Banana Donuts

5 from 2 votes

If you love bananas you will love these caramelized banana donuts! These baked banana donuts are made with overripe bananas so they are super moist and extra fluffy. They are finished with a delicious brown sugar glaze and caramelized bananas and are the perfect breakfast treat!

Equipment

2 nonstick donut pan

Ingredients

For the Donut Batter

1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour *see notes below for measuring*
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup buttermilk room temperature
4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
½ cup mashed ripe banana
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar packed
2 tablespoon sour cream room temperature
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Brown Sugar Glaze

½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ½ tablespoon milk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Caramelized Bananas

½ tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon dark brown sugar packed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 medium fresh bananas sliced into ½ inch pieces

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Lightly butter or spray a nonstick donut pan and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, mashed banana, sugar, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Pipe the batter into the donut pan.
Bake on the middle rack for 11-12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.
Let the pan cool on a wire rack, then flip over and gently remove the baked donuts.
To make the glaze, melt the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the milk and bring to a simmer. Then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool for 10-12 minutes. It will seem very thin at first but will thicken as it cools!
To caramelize the bananas, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the butter then add the banana slices to the pan. Gently flip the bananas after 2 minutes and cook for 1 minute longer.
Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze. If the glaze is running off quickly, it needs more time to cool. If the glaze is too thick and it doesn’t stick to the top, gently heat it in the microwave in 10-15 second increments until the proper consistency is reached.
Spoon the caramelized banana slices into the center of the donut and enjoy!

Notes

Step-by-step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.

*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*

Use a ripe banana. Ripe bananas are sweeter and easier to mash. They will make your donuts extra soft and moist! If your bananas aren't ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by following these tips.