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Pistachio Banana Bread

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup [240 g] mashed banana from 3 very overripe bananas *
  • 3 Tbsp [45 g] melted unsalted butter**
  • 1/4 cup [55 g] olive oil**
  • 2 room temperature eggs
  • Flavorings (optional) ***
  • 1 cup [200 g] sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups [230 g] sifted flour (about 1 3/4 cups unsifted)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup [60 g] chopped raw pistachios
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp [15g] coarsely ground pistachios (for the top) ****

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F [177° C].
  2. Butter a 8 x 4 inch [20 x 10 cm] loaf pan. *****
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mashed bananas together with the melted butter and olive oil until very well combined. Add the eggs, orange blossom water (if using), sugar, and salt, and whisk together until the whole thing is completely incorporated.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and then pour in the chopped pistachios.
  5. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Do not over-mix (stop mixing as soon as there are no large lumps).
  6. Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan.
  7. Sprinkle the top with the ground pistachios.
  8. Bake for about 1 hour. Start checking for doneness after about 50 minutes, by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. If it comes out with batter, it needs more time, but if it comes out with just some crumbs, it’s ready to take out.
  9. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

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Notes

* I used to suggest optionally using up to 1 1/4 cup [300 g] banana, but the recipe works much better with just 1 cup. I’m just including this note for anyone who used to make it with the larger amount when it was an option. (Note from 26 August 2025)

** Feel free to use a total of 1 cup [105 g] olive oil in place of the butter + oil.

*** For example, 2 teaspoons orange blossom water. Feel free to add more orange blossom water, if you’d like. 1 tablespoon will be a bit more heightened, and if you like when things to taste like perfume, you can even add 2 tablespoons. But that is the absolute maximum.

**** The pistachios that are mixed into the loaf should simply be chopped, but the ones sprinkled on top should be ground (in other words, very finely chopped). I like to simply use the crumbs left behind from chopping the pistachios for this. But the only reason is because it looks prettier this way, so don’t sweat it.

***** Feel free to instead use a 9×5″ loaf pan if you’re very worried about spillage. But if you follow the recipe carefully, the batter should be viscous enough that it won’t overflow, but will instead puff up into a beautiful, tall loaf as it bakes. If you use a 9×5 loaf, check it for doneness about 5 to 10 minutes earlier. If your pan isn’t nonstick (or is very scratched-up nonstick), make a parchment sling for easy removal (butter the pan, place the sling, and add more butter to the parchment). Simply trace a butter knife around the bare sides and lift it out with the parchment flaps.

Find it online: https://cardamomandtea.com/77/banana-bread/