This Strawberry Banana Bread recipe is moist and delicious, made with ripe bananas and roasted strawberries, which brings out the sweetness of the berries.
Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread
Banana bread is one of my favorite quick breads. I make it for Madison all the time for breakfast, snack or dessert! I had some bananas that were turning brown, and I was really in the mood for banana bread, so I got to work creating a new quick bread recipe. This moist Strawberry Banana Bread is a delicious variation – perfect when strawberries are in season. You get the flavor of the strawberries in every bite of this moist banana bread. Some other healthy banana bread recipes I love are this Blueberry Banana Bread and Banana Cranberry Bread.
Ingredients
- Strawberries: Dice fresh strawberries.
- Bananas: Mash three ripe bananas – the riper, the better. You want the banana peel to have a lot of brown spots.
- Applesauce: Buy unsweetened applesauce or make homemade.
- Baking Soda helps the banana bread rise and keeps the texture light.
- Salt to balance the sweetness
- Butter: Let two tablespoons soften on the counter before baking. You can also microwave cold butter for a few seconds – just make sure it doesn’t melt.
- Light Brown Sugar: Measure out a half cup unpacked.
- Eggs: Separate two egg whites from the yolks. You can save the yolks for another use, like adding them to scrambled eggs.
- Vanilla Extract for better flavor
- White Whole Wheat Flour or all purpose flour
How to Make Strawberry Banana Bread
- Roast the Strawberries: Preheat the oven to 350°F, and roast the strawberries on a baking sheet for 25 minutes.
- Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, mashed bananas, applesauce, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until thick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine: Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and blend at low speed. Make sure not to over mix – it will make the bread tough. Fold in the strawberries and pour the batter into a loaf pan sprayed lightly with baking spray.
- Bake the banana bread for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool for 20 minutes before slicing or removing it from the pan.
Why You Should Roast the Strawberries
I initially attempted this recipe with fresh strawberries, but the strawberries released too much liquid while baking, making the bread a little too moist. Roasting the strawberries was the perfect solution. Most of the liquid dries out from roasting, and the berries become sweeter.
According to Healthline, strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and also contain decent amounts of folate (vitamin B9) and potassium.
How to Store and Freeze Strawberry Banana Bread
You can store the strawberry banana bread in an airtight container on the counter for one day, but it will last up to 7 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze the banana bread for up to 3 months. Slice the cooled bread, tightly wrap the individual pieces with plastic wrap or foil, and freeze in one large zip-locked bag. You can thaw the slices in the refrigerator or microwave for 30 to 45 seconds until warm.
Strawberry Banana Bread Variations:
- Muffins: Make strawberry banana bread muffins – bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Applesauce: If you don’t have any applesauce, substitute it with more bananas.
- Nuts: Add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Spices: Add a little cinnamon
- Fruit: Swap strawberries for raspberries or chocolate chips
More Banana Bread Recipes:
- Pumpkin Banana Bread with Pecans
- Chocolate Chip Banana Petite Loaves
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Banana Bread with Blueberries
- Banana Cranberry Bread
Strawberry Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups strawberries, diced
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour, or all purpose
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, not packed
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- baking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a loaf pan with baking spray.
- Place the strawberries on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, remove and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
- Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Add flour mixture and blend at low speed until combined, do not over mix.
- Fold in strawberries and pour batter into the prepared loaf pan; bake in the center rack for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.
Last Step:
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Notes
- Frozen Strawberries: Some people asked in the comments if they could use frozen strawberries. I’ve never tried it, but it’s certainly worth a try if fresh aren’t in season. I would thaw them first, and you may need to roast them a little longer to really dry them out. If you try it, comment below to let me know how it works!
- Muffins: Make strawberry banana bread muffins – bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Applesauce: If you don’t have any applesauce, substitute it with more bananas.
- Nuts: Add 1/3 cup chopped almonds or pecans.
- Spices: Add a little cinnamon.
