Perfecting this single banana bread Bundt cake recipe took me nearly a year. That’s why I needed so many damn bananas. It was a fine, yummy banana bread. But something wasn’t SPECIAL about it.
I tried a million different things. Using banana pudding mix made it taste fake. Toasting the top with salty coconut made it a little too coconutty. Nuts were too controversial among my friends. Milk chocolate blended in too much.
But! It turned out that putting the coconut inside left it with a subtle hint of sweet coconut goodness, vanilla pudding gave it a fluffy, moist texture I could never have imagined, and dark chocolate gave it a . . . I dunno, do I need to explain why putting in chocolate is a good thing?
Can you toss nuts in this? Sure. Can you use a different chocolate? Why not? But I’m telling you—I did this every way humanly possible so you wouldn’t have to. And the hundreds of banana bread pictures I’m tagged in (daily!) prove this.–Chrissy Teigen
Banana Bread with Pudding FAQs
We don’t recommend it. The flavoring added to pudding mix can change the flavor of the bread and, as Chrissy says, make it taste fake. Stick with the vanilla.
If you want to make this cake now and your bananas are still a little green, place the bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet with their skins on and bake at 300°F (150°C) until soft and the skins are blackened, 10 to 20 minutes.
Chrissy recommends a schmear of salted butter on top of each slice, however, our testers found the cake so moist and flavorful that several opted to enjoy their banana bread unadorned. Either way is delicious.
Banana Bread with Pudding Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas, (from about 6 medium bananas)
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup canola oil or other mild vegetable oil, plus a little more to grease the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting the pan
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- One (3.5-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- One (3.5-ounce) bar dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
- Salted butter, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, and oil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well but gently. Fold in the coconut and chocolate chunks.
- Grease and flour a 12-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan (that means wipe a little grease all over the inside of the pan, dust it with flour, and tip it upside down to shake out any extra flour). Pour the batter into the pan. (This can also make two 8- by 4-inch [20- by 5-cm] loaves, but it’s so much more moist in one Bundt pan!)
☞ TESTER TIP: To easily flour a greased pan, fill a spice shaker with flour and use it to sprinkle all over. It helps to distribute it more evenly and it wastes less flour.
- Bake until the banana bread springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 65 to 75 minutes. If it begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil. If you are using smaller loaf pans, your cooking time will be shorter.
- Let it cool slightly in the pan, then use a butter knife to gently release the cake from the sides of the pan and around the inner circle, then flip it onto a plate.
- Cool completely before cutting it into slices. Slather with butter and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I was suspect of the pudding mix in Chrissy Teigen’s banana bread recipe, but was I ever wrong to doubt it. This banana bread Bundt cake has the most delightful texture of any I’ve made (and there have been MANY!) The texture was indeed fluffy, something else I had doubted. The coconut was a fabulous textural element in the bread, and everyone knows chocolate helps (almost) any recipe.
We are a family that loves cooking, eating, and critiquing! So, when I made this banana bread with pudding mix late one Sunday afternoon and each member of the family, having tasted it at separate times, individually remarked: this is the best banana bread I ever had! I knew this recipe was a winner.
Was it because of the moistness throughout every bite from the 6 very ripe bananas, or the subtle hint of real coconut (not the typical overly sweetened kind) or the intermittent surprise of a rich dark chocolate bite? We’re not sure, but suffice it to say the combination really works.
I followed the recipe exactly, but once the batter was poured in the pan, I sprinkled chopped walnuts on top of the batter across 1/4 of the pan. (I couldn’t resist – I LOVE nuts in my banana bread). I tasted a slice without and with the nuts. While both were equally scrumptious, I did like the extra texture of the nuts.
Chrissy Teigen’s banana bread recipe was so good that I now have no fear buying a really large bunch of bananas because I can’t wait for them to get really ripe so I can make this again!
This banana bread with pudding mix recipe was simple to put together with common pantry ingredients and/or items that are easily obtainable. The taste and texture of this banana bread was quite moist and yummy – a real hit with friends and family. I first made it without chocolate (hubby doesn’t eat chocolate but loves banana and coconut), but added chopped toasted and salted walnuts to offset some of the sweetness and because they pair well with the other ingredients.
I first used my hands to mash the bananas but then switched to a potato masher – more efficient and less messy. I will try these and maybe some ground coffee (to help mimic the bitterness of chocolate) for the next time I make it. I also might just make it with the chocolate and give to friends because you just can’t go wrong with chocolate, banana, and coconut!
The Bundt pan I used is a 12 cup measure. It took a total of 75 minutes to finish baking, having to loosely cover with foil after 45 minutes because the top was browning too quickly. I’ve kept covered at room temp for 4 days and it’s still holding up quite well, not stale or soggy. I will definitely be making this again!
Some might say that I am a recipe snob. After all, if I am baking from scratch I would never consider using a cake mix. And instant pudding? Just reading the ingredient label made me shake a bit. That would take some convincing. Despite my doubts, Chrissy Teigen’s banana bread recipe is pretty good.
On the plus side, it is easy to put together and doesn’t even require a mixer. It serves a crowd. You likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen……maybe not the pudding. I’m not yet convinced that it is important to bake a banana bread/cake with instant pudding but as with brownie recipes, it is good to have an arsenal of banana bread recipes when you have a pile of bananas ripening on the counter or waiting in the freezer.
The banana bread Bundt cake would work well with modifications, walnuts might be nice. Sweetened coconut would be fine. Chocolate chips would work.
I was thinking this banana bread with coconut would be overly sweet with 2 cups sugar, 6 overripe bananas, and chocolate. It’s honestly not at all. The dark chocolate really helped balance all of the other sweet goodness of this lovely Bundt. The texture of the batter was very dense and the bread itself is on the heavy side, not in a bad way. I would make this again and I would add toasted pecans or walnuts and vanilla.
Oh my goodness. Be sure to measure the two cups of bananas before adding the oil and eggs! Six ripe bananas mashed made about six cups! I added the oil and eggs to all six cups and had to start over. Are two bananas enough to make it taste like banana bread?
Wow, Vicky! That is a lot of banana. Our testers averaged about 6 medium bananas to equal 2 cups. I would use the 2 cup measure called for in the recipe and the amount of bananas you need may vary depending on what you purchase. Please let us know how it turns out.
Tried it, loved it!
Two things.
1. Do not skip the part where it says to allow to cool. This is difficult because it smells amazing. But if you don’t allow at least the top (before you turn it over) to cool all the way and become a bit crusty, it will get soggy on the plate side when you turn it over). It might actually be better to turn it onto a cooling rack first.
2. I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut at my store so I used sweetened and reduced the sugar by 6 tablespoons. I think I could have gone more as it was pretty sweet. Next time I’ll try 8-10 tablespoons …. there WILL be a next time.
Thanks for the tips, Brandon!
Can this be made with gluten-free flour?
Lee, we didn’t test this with gluten-free flour, but people swear by the 1-to-1 mixes. If you make this, please tell us how it turned out!
Made with GF 1-1 flour with good results. I reduced the sugar to taste.
Thanks, Kristin. That’s very helpful.