Fluffy Sweet Potato Banana Bread Recipe

Pretty much everyone agrees that one of the best uses for your extra-ripe bananas is banana bread. It's simple and delicious, and there are so many ways to put your own unique spin on it. In this recipe, Jessica Morone adds mashed sweet potato for a mature twist on the classic, but that's not the only tweak she makes. "There are two 'special ingredients' in this recipe," she says. "The first is the sour cream, which I like to put in every banana bread I make because it adds moisture and flavor to the bread; it is where the 'fluffiness' comes from. The second addition is the maple extract, which goes really well with the sweet potatoes and helps to bring out their flavor."

"This is good by itself," Morone says, adding that you could "[spread] butter or even nut butter on top. I like to eat this as a breakfast or a snack." This tasty, versatile bake is simple to make (you only need two bowls and a loaf pan) and will be ready to enjoy in just over an hour. The next time you end up with ripe bananas or leftover sweet potatoes, you'll know what to do.

To make this bread, you'll need bananas (ideally ripe ones) and cooked, mashed sweet potatoes. You'll also need chopped pecans, eggs, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, light brown sugar, sour cream, unsalted butter, and maple extract. "I used pecans in this because I think they go the best with sweet potatoes, but walnuts are also pretty classic for banana bread recipes," Morone says. "You could also use no nuts at all, or add chocolate chips for a lighter version."

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.

To a separate large bowl, add the brown sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream, sweet potatoes, bananas, and maple extract.

Beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Stir in ½ cup of the chopped pecans.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of pecans on top of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out with just a few, moist crumbs.

Let banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice and enjoy.

Considering sweet potato banana bread contains both fruits and veggies, you may be wondering if it's healthier for you than the average sweet treat. "I don't know if it is any healthier; it is just a more complex flavor and a fun change to regular banana bread," Morone says. While banana bread (sweet potato or otherwise) isn't a health food per se, there are definitely nutritional benefits to the ingredients in this recipe. Bananas are good sources of fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes are packed with all that, as well, plus high levels of the antioxidant beta carotene. Plus, pecans may be small, but they're filled with protein, minerals, B vitamins, and healthy fats.

If you want to make a banana bread that's even more nutritionally focused, you can make some tweaks — try replacing the all-purpose flour with almond flour, or use a vegan egg substitute like applesauce or flax egg. However, keep in mind that you may not end up with the classic banana bread flavor and texture that you're used to.

This isn't a terribly time-consuming recipe, but even so, sometimes it's more convenient for your schedule to start making a recipe one day and finish it during another. Luckily, you've got options here: "You can cook sweet potatoes and mash them up to five days in advance of making this recipe, or even just use canned sweet potatoes," Morone says. "But, the bread itself is so quick to make that you don't have to prepare anything else in advance." 

People who like to plan in advance probably also want to know how long their creation will last. "You will want to wrap up the leftovers in plastic wrap, and then it will last for about four days at room temperature. Or, you can put it in the refrigerator for about a week," Morone adds. "This also freezes well for up to three months."