Original Jamaican Banana Bread Recipe

This banana bread is tender and flavorful, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and—the Jamaican essential spice—pimento (aka allspice). But the most memorable part? The plump, rum-soaked raisins speckled throughout every slice.

Classic banana bread is a perfect canvas for new flavors. I developed this adaptation while designing the menu for my B&B in Jamaica.

I wanted it to be comfortingly familiar, yet exciting with a new twist. I added bursts of flavor and notes of caramel by using rum soaked raisins, warm spices, and turbinado sugar all of which are readily available in Jamaica.

Quick And Easy Jamaican Banana Fritters

We served this bread simply sliced as part of the welcome spread of snacks for arriving guests, and it’s seriously perfect any time of day.

They’re made by mashing bananas, then stirring in spices, sugar, and flour to make a thick batter that is pan fried until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

With the popularization of quick breads—breads using a chemical leavening agent and baked in the oven—banana fritters gave way for banana bread to become an instant classic as well.

Cardamom Ginger Banana Bread

These days, you’ll find a wide range of Jamaican-inspired banana breads, depending on the baker’s choice of Jamaican flavors to incorporate into the loaf.

Not a fan of raisins? Try any other kind of dried fruit you enjoy. Or, skip them all together. You can even try it with chocolate chips!

Whatever your combination of mix-ins might be, just make sure you don’t add more than 1/2 cup total of additional ingredients. Fold them into the batter when you add the raisins. For coconut, I would only add 1/4 cup.

Kiss Banana Bread

To make this recipe, you do need to plan ahead at least one night to soak the raisins in the dark rum. (Two nights? Even better!) Once you pop a raisin into your mouth and get that burst of flavor, you’ll know it was well worth it. Don’t be surprised if you end up soaking more raisins just to top ice cream or use the raisin-infused rum for cocktails—yum!

If you ’ d rather not use alcohol, soak your raisins in water or juice, such as pineapple juice, instead. In this case, you could do an accelerated soak by combining the raisins and liquid in a small pot, bringing it to a boil, and letting it stand for 10-15 minutes before draining.

I use raw or turbinado sugar, because that’s what is more commonly used in Jamaica. You should be able to find it in the baking aisle of any major grocery store.

Jacked Up Banana Bread

You can use granulated white sugar in place of the raw sugar, but it won’t create the same caramel-like flavor that raw sugar provides, because the molasses has been processed out of granulated sugar.

If you’re gluten free, like me, simply swap in your favorite gluten free AP flour, and you’re good to go. King Arthur's All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour and Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour both work well. Just use the gluten free flour in place of the conventional flour, and you don’t need to modify the recipe at all.

This banana bread is subtly sweet, so it’s a completely justifiable breakfast or afternoon (or anytime) snack. I love it all by itself with a cup of mint tea.

Banana Bread Pudding

To Store: If you’re going to eat your banana bread in a couple of days, it’s best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. If you need to keep it fresh for up to a week, stick it in the fridge in an airtight container.

To Freeze: Banana bread will freeze beautifully for up to three months. You can freeze individual slices, partial loaves, or whole loaves. Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and then place the wrapped bread in a resealable freezer bag and seal tightly. Note that the larger the piece, the better it will be able to withstand freezer burn.

To thaw frozen bread: Stick it in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. If you’re in a rush to thaw your slices, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

The Best Vegan Banana Bread Video Recipe (updated 2023)

Make sure you’re using soft, overripe bananas that are anywhere from freckly to completely brown all over. When mashing, I like to leave some lumps in, similar to chunky applesauce.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Ba's Best Banana Bread Recipe

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and butterin a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla, beat until blended. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon bettering 9x5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350 for 1 houror until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan. Combine powered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk, drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Jamaican Banana Bread 2 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup Granulated sugar 1/4 cup Butter softened 2 large eggs 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas 1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt or pina colada flavored 3 tablespoons dark rum or apple cider 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut 1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut 1/2 cup Powdered sugar 1-1/2 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and butterin a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla, beat until blended. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon bettering 9x5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350 for 1 houror until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan. Combine powered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk, drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition.

Jamaican Jungle Banana Bread

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