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This is the famous Royal Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe! With its moist texture, banana and macadamia nut flavors, you are guaranteed to fall in love with this famous and tropical banana bread.

royal hawaiian banana bread on a table. It is on a cutting board. There is a slice on a wooden plate. There are macadamia nuts and bananas.

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This is the EXACT recipe for the banana bread sold at Royal Hawaiian Bakery in Waikiki, Honolulu! It is world famous and you can make it right in the comfort of your own home.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Very moist and delicious banana bread!
Simple, easy-to-find ingredients
Eat this famous banana bread without spending thousands on a trip to Hawaii
Great way to use up all your overripe bananas
Easy to Make! Most of the time is spent in the oven

Key Ingredients To Make Royal Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients for the royal hawaiian banana bread recipe on a table. Bananas, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, macadamia nuts, vegetable oil, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon. — You can find these ingredients at your local grocery store.

All Purpose Flour: Binder and needed.
Mashed Bananas: Make sure to use ripe bananas that have tons of brown spots. The more ripe, the sweeter it is.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The two leavening agents. These give rise to the bread during baking.
Salt: Flavor enhancer. I used Kosher salt.
Cinnamon: Optional. The original recipe card from The Royal Hawaiian Hotel says “cinnamon to taste.” However, you can’t exactly taste the banana bread before it has been baked. Just like my ultra-moist banana bread recipe, I added ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. That was the perfect amount.
Cooking Oil: Any type of neutral cooking oil will work. You can you vegetable oil, avocado oil, or peanut oil
Sugar: The recipe calls for white granulated sugar.
Eggs: 2 large eggs at room temperature.
Vanilla Extract: Perfect for banana bread.
Macadamia Nuts: Completely optional but highly recommended! These are so yummy. I love walnuts in my banana bread, but the macadamia nuts take it to a whole new level.

Hawaiian bread on a cutting board. There is butter on a slice of the banana bread. It is surrounded by macadamia nuts and bananas

Ingredient Substitutions

All Purpose Flour: You can use bread flour. I have yet to use whole wheat flour or cake flour for this recipe.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: You need one or the other. If you do not have baking powder, substitute it with baking soda. If you do not have baking soda, substitute it with baking powder. Or, you can make my other banana bread recipe that uses no baking soda.
Cinnamon: Leave it out.
Cooking Oil: If you do not have any neutral oil, then use ghee or melted butter. You can also use coconut oil. However, I do not recommend using olive oil as that has a savory taste that won’t go well in banana bread.
White Granulated Sugar: Brown Sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend substituting with honey or maple syrup as that will change the moisture content, causing the banana bread to sink.
Vanilla Extract: Leave it out.
Macadamia Nuts: Walnuts are a great option. Another option is to add chocolate chips. If you don’t have any nuts, you can leave this out.

Slice of moist hawaiian banana bread on parchment paper. It is surrounded by macadamia nuts. — The macadamia nut flavors are SO good in banana bread!

Step-By-Step Photos and Instructions

Scroll down for the printable recipe card

Flour, Salt, Cinnamon, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda in a glass mixing bowl — Make sure the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix with a wooden spoon or whisk so that the ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside.

Sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs in a glass mixing bowl. They are being whisked together.

In a separate medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk until combined. Then, add the mashed bananas and whisk.

Mashed bananas being poured into the bowl of eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Pour the dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix.

Folding in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients to make banana bread batter. — Fold until there are no dry specks of flour

Fold in the macadamia nuts, if using.

Banna bread batter in a loaf pan. It will be put into the oven to bake for one hour

Pour and spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few small moist crumbs. Make sure to bake until done to prevent a sunken middle.

Let cool on a wire rack before serving. You can eat a slice plain or serve it with any of these banana bread side dishes.

Tips For Making Hawaiian Banana Bread

Measure Bananas In Cups or Grams

Whenever you are baking anything with bananas as an ingredient, you should measure them in cups or grams and not by “count”. Bananas are not all the same size. Using too many bananas or not enough bananas will change the outcome.

For instance, one large banana can be double the size of one small banana. The moisture content will add up when using multiple large bananas. If you use larger bananas than the original recipe, then there will be excess moisture in the banana bread, which could lead to your bread sinking in the middle.

A loaf of freshly baked moist banana bread. It is on a cutting board. There is a red tea towel next to it. — Measuring the bananas in cups or grams will result in perfectly moist banana bread

Do Not Over-mix The Batter

Over-mixing will develop the gluten in the batter, which is not what we want in this banana bread recipe. When the batter is over-mixed, it leads to a tough and chewy texture. That is the opposite of what we want for banana bread.

Use The Toothpick Test To Check For Doneness

Before taking the bread out of the oven, check to see if it has baked all the way through by doing the toothpick test. Poke the middle of the bread with a toothpick. It is done when the toothpick comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Make sure to bake all the way through to prevent a sunken middle.

sliced up banana bread next to the loaf. There is a slice on a plate with butter on it. There are macadamia nuts and slices of banana on a cutting board.

How To Store

You can store the banana bread at room temperature, in the fridge, or the freezer.

The best way to keep it moist is at room temperature. To store at room temperature, first, let it cool down after it has baked. Then, place paper towels at the bottom of an airtight container. Put the banana bread in the container and then close. If stored correctly, banana bread will last unrefrigerated for up to four days.

To store in the fridge, put the banana bread in an airtight container. It will last in the fridge for up to seven days.

You can always freeze it if you need to store it for longer. First, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap. This will help prevent freezer burn. Place it in a freezer bag. The banana bread should last in the freezer for up to three months.

Other Banana Bread Recipes You May Like

Moist Banana Bread Without A Loaf Pan

Easy Banana Bread Recipe Without Baking Soda

How To Fix Sunken Banana Bread

How Long Does Banana Bread Last Unrefrigerated

Famous Royal Hawaiian Banana Bread Recipe (VIDEO)