If there’s one thing I have drilled into my children it’s that there are no bananas too brown for banana bread: just on this side of rotten is just fine for making banana bread. If we have a stack of browning bananas on our counter, one of my kids will undoubtedly ask to make a loaf of bread over the weekend. While we normally make a very basic banana bread, I sometimes like to change it up like this pistachio banana bread with pomegranate seeds!
After all, who doesn’t love a one-bowl quick stir banana bread?
This pomegranate and pistachio banana bread is a bit of a flavor upgrade on the standard, but mostly it’s a texture upgrade. Normal banana bread is good, but if you like some texture to your bread recipes, you’ll appreciate the crunch that pistachios and pomegranate arils add to the loaf.
There’s no better time of year to use pomegranates so it’s now or never!
The best way to peel and seed a pomegranate
When it comes to peeling pomegranates, it can be a bit of an annoying task. There are a few ways I’ve tried over the years that work pretty well.
What I like to do is cut the end off the pomegranate so you can see where the sections separate. Then you can cut down each section, splitting the pomegranate into quarters.
Flip each quarter over and peel apart the arils over a bowl of water. The seeds will fall to the bottom and you can strain them off.
You can also buy just the seeds, but they will be way more expensive than buying the whole pomegranates.
What bananas work best for banana bread?
In short, very ripe bananas work best for banana bread. I’m talking almost black bananas that are mush on the inside. If you think they are rotten, they are probably great for banana bread.
If you have bananas that are very ripe but you aren’t ready to make banana bread, you can stick them in the freezer until you’re ready. When you thaw them they will be completely slimy and mushy, but still be great in the banana bread recipe!
They will also be great in smoothies straight out of the freezer as well!
If you want a great basic banana bread recipe, I use the Simply Recipes banana bread recipe as a start!
- Need another fruit-packed breakfast bread? Try these strawberry rhubarb scones!
Instructions for Pistachio Banana Bread
These were the bananas I used for this loaf. I’ve used MUCH riper bananas in the past as well.
For the add-ins, you need pomegranate arils and pistachios. You can actually buy the poms already seeded these days, but I still like to seed them myself as mentioned above.
The banana bread comes together in one bowl. Mash together the banana, sugar, butter and egg.
Then stir in the flour mixture and all the beautiful add-ins including the nuts. The batter should be thick enough to support the add-ins so they don’t just sink to the bottom.
Into a loaf pan! I recommend lightly buttering the pan or spraying it with some oil. You could also line it with parchment paper if you are really worried about it sticking but I’ve never had trouble getting this loaf out of the pan.
This loaf will probably need 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. As with all loaves like this, use a tester in the center to make sure it’s cooked through and then let it cool (ideally on a wire rack) before slicing and serving.
It’s a winner though!
The pomegranate pistachio banana bread has amazing texture. Give it a shot the next time you have a few lingering bananas on your counter!
Storing the banana bread
This banana bread keeps fine on the counter at room temperature for a day or two. If you are storing it longer than that, I’d move it to the refrigerator and it’ll be fine for at least a week.
Banana bread also freezes really well. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and it’ll freeze well for three months. Thaw slowly on the counter before serving.
Pomegranate Pistachio Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup pistachios, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly butter and dust with flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mash very ripe bananas with sugar. Then whisk in melted butter, sugars, and eggs.
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
- Stir in pomegranate arils and chopped pistachios. Transfer to loaf pan.
- Bake loaf at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until a tester comes out clean from the center.
- Let loaf cool for a few minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or let cool completely and wrap tightly to keep fresh.
Rosina Dimech
Ive pinned this to try when I get home. My daughter loves pomegranate and I never know how to add it into my recipes. Ill see how she likes this one.
Irene Fernandez
Must try.. Looks real ggod
Quenna
Put pomegranate in your pasta for something magical. Like spicy Alfredo, with color! Also, thanks for the mortar and pestle years ago!;)