Rhubarb season in Vermont means one thing: spring is finally here. This hearty rhubarb banana bread is the perfect way to enjoy rhubarb, whether fresh or frozen, alongside those overripe bananas sitting on your counter. It's warmly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, brightened with lemon zest, and studded with toasted walnuts for crunch.
If you find the standard loaf of banana bread a bit boring, this recipe is for you. If you find yourself gifted with or growing your own rhubarb and don't know what to do with it, this recipe is for you, too.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sour rhubarb and sweet ripe bananas create a delicious balance of flavors.
- Walnuts, both in and on top of the bread, create a pleasantly crunchy texture.
- You can make this with fresh or frozen rhubarb and bananas.
This bread was inspired by my small but plentiful patch of rhubarb. I'm always looking for ways to use it once it starts growing in the spring. But I often can't use it fast enough and instead, chop it up and freeze it for later. Luckily, frozen rhubarb works just fine in this recipe.
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The recipe itself was heavily inspired by 101 Cookbook's zucchini bread recipe. I really like the amount of nuts Heidi includes in that recipe, and I've copied that here. It helps keep the bread from being too soft and having a somewhat unpleasant, mushy texture after a day or two. A sprinkle of coarse sparkling sugar doesn't hurt, either.
🍌 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this banana rhubarb quick bread.
Key Ingredients
- Rhubarb: As mentioned, you can use fresh or frozen rhubarb. Just follow the instructions on the recipe card below for working with frozen. It doesn't matter if your rhubarb is pink or green; it tastes the same. Thinner rhubarb stalks tend to be a little better, as thick ones may be tougher and require peeling. Ashley at Practical Self Reliance has some helpful tips for peeling rhubarb, if you need them. But in most cases, I don't find it necessary.
- Bananas: You'll need two large, well-ripened bananas. That means they should be soft and have lots of black spots on the peels. Fresh or frozen bananas work fine here, too. If the bananas aren't ripe, they won't create as sweet and flavorful a bread.
- Walnuts: There are quite a few walnuts in this bread, both on top and within. But the added crunch helps keep this bread full of texture. To toast them, place them in a pan over low heat for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Candied ginger: An optional addition that could easily be replaced by an equal amount of freshly grated ginger or a teaspoon of ground ginger. But I like how the candied ginger doesn't get lost in the bread and offers an occasional hint of sharp spice to counter the sweetness. Ginger and rhubarb are a great combo, and it's why I combined them in my Ginger Rhubarb Gin Cocktail.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour, or I often use half all-purpose and half whole wheat for added nutritional value and a little extra nuttiness.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🥣 Variations
- Rhubarb Banana Muffins: Instead of baking in a loaf pan, fill cups of a greased muffin tin about three-quarters full with the batter and bake for about 20-22 minutes at 350 degrees F. You may also like my recipe for Apple and Rhubarb Muffins.
- Whole wheat muffins: For more whole grains, substitute half or all of the flour with whole wheat flour.
- Without walnuts: Replace walnuts with toasted walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds. Or try a mix of nuts and seeds.
🔪 Instructions
- Step 1: If using frozen rhubarb, defrost in the fridge or gently in the microwave. Wrap in a clean towel and lightly squeeze out most of the water.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 4-5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Step 4: Add the eggs, one at a time, on low, until incorporated.
- Step 5: Mash the bananas, then add them to the bowl with the eggs and butter. Briefly mix on low until combined.
- Step 6: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the dry and gently mix until fully incorporated.
- Step 7: Stir in the rhubarb and half the walnuts.
- Step 8: Line a loaf pan with a large piece of parchment paper, leaving it to overhang on both sides. Spoon in the batter.
- Step 9: Top with the remaining walnuts. Add some sparkling sugar, if you like.
- Step 10: Bake the bread in a 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before lifting out to cool completely on a rack.
✨ Top Tips
- This recipe makes a large loaf, so I suggest using a larger 9x5-inch loaf pan (also called a bread pan). If your pan is smaller, such as 8.5x4.5 inches, it will still work, but might take longer to cook through to the center. Any smaller than that, I would suggest dividing the loaf into two pans.
- I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper, which makes it very easy to lift out after baking. Without it, you'll have to tip the bread over to get it out of the pan and the walnuts and sugar may fall off.
- If you don't have candied ginger handy, you can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and add it with the cinnamon. Or if fresh ginger is available, use two tablespoons of peeled and grated ginger and mix it in when you add the lemon zest.
🍳 Equipment
Loaf pan: You need a large loaf (aka bread) pan for this recipe. I use a 9x5-inch pan to make it, but an 8.5x4.5-inch pan could also work; it may just take longer to bake. As King Arthur explains, the size of your pan can make a big difference.
Mixer: Makes creaming the butter and sugar much easier. But in a quick bread like this, it's not essential, especially when your butter is soft at room temperature.
🥡 Storage
Fridge: Up to 4-5 days when well wrapped. Toast slices or give them a quick 15-20 seconds in the microwave to warm.
Freezer: Freezes well for up to 3 months. Slice before freezing so you can grab individual pieces as needed. Wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
Yes, they do. Ripe bananas are sweet and have a deep flavor. Rhubarb is tart and has a fresh, bright flavor. The two compliment each other well.
You can, but I don't reccomend it. The banana flavor will be too mild and will produce a bland bread. Look for ripe bananas in the grocery store if you can't wait for yours to ripen. The next time you have ripe bananas, peel and freeze them so they'll be ready for making into bread next time.
It depends on the recipe. For a quick bread recipe like this one, either is fine. You just want to defrost and squeeze out some of the water from the frozen rhubarb or it will create a gummy, wet bread.
☕ Pairing
Try serving this rhubarb quick bread with one of these other recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Rhubarb Banana Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A rhubarb banana bread spiced with cinnamon and ginger, brightened with lemon zest, and loaded with walnuts for crunch.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
- 1 ½ cups toasted walnuts, chopped and divided
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for topping
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon sparkling sugar (optional)
Instructions
- If using frozen rhubarb: thaw in the fridge on the counter, or by rinsing in warm water. If not already, roughly chop into ½ inch pieces. Spread on a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze the towel to drain most, but not all, of the liquid. If using fresh rhubarb: wash and roughly chop.
- Prep the oven and pan. Heat your oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center. Line a large loaf pan (9.5x5") with a sheet of parchment paper with a little overhang on each side for easy lifting later.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together in a large bowl. Toss in half of the walnuts.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter until light. Mix in both sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Peel and mash the bananas, then stir them in with the vanilla and lemon zest.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together in two additions, mixing just until no dry streaks remain - don't overwork it. Gently fold in the rhubarb last.
- Transfer batter to the pan. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top. Scatter over the remaining walnuts and a generous pinch or two of sugar.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, but start checking at the 50-minute mark as oven temperatures vary. If the top is coloring quickly, loosely lay a piece of foil over it. The bread is done when a toothpick or tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
This recipe makes a large loaf, so I suggest using a larger 9x5-inch loaf pan (also called a bread pan). If your pan is smaller, such as 8.5x4.5 inches, it will still work, but might take longer to cook through to the center. Any smaller than that, I would suggest dividing the loaf into two pans.
I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper, which makes it very easy to lift out after baking. Without it, you'll have to tip the bread over to get it out of the pan, and the walnuts and sugar may fall off.
If you don't have candied ginger handy, you can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and add it with the cinnamon. Or if fresh ginger is available, use two tablespoons of peeled and grated ginger and mix it in when you add the lemon zest.
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
🍞 Related Recipes
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