Banana Bread Latte with Homemade Banana Bread Syrup

My current hyperfixation, adjacent to banana coffee, is banana bread syrup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s banana bread in liquid form
One of the cheapest ways to get your fall coffee fix
Pairs perfectly with banana bread

At a glance

Recipe micro facts
Flavor Profile	Caramelly banana, brown sugar, cinnamon.
Make Ahead Tips	Freeze ripe bananas until you’re ready to make the syrup
Storage	4 days in the fridge or freeze into single serving ice cubes
Difficulty	Easy
Pro-trick	Extra ripe bananas both taste better and are easier to mash

I seriously want to start a cafe. No joke, I’m all in. I love coffee ephemera and everything coffee. And I especially love all the coffee dessert hybrid drinks that are floating around. I want to make all the desserts dressed up as coffee. I know I’ve been posting a lot of coffee recipes lately but truly, I need caffeine to function.

While this guy was bubbling away on the stove I kept thinking that I had a loaf of my favorite banana bread baking. Ooh, that reminds me that I need to bake a loaf so I can dress the slices up for halloween as Totoros. Back in the day I used to do “Totoro Week” in October where I made foods that look like Totoro. Why? I don’t know but sometimes I miss it.

totoro banana bread | www.iamafoodblog.com

Banana bread syrup

Think of all the good things about banana bread and condense it into a sticky, sweet, banana-y syrup perfect for hot or cold coffees. I don’t know about where you live but the other day I saw a signboard for a banana bread latte and it was $7 and that’s not including tax and the inevitable tip that’s suggested on the POS machine.

Bananas are one of the fruits that are still affordable so you can make like sixteen banana bread lattes at home for the price of one. Don’t quote me on that though because I’m admittedly not good at numbers. Plus, unlike the green cafe I’m speaking of, this version uses real banana, real butter, and real brown sugar, not flavored banana syrup.

banana bread syrup

What is banana bread syrup?

Think of banana bread syrup as banana bread in liquid form. When you think of banana bread, you think of that warm banana aroma mixed with butter and sugar and cinnamon. You get all those warm feelings from this syrup because it’s literally all the good things in banana bread minus flour and stuff. You simmer everything until the bananas get ultra concentrated and break down then you blend and strain. The result is a syrup that is so incredibly banana bread-y.

Banana bread syrup vs banana syrup

But wait, maybe you’ve heard about banana syrup too? There are two kinds of banana syrups floating around the internet. Banana bread (the superior syrup imo) and banana syrup. Regular banana syrup is just banana, sugar, and water, strained and banana-forward. This version adds butter, brown sugar, spices, and salt. It tastes like banana bread because it’s basically banana bread, and it’s way better than just banana syrup.

banana bread syrup ingredients

Banana bread syrup ingredients

bananas – you want super ripe bananas because ripe bananas are the sweetest and have the most natural sugars. Extra ripe bananas mash better which helps when you’re blending into a smooth, pourable syrup. Plus, the sweeter and older your bananas, the more you can adjust the brown sugar to your liking. If you’re a not-too-sweet person, you could totally cut back on the brown sugar. Personally I have a sweet tooth so I would never do that.
brown sugar – I especially like Demerara sugar, which is a large-crystal sugar made with minimally processed raw sugar cane. Unlike regular brown sugar, it’s golden amber with a toffee caramel flavor. It works particularly well in this recipe as it adds a caramel undertone that you don’t get if you use regular sugar.
butter – ironically, my favorite banana bread recipe doesn’t have butter in it but butter is what adds that kind of “baked” flavor. Bonus points if you randomly have brown butter in your fridge.
cinnamon – a nice healthy amount of cinnamon gives the syrup warmth and depth. More on cinnamon below.
vanilla extract – similar to the cinnamon, vanilla is going to add some warmth and baked feels. More on this below too.
pinch salt – a pinch of salt balances everything out and also adds that whole sweet and salty profile. Use whichever salt you normally cook with as you’ll have an idea of how salty a pinch is. I have a habit of leaving salt out of the actual syrup and putting a couple of flakes of Maldon sea salt flakes on top of my banana bread lattes.

making banana bread syrup

Cinnamon

I don’t know how old the cinnamon is in your pantry, but what they say is true: spices lose their aroma and potency, so do yourself a favor and buy smaller amounts of spice and replace every 6-12 months. For cinnamon, look for Ceylon cinnamon, also called “true cinnamon.” It has a nice delicate floral warmth and isn’t spicy or overpowering. We like Simply Organic (not sponsored just something we use).

cinnamon dusting banana bread latte

Vanilla extract

There are so many kinds of vanilla extract out there and depending on your budget, you can really invest in a good vanilla:

If you’re looking for super high quality stuff, a vanilla bean paste is what you want.
If you’re not too fussed about it, you can get imitation vanilla, which will give you old-school birthday cake vibes.
And if you’re somewhere in the middle, get pure vanilla extract.

