Meghan Markle's Unique Secret Ingredient For Banana Bread

Meghan Markle is a woman of many business hats: actress, Duchess of Sussex, founder of a production studio, and more. Aside from her important career ventures, though, Markle tries her hand in baking. During a 2018 visit to a family-run farm in Australia, she whipped up some homemade banana bread to gift to the hosts. The bread was a hit not just because it was made by the Duchess and not just because it had chocolate chips, but rather because it included a secret ingredient that made it stand out. Markle puts a bit of ginger in her chocolate chip banana bread recipe to give it just the right amount of spice.

Ginger isn't included in the majority of traditional banana bread recipes, but when you think about it, it makes sense that it would be a good addition. Both chocolate and banana on their own go well with the spicy, aromatic root, so why wouldn't it work to put all three together? Plus, there are many ways you can include ginger as an extra ingredient in your banana bread.

Markle didn't give away her secret recipe, so we don't know which form of ginger she chooses to flavor her banana bread. Luckily, though, there are a few delicious ways to incorporate the spice into baked goods. You can buy ginger fresh, in root form, and finely mince and mix it into banana bread batter for the spiciest flavor; 1 tablespoon is a good starting point.

Ground ginger, the dried and powdered form of the root, can be easily mixed into batter as well. A blend of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg will turn your regular old banana bread into gingerbread banana bread — it works surprisingly well! With a good quality powdered version, like Simply Organic Ground Ginger Root, you'll only need 1/2 teaspoon for the flavor to come through.

If you prefer your bread with mix-ins, try adding crystalized ginger. The pieces are soft, sticky, chewy, sweet, and spicy. One-third cup of finely chopped crystalized ginger complements a chocolate chip banana bread batter perfectly. You can even save yourself some knife work and buy NOW Foods Organic Crystallized Ginger Dices online.

Any of your go-to recipes will work for this simple twist to elevate banana bread. When it comes to how to store banana bread, keeping it in an air-tight container will preserve it for a few days, while tightly wrapped bread will last for up to a week in the fridge.