This Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread is so moist and delicious. Great for gift giving, the combination of pineapple, coconut and cherries is insanely delicious.
I first discovered this Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread recipe years ago and tested several versions before finding the one that truly stands out. Every bite is moist, flavorful, and perfectly balanced—you won’t want to change a thing. If you prefer to skip the nuts, go ahead and leave out the walnuts, but everything else belongs just as it is. I’ve tried it with more pineapple, less pineapple, no coconut, even without cherries, and every time I came back to this exact combination. It’s the perfect blend of tropical sweetness and home-baked comfort.
Why You’ll Love This Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
• Tropical twist on a classic: Ripe bananas meet pineapple, coconut, and cherries for a sunny, island-inspired take on traditional banana bread.
• Perfectly moist and flavorful: Thanks to the combination of coconut oil, bananas, and pineapple, every slice is tender and full of flavor—never dry.
• Easy to make: No mixer needed! Just stir, pour, and bake. It’s a reliable, no-fuss quick bread that turns out beautifully every time.
• Make ahead and freeze-friendly: The loaves stay moist for days and freeze wonderfully, making them perfect for gifting or enjoying later.
• Beautiful presentation: The pops of red cherry and bits of coconut make each slice look festive—great for brunch, holidays, or giving as a cheerful homemade treat.
• Customizable: Swap the nuts, skip the cherries, or add a handful of chocolate chips if you’d like. This recipe is flexible and always delicious.
How to Ripen Green Bananas in the Oven
If your bananas aren’t quite ready for baking, no problem! You can quickly ripen them in the oven to bring out their sweetness and soften the texture—perfect for banana bread.
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Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
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Place unpeeled bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the skins turn shiny and deep brown or black.
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Cool completely before peeling—inside, they’ll be soft, fragrant, and perfectly sweet.
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Mash and use immediately in your Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread or any banana-based recipe.
Tip: If you have time, let bananas ripen naturally at room temperature for a few days—it develops even deeper flavor. But for last-minute baking, this oven trick works like magic.
Not only is this bread pretty, it’s so full of flavor and moist texture, I’m warning you, it’ll be hard to eat “just a bite”. Also, it needs no adornment whatsoever but you could glaze the top or sprinkle some powdered sugar over it, but why?… This is divine just as you see it.
The recipe makes two nice size loaves, but you can also make one loaf and 12 muffins if you want the option of popping a few in a bag on-the-go. Perfect for gift giving; just be sure to include a copy of the recipe.
The ingredients in this loaf are simple but come together in the most irresistible way. Bananas bring natural sweetness, pineapple adds juicy moisture, and coconut and cherries give that unmistakable Hawaiian flair. Everything blends into a tender, flavorful bread that smells amazing as it bakes and tastes even better the next day. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make it.
Ingredients for Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
This tropical quick bread comes together with pantry staples and a few island-inspired add-ins that make it extra special:
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All-purpose flour – The base of the loaf, giving it a soft, sturdy crumb.
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Salt – Just enough to balance the sweetness and bring out the banana flavor.
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Baking soda – Helps the bread rise perfectly without being dense.
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Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness and moisture while helping the edges caramelize.
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Ground cinnamon – A touch of warm spice that pairs beautifully with banana and pineapple.
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Walnuts – For texture and a bit of nutty crunch in every bite.
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Eggs – Bind everything together and create a tender, rich loaf.
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Melted coconut oil – Keeps the bread moist with a hint of coconut aroma. You can substitute vegetable or canola oil if you prefer.
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Mashed ripe bananas – The star ingredient! Use very ripe bananas for the sweetest, most flavorful result.
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Crushed pineapple – Adds tropical flavor and keeps the crumb extra moist.
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Vanilla extract – Rounds out all the flavors with a smooth finish.
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Flaked coconut – Brings a bit of chewy texture and subtle coconut flavor; unsweetened is best.
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Maraschino cherries – A nostalgic, colorful touch that makes each slice look festive and fun.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
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Bananas: The riper, the better! Look for bananas with deep brown speckles for the sweetest flavor and best texture. If yours aren’t ripe yet, you can speed things up by baking them (in the peel) at 300°F for about 15 minutes.
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Oil: Melted coconut oil adds subtle tropical flavor, but any neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil works well. If you use butter, the loaf will be slightly denser and richer.
