Coconut Banana Bread is a classic quick banana bread with a tropical twist! It’s delightfully soft, moist, and flavored with just the right amount of coconut flakes to give it a summery flair.
Check out more of my favorite easy bread recipes like coconut key lime bread and the classic banana bread!
Table of Contents
I’m a big fan of any baking recipe that requires minimal effort! It’s especially nice if I don’t even have to pull out the mixer. Banana bread is just that type of recipe. You don’t need any mixers and the batter is ready to go in just 5 minutes.
All you need is some ripe bananas, eggs, butter, sugar, flour, and baking soda. There are many additional ingredients that you can add to the bread for an extra special touch. To my classic bread recipe, I like to add nuts and a touch of cinnamon. But today, I’m feeling beachy!
This banana bread recipe has a special tropical touch with some coconut flakes. Coconut flakes can be homemade (instructions included below) or store-bought. The difference in flavor will be subtle, but do keep in mind that homemade coconut flakes are not sweetened, so the taste of coconut will not be as strong when using homemade coconut flakes.
Ingredient Notes
Bananas – This is a wonderful recipe to use your over-ripe bananas or ripe bananas. As long as bananas are not still green, they’re good to go.
Flour – All purpose flour works perfectly for most quick bread recipes. When measuring the flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and then level off the cup with the back of the knife. When you dip the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour, it gets packed in there. You never want packed flour, because that’s too much flour.
Eggs – They’ll need some time to warm up to room temperature before you use them. Give them about 30-45 minutes on the counter to adjust.
Butter – Melt the butter, but let it cool off a little bit before adding it to the batter.
Vanilla Extract – If possible, try to use pure vanilla extract and not imitation.
Coconut Flakes – You can grab these from the store or make your own! For more info on the homemade process, just keep on scrolling. (Remember that homemade coconut flakes are not sweetened.)
Baking Soda – Make sure the baking soda is not expired! In order for your baking soda to be potent, you need to use it within 6 months of opening the container.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Coconut Banana Bread
Soak the coconut flakes. Place coconut flakes in a measuring cup and add enough milk to cover the flakes (1). Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
PRO TIP: Note that you will need to squeeze out the milk but don’t discard it. You can drink the coconut milk or use it in pancakes, coffee, or cereal!
Mash. Mash bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl (2).
Whisk the wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, sugar, melted butter (3), and vanilla extract until all mixed (4).
Strain/squeeze. Strain the coconut flakes through and fine mesh strainer and gently Squeeze the milk out of coconut flakes (5).
Make the batter. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and gently whisk until the batter is smooth and everything is evenly combined (6). Fold in the coconut flakes (7).
Bake the bread. Transfer batter into the prepared baking dish (8). Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes (9). (Or, until the internal temperature at the center will reach 200°F.)
PRO TIP: If the top of bread is browning too fast, loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep direct heat away.
How to Make Your Own Coconut Flakes
If you’ve never experimented with making your own coconut flakes, it’s actually quite fun! It takes about 30 minutes to make the coconut flakes and you can store it in the refrigerator or freeze for later.
Note that homemade coconut flakes are not sweet, so result will taste slightly different from store-bought coconut flakes.
- Open the coconut and drain off milk.
- Place coconut halves in a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F.
- The flesh will be easy to peel away from the shell with a butter knife after baking.
- Take coconut flesh out and peel brown skin off of the white flesh with a vegetable peeler.
- Use large cheese grater to shave white coconut flesh.
- Place coconut flakes in a zip-lock bag, get all the air out, and seal. Store it in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze.
Tips for the Best Coconut Banana Bread
- When choosing bananas, make sure the outside of bananas is bright yellow with just a few brown areas. There should not be any green areas or the bananas will not ripe enough.
- Bananas should be soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
- Over-ripe bananas are also fine to use in banana bread, of course.
- Mash bananas in a mixing bowl using a fork but leave a few lumps. It will help give the banana bread a moist texture.
- While baking, if you notice that the top is getting dark fast but middle still has quite a bit of baking time, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil. This will keep direct heat off the top of the bread.
- For an easy grab-and-go breakfast, slice coconut banana bread and cover each slice in saran wrap. Store wrapped slices in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze Coconut Banana Bread
Cool your coconut banana bread to room temperature before freezing.
You can slice the bread into individual portions or freeze it whole. For quick breads, I like to place a piece of parchment paper in between each slice to keep them from sticking together.
Place the bread in a large zip-lock freezer bags and let the air out. Place the bag in a freezer. You can also wrap bread in saran wrap first, before placing it into a freezer bag, to really ensure no air gets to the bread.
Defrost the bread on the counter top. Individual slices of bread will just take a few minutes to defrost.
How to Store Coconut Banana Bread
Coconut banana bread can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can sliced it and store it in individual portions or store it whole and slice as needed.
If you know you’ll eat it within a few days, you can easily store the bread at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just make sure to cover it airtight so it doesn’t dry out.
In the refrigerator, it’ll keep for 5-7 days when kept in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
Press – The easiest and quickest way to check if your bread is done baking is to gently press the middle of the bread with your fingertips to see how firm it is.
Toothpick – You can also use a toothpick to see if the bread is fully cooked. Simply insert the toothpick into the center of the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven.
