Best Strawberry Banana Bread (Never Gummy)

Name: Moist Strawberry Banana Bread Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g) *see notes for measuring flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda (6g); 1 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (4.5g); 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113g); 1 1/2 cups pure cane or granulated sugar (300g); 3 large eggs, room temperature (150g); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (8g); 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (120g) *see notes for a buttermilk substitute; 1 heaping cup mashed overly ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 to 3 bananas) (300g); 1 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberries (30g) *see notes for substituting fresh strawberries; homemade strawberry sugar, for dusting

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Strawberry banana bread is my classic banana bread with real strawberry flavor in every bite. The trick is freeze-dried strawberries, which give intense, true strawberry taste and a tender, moist crumb with none of the gummy, watery pockets fresh berries can leave behind. Finish it with a dusting of pink strawberry sugar. Prefer fresh strawberries? See the variation below.

Sliced strawberry banana bread dusted with homemade powdered strawberry sugar on a plate, strawberry banana bread recipe.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Strawberry Banana Bread
Strawberry Banana Bread Ingredients
How to Make Strawberry Banana Bread
Can I Use Fresh Strawberries?
How to Bake It in Different Pans
How to Store Strawberry Banana Bread
Strawberry Banana Bread FAQs
More Banana Bread Recipes
📖 Recipe

Two loaves of banana strawberry bread with fresh diced strawberries cooling in their loaf pans on a wire rack.

Why You'll Love This Strawberry Banana Bread

Zero gummy crumb. No watery, sunken strawberry pockets, just a tender, moist loaf
Real strawberry flavor in every bite from freeze-dried strawberries
No fussy prep. Freeze-dried berries go straight in, no chopping, straining, or patting dry
Finished with a pretty pink strawberry sugar dusting
One bowl, no fancy ingredients
Bake it as two loaves, one large Pullman loaf, or strawberry banana bread muffins
Fresh strawberries work too, with a little prep to keep them from making the crumb gummy (see below)
A fun and easy banana bread for kids to help make

Strawberry Banana Bread Ingredients

Here's everything you need for a moist strawberry banana bread with true strawberry flavor and no gummy middle.

all-purpose flour
baking soda
Diamond Crystal kosher salt (adjust salt if using sea salt or table salt)
unsalted butter
granulated sugar
eggs
pure vanilla extract
buttermilk (or a buttermilk substitute in the recipe card)
overly ripe bananas
freeze-dried strawberries (or see below for substituting fresh strawberries)
strawberry sugar, for dusting

Full ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card.

Sliced strawberry banana bread on a wooden cutting board with the loaf dusted in pink strawberry sugar and two slices showing the moist crumb.

How to Make Strawberry Banana Bread

This strawberry banana bread comes together in one bowl. The freeze-dried strawberries fold right in, no prep and no flour toss needed.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Generously butter two loaf pans, dust with flour, tap out the excess, and set aside.

Two loaf pans buttered liberally covering every inch of the pan.

Two perfectly buttered, floured, and parchment paper-lined (bottom only) loaf pans.

Step 2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together well, then set aside.

Step 3. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Dry ingredients for banana bread whisked until well combined in a mixing bowl.

Perfectly creamed butter and sugar for banana bread batter.

Step 4. Add the vanilla to the eggs. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, about 5 seconds between each, just until no yellow streaks remain. This helps you avoid overmixing.

Three eggs with vanilla extract being added one at a time to the bowl of a stand mixer with creamed butter and sugar for banana bread recipe.

Banana bread batter after incorporating the eggs and vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

Step 5. Starting and ending with the flour mixture, add the flour in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two, mixing on low just until combined.

Adding part of the flour mixture to the banana bread batter.

Adding part of the buttermilk to the easy banana bread batter.

Perfectly blended banana bread batter with eggs ready to add the mashed bananas.

Step 6. Break up or process half of the freeze-dried strawberries using a food processor or a freezer bag and rolling pin, until they look like pebbles with some powdery bits. Break the rest of the strawberry slices into slightly larger pieces.

Freeze-dried strawberries processed in a food processor with some pulverized and some broken into larger pieces.

A bowl of freeze-dried strawberry pieces and powder for strawberry banana bread.

Step 7. Gently fold in the mashed bananas and the freeze-dried strawberries until just combined. Divide the batter between the pans and tap them on the counter about 10 times to release air bubbles.

Folding freeze-dried strawberry pieces into banana bread batter with a spatula.

