Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

Save some of the baked goodness for later with these banana bread freezing strategies.

Banana bread is the tried-and-true way to use up overripe bananas—whether you're using fresh or frozen bananas. But can you freeze banana bread or even banana bread batter if you want to have the baked goodies, but maybe not right at the moment?

Read on to get all the details about the best ways to freeze banana bread to enjoy whenever the mood strikes.

Related: 5 Foolproof Tips to Bake Even Better Banana Bread

Can you Freeze Banana Bread?

Like many sturdy baked goods (think cakes and cookies), you can freeze banana bread—or even just the batter—and have it on hand whenever the banana bread urge strikes. But you'll want to take some care when you freeze the banana bread or the batter, to help ensure it's as fresh as possible when you are ready to indulge.

Related: Can You Freeze Bananas?

How to Freeze Baked Banana Bread

Like other baked goods, air is the enemy of your baked banana bread. So when you freeze it, make sure it's tightly wrapped in plastic to help keep air away from your bread to avoid the dreaded freezer burn.

If you want to enjoy the banana bread by the slice, slice the bread and freeze each slice separately on a baking rack, then wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container to prevent any smushing by other freezer inhabitants.

If you'll just pull the whole loaf out when you're ready to indulge, make sure it's tightly wrapped in a few layers of plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe container.

Don't wait too long to enjoy your frozen banana bread

While it won't go bad in the freezer, it may lose a little quality if it's in the freezer for months. Most experts recommend enjoying within a few months of storage.

How to Freeze Banana Bread Batter

There's nothing better than fresh-baked banana bread, so you may want to freeze the banana bread batter instead, and then thaw it and bake it when you're ready for some banana bread.

Once you've mixed and mashed your way to a banana bread batter, think about how you'll store it. You can portion the batter out into smaller amounts—for instance, if you intend to bake half loaves or a few banana muffins instead of a full-sized banana bread. Put the batter into a freezer-safe zip-top bag, force out as much air as possible, then seal and freeze flat so it's easy to store in your freezer.

You can also freeze it into a loaf shape—line the pan with parchment paper, pour in the batter, then freeze and remove the loaf and wrap it carefully for freezer storage. (You can use layers of plastic wrap or a freezer-safe bag.)

How to Thaw Frozen Banana Bread

When you're ready to indulge, you can thaw the frozen banana bread slices or banana bread loaf on your counter. It'll take a few hours for a full loaf to reach room temperature.

If you can't wait (or you want something much closer to fresh-baked banana bread) go ahead and warm it in the oven. At 350 degrees, it'll take about 10 minutes to get to a perfectly warmed slice of banana bread, or about 45 minutes to warm up a full loaf.

How to Use Frozen Banana Bread Batter

Because banana bread batter still contains raw eggs, you'll need to thaw it in a food-safe manner, which means either popping the frozen batter into the fridge for several hours or overnight, or defrosting in the microwave.

You can also bake banana bread directly from frozen if it's already in the shape you want to use it (like the loaf shape mentioned above). Just keep in mind that you will likely need to increase the baking time in order to achieve banana bread perfection.

To ensure that your banana bread is perfectly cooked, insert a thin-bladed knife near and look for signs of wet batter or crumbs, or use a digital thermometer to check. (You're looking for an internal temperature of 200 degrees for a perfect banana bread.)

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