Miso Pecan Banana Bread

By Bryan Washington

Updated Oct. 2, 2025

Miso Pecan Banana Bread
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
2 hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(1,963)
Comments
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This banana bread is a formidable treat: moist on the inside, with a crunchy bite around the edges. Banana bread may have emerged to prominence around the 1930’s — in the midst of the U.S.’s Great Depression, alongside the urge to economize recipes and the emergence of widespread baking powder usage — but the dish is now a global mainstay. It’s just as satisfying over coffee in the morning, as a quick bite for lunch or shared over a scoop of ice cream after dinner. The crunch of pecans complements the bread’s softness. Miso adds complexity alongside the banana’s sweetness. Be sure to utilize the ripest bananas you can find because it really will make a difference. This banana bread can hold for several days on the counter or in the fridge, if you have any left.

Featured in: The Secret to a Banana Bread With a Little More Bite

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Ingredients

Yield:One 9- to 10-inch loaf
  • ½teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more for pan
  • 1cup/120 grams pecans
  • 1teaspoon fine sea or table salt
  • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon baking powder
  • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1cup/220 grams packed brown sugar
  • 2large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3tablespoons milk
  • 2tablespoons white miso
  • 1tablespoon honey
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4very ripe bananas, mashed (1¾ cups/358 grams)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)

283 calories; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 213 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9- or 10-inch loaf tin, then line the base with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Toss pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet with salt and oil. Bake until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. When cool, chop to your desired consistency.

  3. Step 3

    While the pecans cool, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.

  4. Step 4

    In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, milk, miso, honey and vanilla extract until well combined. Gradually beat in dry ingredients until just combined.

  5. Step 5

    Using a spatula, stir bananas into the batter to combine evenly. Add half of the pecans (and any salt on the pan) to the batter and mix to combine evenly throughout. Add batter to the loaf pan, smoothing when complete. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly on top.

  6. Step 6

    Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in several areas around the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. Tent with foil if it starts to darken too much on top before the middle is baked through.

  7. Step 7

    Let bread sit in tin for 10 minutes before removing and setting on a rack to cool for 60 minutes. Serve with coffee, ice cream or entirely by itself.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,963 user ratings
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Comments

Attyinny

When you buy bananas, buy one or two more than you need. Put the last bananas, all brown and spotty, in the freezer, skin and all. On the morning that you bake, thaw out the bananas on a plate in the refigerator. When baking, cut off the stems. Squeeze the thawed bananas into the batter like a tube of toothpaste. Perfect! The point of this is that you can decide this morning to make banana bread tonight, and not have to start thinking about it on Monday for Friday. Thanks, Alton Brown.

lou ann

Be careful with the salt here: miso is very salty. I used half the stated amount and still found it a bit too salty. This makes a beautiful, tasty loaf of bread/cake 😉

Sara Schoenwetter

I assume a 9-inch loaf pan is a standard 9"x5" pan, but what are the other measurements of the 10-inch loaf pan? Perhaps pan sizes should be offered with volume measurements (in cups) to facilitate conversion to pan size on hand.

Small tweaks —> tasty reward

I made this recipe with the following changes and it came out yummy- still a little too sweet. Next time I think I’ll do 1/2 AP & 1/2 wheat flour for more interesting taste and healthier: - used 3/4 cup maple syrup instead of brown sugar - reduced milk to a couple splashes (due to increased liquid from the maple syrup) - subbed walnuts for pecans (didn’t have pecans at home) and made my life easier by just toasting them on a sheet pan in the oven while oven was pre-heating- didn’t use oil or salt on them and still tasted good. - baked in muffin pans (made enough for 14 well filled muffins) for about 20-25 min at 350. Sprinkled walnuts and turbinado sugar on top of each muffin Ate them warm- yum! -

Small tweaks —> tasty reward

@Small tweaks —> tasty reward I meant to say I also left out the honey and it was still plenty sweet

Never Ever Freeze Tofu

The recipe produces an excellent crumb, rise, and beautiful color. However, there is an aftertaste from the miso that I don't think is worth the tradeoff. I think the cinnamon is in here to cut that aftertaste, but once I noticed the aftertaste I found it too distracting to enjoy the loaf and the cinnamon just a strange mix with it.

Debra

I misread the list of ingredients vi used granulated sugar instead of brown sugar. Still the cake was delicious!!!!

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