Brown Butter Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
on Mar 30, 2026
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This Brown Butter Banana Bread with Streusel Topping is everything you want in a banana bread. It starts with a deep, nutty, brown butter tossed with the usual banana bread suspects, as well as whole-milk Greek yogurt. The topping combines a buttery, cinnamon crumble baked on top of the loaf.
If you’re looking for more dessert recipes, be sure to check out our Nutmeg and Orange Ricotta Fritters with Berry Jam, Easy Meyer Lemon Pie with Honey Graham Cracker Crust, and Mixed Berry Cobbler.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Brown butter adds a nutty, rich depth of flavor
- The Greek yogurt keeps the banana bread tender and moist, while also adding a hint of tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness
- Comes together in under 20 minutes of prep
- Serve for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, this recipe is super versatile!
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you need to make this recipe, including all our tips and substitutions.
- Unsalted butter: We are browning butter for the banana bread, and also using cold and cubed butter for the streusel topping.
- Banana bread batter: The batter consists of white granulated sugar and brown sugar, ripe banana, Whole-milk Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda, kosher salt, and all-purpose flour. All whisked together in one bowl!
- Cinnamon streusel topping: The streusel topping is a mix of all-purpose flour, white and brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. This mixture is crumbled together with cubed butter to create the perfect crumble topping!
The full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Tips and Substitutions
- How to brown butter without burning it: We like to use a light-colored saucepan, and this allows us to visually see the colors change, to stay on track without burning. Melt over medium heat, and not high-heat, or else it will burn too quickly. Lastly, pull it off the heat earlier than you think; it will continue cooking and can quickly burn if not removed.
- Banana ripeness: If you don’t have super-ripe bananas. You can place them with the peels on a baking sheet and roast at 300°F for about 15 minutes.
- Don’t overmix: We add the flour at the very last step, which helps to not overmix, but just mix until combined and not further, or else your banana bread will be dense and tough.
- Additions: You can stir in chocolate chips or any nuts (like walnuts or almonds) of choice, too.
- Storing: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm up in the oven when ready to serve, if preferred.
How to Make Brown Butter Banana Bread
Step 1: Preheat your oven, butter the loaf pan, and brown your butter.
Step 2: Make your banana bread batter, being careful not to overmix, and transfer to the loaf pan.
Step 3: Make your streusal topping and crumble over the top of the batter. Transfer to the oven.
Step 4: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted runs dry. Cool, slice, and serve.
The full detailed instructions can be found on the recipe card below.
Serving Recommendations
Looking for some ideas to serve with this brown butter banana bread? We have you covered!
Brown Butter Banana Bread FAQs
Most likely, you overmixed your batter or didn’t properly measure out your flour. By using a kitchen scale, you can take the guesswork out of these measurements.
Yes, just make the batter and line a muffin tin, halfway full, topping with the streusel. Bake at the same temperature, but for half the time as this recipe.
We like to use unsalted butter, so we can add the salt ourselves.
You can incorporate ingredients like Greek yogurt, sour cream, mascarpone, or labneh, to name a few, to create a moist banana bread.
More Dessert Recipes
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Brown Butter Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Brown Butter Banana Bread
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup 100g packed dark brown sugar
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon 5g baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon 5g baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon 1.5g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, make your streusal by tossing flour, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Next, add in your cubed butter. Use your fingers to work and incorporate the butter and the flour mixture until you have your crumbly topping. Transfer to the fridge while you prep your batter.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan, and take your stick of butter to spread around the pan, just a teaspoon or so of the stick of butter.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
- Continue cooking, stirring consistently, until the butter foams, the foam subsides, it smells nutty, and golden-brown flecks appear at the bottom of the pan, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
- To the brown butter, whisk in both sugars. Then add your mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely combined.
- Next, add in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- Lastly, add in your flour and fold gently with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Transfer to the loaf pan and sprinkle your streusal evenly over the top of the batter.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the banana bread to a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 to 50 minutes. Slice and serve!
Notes
- Banana ripeness: If you don’t have super-ripe bananas. You can place them with the peels on a baking sheet and roast at 300°F for about 15 minutes.
- Don’t overmix: We add the flour at the very last step, which helps to not overmix, but just mix until combined and not further, or else your banana bread will be dense and tough.
- Storing: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm up in the oven when ready to serve, if preferred.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A special banana bread made with brown butter and a cinnamon streusel! Enjoy this recipe!