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Pineapple: Be sure to drain the crushed pineapple so the batter doesn’t become too wet. Gently press it with a spoon to remove excess juice.
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Coconut: Unsweetened flaked coconut gives a balanced texture without extra sweetness, but if you love coconut flavor, sweetened works just fine.
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Nuts: Toasting the walnuts for 5 minutes in a 350°F oven before adding them brings out a deeper flavor and crunch. Pecans also work beautifully here.
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Maraschino cherries: They add a pop of color and classic Hawaiian bakery charm, but you can leave them out or swap for dried cherries, cranberries, or even chopped dates if you’d like a less-sweet option.
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I mentioned how perfect this bread is for gift giving but if that’s your intent, be sure to save some for your own house. When I made the loaf and muffins you see here, the guys at my house pleaded with me not to share any of it! I kept telling them it was too much for us, and they swore that they needed every bit of it (It’s been a while since I last made it). So to you who were going to be benefactors the other day, I’m ripening more bananas as we speak so don’t worry, Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread is in your future.
This Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread is one of those recipes you’ll want to make again and again. It’s easy, dependable, and always impresses with its tropical flavor and soft, moist texture. Enjoy a slice warm from the oven with a little butter, or wrap up a loaf to share with a friend—it makes a beautiful homemade gift. However you serve it, this bread brings a little sunshine to any morning or afternoon snack.
For other delicious Banana Bread recipes, be sure to try my Buttermilk Banana Bread and the best Classic Banana Bread I’ve ever had.
Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup melted coconut oil, or oil of your choice
- 2 cups mashed very ripe banana, 4 medium bananas
- 1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup flaked coconut, preferably unsweetened
- 1 cup maraschino cherries, drained and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon.3 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add walnuts, eggs, oil, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, coconut and cherries; stir just until blended. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans.1 cup walnuts,, 3 eggs, 1 cup melted coconut oil,, 2 cups mashed very ripe banana,, 1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, , 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup flaked coconut,, 1 cup maraschino cherries,
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Makes two loaves.
To Make into Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees and bake for 22-25 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out almost clean.
- Makes about 24 muffins.
Is that a misprint or the calorie count for the whole loaf? 3300+ is a pretty crazy amount of calories. But it sounds delicious so I’m definitely going to be making this.
Hi Katie, Thanks for catching that! Yes, that’s a misprint. I’m fixing it now. I hope you love the recipe!
My family absolutely loves this bread. We are already on our second batch this week. Because of allergies we can’t have the nuts so we add chocolate chips and oh wow yum!!! I have done it with and without and we absolutely love it with the chocolate chips. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Hi Miranda! Thanks for this nice compliment. I’m glad you liked the bread as much as we do!
This recipe was a disaster!! It exploded all over my oven!! It sunk in the middle. I’ve never seen or had such a mess. Some good muffins turned in to a 3 hour mess. I checked and used listed ingredients. I took a picture but I don’t see where to post one.
Hello, I’m sorry to hear that this happened to you! I’ve never had a problem or heard of this so I can only apologize. I don’t know if the muffin tins were too full, not saying the error was yours. I’ll test the recipe again as it’s been a few months since I’ve made it.
Again, I’m sorry.
I made this Amazing recipe and had to freeze the other loaf just so I wouldn’t eat it all 🙂
I used pecans instead of walnuts!! 6 months later took it out of the freezer, thawed it and omg just as fresh as the day I made it…….
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
Vickie, this is go great to hear! I’m so glad you love the bread and especially happy that the second loaf was as good six months later! Thanks for letting me know.
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EVER NO FAIL RECIPE. AWAYS COMES OUT CONSISTENTLY!! IVE BEEN USING THIS RECIPE NOW FOR 3 YEARS , SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR AND IT IS ALWAYS A WINNER. PEOPLE LOVE IT. I JUST PUT TWO LOAVES IN THE OVEN🥰
Wow, Maryanne! You made my week. Thank you, I’m so glad you like it and the fact that you’ve made it over and over means so much. I recommend my Zucchini Carrot Banana Bread as another good one, too. 🙂
Wow, now are favorite bread! This should be called Banana Split Bread, lol. I did make some small changes. 1 heaping cup of sugar, Veg. oil, no coconut, strained the pineapple and pushed all juice out of it with spoon and cut the cherries in half. Thank you for such a great recipe!!!!
