Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Bermuda Banana Bread
A dense, moist banana loaf, lightly spiced and buttery, that Bermudians bake for breakfast and afternoon tea alike.
Bermudian · easy · serves 8
prep 15 min · cook 60 min
~401 cal · 6g protein · 60g carbs · 16g fat · 2g fiber · 31g sugars · 10g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bermuda banana bread is a classic island bake, a dense, moist, lightly spiced loaf that Bermudians make for breakfast, afternoon tea, and any time a sweet slice is called for.
Very ripe bananas are mashed into a buttery batter with a spoon of sour cream, sometimes with a little rum or warm spice, and baked into a rich, tender loaf that keeps well for days. Many Bermudian households fold in walnuts and raisins as well. The riper the bananas, the deeper the flavour and the moister the crumb.
Sliced and spread with butter, or eaten just as it is, it is comforting and homey. Bermuda banana bread is the kind of unfussy, reliable bake that fills island kitchens with a sweet, familiar smell, equally at home at breakfast or teatime.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
1
Heat the oven to 350°F, grease a loaf pan and dust it with granulated sugar. Mash the bananas smooth in a large bowl with the sour cream and vanilla.
2
In another bowl beat the melted butter with the brown sugar until light, then beat in the eggs (or flax) one at a time, and stir in the banana mixture.
3
Fold in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt just until no streaks remain.
✎ Chef’s note
Fold walnuts and raisins in at this point if you want the fuller Bermudian version. Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears, or the loaf goes tough.
4
Scrape into the pan and bake about 55-65 minutes until a skewer comes out clean; cool before slicing.
Bermudian home baking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Hamilton. Sherry peppers began as ship's stores. Sailors steeped bird's eye peppers in fortified wine to make food past its best edible, and the bottle stayed on the table long after the reason for it had gone. Cassava pie at Christmas is documented on the island as far back as 1612.
🗺️
Bermuda. Bermudian fish chowder takes no flour and no cream, and cooks are emphatic about it: the body comes from long reduction and from the gelatin in fish heads and bones. It is finished at the table with two things, black rum and sherry peppers, the latter descended from a sailors' habit of fortifying sherry with bird's-eye chillies.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Bermuda
Codfish and PotatoesBermuda's traditional Sunday plate: salt cod and potatoes with egg, avocado, banana, and a tomato or egg sauce.
Bermuda Fish SandwichA generous fried fish fillet piled with slaw and tartar sauce on sweet raisin bread, Bermuda's iconic weekend lunch.
Bermuda Rum CakeA dense, buttery cake soaked in dark Bermuda rum, the island's signature celebration dessert.
Browse all Bermuda recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven, Mould or tin.
Storing it: Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and reheats covered in the oven. Most bakes can be assembled a day ahead and baked when needed.
Make it a Bermuda meal
Rum SwizzleDrink
Bermuda Rum CakeDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Bermuda Banana Bread?
A dense, moist banana loaf, lightly spiced and buttery, that Bermudians bake for breakfast and afternoon tea alike.
Where does Bermuda Banana Bread come from?
Bermuda Banana Bread is a Bermudian dish from Hamilton, Bermuda.
Can Bermuda Banana Bread be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bermuda Banana Bread recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bermuda Banana Bread safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bermuda Banana Bread take to make?
About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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