About This Recipe
This brown butter Nutella swirl espresso banana bread is one of those recipes that taught me how a small ingredient can completely transform a bake. Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty richness, while ribbons of Nutella melt into the loaf for pockets of chocolatey sweetness. But the real surprise is the espresso. I’ve learned through making this bread that espresso powder doesn’t overpower banana—it actually enhances it, intensifying the natural sweetness and depth of the fruit in the most beautiful way. Paired with a silky espresso cream cheese icing, every bite is soft, rich, and layered with flavor, striking that perfect balance between comforting and indulgent.
Key Ingredients
Bananas – The foundation of both flavor and moisture. Ripe bananas provide natural sweetness, a fruity aroma, and a tender, almost custardy crumb. They also keep the loaf soft for days and add a subtle density which is essential in banana bread.
Sugars – Brown sugar adds sweetness plus subtle molasses notes that complement the bananas and brown butter. The molasses in brown sugar deepens the flavor, making the loaf taste more complex than with granulated sugar alone. However, granulated sugar provides sweetness and structure. It helps the loaf rise and gives the edges a subtle crispness, balancing the chewiness from brown sugar.
Brown Butter – A transformation from rich and creamy to nutty and caramel-like. It adds depth and warmth to the loaf, enhancing the banana flavor while giving the bread a cozy, slightly toasty aroma.
Espresso Powder – Brings a slightly roasted, complex note that balances sweetness and keeps the bread from tasting flat. A small amount of espresso powder deepens and intensifies the natural sweetness and richness of the bananas, making the bread taste more “banana-y.”
Nutella – Gives pockets of sweet, nutty chocolate that contrast with the banana base. Instead of uniform flavor, you get little bursts of indulgence. Nutella helps the crumb becomes softer and slightly gooey… almost like a brownie-meets-banana-bread texture.
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- Use a light-colored pan: When browning butter use a light colored pan so you can see the milk solids turn golden and avoid burning.
- Let the brown butter cool completely: Before adding eggs, cool the butter completely to prevent scrambling- yikes! We don’t want that.
- Measure flour correctly: You simply want to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it. Too much flour leads to dry and dense bread. My biggest pet-peeve, don’t do it!
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients gently: Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined.
- Tent the loaf with foil: If the top of the loaf browns too quickly while baking.
- Let it cool before icing: Otherwise the icing will melt and slide off the loaf!
More Recipes!
Here are some more recipes you might enjoy!
Cinnamon Roll Carrot Cake Bread
Tropical Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatmaudes
Nutella Swirl Espresso Banana Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
Espresso Banana Bread
- 1/2 cup +1 tbsp (127 g) unsalted butter divided
- 3/4 tsp (1.5 g) espresso powder
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 2-3 (240 g) very ripe bananas (about 1 cup), mashed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (55 mL) neutral oil canola or vegetable
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 mL) vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 1/2 cup (150 g) nutella
Espresso Cream Cheese Icing
- 5 oz (140 g) cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/3-1/4 cup (40 -60) powdered sugar, to taste preference
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract also works)
- 3/4 tsp (2 g) espresso powder
- 1/2 tbsp (8 mL) milk, your choice ( I use unsweetened coconut coffee creamer, but milk or cream works!)
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and grease or line a 9x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- To brown the stick of butter, start by melting it in a saucepan over medium heat (reserve the additional tbsp for after browning). Stir constantly as it foams, then watch for golden brown bits to form at the bottom and a nutty aroma to develop. Remove from heat immediately and pour the butter (and all the brown bits!) into a large heatproof bowl. Add the additional tbsp of butter and the espresso powder while the butter is still warm- stir well and let it cool completely.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then set to the side.
- Add the neutral oil and both sugars to the bowl with the cooled brown butter. Whisk everything well. Then add the mashed bananas. Mix well again. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix again until everything is combined. Add the sour cream and mix until everything is homogenous.
- Alternate adding the buttermilk and the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. At this point I like to switch to a rubber spatula and fold until everything is just combined. Try not to overmix!
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then dollop about 1/2 of the measured nutella onto the batter. Using a knife, gently swirl the nutella. Then pour the remaining batter and dollop the remaining nutella on top. Swirl the dollops. Note: if your nutella is looking too thick, you can place it into a heatproof bowl and then pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Just make sure its not too warm when you add to the batter.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes. Note: Ovens do vary so focus on visual cues rather than the bake time. Best rule of thumb is when an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few wet crumbs. If you have a baking thermometer, the internal temp should be 206°F (96.7°C). Also, if you notice the loaf browning at about 45 minutes, place some tented foil on top. This will help slow the browning while the loaf finishes baking. Then let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes.
