Moist and flavorful, this Maple Pecan Banana Bread blends ripe bananas, warm maple flavor, and crunchy pecans into one cozy loaf. Topped with a sweet maple glaze, this bread is perfect for freezing.
This recipe makes two big loaves of maple pecan banana bread, so you’ll have one to keep and one to share, or one to freeze for later.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: soft, moist banana bread with a buttery maple icing with crunchy pecans.
Ingredient Swap: use plain Greek yogurt or blended cottage cheese in place of the sour cream for extra protein.
Make Ahead: making this bread the night before allows the maple flavor to deepn overnight!
Top Tip: Be sure to use maple extract or flavoring instead of syrup to keep a rich, deep maple flavor.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love nuts in their baked goods (like Walnut Brownies) and those who cringe at the thought.
This Maple Banana Bread with pecans is for the nut lovers!
Pecans add crunch and nutty flavor to the moist Sour Cream Banana Bread base of this recipe, but that’s not the only thing that makes it a standout. If you always load up your pancakes with lots of syrup, you’re going to love the taste of this maple pecan banana bread!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The full ingredient list is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here are some highlights of important ingredients.
- Unsalted butter – Let this soften to room temperature. Learn more about How to Soften Butter quickly with my tips and tricks.
- Eggs – Set these out with the butter when it’s softening. Room temperature eggs hold more air when beaten, giving your banana bread a lighter texture.
- Maple flavoring – Maple flavoring or extract is key here. Using extract adds that flavor without affecting the rest of the recipe!
- Mashed bananas – The darker the banana, the sweeter the bread will be and the more natural banana flavor it will have. Use my tips on how to ripen bananas (quickly)!
- Sour cream – I use full-fat sour cream. You can swap in plain Greek yogurt if you’d like.
- Chopped pecans – Buy less expensive pecan pieces rather than pecan halves since you’ll be chopping them anyway.
How to Make Maple Pecan Banana Bread
Make the Batter:
- I prefer mashing the bananas prior to adding them to the batter.
- I not only line my loaf pans with parchment paper, but I also spray them with baking spray (or use my homemade cake release).
Glaze the Bread:
- Whisk the powdered sugar with maple flavoring and milk until smooth. If you’re using maple extract, the color may be less intense, but the flavor is still perfect.
- Pour the glaze over the loaves of bread. Sprinkle the tops with pecans. Let the glaze set before storing your maple pecan banana bread.
Tips and Tricks
- For a toasty flavor in the pecans, you can toast them for this recipe. Use my guide on how to toast pecans.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It’s better for there to be a few lumps or streaks of flour in the batter than to mix it too much; over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes for a tough, dense bread.
- Wrap the bread in foil and store at room temperature for up to a week or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Banana Bread Recipes
- If you love Nutella spread onto your banana bread, you’ll also love it baked INTO this Nutella Banana Bread!
- Add some tropical vibes to the mix with this Coconut Banana Bread recipe.
- When your summer garden gives you more zucchini than you know what to do with, this Zucchini Banana Bread is the perfect solution!
- For a super moist quick bread, this Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe can’t be beat.
- You can never have too many banana bread recipes! This Double Chocolate Banana Bread is my go-to when I want a banana bread that tastes like a dessert. Snickerdoodle Banana Bread has the flavor of the cookie in moist banana bread form!
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Maple Pecan Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bread
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons maple flavoring, see notes
- 2 cups mashed bananas, about 4 large ripe bananas
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For the Topping
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons maple flavoring
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch loaf pans with baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set these aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add in eggs and maple flavoring. Beat until well combined.
- Add in mashed bananas. Mix until creamy.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until combined. Fold in the sour cream and pecans.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes until toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean, with just crumbs.
- Remove bread from oven, allow to cool in pans about 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool bread completely on a wire rack.
- Once the bread is cooled, make the topping. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with maple flavoring and milk. Whisk until smooth (adding an extra Tablespoon of milk if needed).
- Pour glaze equally over both tops of cooled bread (pour slowly). Sprinkle immediately with pecans. Allow to set before storing.
Notes
- Sour cream can be substituted with plain greek yogurt if prefer.
- If you would rather use maple syrup in the bread, reduce eggs to 3, omit the flavoring, and add 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup instead. For the icing, omit the maple flavoring and milk and use 3-4 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup in its place.
- Maple syrup will taste delicious, but it will not be as strong of a flavor as the maple flavoring or extract.
- Storage- after the icing sets, wrap bread in foil and store at room temperature for up to one week.
- Freeze bread wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, for up to 3 months. You can also wrap bread then slide in ziploc freezer bag.
