Everyone loves homemade banana bread, whether a classic loaf or a fully decked-out banana bread recipe. Admittedly, this apple banana bread is one of our favorite variations! This recipe bakes up a tender, banana-y loaf with bites of tart apples, all topped with a sticky, salted, coconut-caramel glaze. With three different types of fruit, this apple banana bread takes the cake.
Apple Banana Bread Ingredients
- Bananas: You’ll need about four or five bananas for this recipe. Make sure they have brown spots all over them—those bananas are the ripest and sweetest!
- Apples: The best apples for baking are tart and crisp ones, such as Braeburn, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp. Avoid soft, mealy apples, as they’ll turn to mush when baking.
- Shredded coconut: There are several types of coconut to choose from: shredded, flaked or desiccated, sweetened or unsweetened. Be sure to double-check that the bag indicates the coconut is sweetened and shredded before buying it.
- Caramel sundae syrup: A premade caramel syrup from the store will keep things easy, although a homemade salted caramel sauce would knock this loaf even further out of the park.
Directions
Step 1: Stir together the banana mixture
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together the bananas, apples, sugars and water. Stir in the melted butter until everything is well combined.
Step 2: Add the flour mixture
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture just until everything is combined and no flour streaks remain.
Editor’s Tip: Avoid overmixing during this step as you could develop the gluten too much, creating a tough, dense bread loaf.
Step 3: Pour mixture into the loaf pan
Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
Editor’s Tip: Gently smooth the batter in the loaf using a mini offset spatula or butter knife or the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Bake the loaf
Bake the loaf until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes at room temperature. Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Step 5: Top with the coconut-caramel glaze
While the loaf is cooling, toast the coconut in a shallow pan at 350° until the coconut shreds are golden brown, four to six minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the coconut shreds cool slightly at room temperature.
In a small bowl, stir the coconut with the caramel sundae syrup and sea salt until well combined.
Spread the glaze over the cooled loaf.
Apple Banana Bread Variations
- Swap in pineapple: For sweeter bread, swap in cubed pineapple chunks for the apples. Pineapple has more moisture than apples, so toss the cubes in all-purpose flour before using them in this loaf.
- Sprinkle in spices: Try whisking 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg into the flour mixture. Warm spices like sweet cinnamon and bold nutmeg add depth to any fruity bread, plus bananas and apples seem to taste even sweeter with fall spices.
- Add nuts: For a loaded loaf, add chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or almonds. We recommend toasting the nuts first to bring out their rich, nutty flavor.
How to Store Apple Banana Bread
To store, allow the apple banana bread to cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the bread in storage wrap or aluminum foil, or place the loaf in an airtight container if you have one big enough. If you’ve already topped the bread with the coconut-caramel glaze, store the bread in the fridge for up to three days. If not, you can keep the bread at room temperature for up to five days.
Apple Banana Bread Tips
Do I have to use the shredded coconut?
No, you do not have to use shredded coconut for this apple banana bread! We love the tropical sweetness and slight crunch it adds to the topping, but feel free to omit it.
How can I ripen my bananas quickly?
Check out our guide on how to quickly ripen bananas. Whether you need your bananas ripened in a few days or in a minute(!), we’ve got you covered.