- For the icing, place a tbsp of milk or cream into a heat proof bowl, warm in the microwave for 10 seconds. Then mix in your espresso powder. Let that cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until the the butter and cream cheese are combined and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and the espresso milk. Beat until everything is fluffy and homogenous.
- Scoop the icing and spread onto the cooled banana loaf. Slice and serve.
Made this for my Daughter and she is very picky about her Banana Bread She loved it so much Thank You
Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and also for taking the time to come back for a review! I LOVE LOVE this loaf and I am so glad to hear your daughter loved it too! Happy Baking! <3 maude
Super easy and quick, everyone in my family loved it and the texture was out of this world. Will definitely make again!
Hi Natasha,
Yay! Im so glad to hear it was easy for you and was a hit with the family! I just love the texture with the swirls of nutella- Im so glad you loved it! Thanks so much for trying and taking the time to come back and leave a review :’-) -maude
Best banana bread i had ever made !
Thank you ☺️
Hi Mehak,
Im so glad to hear! Thank you for trying the recipe and also coming back to share your thoughts! Happy baking! <3 maude
It is SO GOOD! And the directions and tips were so helpful and easy to follow. Literally first time baker and it makes me feel like a pro. Everyone LOVED IT!
Hi Juice! Wow this is incredible! Welcome to the baking club Haha Im so glad to hear that the instructions were easy to follow – music to my ears! This is one of my all time favorite loaves- SO Im happy to read you enjoyed it! Thanks again for trying and leaving a review- it means a lot <3 maude
Wow amazing ! Love love love ❤️ Will make for all family Gatherings ❤️🥮
Hi Johanna! WOW- what an honor! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I hope you and your family continue to enjoy 🙂
So good!!!! My family and friends loved it!!!
Hi Ivy! Yay- its so great to hear your family and friends loved it! Thanks for trying this recipe and coming back to leave a review! Happy baking to you! xo maude
Can I make this a couple of days ahead? Can the recipe be made in a cake tin?
Hi Sim,
Yes you can make this bread a day or two ahead of time. I haven’t tried making this in a cake tin- I suspect the baking time and overall structure will change a bit- feel free to share more details and I can help assess! Thanks for your question and Im very sorry for such a late reply! -maude
Allergy to hazelnuts can I substitute with chocolate
Hi Sonia,
Yes you can add melted chocolate or plain old chocolate chips! – maude
The first time was so delicious that it disappeared. Now I’m wondering if I can freeze it and if so for how long? I would freeze it without icing of course.
HI Nika,
Im so glad you loved the loaf- thanks for trying it! I would wrap the baked unfrosted loaf gently but tightly in plastic wrap and a freezer safe bag and it will keep for about 3 months. to thaw, leave at room temp for a couple of hours and feel free to warm in the oven for a few minutes at 350F. I hope this helps! <3 maude
Just one question when you say espresso powder or can I use freshly ground espresso or should it be an instant?
Hi Brooke,
Thanks for your question! Im sorry I haven’t tried regular espresso, but I would recommend using the powder as ground espresso can be coarser and gritty. If you can ground the espresso super fine- it could work! Alternatively, for the icing, you could add a tbsp of brewed espresso and skip the milk. For the loaf, I recommend the powder or super fine espresso. I hope this helps! -maude
This has become my new go-to banana bread recipe. And I’ve tried them all! Thank you thank you for creating this delicious treat. I give it as gifts, and my husband has made it mandatory that I make it every week! lol
Hi Maggie,
Wow- how special- this just made my day! Thank you so much for trying these loaves! They are near and dear to my heart! I just love that your husband requests it and that you feel like these loaves are gift-worthy! Thanks so much again and I really appreciate you being here! ox maude
How do you make buttermilk?
Hi Kajol,
If you don’t have access to buttermilk (usually in the milk section of your local grocery) you can make your own by adding 1 tsp (5 mL) of lemon juice to regular whole milk. Mix the two together and let that mixture sit for about 15 minutes before using. I hope this helps! xo maude
Highly recommended!!
I made it 3 times consecutively!!
So delicious 😋!!
Thank you for this nice recipe.
Hi Fatma! Yay! Im so glad to hear you loved it! Thanks so much for recommending it too- I absolutely love this loaf and crave it quite often haha
Thanks again for trying and coming back to leave a review- it means a lot! Enjoy! xo maude
Made it twice now. Absolutely love it!! Thankyou so much for sharing!!
Hi Kruthi,
Yay! Im so glad to hear that you love it! I just love this loaf! Thanks so much for trying it and keeping it on rotation! 😀 Happy baking! -maude