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Starbucks Copycat Banana Bread

Starbucks banana bread copycat made with a slow, lower-temp bake for a dense, bakery-style crumb and a deeply golden loaf. Studded with walnuts throughout and on top, this moist banana bread bakes until the crust turns nearly mahogany.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 ripe bananas Mashed (the riper the better).
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Soften to room temperature.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.75 cup walnuts Roughly chopped, divided.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Lower-and-slower baking helps create the dense, bakery-style crumb.
Cream butter and sugar
  1. Beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl if needed so the mixture turns cohesive and airy.
Add eggs
  1. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. The batter should look smooth and thick, with no visible egg streaks.
Add bananas and vanilla
  1. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla until fully incorporated. Keep mixing just until uniform, with banana evenly dispersed.
Add dry ingredients
  1. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just combined. The batter should look thick and slightly streaky, with no dry flour pockets.
Add walnuts
  1. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. You should see walnuts throughout the batter.
Fill the pan
  1. Pour batter into the prepared pan, scatter the remaining walnuts across the top, and press lightly. Aim for walnuts to sit mostly on the surface, lightly embedded.
Bake
  1. Bake for 60–70 minutes at 325°F. Look for a deeply golden loaf and a toothpick to come out clean; the top should be nearly mahogany in color.

Notes

For the most Starbucks-style texture, use very ripe bananas and don’t overmix once the flour goes in—fold just until combined. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool fully before slicing for clean, dense slices. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze up to 3 months (slice first for easier thawing). For a nut-free version, replace walnuts with toasted pumpkin seeds or skip them entirely for a classic banana-only loaf.