What good southerner can resist anything named hummingbird? Moist and tender Hummingbird Banana Bread is loaded with sunny pineapples, ripe bananas, sweet coconut and buttery pecans. Just like the classic southern Hummingbird Cake, this dense quick bread will be your new favorite for a little taste of the tropics!
Get ready to whip up a little sunshine in your very own kitchen! Refreshing pineapple, sweet coconut and loads of rich, vanilla-ey ripe bananas create a wonderfully dense and aromatic quick bread that will have you dreaming of vacation. An island cousin to your favorite homemade banana bread recipe, a buttered slice of heaven has never tasted so good!
What Is Hummingbird Banana Bread
Based on one of Southern Living’s most popular cakes, the Hummingbird Cake- submitted to the magazine in 1978 by one Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina- this spin on banana bread is filled with all the same flavors- pineapple, banana and coconut. However, instead of a cream cheese icing, this irresistable bread is topped with a good dose of toasted coconut in order to maintain it’s official status as a bread.
What You Need To Make Hummingbird Bread
- vegetable or canola oil
- white & brown sugar- brown sugar adds a deeper flavor
- eggs
- vanilla
- flour
- baking soda– helps your bread rise
- salt
- ground cinnamon– a wonderful aromatic that enhances the tropical flavors
- crushed pineapple with juice
- ripe bananas
- sweetened flaked coconut
- chopped pecans
- sour cream– adds extra moistness
How To Make Hummingbird Bread
Mix the wet ingredients. This easy recipe starts with mixing the oil and sugars together. Then eggs and vanilla are added in.
Add the dry ingredients. Flour, baking soada, salt and cinnamon are mixed together in a separate bowl then added a little at a time to the wet base until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. The batter gets very thick and dough-like in this step, but it loosens back up in the next step.
Fold in the sunshine. This is the step when the magic happens. One at a time, fold in the sour cream, pineapples + juice, mashed bananas, coconut and pecans. Pour into a greased loaf pan and top with toasted coconut.
Bake. Sit back and relax for about an hour as the smells of island life fill your kitchen. Your bread is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Tips for Perfect Hummingbird Banana Bread
This recipe is all about maximizing the sunshine. Here are a few tips to get the most out of this Hummingbird Bread recipe.
- Bananas– When it comes to choosing your bananas for this recipe, the riper the better. And that’s good news for those spotted, brown bananas sitting on your counter. Overripe bananas tend to be sweeter and can have a honeyed, vanilla flavor which will shine in this recipe. Additionally, leave the bananas a little chunky when you mash them. This will help the banana flavor stand out too, as well as add to your bread’s hearty texture.
- Pineapple Juice– Many recipes will have you drain the juice away from your canned crushed pineapple. However, I think the juice infuses an extra bit of flavor. So the dry ingredients have been adjusted a little to accomodate the extra moisture of this flavor kick.
- Sweetened Coconut– Sweetened coconut has a more intense tropical flavor than unsweetened. Since that’s what this bread is all about, make sure to choose sweetened flaked, or shredded, coconut when purchasing your ingredients.
- Pecans– Pecans have a buttery richness that balances the sweet, tropical flavors of the fruit and are the traditional choice for this recipe. In a pinch, though, walnuts make a good substitute.
Storing & Freezing
Hummingbird Banana Bread can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months if wrapped tightly in a freezer proof material. Furthermore, it can be kept for up to 3 days in the refrigerator if covered or wrapped tightly.
Other Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love
- Standout Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Carrot Zuchinni Walnut Muffins
- Mamaw’s Fresh Apple Cake
- Lemon Supreme Monkey Bread
- Farmstyle Buttermilk Strawberry Muffins
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW!
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Hummingbird Banana Bread with Toasted Coconut
Ingredients
- 1/2 C vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 C white granulated sugar
- 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2.5 C flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 C sour cream
- 8 oz crushed pineapple, with juice
- 3-4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 3/4 C sweetened flaked or shredded coconut
- 1/3 C chopped pecans
- 1/2 C toasted sweetened flaked or shredded coconut, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray 9 inch loaf pan with non stick cooking spray. Toast 1/2 C coconut on baking sheet under oven broiler. Set aside.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, mix together oil and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
- In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add a little four mixture at a time to oil, sugar and eggs, mixing the batter all the while. Batter will become very thick during this step but will loosen up in the next.
- Fold in one at time: sour cream, pineapples with juice, bananas, coconut and chopped pecans. Using a rubber spatula, fill loaf pan with batter. Top evenly with 1/2 C toasted coconut.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in several places comes out clean. If toasted coconut begins to overbrown while bread is baking, cover loaf with foil.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from pan and serving.
Question about 3-4 medium bananas – Is that equal to 1cup or 1+ 1/2 cups or 2 cups mashed. The recipe looks good and I would like to make it.
Thank you.
Hi, Linda! It is equal to 1.5 C of mashed bananas. I am so excited you are making this recipe. Can’t wait to hear about it!
This bread has become one of my favorites! It has just the right touch of sweetness and is perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea or sharing with friends. It’s also very easy to make with things I normally have on hand anyway. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Carol!
Your comment absolutely made my day because I feel the exact same way about this bread! Not to mention that I adore pineapple wih coconut. I am so glad you are making and sharing this bread with others.
This recipe sounds so good and hubby wants me to make it this weekend. My one question, do you toast the coconut before topping the bread with it or does the coconut toast while the bread is baking?
Hi, Kelly! I am so excited you are making this recipe! The coconut is toasted before the bread is baked. See the recipe card at the very bottom of the post for exact instructions.
Looking forward to hearing all about it!
Moist and tender Hummingbird Banana Bread is loaded with sunny pineapples, ripe bananas, sweet coconut and buttery pecans. Just like the classic southern Hummingbird Cake, this dense quick bread will be your new favorite for a little taste of the tropics!