Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread made with ripe bananas and vanilla pudding! The pudding adds so much moisture and flavor to this delicious banana bread recipe.
Banana bread recipes are always a hit with family and friends because they’re simple, versatile, and incredibly delicious. This vanilla pudding banana bread recipe is one of the yummiest ways to eat ripe bananas. And I love how simple and easy this quick bread recipe is to make!
WHAT IS VANILLA PUDDING BANANA BREAD?
Vanilla pudding banana bread is a simple banana bread recipe that is packed with flavor. Made with vanilla pudding that adds tons of flavor and moisture for the perfect quick bread consistency. Many banana bread recipes are made with oil, but most of the liquid comes from the pudding which saves a few calories and creates the most amazing flavor and consistency!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST QUICK BREADS
There are a couple of tips that will help you to get the perfect banana bread every time!
- Make sure to use the right bread pans! The recipe for this quick bread is written for TWO regular sized bread pans which is 9.5″X5″. You can use two smaller pans if you’d like, just adjust the cooking time to about 45 minutes.
- If you use non-stick pans, you won’t want to use any cooking spray, but if you are not using non-stick pans, make sure to use a baking spray like this one or line the pans with parchment paper so your bread doesn’t get stuck to the pan! There is nothing worse than making a beautiful loaf of bread and having the whole thing fall apart when you try to get it neatly out of the pan!
- Make sure to test the middle of the bread at the end of the cooking time – I like to use one of these for that! If your bread is still gooey in the middle, bake for a few more minutes. If the edges and the top are starting to look too brown and the middle isn’t done yet, go ahead and put some foil over the bread for the last few minutes of baking until the bread is done in the center. This will prevent the outside from burning, but still allow the middle to cook all the way through.
- Also, make sure that you don’t overmix the batter. You can blend the wet ingredients well and the dry ingredients as much as you want when they are separate, but once you put them together, you want to mix just enough to combine them.
Ingredients in Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread
Banana – You will need 4 overripe bananas so that you can mash them up before adding to the batter.
Butter – You will need one stick of butter (1/2) cup. Make sure it is softened to room temperature.
Vanilla pudding – A cup of vanilla pudding is needed for the recipe. Any type of vanilla pudding will work. You can use a homemade version or you can make up some instant pudding from a mix.
Brown sugar – A cup of brown sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the bread and pairs so well with the bananas.
Vanilla extract – Just a teaspoon of vanilla extract is needed. The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better!
Eggs– 2 large eggs are needed to bind all of the other ingredients together.
Flour – All-purpose flour works great, but you can swap in some wheat flour if you’d like. The more wheat flour you swap in, the more the consistency of the bread will change.
Baking soda – 2 teaspoons of baking soda act as the leavening agent in the bread. For best results, make sure the baking soda isn’t old or expired.
Salt – Just a half teaspoon of salt will help all of the other flavors to pop!
How to make Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a medium bowl, mash four bananas with a spoon or fork.
Add softened butter, vanilla pudding, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well.
Pour the batter into TWO greased 9X5 loaf pans.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Slice and serve.
How to know if the bread is done
Your bread should register about 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer to ensure that it has been cooked fully. Not only that but the top should appear to be a nice golden brown color and as the bread cools, it shouldn’t sink, but should instead remain well-shaped with a rounded top.
DID YOUR QUICK BREAD SINK IN THE MIDDLE?
Here’s how to help your quick bread not sink in the middle after it’s baked. This happens to me occasionally too! Often it’s because I’ve over mixed the batter. Quick bread (referring to a bread recipe that doesn’t use yeast) does not like to be stirred too much, so try to just barely mix all the ingredients together. Another culprit could be overfilling the pan. The bread pan should be only half full each time. As always, make sure your baking soda isn’t too old- it should only be on your shelf for 6-9 months before purchasing new.
Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 bananas overripe, mashed
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup vanilla pudding
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a medium bowl, mash four bananas with a spoon or fork.
- Add softened butter, vanilla pudding, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well.
- Pour the batter into TWO greased 9X5 loaf pans. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely before removing from the pan. Slice & enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
What type of vanilla pudding to use in Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread?
You need to use prepared vanilla pudding in this recipe. I usually just whip up a batch of instant vanilla pudding from a box – it only takes a few minutes. If you have more time, you could try our favorite recipe for Homemade Vanilla Pudding. The fastest method would be to use pre-made pudding cups!
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
CAN QUICK BREAD BE MADE INTO MUFFINS?
Any quick bread recipe can easily be converted into a muffin recipe! Make the batter as indicated and then pour into a greased muffin pan. This banana bread recipe will yield 12 regular sized muffins or 24 mini muffins. Bake at 375° for about 25-30 minutes. The easiest way to make muffins is using a cookie scoop. A large scoop works perfectly for large muffins and a smaller cookie scoop works great for mini muffins – no more messy pouring or trying to get the exact same amount in each well of the muffin tin!
CAN YOU FREEZE QUICK BREAD?
Quick bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure the bread is completely cooled before wrapping the entire loaf in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped bread in aluminum foil or in a freezer bag. To thaw, leave in plastic and set at room temperature until completely thawed through.
LOOKING FOR MORE BANANA BREAD RECIPES? CHECK OUT THESE SUGGESTIONS!
- Gingersnap Banana Bread
- Mango Banana Bread
- Apple Banana Bread
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- White Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Easy Banana Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread
- Cranberry Banana Bread
- Raspberry Banana Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Vanilla Pudding Banana Bread made with ripe bananas and vanilla pudding! The pudding adds so much moisture and flavor to this delicious banana bread recipe.