Thermometer – An instant read digital meat thermometer is the most certain way to see if the bread is fully cooked. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200°F internal temperature.
Yes, in most cases you can put quick breads right back into the oven to cook more. Make sure the oven is still at the right temperature and the bread is hot. Don’t try to bake cooled bread. Place the bread back into the oven for another 7-15 minutes as needed. Judge additional time based on how close the bread is to the target internal temperature.
The easiest way is to use it as a warm grab and go snack or breakfast! I always recommend heating up a slice of coconut banana bread for just a few seconds for it’s warm. You can easily warm it up in the microwave or pop it into a toaster.
If you want to add something to the top, try some salted butter spread or a cream cheese spread. You can also get creative and make it with a spread of peanut butter and some fresh banana slices on top. Coconut banana bread is also amazing to use as a base bread for French toast!
More of the Best Quick Bread Recipes
PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Coconut Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large ripe bananas
- 1 cup coconut flakes packed
- milk enough to cover coconut flakes
Instructions
- Place coconut flakes in a measuring cup and add enough milk to cover the flakes. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. (Milk will be squeezed out. You can drink coconut milk or use it in pancakes or cereal.)
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8×4 bread baking dish.
- Mash bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract until all mixed.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt and gently whisk until the batter is smooth and everything is evenly combined.
- Squeeze milk out of coconut flakes and add flakes to the batter. Fold them in.
- Transfer batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes. If the top of bread is browning too fast, loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep direct heat away.(For easiest way to tell if quick bread is done baking, check internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Quick bread is done when internal temperature at the center will reach 200°F.)
- Take bread out and let it cool before cutting. Use serrated bread knife to slice the bread.
Notes
- When choosing bananas, make sure the outside of bananas is bright yellow with just a few brown areas. There should not be any green areas or the bananas will not ripe enough.
- Bananas should be soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
- Over-ripe bananas are also fine to use in banana bread, of course.
- Mash bananas in a mixing bowl using a fork but leave a few lumps. It will help give the banana bread a moist texture.
- Don’t discard the milk when straining it out of the coconut flakes. You can drink the coconut flavored milk or use it in pancakes, coffee, or cereal!
- While baking, if you notice that the top is getting dark fast but middle still has quite a bit of baking time, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil. This will keep direct heat off the top of the bread.
- For an easy grab-and-go breakfast, slice coconut banana bread and cover each slice in saran wrap. Store wrapped slices in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January, 2019.
Martha Honea says
Lyuba, the bread was really good. A must to soak the coconut and not over bake. I did enjoy the coconut glaze. I made the drizzle by using
1 c powdered sugar, 1/8 c milk (from coconut soak) and 1/2 scant teaspoon coconut extract .
Was really tasty, great bread for year round.
Thanks for the recipe.
LyubaB says
Yum! I will have to give your glaze a try next time I make it! 🙂
Martha says
This bread looks decadent. Think milk soaked coconut should make a difference in moisture of bread. Might add a coconut drizzle. Thanks for recipe.
LyubaB says
I think a coconut drizzle would be so good with it! Let me know how it turns out!
Jackline says
Hello Lyuba!
I have noticed you didn’t mention baking powder in the recipe section. Is it that way or you have forget?
Regards
LyubaB says
This recipe doesn’t call for baking powder just baking soda. I hope you enjoy it!
LE says
Very tasty and easy. I had to cook it quite a bit longer because the middle wouldn’t set, but it turned out great. Thanks!
LyubaB says
Sorry, you had a longer cook time. I am glad you liked it though! Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
Mel says
I had to add 20 minutes and covered with foil so it wouldn’t burn. It turned out perfect!
Jaleesa Moncur says
I added ricardos coconut rum, fresh coconut, homemade coconut milk, and nutmeg. It was delicious.
LyubaB says
Hi Jaleesa,
That sounds so good! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Linda says
U;d I’ve to try that. Doubt you’ll get this 3 years later, but what did you take out in place of the coconut rum?
Karen says
It was delicious, I used store bought sweetened coconut flakes, I didn’t soak them in milk and it came out just fine! I also added about half tsp of cinnamon.
Also I am the queen of mix ins, I like a little something in every single bite…….so I also added chopped walnuts and raisins 👀 I’m that girl sorry lol. (did half cup each)
It was delishhhhhhhhh full of goodness and still wasn’t too sweet shockingly!!!!! I had made up my mind to indulge and enjoy with black coffee if it turned out too sweet but it didn’t!
Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!!!!
LyubaB says
Hi Karen,
I am happy you liked it and were able to make it your own by adding the add-ins! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know. 🙂
Kate hall says
Omg! I just made this and added some mini chocolate chips – hubs said it’s the best banana bread he’s ever had! I concur!!! 💗
LyubaB says
Hi Kate,
Wow! What a nice comment! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed my recipe!
Tammie says
It was delicious. My new favorite banana bread recipe. I just used regular bagged coconut and did not soak it in milk and it came out perfect.
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Kathy says
Sounds great! I’m going to replace half of the vanilla extract with coconut extract. Thanks for the recipe!
LyubaB says
Hi Kathy! That sounds good, I think it will be delicious! 🙂
Lyn says
Your bread looks delicious! I’ll have to try it soon.
LyubaB says
I hope you like it! 🙂