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Hi Bold Bakers!
Banana bread is a delicious, dense, moist treat, but adding blueberries gives this classic loaf a juicy, fresh taste!
I love a warm slice of this homemade blueberry banana bread for breakfast in the morning, with a healthy smear of salted butter. It’s like the perfect combination of comforting banana bread and an irresistible blueberry muffin.
The best part of this blueberry banana bread recipe is how easy it is to make. You don’t need any fancy standing mixers or special trays. All you need are some mixing bowls, a loaf pan, and about 3 well-ripened bananas. You don’t even need fresh blueberries, which may be hard to find in the grocery store around this time of year, or at least decent-tasting ones are. Frozen blueberries are packaged during peak season, so they will work perfectly as well!
What Is Blueberry Banana Bread?
Blueberry banana bread is a slight twist on the crowd-pleasing banana bread. It is a loaf made with extra ripe bananas to give you that iconic banana taste, but blueberries are added to the batter and baked to give you crazy flavorful bursts of juicy fruit in each bite!
Can You Use Frozen Blueberries In Banana Bread?
Absolutely! I love using frozen fruit when I am baking. Frozen and canned fruits and veggies are packaged when they are at peak season, so not only do they have a great taste, but you also get all vitamins and other health benefits.
If you use frozen blueberries in the recipe, be sure to thaw them and pat them completely dry before folding them into the batter.
What You Need To Make Blueberry Banana Bread
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- 9×5-inch(23 x 12.5cm) loaf pan
How To Make Blueberry Banana Bread
If you’re new to making loaf cakes, banana bread is the perfect place to start, and the addition of blueberries really takes the flavor to the next level! Here is how you make blueberry banana bread (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare your 9×5-inch (23×12.5cm) loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
- In another bowl, mix mashed bananas, egg, oil, and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the mashed banana mixture until it is just combined — so no dry ingredients can be seen, but be sure not to over mix!
- Fold in the blueberries, and then spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the loaf is golden brown. To check for doneness, press the loaf gently with your fingers. It should spring back when done. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack.
How NOT To Make Banana Bread
Despite the easiness of this recipe, there are in fact ways to make mistakes when whipping up a loaf. Let me break down the most common things people get wrong, so you can avoid them and sail straight to success. Find that information here in my master Best-Ever Banana Bread recipe!
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Blueberry Banana Bread
- Be sure not to overmix your batter once you add the flour!
- If you want to store the banana bread for longer, you can freeze it! You can slice the bread before freezing so you can defrost the amount you want.
- Any blueberries work for this recipe, but if you can find smaller, wild blueberries, they work especially well!
- Don’t be afraid to use frozen blueberries! They are frozen while in-season and might be a better option than store-bought when they are out of season.
- Vanilla extract and salt are super important when it comes to flavor, so be sure not to skimp!
How To Store Blueberry Banana Bread
Any leftover blueberry banana bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this banana bread in an airtight container for up to 2 months. If frozen, be sure to defrost at room temperature in the container for a few hours before serving.
Make More Banana Bread!
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Sour Cream Banana Bread
- Mia’s Family Banana Nut Bread
- Best-Ever Banana Bread
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Must-Try Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups (8oz/225g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ cups (12oz/360g) bananas (around 3 medium bananas)
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup (2 ½ fl oz/71ml) flavorless oil (Sunflower, vegetable, canola)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (3¾oz/106g) blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9x5 (23 x 12.5cm) inch loaf pan and line with parchment.
- In a large bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
- In a separate bowl, mix the mashed bananas, egg, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the mashed banana mixture until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Fold in the cup of blueberries and spoon into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and springs back when pressed gently with your finger. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
- Enjoy warm! Store leftovers at room temperature for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature in the container for a few hours.
Hi Gemma, love the recipes, can you tell me, is all purpose flour our plain or cream flour or is it self raising?. And where can I get a copy (hard cover) of your book please.
I have made your blueberry banana bread many times and usually have substituted cranberries instead of blueberries. It comes out fabulous. Everyone in my family loves it. Thank you so much. Can I substitute whole wheat flour instead of refined flour to make it healthier. If yes what should be the proportion of the whole wheat flour. Any changes to proportions of other ingredients? I use yoghurt instead of egg.
Hi, I love your recipes and was just wondering if you cover this loaf with aluminium foil like you do for the Best Ever Banana Bread. If so, for how long do you leave both loaves covered? Do you keep both loaves covered once it is removed from the pan onto the cooling rack? Cheers
Why isn’t there a Printable recipe here?
Most delicious banana bread! I used fresh blueberries but they still sank to the bottom, next time I’ll toss them in flour I left the bread in the oven a bit longer than the recipe calls for, ’til a knife came out clean and it bounced back when I pressed on it. However, there’s still a band of slightly underdone bread near the bottom. I used an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan, could that be why?
What are the nutritional values per slice? Does this work with sugar substitute?
Fantastic! Made this today, this recipe is a keeper!
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try this. Thanks for the recipe, Gemma! Can I use melted butter at room temperature instead of vegetable oil in this recipe? And how long do you leave frozen blueberries to thaw before you pat them dry to combine?
Hi, Gemma. What can I substitute egg with and how much?
Hi Gemma, can I use cane sugar instead of granulated? or powdered sugar?
Hi Gemma
I always love your recipes. I have self raising flour. Can I use that? If I can, should I use baking powder or I should omit it.