Moist Pineapple Banana Bread
Moist Pineapple Banana Bread takes a tropical twist on classic banana bread, using crushed pineapple and coconut.
This recipe for pineapple banana bread has been a long time favorite for commenters at the site. It is a very moist banana bread with coconut and pineapple added to the batter. If you’d like even more flavor, I have included optional extracts in the directions.
Ingredients needed
- softened butter
- sugar
- eggs
- mashed ripe banana
- crushed pineapple
- sweetened flaked coconut
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder & baking soda
- teaspoon salt
- optional: pineapple & coconut extract
Add extra pineapple or coconut flavor
After receiving some feedback that the pineapple flavor was mild, I have added in optional pineapple and/or coconut extract.
What are the black specks in banana bread?
If you were wondering what the black specks are in the bread, as a reader asked below, they are banana seeds. Next time you take a bite of banana, notice the small black seeds that run down the middle. Mystery solved!
Silicone pans prevent banana bread from burning
I’ve noticed over the years that banana bread, more so than other breads, has a tendency to burn on the sides and bottom due to the long bake time.
After researching how to fix this problem, silicone loaf pans seem to be the answer. I got mine off of Amazon and they come in all sorts of sizes. I 100% recommend the investment as I’ve never had a burnt quick bread since switching to them.
Looking for more quick bread recipes? Check these out!
- Cinnamon Swirl Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Mayo Banana Bread
- Moist Apple Carrot Bread
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Moist Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
- Eggnog Cranberry Bread
- No-Rise Brown Bread
- Nutella Swirl Banana Bread
Moist Pineapple Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1/3 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1/2 to 1 tsp. pineapple extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in banana, pineapple and coconut (add pineapple extract now if using). Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until combined. Spoon into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan.
- Bake at 350-f degrees for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack.
This looks delish! But what are the black specks in the bread?
According to Google they are the seeds from the banana. Normally when you take a bite of banana, they are also there, but baking tends to make them turn darker or stand out more.
Yes, it's from the banana.
Yes that's banana seeds and also I roasted the coconut first and then added after cooling it….l wanted to follow the recipe to the T…..
A great substitution for an ingredient is chopped dates. It makes the bread more moist and adds a little flavor when you bite into a bit of it. I use 1/2 cup or so. But I always add 1T of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. It's amazing. A slice of this is always there with our morning coffee.
Ok…mystery solved! Thought they looked familiar. This is in my recipe folder! Love your blog!
Florida hugs,
Becca
Thanks Becca 🙂
Can i subtract coconut, or substitute something else?
Crystal – I have made this without the coconut and it turned out great. 🙂
I was going to ask you that! Good to know. Thanks
I am not a fan of coconut. You mention you have left it out. Can you please tell me if I need to increase the banana and/or pineapple? Thank you! Can't wait to try it. I'll be sure to review it after I make it. 🙂
We making banana bread you can omit or add just about anything you want like with out having to ask I put Walnuts in mine.
I replace the coconut with blueberries :p
Try replacing coconut with pecans.
Try swapping out the coconut for shredded carrot and add cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Absolutely delicious!!
Looks so good! I saw the picture on Recipe Sharing Monday #65 and had to come check out the recipe! Thanks for sharing and thanks for hosting so all the rest of us have a great place to share and find yummy stuff! I posted my yummy Seafood Minestrone, I hope you get a chance to check it out!
So excited when I find a recipe like this that I can make in Africa. Though leaving out the coconut flakes, since, well, we don't have them. Thanks for sharing, cannot wait to make this.
I made this last night and it's delicious! I baked it in a cast iron pan and cooked it for 60 minutes and I think it was about 5 minutes too long – but still delicious. Next time I think I will check on it in 50 minutes. Thanks so much for the recipe! The family loves it!!
Thank you for the feedback cassi_lee!
I made 3 loaves of this bread and it was a HUGE hit at church! I wasn't too sure how it would taste with the pineapple and coconut, but the bread was SO moist and delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you for letting us know how you liked it Rose 🙂
Has anyone ever froze these loaves ?
I haven't but if I try it I will update the post with the results.
I freeze these loaves all the time and they still come out moist and delicious.
I prefer to make mini loaves as they are wonderful to pullout of the freezer and give to family and friends.
I add more banana and pineapple and omit the coconut.
Enjoy!
This looks phenomenal. My husband loves pineapple and bananas, so this should be a winner in my empty nest.
I LOVE this recipe!!! I made just a few modifications, but this bread is my new favorite. NEVER AGAIN will I make banana bread without crushed pineapple! Perfection! Thanks for sharing, LOVE it!
