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This Strawberry Banana Bread is soft, moist, and packed with sweet bananas and juicy strawberries in every slice. A fluffy strawberry cream cheese frosting takes it from everyday quick bread to something special, while still being simple enough to make ahead for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack. The crumb is tender, the fruit stays jammy, and it’s delicious with my iced matcha latte in the morning.
Banana bread is one of my favorite things to bake year-round, and I seem to have a version for every mood. There’s my tropical banana bread for when I’m craving Hawaii vacation vibes, and my chunky monkey banana bread when I want something rich, nutty, and chocolatey. Then there’s this strawberry banana bread, which feels like peak spring and summer. When strawberries are sweet and abundant, this is one of my favorite ways to use them. The strawberry-banana combination is a classic for a reason, it just works. This loaf stays incredibly moist and is perfect for making ahead. I often bake the loaf the night before and frost it the next morning, and it stays soft and tender for days.
Ingredients Youโll Need for Strawberry Banana Bread
- Mashed bananas – Brown speckled bananas are perfectly sweet for this recipe.
- Fresh strawberries – Diced strawberries add bursts of juicy sweetness throughout the bread. I would only use fresh berries here since frozen strawberries can add excess moisture.
- All-purpose flour – Gives the loaf structure while still keeping the crumb soft and tender.
- Butter and oil – Using both gives us a rich flavor from the butter, while the oil helps keep the loaf moist for days.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – These are the secret ingredient in the frosting, providing concentrated strawberry flavor without watering it down.
- Cream cheese – This is my go-to base for extra creamy frosting, plus I like the saltiness it adds.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How to Make Strawberry Banana Bread
- Dice up your strawberries.
- Mash your banana. I find this easiest to do on a cutting board. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the melted butter, oil, mashed bananas, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then gently fold in the flour until just combined.
- Fold in the diced strawberries.
- Bake the loaf. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 65-75 minutes.
- Cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Blend the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder and beat together the frosting ingredients until fluffy.
- Frost the loaf. Swirl the frosting evenly over the loaf, slice and serve!
Quick Tips for the Best Strawberry Banana Bread
Use just ripe bananas. Bananas speckled with brown spots are perfect for this. Too ripe may create a denser loaf.
Don’t overmix the batter. Stir only until the flour disappears to keep the loaf tender and prevent a dense/tough texture.
Dice the strawberries small. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the loaf and help prevent sinking.
Cool before frosting. Let the loaf hang out on a cooling rack for at least an hour. Even slightly warm banana bread can cause the cream cheese frosting to melt and slide off.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: The banana bread can be baked up to 1 day ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature. The frosting can also be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
Storage: Store leftover banana bread tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is really warm, refrigerate the frosted loaf for up to 4 days.
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Strawberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter, , melted
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 โ cups (300g) mashed banana
- ยพ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ยพ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (140g) diced fresh strawberries
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- โ cup (8g) freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ยฝ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ยบF and grease and line an 8-inch x 4-inch or a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan, and put a piece of parchment that spans just the center length with the ends of the parchment hanging over the edge of the pan for an easy way to release the loaf to cool.
- To a medium bowl, add the melted butter (make sure the butter isnโt hot), oil, mashed banana, sugar, vanilla paste, and eggs, whisk to combine. Then, whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Now, add the flour and use a large silicone spatula to mix everything just until the batter has come together, trying not to overmix. Lastly, add in the diced strawberries and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 65-75 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
To Make the Frosting:
- In a blender, add the freeze-dried strawberries and blitz until it turns into a powder.
- In a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. Next, add the butter and beat it until smooth, about 15 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, salt, vanilla, heavy cream. Beat for a full 2 minutes for fluffy and smooth frosting.
- Once the loaf is cooled, dollop the frosting over the top of the loaf and use the back of a spoon to swirl it all over.
- Store any leftover banana bread tightly wrapped with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Quick Tips
Use just ripe bananas. Bananas speckled with brown spots are perfect for this. Too ripe may create a denser loaf. Don’t overmix the batter. Stir only until the flour disappears to keep the loaf tender and prevent a dense/tough texture. Dice the strawberries small. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the loaf and help prevent sinking. Cool before frosting. Let the loaf hang out on a cooling rack for at least an hour. Even slightly warm banana bread can cause the cream cheese frosting to melt and slide off.Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: The banana bread can be baked up to 1 day ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature. The frosting can also be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Storage: Store leftover banana bread tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is really warm, refrigerate the frosted loaf for up to 4 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
