The Best Hummingbird Bread Recipe

Looking for a new, simple quick bread that you can make this afternoon? Hummingbird Bread has the brightness of pineapple mixed with the comforting flavors of banana and cinnamon. The whole family will love it!

Hummingbird Bread Recipe

I’m always looking for a new quick bread recipe that I can make for my family. The kids love to eat them for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Quick breads are easy to throw together with items that you have in the pantry. This particular week, I realized I have a bunch of home-canned pineapple to use up, so I decided to make a batch of Hummingbird Bread and share it with you!

What Is Hummingbird Bread?

Hummingbird Bread is a comforting, quick bread made with pineapple and banana. It has added spices like vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to give it a warm flavor. Think of it as a loaf cake.

The idea for Hummingbird bread came from Hummingbird Cake which is a classic dessert that grew to popularity from Jamaica in the 70s and contained the same pineapple banana flavors.

Are you ready to make Hummingbird Bread? I’ll show you how!

Ingredients in Hummingbird Bread

• Bananas. Good ripe bananas will give the best flavor. I used bananas that I had let ripen and then stored in the freezer.
• Pineapple. I used home-canned pineapple that I crushed with a fork but you can use crushed pineapple from the store.
• All Purpose Flour. You can use regular flour or All Purpose Gluten Free Flour in this recipe.
• Brown Sugar. Brown Sugar is one thing I don’t recommend buying in bulk unless you have a good way to keep it soft. This recipe does not use granulated sugar since brown sugar will give it a richer flavor but you can use it if that’s all you have.
• Vanilla Extract. I used homemade Vanilla Extract, but you can use store-bought as well.
• Vegetable Oil. I used safflower oil since I buy it by the gallon for baking, but any mild vegetable oil will do, such as expeller-pressed coconut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil.
• Butter or Shortening. Use unsalted butter if you don’t need a dairy-free version. Either way, this will add the right amount of fats for your bread to be tasty! I use organic Palm Shortening. You should have the butter softened or melted to use in the recipe.
• Eggs. Farm-fresh or store-bought, whatever you have will work! They should be large eggs.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda. I buy both of these items in bulk, so we always have plenty. I get baking soda from Sam’s Club and Baking Powder from Frontier.
• Salt. Pink salt or sea salt will work in this recipe. I buy pink salt in bulk.
• Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Cinnamon I always have on hand because I buy it in bulk. Nutmeg I keep a small jar of it since I don’t use much of it often.

Variations to the Hummingbird Bread Recipe

Here are a few other things you can add to your bread recipe to give it a different flavor or texture!

• Shredded Coconut for that “pineapple coconut” flavor
• Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
• Cream Cheese Frosting (for topping)
• Powdered Sugar Glaze (Drizzle for the top, powdered sugar + milk)

Instructions for Making Hummingbird Bread

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda) with a whisk.

Combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl, including the pineapple and banana.

You can make this entire recipe in your mixer if you prefer, add all of the wet ingredients first and then add the dry ingredients.

Combine both mixtures into a large mixing bowl and fold all ingredients together with a rubber spatula until no dry lumps of ingredients remain.

Pour batter into a 9×5 loaf pan (sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray) and bake at 350 degrees F in the oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool. After you have a cooled loaf, you can frost it, drizzle it, or slice it and eat it with butter…whichever works for you!

Need to print this Hummingbird Bread Recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below:

Gluten-Free Hummingbird Bread

To make this recipe gluten-free, replace the regular flour with all-purpose gluten free flour. The rest of the ingredients should be naturally gluten-free, but check the labels because you use them.

Dairy-Free Hummingbird Bread

To make this recipe dairy-free, replace the butter with shortening. All of the other ingredients should be naturally dairy free but be sure and check the labels before you use them.

How to Store Hummingbird Bread

After the bread has cooled completely, wrap the remaining loaf in plastic wrap and leave it on the countertop until you can enjoy it again. Hummingbird Bread will last a few days on the counter before it dries out or molds.

To store Hummingbird Bread in the freezer, place the entire loaf in a freezer bag, label and put it away until you are ready to enjoy later. Thaw at room temperature and store on the countertop in a bag or in plastic wrap for a few days.

More Quick Bread Recipes

• Tried and True Banana Bread
• 18 Absolutely Delightful Sweet Quick Bread Recipes
• Chocolate Buttermilk Bread Recipe
• Cranberry Orange Mini Bread Loaves
• Lemon Poppyseed Bread Mix Recipe
• Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
• Blueberry Zucchini Bread Recipe
• Simple and Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

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Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This Hummingbird Bread Recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2023.