Matcha Banana Bread with Brown Butter

This marble Matcha Banana Bread is a colorful twist to my delicious and more classic brown butter banana bread recipe. It is dense yet moist, with a deep flavor from the brown butter, and a hint of earthiness from the matcha green tea.

You may have noticed I make all of my banana breads with brown butter – like this lemon banana bread and even in this chocolate banana bread if you wanted to. Sure, it’s an extra step, but it enhances the banana flavor so much that I can’t help but use brown butter in this Matcha Banana Bread recipe too. Trust me, once you try it, you can’t go back to regular butter in banana bread. 

Not only does the deep flavor of brown butter goes really well with banana, and gives the bread this nutty flavor even without using any nuts in the batter. Also, I chose to do marble Matcha swirls instead of a full Matcha banana bread to add hints of earthiness but not too overpowering Matcha flavor.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:

1. Banana – mashed banana is obviously the star ingredient in this matcha banana bread recipe and cannot be substituted. It is best to use very ripe bananas for maximum flavor.

2. Butter – not just any butter, we’ll use brown butter here to enhance the flavor even further. 

3. Egg – I’m using 2 eggs in this recipe.

4. Vanilla – pure vanilla extract is used to enhance the flavor even though our main flavor will be banana and matcha. Vanilla adds a more complex flavor profile 

5. Sugar – I love using brown sugar in banana bread for additional flavor depth and richness. But if you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute granulated sugar 1 to 1. Dark or light brown sugar will both work.

6. Flour – I use all purpose flour. If you want to make this gluten free, try Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur gluten free flour. Readers have successfully substituted gluten free flour in some other recipes. However, I have not tried it with this particular recipe.

7. Leavening agents – I use both baking soda and baking powder. The baking soda will be activated by the acidity in the brown sugar, so if you’re not using brown sugar in this recipe, replace baking soda with baking powder.

8. Salt – I always use kosher salt in all my recipes. If using table salt, use half as much.

9. Matcha powder – I’m using culinary matcha powder for cooking and baking, from a Japanese grocery store, but the Amazon version linked here is the exact brand I use. There is no need to use a more expensive version. But make sure you’re not using a matcha green tea mix which may already be sweetened. 

How to make Matcha banana bread

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

1. First, make the brown butter and allow it to cool.
2. Mash the bananas with a potato masher and add eggs, vanilla extract, along with the cooled brown butter and beat until smooth.
3. Add brown sugar and mix until combined.

4. In a small mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and stir in the salt. Add flour mixture to the liquid mixture.
5. Fold with a spatula until a chunky batter forms. It’s okay if you have a few streaks of flour left in the batter. 
6. Divide the batter into two bowls, and sift matcha powder into one bowl.

7. Mix the matcha powder into half the batter, quickly, until combined. Note: try not to over mix here.
8. Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to drop batter into a buttered and lined loaf pan, alternate the color.
9. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. 

Testing notes: adding matcha to the whole thing

If you prefer to make a whole Matcha banana bread instead of a marble matcha banana bread, you can absolutely do so. I tested a version using 2 tablespoons of matcha in the entire batter, instead of 1 tablespoon of matcha in half the batter for the marble swirls. I thought the final matcha flavor was too strong for my taste but you could certainly use 1 or 2 tablespoons of matcha for your entire loaf.

If you’re going to add matcha to the entire batch, you don’t need to divide the batter into two. Simply add the matcha powder with all of the dry ingredients in step 4 and fold it into the wet ingredients. This will simplify the process a bit as well.  

Variations and add-ins

The flavors of banana, brown butter, and matcha shine in this matcha banana bread. There is no need for any extra spices and add-ins. But you can customize your banana bread to your heart’s desire, try adding:

• White chocolate chips since they go well with matcha, especially if you increase the amount of matcha and add it to the entire loaf. I think the white chocolate chips will cut the bitterness of the matcha.
• Semi or milk chocolate will also work in this case.
• Chopped walnuts or pecans for a little crunch and texture like these Banana Nut Muffins or this Pecan Banana Bread.
• Coconut will give this recipe a fun tropical twist like this Banana Coconut Loaf.