Thank you for the feedback Hillary 🙂
Looks delicious. I Like simple recipes like this one…can't wait to try…Thanks for sharing.
Has anyone tried it with nuts?
I haven't Keri, but if I do I will update the post with notes.
I would go with chopped macadamias!!
Oh good heavens, I'm making this today! I have leftover bananas that are turning dark and need to be used. The pineapple and coconut just make it so appealing to me!
Made 2 loaves of this today and added a bunch of walnuts to the top. Yum! Thinking about making a pineapple juice glaze for serving with the juice from the crushed pineapple to sweeten up the walnuts a tad and pull out the pineapple flavor. So glad I found your post!
This may sound stupid but I have never made bread before so what is the bread test? But this looks delicious I am going to make it tomorrow the only thing I am going to do is add nuts because me and my husband love banana and nuts together.
hi Danielle – I had a bit of a typo there, but all you need to do to test it to see if it is done is use a sharp knife or toothpick, pierce the middle a ways down and see if there is any uncooked batter on the knife when you pull it out. If there is, it isn't done yet. 🙂
Can You use self rising flour instead of the plain flour and it would work OK thanks
Hi Gayle – I searched this up on google and it should work. Only use 1/4 tsp. of salt. Otherwise use the same amount of self rising flour as the all purpose. You can read more here:
https://therustyspoon.com/can-you-use-self-rising-flour-instead-of-all-purpose-flour/
My bread came out a light color not a nice brown color like your picture. Also your bread looks so soft on top but mine wasn't. What coludve gone wrong?
That is a bit hard to know Karina, since all ovens vary so much. My oven tends to run pretty hot and cooks things faster, which may account for the brown top. I believe I took the picture of the bread the day after I made it, so it would've softened up a bit overnight since I had it covered on the counter top. Any other factors are impossible for me to know since they would involve knowing your exact oven. Hope that helps!
It also depends where you place the bread. The higher the rack the browner it gets… Just found this and it looks great !
I tried your recipe and it turned out to be one of the best recipes I tried! Very moist and soft… thank you for the awesome recipe!
Thank you for the feedback Rajeev 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Sorry for being so dense, but is the coconut in your recipe sweetened or unsweetened?
Sweetened, sorry about that, I'll update the recipe.
Thanks!
I've read that greek yogurt can be a good substitute for butter- using half the amount of butter with the yogurt. Have you tried using yogurt in this recipe before?
I haven't but if I do I will let you know 🙂
You can use applesauce in place of butter or oil too.
Applesauce tends to make it gummy in my opinion.
I just made this tonight! I used gluten free flour and omitted the coconut since I am allergic. I don't know if I can wait for it to cool!
Did you use regular gluten free flour, or something like almond or rice flour? I'm experimenting with gluten free recipes right now so curious to see what type you used. They're all so different! I have a regular loaf in the oven right now. 🙂
Pina Colada Bread?
I have been searching for weeks for something to make that I can eat at breakfast and use at night to calm a sweettooth at night! I am making this tonight as I have all the ingredients on hand! It looks so good and moist…can't wait for it to come out the oven! Wish I had some macadamia nuts in the house!
Hope you enjoy it SW 🙂 Macadamia nuts sound like a tasty addition.
Can I use 9×5 inch loaf pan?
I think that would work fine 🙂
I was wondering if I could use no sugar added applesauce to substitute the pineapples. They are a bit too sweet. Would it make a difference with the consistency or moisture? Thanks. It looks delicious.
I have never tried that but I feel like it would still turn out okay. Can't say for certain. If you try it please let us know how it turns out with your modifications 🙂
Great recipe, i made a loaf this week and it turned out perfectly. The top got a tiny bit burnt (still edible) but inside was moist and delicious!
I made this yesterday using Domata gluten free flour, fresh pineapple and 1/2 butter + 1/2 coconut oil. Wonderful! It was a little dry as gf flour tends to absorb more liquid. I'll add some liquid next time (if using canned pineapple, use some of the juice.) Husband and teen daughters loved it fresh and also broiled for breakfast. Thanks!
could you sub coconut oil for the butter?
I haven't tried it, but I googled it and it looks like you can sub. coconut oil for butter 1:1. It sounds like it works great for all sorts of baked goods, like brownies, scones, etc. The only scenario where I wouldn't try this is working with pastry.
Made this as cupcakes. Altered a little using mayo instead of eggs. Came out wonderful! Also used cream cheese and cool whip for frosting. Husband and guest couldn't stop eating them.
I was wondering if leftovers should be refrigerated before I go to work……3-11 p.m.?
I think it is up to you. I didn't refrigerate them, but if you are worried, you can go for it.
