This banana nut Amish Friendship Bread recipe is a fabulous Amish Friendship Bread variation for banana bread lovers everywhere.
This is a fabulous Amish Friendship Bread variation for banana bread lovers. We’ve had lots of people make it in the Friendship Bread Kitchen, and here’s what they have to say:
My husband says it’s better than Bob Evan’s banana nut bread because it has more banana flavor.” Tera Huff
“I served on its own as breakfast and dessert for Hubby and I. I really love that these recipes allow for so much room to add and change things!” Jacqui Rossetter
“It’s wonderful! I served it as an after dinner treat with just a little dab of butter. I can’t wait to make this bread again.” Rachael Barna
“From the original recipe, use banana cream instant pudding, 2 frozen bananas mashed, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and ½ cup chopped walnuts.” May Naing
“Decrease the oil to ½ cup and omit the nuts and use just one box of banana cream pudding for another simple variation.” Heather
“It took my muffins about 30 minutes to bake so start there and check every 5 additional minutes to see if they are done.” Abby Langston
Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread starter
- 2 mashed bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1-2 small boxes banana cream instant pudding
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).
- In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.
- Grease 2 large loaf pans.
- Dust the greased pans with granulated sugar.
- Pour the batter evenly into loaf pans.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- ENJOY!
>> Have you tried this recipe? Share your best pic with us or leave a comment below and let us know how it worked for you!
I used 3 bananas, 1/2c buttermilk, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1 vanilla pudding. Turned out fantastic!
These were delicious! I made mine chocolate banana muffins instead. Would definitely make again! Here are the changes I made:
– 1 box of chocolate pudding mix instead of banana
– chocolate chips instead of nuts
– 2/3 cup oil + 1/3 cup applesauce
– 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1 tsp cinnamon
Can you make this without the pudding?
I made two dozen muffins using this recipe. I used brown sugar in place of white sugar. They are delicious!
That sounds so delicious, Bobbie! Thanks for sharing!
This was a good recipe. I am so glad I found this website. I had no idea you could you the Amish starter is so many wonderful yummy things. It had been quite a few years since I had that the yummy cinnamon-y original bread. Made that 1st then made this banana bread. I made 4 smaller loads all different. 1 plain, 1 with walnuts, 1 with strawberry purée and melty PB swirled in it, 1 with frozen not thawed raspberries. All were great except the frozen berry one. It couldn’t to get it to bake enough, guess I should have thawed them! I still had to bake 40-55 minutes in my 19x10x6cm (pans so old I can’t read the English units🤣) I also think I might try it with brown sugar instead of white. My regular recipe calls for brown and I missed it. I would make again for sure, if I had bananas ready and it was a baking day! My almost 89 year old grandma looks forward to day 10, because I always share with her!
Thanks for sharing your tips and story, Beth! That is so special that you get to share with your grandma! What a great way to show her love! ❤️
Great recipe! I made several batches and served them up in small loaves as Christmas presents. Everyone begged for more. They freeze well, too!
So glad they were enjoyed by all, Anita! ❤️
The first time I made this, I made it pretty much as written, adding pecans and chocolate chips (I don’t use pudding mix in mine). It was very tasty. This time, I went rogue! I used olive & avocado oils, probably 1/2 cup worth total, and another 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. For the two cups of flour, I used part wholewheat flour, part white flour and probably 1/4 cup of oat bran till it totalled the two cups. I added 1/3 cup of honey to the wet ingredients for the sugar. I used the two mashed bananas, plus a diced fresh mango that needed using up. It. Is. Tasty!!!
I love baking amish bread. My question is on the bananas, should they be kinda mushy or firm? I don’t like bananas but am making this for my momma.
Hi Wanda! They should be overripe (soft and mushy). Good luck — I hope your mother enjoys it! 🙂
So this bread was the bomb!! I used 1-2 cup oil and banana extract and one small box of banana cream pudding.
I added a few tablespoons of pb and chocolate chips. Not only did my mom love it but so did the senior ladies I bake for as my lady’s ministry at church. 😉
And funny I don’t like bananas but this bread was delicious.
I noticed some recipes call for pudding mixes in the ingredient lists. Is pudding mix necessary to make this recipe or is it just added for flavor? I try to avoid any “processed” foods for health reasons. Thank you.
