Blackberry Banana Bread

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This banana blackberry bread brings a summer twist to a classic recipe! Over-ripe bananas keep this quick bread loaf moist for a delicious, lightly sweetened slice that's perfect as a quick breakfast or cozy summer snack.

This hearty banana bread is packed with fresh summer blackberries.

When I first pitched this recipe to our taste testers, the most common reaction was...confusion. I get it: Banana bread feels like a distinct category, and blackberries may seem like an unusual addition. (Fortunately, it only took a few bites of this bread to make believers out of everyone).

Fresh blackberries - which tend to be more tart than sweet - provide a nice contrast to the natural sweetness of the over-ripe bananas here.

Like most of our quick breads, this recipe walks the line between sweet and savory: We wanted it to feel hearty and wholesome, without crossing the line into cake. (If you're after a sweeter option, add a sweet lemon glaze to this loaf or try our lemon zucchini bread!)

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Ingredients overview
Variations and Substitutions
Step by step instructions
Storage
FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients overview

Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.

Over-ripe bananas. Look for bananas with lots of browning on the peels and a slightly squishy feel. Ripe, brown bananas are sweeter than their bright yellow counterparts, which impacts the loaf's final flavor. They're also easier to mash, which yields a smoother batter.
Fresh blackberries are folded into the banana bread batter. If you'd like smaller berry pieces, you can slice or muddle the berries.
If you can, let the egg and milk come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before you start baking. Room temperature ingredients incorporate more smoothly into the batter, giving you a more even texture and a higher rise.

Use a kitchen scale

Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. Because each person fills a cup of flour a little bit differently, it's easy to accidentally use too much in a recipe and end up with dry, dense bread.

But when you use a kitchen scale to measure by weight (in grams), you get a perfect measurement every time. So if you have a kitchen scale, please use it! (No kitchen scale? Measure ingredients like flour with the scoop and level method for best results!)

Variations and Substitutions

Add mix-ins like chopped baking chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, or toasted nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans).
Swap the melted butter for vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil.
Add toppings like our simple streusel crumb topping (before baking) or a lemon glaze (after the bread is cooled) for a touch of sweetness.

Step by step instructions

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl until they're fairly smooth, then whisk in the wet ingredients (an egg, melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar).

Add the dry ingredients — sugar, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt — and stir until the batter is about halfway combined.

Add blackberries, and stir until you have a uniform batter with no remaining dry flour. We like to lightly mash a few of the berries as we stir this batter together for more even berry distribution.

Note: If you prefer, you can mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add the blended flour mixture to the batter. In our testing, this didn't make a significant difference.

Transferring batter to prepared loaf pan.

Transfer the batter into a 9x5" metal loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Use a fork or a spatula to spread it into a relatively even layer.

Bake in a preheated oven until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let your banana bread cool in the pan for a few minutes, then use the parchment paper to carefully lift the whole loaf onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Serve blackberry bread on its own or top with butter, honey, and your favorite jam. This bread is also great with a drizzle of blackberry rum sauce!

Pro Tip: Don't skip the wire cooling rack! If the bread cools completely in the pan, it can stick to the parchment paper and develop a chewy texture along the sides.

One slice of blackberry banana bread on a cutting board.

Storage

Store cooled, sliced banana bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don't love freezing this bread, as it can alter the texture of the blackberries. Reheat refrigerated slices in the microwave or a toaster oven until warmed through if you like.

For freezer-friendly banana bread, try our chocolate chunk banana bread or whole wheat banana bread recipes!

FAQs

Can I make this recipe into muffins?

Yes! You can bake this blackberry banana bread recipe in a muffin pan. You will need to adjust the bake time: we recommend checking muffins for doneness starting around 20-25 minutes and adding time as needed (for more guidance on great muffins, check out our banana chocolate chip muffins or apple butter muffins!)

Why does this recipe call for baking soda AND baking powder?

Baking soda and baking powder are an important duo: Baking soda reacts with a bit of acid (in this case, apple cider vinegar and a touch of baking powder) to make the bread rise. The soda + powder combo also helps baked goods brown, which gives our moist banana bread a richer, deeper color. (See this technique in action in our Banana Muffins, Apple Butter Coffee Cake, and Pumpkin Bread!)