Hi, i made this cake without coconut flakes and replaced the pineapple with canned pears. It's delicious. Thank you for sharing your receipe 😉
Thank you for letting us know! Your version sounds delish.
I expected to see some glaze in the recipe to account for the gooey looking top. I am afraid to try this as it looks much too more-ish. Good thing I don't have any pineapple! I'm going to share this on Facebook. I can already imagine the scurry as people check their pantries and/or plan a trip to the store.
Made this today. It came out moist. The problem was I tasted the banana, I knew the coconut was there, but I couldn't taste the pineapple. I think next time I'll omit the coconut and replace it with more pineapple.
Can you use fresh pineapple?
Hi Janalyn – I haven't used fresh pineapple before but I don't see why it wouldn't work out. If you try it please let me know your results 🙂
Hi,
Is there a way to make this as a cake in a 9×13 pan instead of a loaf bread?
Made it few days ago and it was very good. I liked the combination of pineapple and coconut, it was very moist!
enjoy
OK I am going to try this tonight..BUT being I am a bit of a health fanatic I substituted a few ingredients. For the sugar I used coconut sugar and for the flour I used whole wheat flour..I was going to use coconut oil in place of the eggs but didn't have time to look up the conversion. If this turns out good then I will use the coconut oil replacement next time. I love to cook healthy but I also like healthy that taste good. So I have been working on several recipes and just deconstructing them per say in a healthier fashion. I will let you know how it comes out. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sincerely,
Tracy
Louisiana
OK here it is…it turned out fabulous..great flavor and great texture. I have gone over the recipe again and will be doing other substitutions. ..to see how it goes…thanks again
Thanks so much for your detailed feedback! So happy to hear it turned out well for you with the substitutions you made 🙂
Hi, I made this recipie into muffins. Got 15 muffinS and cooked for about 23 minutes, Devine!
Thanks so much for the feedback, it is appreciated!
I made the batter this a.m. and added some walnuts as well. I decreased the butter to accommodate the walnut oil. I ALWAYS make batter for any breads/muffins at least 4-6 hrs ahead so the flavors concentrate before baking. This is such an important step for some muffins while others, like blueberry or choc. chip. need to be cooked immediately. fruits/veg's. need to flavor the flour batter before baking. Will bake muffins at 4-5 a.m. for fresh breakfast with fruit, mango's, grapes. Will comment when family gives me their rating. thank you for providing the recipe(s) and I have now signed up for future recipes via e-mail.
Thank you for the tips 🙂 I'll have to try that out with fruit muffins and breads the next time I make some. I hope your family enjoys the banana bread.
Looks delicious! Can't wait to make it <3
Mines did not come out as moist as I wanted it to. Wondered if it was because I drained and squeezed out the juice from the crushed pineapple. Could this be why? Other than that, it looked nice and brown on the outside. You can taste the banana and coconut but not much of the pineapple.
You might try wrapping it in foil or saran wrap and giving it a day or two to really moisten up. I find that is the case with a lot of banana breads and pound cakes.
Are you supposed to squeeze out the juice from the pineapple after draining it from the can?
No, just draining it would be my recommendation.
I made this for our annual camping trip! It was a hit! I put in the whole can of crushed pineapple(8 oz.). This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing Ali!
So glad to hear you liked it. Thanks so much for the feedback.
I'm gonna make this tomorrow..looks pretty easy and yummy!
Just made this recipe and might be my new favorite banana bread recipe, it's so good! Next time I'm going to add chopped walnuts to the top and maybe bake it a little less than 65 minutes because mine came out a little dry.
Sounds tasty to add walnuts. Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Hi, I made this recipie into muffins. Got 15 muffinS and cooked for about 23 minutes, Devine!
Thanks so much for the recipe! The family loves it!!
I tried your recipe And was really excited about it. But for some reason mine turned out really dry and I wonder if anybody else might've run into this problem and if there's a cure for it. And also mine tasted like cornbread. Strange! I checked my flour and reread the recipe. Can't understand?
I bake my banana bread at 325 for 1 hr and 10 minutes. Much better , no burning
What is sweetened coconut flakes? What do I substitute it with?
Do I add more sugar if I substitute it with walnuts?
I have also noticed the browning/burning of banana bread and I often combat it by baking mine in ring type pans, with a hole in the middle, like a bundt pan. I have several that I use and they are all lighter colored as well,either light aluminum or white coated. (as opposed to a dark nonstick coating) I think this helps as well.
Great idea Jara. I might try using silicon pans or the ring pan next time around and see how it turns out.
would this work with frozen pineapple, I have one of those huge bags from Costco, and there is only so many smoothies I can take !
