Luscious Apple Banana Bread

If you’re in the mood for a really warm, rich bread, packed full of sweetness and fruity flavor, have you come to the right place! This amazing apple banana bread is truly the perfect treat! 

Banana Bread with a Twist

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that I have a banana problem. I buy them, and then forget to eat them. 

Oh, I ate one the other day in cereal, but the others just sat on the counter staring at me all week. 

Today I realized I had a bowl of apples sitting alongside the bananas and they were looking a little time-weary, as well. 

I could have tossed them out, but then it hit me: 

I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat Apples and Bananas! 

Maybe you know the childhood song. Children for generations have been singing, “I like to eat apples and bananas.” 

I like to eat those things, too. I have a lot of great banana recipes. 

I’ve even got a lot of apple-themed recipes.

But, (weirdly), I’ve never merged those two flavors together into a baked good. 

Baby foods come with this combination. Why not a bread? 

So I went on a search across the web to see if others had already combined apples and bananas into a bread loaf. 

Lo and behold, they had! 

I looked at several recipes but finally settles on this one from Bake it with Love.

Cinnamon Apples, Anyone? 

What intrigued me about this recipe was the preparation of the apples in a skillet before adding them to the banana bread batter. 

I was intrigued. I happen to love cinnamon apples. 

So, the idea of a simmering skillet of chopped apple pieces was more of a temptation than I could avoid. 

I also happened to have another ingredient unhand that the recipe called for—applesauce. It, too, needed to be used. 

So, really. . .I had no choice. I had to bake this bread! 

Apple Banana Bread Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you’ll need for this recipe. 

These are standard ingredients you likely have in your pantry or refrigerator right now. 

Cinnamon Apple Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (link)

Banana Bread Ingredients

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice)

How to Make Luscious Apple Banana Bread

First of all, listen to the song. You’re going to need it. 

I happened to hum it from start to finish as I baked this Apple-Banana Bread. 

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 

Prep a loaf pan. I used Baker’s Joy spray but you might choose to butter your pan and then lightly flour it. 

Make the Cinnamon Apples

Peel, core, and chop two large apples.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and fully incorporate. 

Add chopped apples.

Simmer on medium-low heat for five minutes until they begin to soften. 

Remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon. Stir well and set aside. 

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream butter and sugar. 

Add eggs. 

In a separate medium bowl mash the bananas and add apple sauce. 

Add apple-banana mixture to the batter. 

Add the cinnamon apples, along with the juices. Mix lightly. 

At this point you’ll likely start to wonder if this can possibly work out. The batter looks weirdly broken after adding only wet ingredients. That’s okay. I promise it will all come together. 

Add baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and flour. Mix lightly. 

Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula. 

Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and ten minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I placed a piece of foil over mine for the final 15 minutes so it wouldn’t get too brown.

Note: Cooking times may vary, based on your oven and size of your pan.

Remove apple banana bread from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool. 

Leave for ten minutes then turn it out onto the rack to continue cooling. 

Slice and serve!

This banana bread is good warm but it’s also yummy after sitting for a day or two in the refrigerator.

You will need to tightly wrap it in plastic wrap before refrigerating. The refrigerated bread is good for 3 – 4 days. You can freeze up to two months in an airtight container.

What to Expect from this Great Recipe

First of all, where has this bread been all of my life? I can’t believe I’m just now merging these two delicious flavors! Is there anything better than homemade banana bread?

This cozy apple banana bread is moist, rich, and absolutely delicious.

Now I know why that children’s song was so popular! Apples and bananas were meant to go together!

I think this would be great during the fall season, or even winter. I happened to be baking it on a warm day, but that seemed totally fine, too!

Individual slices are great warm, slathered with butter. (Yum!) You could even add cinnamon sugar to the butter for more sweetness and flavor.

This is one of those delicious quick bread recipes I plan to use again and again!

(Note: This made a great breakfast on the following morning!)

Variations on this Apple Cinnamon Banana Bread

You could change this recipe up a little, if you like: Add a bit of sour cream for a tart flavor, or something like honey or maple syrup for more sweetness.

You could also add nuts, (like walnuts, if you prefer). They would pair nicely with apples and bananas.

This sweet bread is perfect as a base for other additions, like raisins, Craisins, ginger, and more.

Caramel apple banana bread sounds good! Just drizzle caramel over the slices as you serve them.

Peanut butter chips: Throw in a cup for more flavor and gooey texture.

Streusel topping would be nice. I almost added streusel topping to mine.

Mini loaf pans would be fun! You could make little loaves and give them to friends or loved ones.

Other Apple Dishes from Out of the Box Baking

Apple Pie Coffee Cake: If you love apple pie but you’re in the mood for a delicious coffee cake, one you would be happy to serve at a breakfast gathering or brunch, have I got a great new recipe for you! This “from scratch” cake is light and luscious and covered in a crisp streusel. 

Easy Apple Pie with Homemade Crust: If you love the warm rich flavors of apple and cinnamon and the lovely crisp crunch of a flaky crust, this is the recipe for you! Thanks to the addition of canned apple pie filling this Easy Apple Pie comes together so easily. . .but it tastes like it took hours!

Apple Pie Coffee Cake: If you love apple pie but you’re in the mood for a delicious coffee cake, one you would be happy to serve at a breakfast gathering or brunch, have I got a great new recipe for you! This “from scratch” cake is light and luscious and covered in a crisp streusel.

9 Easy Apple Dessert Recipes: Apple desserts are perfect year ’round but they’re especially wonderful in the fall. As soon as Autumn leaves start tumbling we long for those rich warm flavors of cinnamon and spice. That’s exactly why I put together this list of nine of my favorite apple recipes, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time of year!

Other Banana Dishes from Out of the Box Baking

Easy Banana Bread Maui: If you’re looking for a Hawaiian banana bread recipe that’s a cut above the rest, have I got a great one for you! Until today I’d never even heard of Maui Banana Bread. Now that I’ve tried it, I can’t wait to share the recipe!

Easy Banana Berry Cake: This Easy Banana Berry Cake is light, fluffy, and filled with the creaminess of bananas and tartness of raspberries. The addition of the luscious cream cheese drip sends it over the edge, to a whole new place! Best of all, this recipe starts with a boxed cake mix!

Old-Fashioned Banana Bread with Mayonnaise: If you’ve been on a search for the best banana bread recipe out there, search no more! This one is absolutely perfect! Best of all, this Old-Fashioned Banana bread recipe is super easy to whip up in a hurry! It’s loaded with flavor. . .and thanks to a secret ingredient (mayonnaise!) it’s moist, flaky, and super tasty!

20 Amazing Ways to Use Ripe Bananas in 2023: In this post I offer 20 tips and tricks for how to use up those ripe bananas. Some of these will require baking, others will not. All of these ideas will end up with tasty results! After all, ripe bananas have a natural sweetness that’s hard to resist.

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That’s it for this delicious banana apple bread recipe, friends! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

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