Hi Siena,
You can skip it or try one of our homemade pudding recipes in the Recipe Box. The pudding boosts flavor and moisture, but plenty of people leave it out too. Hope this helps!
I think it just adds flavor and keeps it moist. You can try it with out it 🙂
Happy baking
I agree, I find the recipes with instant pudding way too sweet.
What is the oil? Vegetable oil? Butter?
Hi Mary! In this recipe, vegetable oil is probably your best bet, but if you don’t have any on hand, you could always try coconut oil or another variation. Happy baking!
I love all recipes with banana and nuts in them. This one with the banana cream instant pudding mix in it sounds even more yummy!
I would try to make this for Mother’s Day because my mom has been on a Banana Nut Muffin kick lately and I worry about the amount of sugar that are in the prepackaged muffins.
We love this recipe! I change it up a little and add two boxes of French Vanilla pudding (instead of the banana), use apple sauce instead of oil and add a cup of mini chocolate chips. I have also made it with a cocoa and brown sugar sprinkle! I would have loved to make it for my Tutu, she loved banana bread. But I do make it for my family and husbands work colleagues! This one and the Mocha, they tell me it is addictive!
Each year I make something for our mailman, sanitation workers and neighbors. Thank you so much for these recipes. I have loved every one I have made.
Plan on making this but don’t have banana cream pudding anywhere I go. Could I use vanilla and add a bit of banana extract? And if I used extract how much would I use..??
Please help
You can use vanilla instant pudding and just make sure your bananas are ripe/overripe (and therefore sweeter). I would do two large or three small bananas. Good luck!
I made this banana nut recipe, using pecans, and it was fantastic, will be making it again
HELP please. I LOVE anything banana. I made this last week and it turned out pretty good. I only had bananas that were just yellow enough for eating, and the bread turned out really good. Well I made it again today, well the bananas were good over ripe bananas to use for baking. Anyhow, my bread turned out very heavy and kinda soggy. Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated. I also made apple oat-nut and had the same problem. Not sure what adjustments to make when using wet fruits.
When I have over ripe bananas to use I will not use a hand mixer/stand when I add them in at the very end. I mush them up in a bowl separate and fold the bananas in to the prepared batter right before pouring into your cooking pan. The soggy-ness has to do with the banana being more sugar than starch at that point of its life so iv had success treating them like egg whites.
I was so happy to find the starter recipe and this website! I had a cup a starter on hand for years for this very recipe and ran out of starter when I moved and lost the recipe for it. Now I will NEVER ever run out again its like gold! Starter and this recipe are going to be my Mothers Day gift for my friends this year!
Can I use bread flour when making amish bread, or do I only need to use all purpose flour? Also-can I cook with a starter after I have been doing it awhile, even if it’s not the tenth day? Thanks!
I made this today with starter that I froze last fall. I toasted the nuts and added 1 tsp of banana extract and only used 1 box of pudding – it came out perfect. I made 5 mini loafs and I baked them for 48 minutes.
This bread freezes well too. I took out a frozen pumpkin loaf from fall and it is still delicous.
I triple wrap my loafs, so that might be helpful also.
My question is do you freeze a cup each of starter or whole batch.
Hi Tonya — Freeze as much as you want, but each gallon-sized bag should have 1 cup each of starter only. That makes it easy to pass it on, revive, etc. Also, make sure your starter is ACTIVE when you freeze it, ideally the day after or right after having fed it.
I made these but my problem is they want to stick when removing from pans
Hi Lana! What did you use to grease your pans? You could also try using parchment paper if greasing doesn’t seem to be cutting it for non-stick purposes. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Love this variation of Amish bread…try leaving out the nuts and use peanut butter chips instead. Yummy!!!
I cut back both the sugar and the oil to ½ cup each. I think adding some cinnamon or another spice would help. Very moist and delicious.
I replaced ½ the oil with applesauce. I also dusted the greased pans with cinnamon sugar. Tasted really great!
I add no sugar and in place of oil I add 1 cup unsweetened applesauce. Then add 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Always a hit for the holidays. I make it ahead of time, freeze it, then give to each of children’s families to take home. I have one grandson request chocolate chips so make his special.
That sounds delicious, Sandy! Thanks for the tips!
I tried this recipe last weekend and we really enjoyed it! We ate a lot of it for breakfast! Quite tasty! I’ll definitely be making this bread again sometime in the future!