Denise says
Question.i read everything.says use 9.5 by 5 inch pan for best results …but then then recipe then says pour to 8 by 5 inch pan.and bake one hour.
Jessica says
Fixed that! I recommend using a 9×5 pan. But if you only have an 8×5 pan, you can use that! Just make sure the bread is fully cooked in the middle by using a cooking thermometer- it should read 200°F.
Glenda Gurian says
Can I make this using a bread machine?
Nicole says
I have not tested this recipe in a bread machine but if your bread machine has a quick bread option, you could try it and see how it turns out
Lisa Belliston says
I made this recipe using the 9×5 bread pan and it overflowed. I should have known better when it filled up my pan but I didn’t remember how much quick breads typically rose during the cooking process. If I make this again, I think I will try a Bundt pan.
Nicole says
Aw, okay!
Texsis says
AWESOME!! Grandson is a VERY picky eater & he loved it! Next time I may add Chocolate chips or Walnuts.
Nicole says
Ohh yes, sounds great
NickiDE says
Do you recommend light or dark brown sugar?
Jerri says
WHAT SIZE PUDDING MIX DO YOU USE. LARGE BOX, OR SMALL BOX?
Nicole says
Doesnt matter. You need to use already prepared pudding so if you make a small box you’ll have fewer servings of pudding leftover as a snack
Susan says
We enjoyed this recipe. I was looking through the other comments and I think I’ll make it with butterscotch pudding next.
Nicole says
Oh I bet that would be good!
Rochelle Krieghoff says
I have a question. Is the banana pudding straight from the box in powder form or prepared w/ milk from the box then added to recipe? To me, it wasn’t clear. I have many recipes using the dry mix added to the recipe.
Nicole says
You will need to use prepared vanilla pudding for this recipe, not the dry mix. This means to make the pudding according to the package directions and then stir it into the batter. This is clarified in a helpful section right below the recipe card.
Rhonda says
Delicious
Nicole says
Thanks!
NickiDE says
Tastes more like cake than bread. A bit on the bland side. If I were to make again, I would add some nuts or perhaps some chocolate chips. I did use light brown sugar but would suggest using dark brown sugar for a bit more flavor.
N. Anderson says
I made this recipe twice. The first time, a couple weeks ago, I followed the instructions and used one 9×5 pan. Waaay too much batter for one pan so it never got done even after extending the time twice. Finally had to remove from oven to avoid burning. Had to throw it out. Decided to give it another try this afternoon and to use two 9×5 pans this time. Just right amount of batter for the two pans. But, still had to extend the time as they were not nearly done, yet again. Plus, after cooling and trying to cut, found they crumbled all over the place. I’ve been making banana bread for 50 years using my gram’s recipe and never had a bad one in all those years. I cannot understand how you can get a loaf you can rave about and go about like you do. Seems to me this recipe could not have been tried before posting it online for others to try. Burned me from trying recipes online. Old, tried and true ones are proven to still be the best.
Nicole says
I’m sorry to hear that things didn’t turn out. I haven’t heard of anyone else having this issue. Are you sure you followed the recipe measurements correctly?
Hope says
The recipe, once it baked through, was OK. I surely do wish I’d read the comments before baking it though – a 9×5 loaf pan is NOT the correct size! I could tell the pan wasn’t large enough after I poured the batter into it and, luckily, I put a jelly roll pan under the loaf pan because the bread overflowed sooooo much! What a mess!!
Kayla says
This was super moist and flavorful!
Nicole says
Yay!
Staci says
Made with butterscotch pudding. Tastes great!
Nicole says
I bet they did! 🙂
Kayleigh says
Made this into muffins and added some strudel topping. Delicious!
Nicole says
That sounds like a wonderful idea!
Tameika says
Just made with walnuts, wasn’t sure if I should split into two loaf pans, a lot of batter (used one, still cooking, so we shall see if 1 hour will suffice) and I used parchment paper so it slides right out the pan. FYI, the instructions left out the vanilla extract so I added to wet mix
Nicole says
Thanks for catching that! Hope you liked your loaf, walnuts sound like a great addition
Bridget says
Recipe produced 2 more cups of batter than would comfortably fit in my 9×5 pan. I wish I had read the comments first. I ended up pouring it into a 9×13 pan and baking at 350 for 35-40 minutes. It turned out just ok. I’m glad I didn’t attempt the 9×5 like others had because the larger pan did produce edible results.
Nicole says
Aw, sorry to hear that it didnt turn out as expected 🙁
Carol Elliott says
I wished I had read the comments before putting this in the oven . I used a 9 x 5 bread pan and it made a huge mess overflowing and took much longer to bake.
Nicole says
Oh no! Im so sorry to hear that!
Alex says
I read the comments prior and baked this in my 7x 11 (something close) casserole pan for close to 30 minutes and it was great!!!! I didn’t measure the Swiss Miss Vanilla Pudding, just used two of their serving cups which looked like it amounted to one measured cup. I used frozen bananas which was hard; I had to let them defrost and mix them into the dry mixture and knead it before adding the liquid mixture. I would’ve liked a glaze or streusel over it but for a decent healthy ish breakfast (compared to a bacon egg and cheese or a Dunkin’ muffin) I am happy with the result and it tastes amazing. Definitely don’t make it in a bread pan.
Tina says
We really enjoyed this! It was different but good
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it Tina!