Loved this! I didn’t omit anything, but I did add 1/2 cup sour cream because I’ve never made any banana bread recipe without it. SUPER MOIST! Also, toast those chopped walnuts first… makes a significant difference.
Thanks so much, Maria! I love your ideas and am so happy you liked the bread. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
I was going to make this I got a 20 oz can of pineapple The recipe says 2/8 oz can is it supposed to be 2/8 oz cans or a 28 oz can It looks like the two and eight are separated I’m not quite sure because can isn’t pluralized
Again, make sure you use only one 8 oz can of pineapple.
This is by far the best Banana Nut Bread ever. I’m not a fan of maraschino cherries but I decided to make the recipe as is. I think because they
are chopped up they are not overwhelming and they add to the moistness of the bread. I did use pecans because that’s what I had on hand.
Had to bake an additional 20 minutes as another commenter stated. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Hi Mary, this is so great to hear, I’m glad you liked the recipe so much, including the cherries! I think I need to retest the recipe if a couple of you have needed to bake it that much longer and see what could be the reason. Thanks for taking the time to stop by with your nice comment. 🙂
Altitude?
Hi Loi-ann, it is ONE 8 oz can of pineapple.
I’m at 5,000 altitude if that helps.
I used paper towels and blotted the extra cherry juice after cutting them in half and stained the pineapple and pushed the extra juice out and the bread was done at the time you stated. Your recipe is right on baking time.
The Hawaiian banana bread is awesome. I hope you don’t mind but I hate (hate hate hate) coconut so I used shredded carrots instead. The second time I made some other changes to make it mine.
Wayne! I don’t mind at all. Love when people adapt recipes and I’m so glad you liked it. I know many people who hate hate hate 🙂 coconut and so I’m glad you made it work! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
Wayne I left the coconut out period 😂 it’s baking !! I’ll let you know . 😇
Helio this recipe is awesome and family don’t want it to leave home
Hi Deborah, I love this! My family feels the same way about it. It is a unique banana bread recipe, for sure and if you’re interested be sure and try my Banana Carrot Zucchini Bread recipe. It’s probably the best banana bread we’ve ever had. 🙂
Can you make this cake in a bundt pan?
Hi Novalene, I’ve never done this so cannot say how successful this would be. Sorry.
How did the bundt pan work for you?
Beverly, I’ve never used a bundt pan for this bread. The person who asked about using one never reported back whether she did or not and how it turned out if she did. This bread is pretty moist so if I were to guess, I would not think this to be a good recipe for a bundt.
Have you ever tried other nuts? I was thinking macadamia nuts would be really good.
Hi Karen, I haven’t but bet macadamia nuts would be fabulous. Let me know how it turns out with them if you do it!
This is the second time I made this loaf and muffin combo and they are delicious, thanks so much for the recipe.
Hello Lil and thanks for stopping by to let me know how you like it. It’s one of our favorite quick bread recipes at my house, too. 🙂
My bread just came out of the oven but I tried the muffins a little bit ago and this recipe is amazing! My bread took about 20 minutes longer and I ended up having to cover it with tinfoil to keep the top from burning. This is likely my fault though because I split the recipe between muffins and a loaf pan since I only have one of each. I’d be willing to bet my loaf pan ended up with more batter than originally intended. In any case, awesome spin on plain banana bread, I will be making again (though just in muffin form next time or I may die waiting for the bread to finally finish so I can eat it).
This is beautiful! Can’t wait to give it a try!
I hate cherries, do you think maybe cranberries would work or any other suggestions.
Hi Carol, you could just leave out the cherries but I would definitely try cranberries! I have several bags of frozen cranberries because I love them so much so you have given a great idea here. I’m certainly going to add cranberries next time. Much healthier and lower fructose content. I say do it!
I want to thank you for sharing such a great recipe and hope to see more soon. God Bless
If I were going to make muffins, what do you recommend the oven temp and minutes to bake? Thanks for any help….this sounds so YUMMY!
Hi Jane, I just went in an updated the printable recipe for you (I should have added this information in the first place). But for muffins, I baked them for about 25 minutes in a 350F degree oven. Thank you for stopping by!
This is sooo pretty!!! I would never think of adding maraschino cherries to banana bread…but you have intrigued me 🙂