Pineapple Banana Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
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Soft, moist, lightly sweet Pineapple Banana Bread bakes up with a wonderful crisp top, and tastes like a tropical paradise! You’ll love this buttery, tender loaf cake made with crushed pineapple and sweet mashed bananas.

A Juicy, Tropical Twist on Traditional Banana Bread

As you guys know, I’m a big fan of using bananas in baking. From cake to pudding, there’s basically no baked good that isn’t even better with mashed bananas! They add richness and sweetness, and while a plain banana might not be the most exciting snack, their flavor is just amazing when baked up in a recipe.

Banana bread, of course, is the ultimate way to bake with bananas. I have already shared my favorite recipes for Brown Sugar Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, and Salted Caramel Banana Bread. But this pineapple banana bread is on a whole different level. Adding tart, juicy pineapple to basic banana bread creates this hummingbird-cake-like flavor that is utterly irresistible! This is one for the books, people.

The ingredients for pineapple banana bread, measured and arranged on a table.

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Pineapple banana bread is a wholesome snack that’s made with crushed pineapple, mashed banana, and a few other basic baking ingredients. Nothing fancy, but so delicious! Here’s the list. (Need the complete recipe? Just scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card with ingredient amounts, nutrition facts, and directions.)

  • Flour: Regular all-purpose flour makes a moist, tender loaf that’s not too chewy.
  • Rising Agents: Using both baking powder and baking soda helps the bread rise both when mixed and when baked.
  • Salt
  • Sugar: A mix of brown sugar and regular granulated sugar gives the recipe a very slight molasses flavor, just enough to add interest without being overwhelming.
  • Butter: Salted butter, at room temperature.
  • Eggs: Large, whole eggs, plus extra egg yolks for richness.
  • Mashed Banana: Mash up enough ripe bananas to make one cup of mashed banana. (This is about two medium bananas – more if they’re smaller, less if they’re bigger.)
  • Sour Cream: Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt may be used instead.
  • Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or a scraped vanilla bean.
  • Crushed Pineapple: Drain the juice before using the pineapple in this recipe.

When Should You Not Use Bananas for Bread?

So you may have some extremely ripe bananas sitting around, and you’re wondering, “Are these gone for good?” Well, they might be way too ripe to eat as a snack, but they are probably still fine for baking!

As a rule of thumb, if the banana isn’t moldy or liquidy, then it’s fine for adding to a banana bread recipe. I recommend using bananas that are fairly soft and well-speckled with brown spots, or even bananas that are basically fully browned.

Overhead view of pineapple banana bread on a table with a cup of crushed pineapple, a banana, and a glass of milk.

How to Make Pineapple Banana Bread

Like most quick bread recipes, this one is, well, quick! It’s so easy to throw together a warm, tender loaf of this sweet, satisfying pineapple banana bread.

  • Get Ready to Bake. To start, you will want to preheat the oven to 350°F. That way, the unbaked bread can go right into the hot oven. Next, spray a loaf pan with baking spray or grease it with oil. Set the pan aside while you make the bread batter.
  • Combine the Dry Ingredients. Measure your flour, baking powder, and salt carefully into a medium-sized mixing bowl, and give them a light whisk to combine.
  • Combine the Wet Ingredients. Next, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a big mixing bowl. Beat these ingredients with a hand mixer until well-combined and light. (You can also use a stand mixer for this.) Mix in the eggs, and then mix in the banana, sour cream, and vanilla. Finally, beat in the crushed pineapple.
  • Mix the Wet and Dry Ingredients Together. Take the smaller bowl of dry ingredients, and add them to the larger bowl of wet ingredients. Mix on low speed (if you use high speed the flour will go everywhere!). Stop mixing when the flour is just incorporated. If you over-mix the batter, the bread will turn out dense and crumbly.
  • Bake the Pineapple Banana Bread. Scrape the batter into your greased loaf pan, and put it in the oven to bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Since this bread is very moist, it takes quite a while to bake through. But it’s worth it! You will know the bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs) and the loaf is golden on top.
  • Cool and Enjoy! Take the bread out of the oven and place it onto a wire cooling rack to cool down completely. Once it’s fully cooled, slice it into inch-thick slices and enjoy!
A baked quick bread loaf in a pan.

Baker’s Notes

Check out these handy tips for making the perfect loaf of pineapple banana bread. This sweet, light, fruity bread is sure to be a favorite.

  • Easy Lifting: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side, to help with an easy removal of the baked bread.
  • Scraping Down the Mixing Bowl: When mixing up the batter, stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. This will ensure that all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Salted Butter: Unsalted butter may be used instead. If you use unsalted butter, make sure to add 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt to the batter with the dry ingredients.
  • Apple Pineapple Bread: Unsweetened applesauce can be used instead of banana, if you like! This will change the flavor of the bread, of course, making a lighter, apple-y loaf that’s not quite as rich.
  • Browning: If you check on the bread and realize that it is browning too fast, you can loosely tent the top with foil to prevent further browning while it finishes baking.
A loaf of pineapple banana bread cooling on the countertop.

Recipe Variations

What else can you do with a loaf of pineapple banana bread? Here are a few easy ideas for adding to the recipe and creating even more flavor. Enjoy!

  • Add Nuts: A sprinkling of chopped walnuts or pecans would be amazing with this bread. Either add them to the batter, or sprinkle on top – either way would be fantastic.
  • Glaze the Loaf: Pineapple banana bread is already sweet, but you could drizzle it with glaze for a pretty finish and even more sweetness. I recommend the lemon glaze from this Lemon Bread recipe. It’s mouthwateringly good!
  • Add Cinnamon: Sprinkle in half a teaspoon (or more, to taste) ground cinnamon for a warm, Christmassy feel to this fruity quick bread.
Breaking a piece off of a loaf cake.

Storing Pineapple Banana Bread

For the best results, place leftover pineapple banana bread into an airtight container or baggie, and store them at room temperature for about four days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. It should stay moist, fresh, and tasty if you keep it well-wrapped!

Does Pineapple Banana Bread Freeze Well?

The high moisture content in this bread makes it a good-but-not-great candidate for freezing, so I prefer to keep mine in the fridge or on the counter instead. However, you can freeze it, wrapped tightly in a double layer of foil or plastic wrap, for up to three months.

Close-up shot of pineapple banana bread sliced into one-inch-thick slices.
4.7 from 17 votes
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Yield: 9 Slices

Pineapple Banana Bread

Sweet Pineapple Banana Bread bakes up with a crisp golden top, and tastes like tropical paradise! You'll love this buttery, tender loaf cake.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup salted butter, room temp
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs + 2 yolks
  • 1 cup mashed banana
  • cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • cup drained crushed pineapple

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium speed with a hand mixer until whipped and well combined.
  • Add in the eggs and mix until just incorporated. Next, add in the banana, sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine. Add in crushed pineapple and mix to incorporate.
  • Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
  • Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf tin and place into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the loaf is golden on top. (If your bread is browning more than you like, you can cover the top with foil to prevent further browning.)
  • Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  • Storage: For the best results, place leftover pineapple banana bread into an airtight container or baggie, and store at room temperature for about four days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  • Easy Lifting: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side, to help with an easy removal of the baked bread.
  • Scraping Down the Mixing Bowl: When mixing up the batter, stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. This will ensure that all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Salted Butter: Unsalted butter may be used instead. If used, add 1⁄4 tsp of salt to the recipe.
  • Mashed Banana: Unsweetened applesauce can be used instead. This will change the flavor of the bread of course, making it more lightly apple flavored than banana flavored.
  • Sour Cream: Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt may be used instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 378kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 428mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 33g

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.