Easy Matcha Banana Bread (So Moist!)
Nataliia Petrova
1
5 minutes
American
Beverages
Banana bread never really goes out of style. It’s one of those simple, no-waste kitchen staples that turn the overripe bananas sitting on your counter into something genuinely worth looking forward to. It’s easy, forgiving, and always feels like a treat. And because we can never pass up a good excuse to add matcha, we thought it was about time the two came together.
The result is everything you love about classic banana bread: moist, comforting, and just sweet enough, with a little earthy touch from the matcha and a gorgeous green color that makes it feel a little more special. Unique enough to stand out, but still the kind of recipe you’ll want to make more than once. Let's begin!
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 2.4 oz unsalted butter, melted
- 0.8 cups granulated sugar (or brown sugar for extra moisture)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.3 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cafe-grade matcha powder, sifted
- 0.3 cups white chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
Preheat and prep the pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Mash the bananas
In a large bowl, mash 3 very ripe bananas, mashed until mostly smooth with a few small lumps left; those lumps turn into nice pockets of banana in the finished loaf.
Mix in the wet ingredients
Stir 0.3 cups unsalted butter, melted, into the mashed banana, then mix in 0.8 cups granulated sugar (or brown sugar for extra moisture), 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined. This is your wet mixture.
Sift the dry ingredients (including matcha powder)
In a separate bowl, sift together 1.5 cups white all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons sifted cafe-grade matcha powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 0.3 teaspoons salt. Sifting the matcha with the flour is what keeps it from clumping or streaking in the batter.
Combine (don't overmix)
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until no streaks of flour remain.
Overmixing at this stage is the most common cause of dense, rubbery banana bread; a few small lumps in the batter are totally fine.
Fold in 0.3 cups white chocolate chips (optional) now if using.
Bake
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool before slicing
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Slicing too early can make it seem gummy even when it's fully baked.
Notes
Bananas matter more than technique here; the riper and spottier (even mostly black) the better, since that's where the natural sweetness and moisture come from.
Sifting the matcha in with the cake flour (not the wet ingredients) is what prevents green streaks or clumps in the finished loaf. Baking at a moderate 350°F protects the matcha's color and flavor; hotter or longer bakes dull both.
White chocolate chunks or chips are optional but pair especially well with matcha's natural umami without overpowering it.