More baker’s tips

• How to “ripen” bananas quickly – obviously overripe bananas are preferred for this matcha banana bread. But if your bananas aren’t ripe yet, and you want to use them right away, you could “ripen” them in the oven until their peel turns black. Set the oven at 300F and bake the bananas with peels on for 20-40 minutes.
• Always keep ripe bananas in the freezer – One thing I do to make sure I always have ripe bananas on hand is to freeze any leftover overripe bananas I don’t use. I peel them, and wrap them individually in plastic before storing them in a freezer bag. When using frozen bananas, simply thaw the frozen bananas and mash them.
• Measure twice, mix once – if you use too much flour in your batter, your bread will turn out dry, so measure properly.
• Don’t over mix – banana bread is typically very dense but it should still be moist. if your bread is dense and dry, you may have over mixed the batter. 
• Don’t over bake – when testing the doneness, your toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out with a few crumbs attached. If it comes out completely dry, you may have already over baked your bread.

Storage

Store leftover banana bread slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If the weather is particularly warm, refrigerate your banana bread and warm it in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds before serving.

Refrigerated banana bread will last 1 week. Beyond that, they won’t taste as fresh, and I recommend you freeze them instead.

Freezing instructions

Banana bread freezes really well. I like to slice it into individual slices first, then wrap them tightly in plastic and store in a freezer bag. You can defrost individual pieces for your enjoyment anytime the mood strikes. 

Frozen banana bread will last 3-4 months. Beyond that, it will still be safe to eat but it may start to develop freezer burn or just don’t taste as fresh.

Serving suggestions

• If you want matcha on matcha, serve this bread with a mug of homemade matcha latte.
• Matcha also goes well with coffee, believe it or not, so serve it up with a glass of Vietnamese iced coffee on a hot afternoon for a refreshing treat.
• When I needed a quick dessert, I defrosted previously frozen matcha banana bread, topped them with homemade whipped cream and strained mixed berry compote. Even the kids loved it!
• Leftovers are also fantastic for making Banana Bread French Toast!

More delicious quick bread

• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Orange Cranberry Bread
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• Spiced Zucchini Bread
• Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

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Matcha Banana Bread

By Trang

This marble Matcha Banana Bread is a fun twist to the delicious classic banana bread recipe. It is dense yet moist, with a deep flavor from the brown butter, and a hint of earthiness from the matcha green tea.

Servings: 9 slices

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Saucepan
• Loaf Pan

Ingredients 

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• ▢ 4 oz unsalted butter, 113 g, brown
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cup mashed bananas, 320 g, about 2 ½ to 3 bananas depending on size
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup light brown sugar, 150 g, lightly packed
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 230 g
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon matcha powder, 5 g
• ▢ Melted butter for pan

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Instructions 

• To brown butter, heat unsalted butter in a light color saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty, turn off the heat and set aside to cool. This will take approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Brush a loaf pan with some melted butter and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the sides. Brush the parchment paper with more butter. Set aside.
• Mash the banana with a potato masher and add the cooled brown butter to it. Whisk together to combine.
• Add brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and beat until smooth.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in the kosher salt. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and fold until just combined.
• Transfer half of the batter into another bowl. Sift in the matcha powder and fold to combine the matcha into the batter as quickly as you can.
• Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to drop batter into the prepared loaf pan, alternate the color.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
• Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and let it cool further on a wire rack.

Notes

• Use ripe bananas for the best flavor.
• Frozen bananas will also work, simply thaw and mash.
• If you don’t have ripe bananas, you can “ripen” them in the oven. See Tips and FAQs section for more info.
• Banana bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for up to a week, and frozen for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 104g, Calories: 300kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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