This recipe for Cranberry Banana Nut Bread is one of my favorite things to bake during the holiday season. When it’s sweet aroma fills my kitchen as it’s baking, it has a special way of giving me those warm and fuzzy feelings that only the Christmas season can bring. The tartness of the cranberries paired with the sweetness of the bananas makes a wonderful combination, and it’s absolutely delightful with a pad of butter smeared on top and a cup of coffee to go with it!
Little known fact about me: I do not like bananas. At all. You won’t ever find a banana pudding recipe or a banana cream pie here on Southern Made Simple. Even their smell bothers me. I have to turn my head away when I’m peeling one for my daughters to eat. Banana flavored things such as pudding or candies are also a hard pass for me. However, oddly enough, the one exception to my strange distaste for bananas is banana nut bread. And I don’t just like banana nut bread, I love it.
And when I get lucky enough to have a few bananas on the counter that my daughters are no longer interested, I know exactly what I’m going to make with them. Cranberries freeze decently, so this time of year when the grocery stores have plenty of them on hand, I like to buy extra and keep them in the freezer so that I can pull them out and bake with them throughout the first few months of the year.
This cranberry banana nut bread is perfectly moist with golden brown edges that have the perfect amount of “crunch.” This bread is great to bake and give to a loved one during the Christmas season, and it also freezes and thaws nicely if you’d like to bake extra!
Here’s a free printable copy of my recipe if you’d like to give it a try:
Cranberry Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter and sugar
- Add in mashed banana, eggs, yogurt and vanilla and stir until just combined
- Add in flour, baking soda and salt and stir until just combined - do not over stir
- Fold in cranberries and nuts
- Pour batter into a greased 5x9 loaf pan
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle of bread comes out clean
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Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to find more recipes featuring cranberries! If you’ve got some leftover from Thanksgiving, this bread is a perfect place to put those berries to good use!
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out these other great recipes found right here on Southern Made Simple!
Banana Nut Squash Bread | Soft & Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies | Cranberry Jalapeno Christmas Dip | No Bake Mini Cranberry Cheesecake Trifles | Cranberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake | Sugared Cranberries
Are you doing any special holiday baking this season? If so, I’d love to hear what you’ve got cookin’ in your kitchen! Drop a comment below and share what you’re making for the holidays. I hope you and your family truly have a happy, safe and wonderful Christmas season!