Strawberry banana bread batter with freeze-dried strawberries fully folded in.

Step 8. Bake for about 40 minutes, checking at 35 minutes until the tops are golden and a tester poked into the center comes out clean. Freeze-dried loaves bake a little faster than fresh, so start checking early. Cool 15 minutes in the pans, then turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool completely.

Strawberry banana bread batter in a prepared loaf pan topped with freeze-dried strawberry pieces ready to bake.

Baked strawberry banana bread cooling in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before turning out.

Step 9. Once fully cool, dust the tops with strawberry sugar for a pretty pink, sweet-tart finish.

Strawberry banana bread dusted with homemade powdered strawberry sugar on a cooling rack after fully cooling.

Sliced strawberry banana bread on a plate dusted with powdered strawberry sugar showing the moist crumb with freeze-dried strawberry pieces throughout.

HINT: For a glazed look instead, drizzle a fully cooled loaf with a simple strawberry glaze (whisk sifted freeze-dried strawberry powder into powdered sugar, then add milk a teaspoon at a time to a honey-thick pour). Optional, and the plain loaf is lovely on its own.

Hand holding a slice of strawberry banana bread showing the moist crumb studded with pink fresh strawberry pieces.

Can I Use Fresh Strawberries?

Yes, fresh strawberries work in place of freeze-dried, but they carry water, so they need a little prep to keep the loaf from turning gummy. Swap in 1 ½ cups (225g) fresh strawberries for the freeze-dried, and add ½ cup (65g) flour for tossing.

Dice them very small. The smaller the pieces, the better they bake in without leaving clumps or large gummy pockets.
Cut them at least 30 minutes ahead so juices have time to release.
Strain off any accumulated juice and pat the pieces dry.
Toss them in the flour right before folding them in, so they stay suspended instead of sinking.
Maceration option (to draw out more moisture). Sprinkle diced strawberries with a little sugar, allow them to rest for 30-60 minutes to release their juices, then strain and pat dry (the easiest way to pull out the most water).
Roasting option (to draw out more moisture). Roast strawberries at 375°F for 25 to 35 minutes, strain the juices, and pat dry with paper towels.

Two baked strawberry banana bread loaves cooling in their pans next to overripe bananas on parchment paper.

Sliced strawberry banana bread showing pink pockets of fresh strawberries throughout the moist crumb.

HINT: Fresh strawberries add moisture, so the fresh version bakes a little longer, closer to 45 to 50 minutes. Start checking at 45.

How to Bake It in Different Pans

This recipe makes two standard 8x4-inch loaves, but the batter is flexible.

Two loaves: the recipe as written, about 40 minutes.
One large Pullman loaf: bake all the batter in a single large Pullman pan, add about 8 to 10 minutes to the bake time, and tent loosely with foil if the top browns too fast.
Muffins: line a muffin tin, divide the batter between the cups, and bake at 350°F/175°C for about 18 to 22 min, or until a tester comes out mostly clean.

How to Store Strawberry Banana Bread

Room temperature: wrap well and keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: wrapped well in an airtight container, up to 4 days.
Freezer: wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
If using fresh strawberries instead of freeze-dried, I prefer to refrigerate the loaves.

HINT: Dust with the strawberry sugar just before serving, not before freezing or storing, so it pretty and pink.

Strawberry Banana Bread FAQs

Why do you use freeze-dried strawberries instead of fresh?

Freeze-dried strawberries have no water, so they give intense, all-natural strawberry flavor with none of the watery, gummy pockets fresh berries can leave in the crumb. They also need no chopping, straining, or patting dry. They go straight into the batter and make a great berry-flavored loaf!

Can I use fresh strawberries instead?

Yes, but they need a little prep so the loaf doesn't turn gummy. Dice them very small, cut them at least 30 minutes ahead, strain off any juices, pat them dry, and toss them in flour before folding them in. The smaller the pieces, the better. See the fresh strawberry variation above for amounts.

Why is my strawberry banana bread wet or gummy in the middle?

That comes from the water in fresh strawberries. Freeze-dried strawberries avoid it entirely, which is why they take the lead this recipe. If you use the fresh option I've provided, dice them very small, pat them dry, toss them in flour, and don't overload the batter. The smaller the dice, the less potential for gummy pockets to form.

Can I freeze strawberry banana bread?

Yes. Wrap it well and freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature before serving.