In the case of vanilla, what you’re looking for is vanilla made with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. Madagascar beans have a rich and creamy vanilla flavor, exactly what you think of when you think about vanilla.

straining banana bread syrup

How to make banana bread syrup

Mash – Start off by mashing your super ripe bananas. Do it any way you like, but the smaller the mash is, the faster the syrup will cook down.
Simmer – Add the bananas with brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts to thicken and bubble. Once the syrup has reduced slightly and the bananas have broken down a bit, remove from the heat and let cool and infuse for 15 minutes.
Blend – Carefully add the banana bread syrup to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Optional but see below.
Strain – You don’t need to strain your syrup, but I think it makes for a nicer product. Use a spoon to push the thick banana parts through a fine mesh sieve. Optional but see below.
Store – Let cool completely then transfer the banana bread syrup into a clean jar or bottle with a lid.

making banana bread latte

On blending and straining

You may be tempted to skip out on blending and straining your banana bread syrup. I tried it four ways: no blending or straining, straining only, blending only, and blending then straining. By far, the best version was the blended and strained. It’s two extra steps but it’s so worth it. The blended and strained syrup is silkier, smoother, and mixes into coffee in a more cohesive way. Blending and straining mostly have to do with texture and mouthfeel, so if you don’t mind a chunkier, yet somehow thinner banana bread syrup, the blending and straining is optional, but I really recommend it.

adding coffee to banana bread latte

How to make a banana bread latte

Now that you have your banana bread syrup, it’s super easy to make a latte. Or, if you’re anything like me, for your first coffee of the day, you can just spoon it into a cup of instant coffee, top it off with a splash of milk and call it a day. Later on, when you’re a little bit more coherent, it’s latte time:

Ice – start off with a tall glass and add banana bread syrup to the bottom, to taste. I like to start with 2 tbsp and add more if I need more banana-ness after tasting. Add ice to the glass, about 3/4 of the way.
Milk – grab your milk of choice and pour into the glass. You’ll need about 3/4 cup of milk but you can eyeball it if you want.
Coffee – this is the important part. I flip-flop between doing double shots of espresso and extra strong instant coffee. Either way, make your coffee and pour into the glass and marvel at your cafe at home experience.
Bonus – for extra cafe vibes, make banana bread cold foam (recipe below) and gently give your coffee a cream top. Use a fine mesh sieve to dust gently with cinnamon. Stir well and enjoy!

making banana bread cold foam

Banana bread cold foam

Add the cream, milk, banana bread syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon to a milk pitcher or jar.
Use a milk frother to froth: place the head of the frother just under the surface of the liquid. Turn on the frother and start to foam.
Slowly move the frother up and down, in small circles, until the cold foam thickens and doubles in size, about 20-30 seconds. The cold foam will be glossy and pourable.
Alternatively, you can use a shaker or just a jar with a lid: add all the ingredients and shake for 1-2 minutes or until the cold foam is thick and pourable.

How to store banana bread syrup

If you’re anything like me this syrup is not going to last long at all, but you can always freeze them up into lil single serving ice cubes ready to go if you find yourself not using it as fast as you thought.

banana bread latte

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen or thawed bananas?

Frozen, then thawed bananas are amazing in this syrup. Freezing bananas already breaks them down, so when you thaw then cook, the bananas will break down even faster. If you’re the kind of person who has frozen bananas in the freezer, this recipe is a perfect use for them. Be sure to include whatever liquid thaws out of the banana, that’s banana water and adds an extra banana-ness to your banana bread syrup.

Can I make it dairy-free or vegan?

You can easily make the syrup and latte dairy-free or vegan by substituting a plant-based or vegan butter and using a dairy-free milk alternative. Unfortunately, the cold foam is not dairy-free or vegan.

How long does it keep, and can I freeze it?

Banana bread syrup will last for 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Even better, you can freeze it. I recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray and then popping out the banana bread syrup ice cubes and storing in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. That way, you can have a supply of banana bread syrup on hand at all times. The syrup will thaw out pretty quickly at room temp or if your coffee is really hot, you can just stir it right in. Our ice cube trays that you see in the photo are just about 2 tbsp each so they’re perfect, but if yours are a different size, you might want to find out how big they are.

How much syrup should I use, hot vs. iced?

Two tablespoons of syrup, hot or iced, is what I prefer, but I do have a sweet tooth. If you like things not-too-sweet, I would do 1-1.5 tbsp for a cold coffee and 1 tbsp for hot. Cold tends to mute flavors, so a bit more syrup guarantees that banana bread flavor.

Does it work with oat milk?

Yes! Banana bread syrup will work with any kind of milk. You can use your milk or milk alternative of choice. Oat milk is a little sweeter, so you might want to use a bit less syrup. Bonus, oat milk tends to froth better, and of course, oats and bananas go hand in hand.

Is this like the Starbucks banana bread latte?

Not quite. The Starbucks version uses a banana syrup and tops theirs with brown sugar cold foam. The flavors are super similar but the execution is different. The banana in the Starbucks latte comes from a banana flavored syrup that’s sugar, water, and natural flavor, with no actual banana on the ingredient list. This one is made with real overripe bananas, butter, and brown sugar, so it tastes like banana bread because it is basically banana bread.

What you can use this banana bread syrup for

More coffee recipes

Happy banana bread latte-ing. I hope you try this.

Save the coffee money, do it at home. Remember how they made fun of millennials for buying avocado toast? Don’t give big coffee any more of your money (unless it’s for my future cafe).

xoxo steph