Crushed pineapple adds sweetness to this super moist, flavorful banana bread that’s perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast, a satisfying snack or even a light dessert.

Nothing said Quarantine Kitchen in the early months of 2020, quite like sourdough and banana bread.

I fell into the latter camp. (still working on my sourdough thanks to some sourdough baking friends, with starter to share and unlimited patience…and hopefully unlimited texting…so many questions…)

For a few weeks, as I ordered groceries and over ordered fruit, I had a never-ending supply of brown, over-ripe bananas to use. And since I had an abundance of time on my hands, why not try some new recipes!?

I adapted this banana bread recipe from a recipe for Hummingbird Cake. At the end of the day, it could totally pass for a cake, but I find if the recipe is called “bread” then it more acceptable as a breakfast food.

Key Ingredients

The main players in Pineapple Banana Bread are:

Bananas – You need to use RIPE bananas. If they’re still ok to eat on your breakfast cereal, wait a couple more days.
Pineapple – Make sure you have a can of crushed pineapple, canned in juice. If you notice any large pieces of pineapple, you can run it through a food processor or blender to break it down further.

Pineapple Banana Bread measure bananas — Please, for the love of all things baking, measure ALL ingredients…including the mashed bananas.

The Process

When baking, measuring is (usually) important.

(I’ll admit, I measure chocolate chips for cookies, with my heart…)

When making this recipe, make sure you actually measure the mashed bananas. So many recipes call for a number of bananas (like “3 bananas, mashed”), and that’s all fine and good until I’m making a recipe that was tested with smaller bananas but mine are the size of my forearm. Bananas can vary in size and that can mess with the chemistry of your recipe. So, measure…the…bananas.

This recipe is pretty straightforward: Measure the wet ingredients in one bowl – mix to combine. Measure the dry ingredients in another bowl – mix to combine. Then combine everything into one bowl and (you guessed it) mix to combine.

Do not overmix – overmixing will produce more gluten and result in a tough banana bread.

Pineapple Banana Bread

Crushed pineapple adds sweetness and makes for a super moist, flavorful banana bread that's perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast, a satisfying snack or even a light dessert.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Cooling Time 2

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup ripe banana mashed
1-8oz can crushed pineapple do not drain
¾ cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs large
2 cup granulated sugar
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup chopped pecans optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 14-cup Bundt pan (“regular size”). Set aside.
Stir together mashed bananas, pineapple (with juice), oil, vanilla, eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Next, add your dry ingredients, mixing once everything has been added to the bowl. Mix until just combined, do not over mix. Finally, mix in pecans, if using. Gently fold in without over working the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour and 10-15 min, or until a long wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20min; remove from pan to a wire rack and cool completely (about 2 hours).

Keyword baking, banana, banana bread, Breakfast, Brunch, cake, dessert

Recipe Notes:

How long can I store this? Pineapple Banana Bread keeps nicely in an airtight container for about a week on the counter. You can also cut it into slices, wrap them individually with foil or plastic wrap, and store the wrapped slices in a freezer bag to freeze. Take out a slice when you’re feeling snacky, let it thaw or pop it in the microwave and you’re ready to go!
Can I use fresh pineapple? Nope. Believe me, I tried it. It resulted in a sad, thick, stodgy loaf that NEVER achieved a fully cooked texture (I even baked it an extra 20min).
Can I use whole wheat flour? This recipe has not been tested with whole wheat flour, but if you’re going to try it, I would suggest going 50/50 with whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Using nothing but whole wheat flour may result in a very heavy loaf.

Finishing Touches

As mentioned earlier, this Pineapple Banana Bread makes a great breakfast loaf, a sweet-tooth satisfying snack, or even a nice light dessert with some whipped topping.

Other serving suggestions:

I like to add mini chocolate chips when adding the dry ingredients
Feel free to adjust the spices (try ground ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice…)
Glaze after cooling with a lemon or vanilla glaze
Make this a cake with a cream cheese or peanut butter frosting
Serve with ice cream