Karen from Montreal, Canada
Hi Karen, To be honest, I really don't know as I have never tried using frozen pineapple in a bread before. I would think that if it is in large chunks you might have to let it defrost and chop it up, otherwise it might be too weighty for the bread. Not 100% sure though. I hope it works out for you if you try it. Thank you for commenting!
Well, I'll give it a try, nothing to lose, right ? (except some flour maybe..lol) I'll post back my results. Thanks for responding.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! Had pinned it to my Pinterest board quite some time ago and rediscovered it while searching for a banana bread recipe. This was simple and quick to put together on an evening after work. I had never tried a bread recipe with pineapple, and I left out the coconut (just didn't have any in the cubbard). The bread came out of the oven a perfect golden brown. Just fyi, after reading that the sides and bottom might get too brown, I used parchment paper in the baking pan. Bread came out perfect, and didn't stick to pan or paper. Delicious flavor and very moist. So pleased, I shared with my neighbors. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Will certainly use it again!
Very happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for all the feedback, I appreciate it. 🙂
I am gluten intolerant so I substituted the all purpose flour for my gluten fee blend! Oh my gosh, this is the best gf banana bread I have ever made. I also used Splend Blend for the regular sugar. Turned out perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is a keeper!!
I appreciate your feedback on using gluten free ingredients. Thanks so much!
Use a ring pan to bake banana bread. No dark sides and it shorten baking time
Great idea, thank you!
I just popped into oven! I added about 2 med mashed bananas (kinda heaping 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup crushed drained pineapple. Also added more flour..about 1/4 cup or so more. Then added about 1/4 cup applesauce! I know it ll be great!I ll let you know. Batter smelled amazing! Will let you know!
Hope you enjoy it Jackie 🙂
Love this recipe.. can I freeze several loaves? I've never tried in the past but have an order for ten loaves and wanted to try it.. Thanks so much!!
I made this into three mini loaves.
Cut the sugar in 2
Reduced the butter
Yummy and thanks for sharing
As others have stated this recipe should be called anything goes banana bread. I did have bananas but I also had grapes. I'm afraid we have been eating them for quite awhile. Put them in the microwave to heat them abit and then put them in the blender with the banana. With walnuts it will be a big hit. ty
I do freeze banana bread all the time if I ever have any left to spare. Even a loaf with chocolate chips thaws to the original moist loaf. By the way the only problem with this recipe is be prepared for the comment (what did you do its never been this tasty and moist before,) Someone had asked about the silicone pans. I recently received a set at Christmas time I was skeptical at first but I am a firm believer I am buys more muffin size. They don't stick and they are actually dishwasher friendly…….Happy Baking Everyone
Made 03/05/18: I made this using fresh pineapple, which I doubled in quantity and I feel I could have put more still. Although this was more fluffy/cakey than typical banana bread, it was good. I would try making this with some brown sugar to get it more dense. The baking time was spot on and it was a really easy recipe to make with good banana flavor.
Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Made for first time today. My changes: used raw honey vs sugar, wheat flour vs white, and no coconut. It baked up beautifully; nice brown color, no burning nor sticking. Probably could have added another banana for our family's taste (next time), but this is so wonderfully moist and full of flavor. Big hit!
3 large bananas; I added a cup of pineapple yogurt and 1/2 c crushed pecans. I used mango instead of pineapple (because I thought I had frozrn pineapple in freezer but it was mango next time Id use both!) and I increased the coconut flakes a bit mine where unsweetened – . Truely a Hawaiian fruit nut bread!
Have you ever substituted coconut oil instead of the butter? That may help to make it taste more like coconut. Also using shredded YOUNG COCONUT which is more moist and softened may make it super moist while tasting so much like fresh coconut.Just a suggestion. I love coconut. If you use enough young coconut you could have the pineapple and maybe pineapple extract and call it Piña Colada Cake?
Also chopped Macacdamia nuts could be added as extra tropical goodness.
Hello
I just made this for my family this afternoon. Thumbs up from hubby so far!!! Kept the recipe as you wrote it…..Delicious….It is now in my recipe files as a keeper..
Hi
Just made this recipe this afternoon. Thumbs up from my hubby!!!.Kept recipe as written. Delicious will keep this in my recipe files. Thank you!!!
This is amazing bread!!! So many complimentary flavors!! I added walnuts cause I can't have Banana bread w out nuts, and I love it
Has anyone tried this in the bread machine?
KRisti
If your bread machine has a quick bread function, I would assume it would work. If I’m able to try this out soon, I will give it a shot with my bread machine.
looks great! wouldn’t print
The print function is working on my end. Not sure if it is something on my end or yours
I love that there are no processed foods in this recipe!