; this helps create that signature crack on top of the loaf as it bakes. Place in the oven and bake for 45–55 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly, loosely tent the loaf with foil around the 25-minute mark.
Check the loaf at 45 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
This butter banana bread stays fresh and moist for days:
Yes, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The results will be very similar.
If your bananas aren’t ripe yet, here’s how to speed things up:
You don’t have to, but you really should. The brown butter is what elevates this from regular banana bread to something crave-worthy. It’s the little step that makes a big difference.
Yes! Brown your butter, cool it completely, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, let it come to room temperature or gently warm it until it’s pourable.
Honestly a few things, overripe bananas make a difference! When you use bananas that are really yellow without a single speckle of brown, they aren’t ready, and they don’t have the same amount of moisture. The addition of cottage cheese is also a big moisture factor in this recipe. It’s amazing because it acts like yogurt or mayonnaise that many people put into their banana breads but it’s a much healthier option. And last but not least of course, the butter! One important thing to ensure you make moist banana bread is to avoid overmixing and measure your flour correctly. Overbaking can also dry it out, so check it early and tent with foil if needed.
I cannot think of a single reason why you wouldn’t love a brown butter banana bread! It’s rich, moist, and deeply flavorful, thanks to the browned butter and ripe bananas. No blender or mixer is required, just a little elbow grease. This recipe is intentionally high-protein and low-sugar without the use of any refined sugars and no protein power – just whole ingredients. Also it’s super fun to customize, if you’re a fan of chocolate chips add a few or even walnuts for a slight crunch and texture.
If you’ve got bananas on the counter, don’t stop here:
Food Photographer and Recipe Developer based in Toronto, Canada.
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*Macros are provided as an estimate for convenience. Your final numbers will vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and how you portion the recipe.
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14 Responses
For banana bread would like to know nutritional values per slice instead of per loaf.
thanks
Hey Margaret – the macros per slice will depend on how large or small you cut the slices – you will want to divide the amount of the whole loaf against how many slices you make. It’s a choose your own adventure because I don’t know how you want to cut it!
Making this today but no amount of cinnamon in the recipe. please advise. thanks!
Hi! 1tsp of cinnamon is perfect. Thank you for catching that mistake. I have fixed the recipe 🙂
SO delicious. The house smells good and the banana bread was devoured by two adults and two kids in under an hour. It’s a no-brainer that this will become a family favourite.
Hey Kristie! I love to read this – so happy that everyone enjoyed the banana bread so much 🙂 I can’t wait for you to make it again!!! It’s addictive!
Absolutely delicious!! I’ve never had the brown butter version of banana bread before and I luv it! Also appreciate that you added cottage cheese for an extra punch of protein! Definitely a keeper!! Thank you!! 😊
So happy to read that you enjoyed this brown butter banana bread!! It definitely is a spin from the classic, but has the much needed protein and who doesn’t love brown butter! Thanks so much for giving it a try and taking the time to review!
So good and fluffy and the perfect sweetness in my humble opinion!
Thank you so much for taking the time to rate and review! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Delish, fluffy, not too sweet. Just the way I like baking!!
So happy you enjoyed this banana bread recipe! It’s definitely a favourite of mine 🙂 Appreciate you taking the time to rate and review!
Hey there! Making this today but unnoticed in your written explanations it said oven temp to 350, then in the actual recipe, it says 375. I’m going with the 350 since my oven heats so hot, but just wanted to point that out. Can’t wait to eat it!
Hey Mary! Thanks so much for making note of this. I’ve updated the body of the blog to match the recipe card but I would love to know how 350 turned out for you! My new oven also runs hot so I likely would bake at 350 as well 🙂