Blueberry Grape Banana Bread

Blueberry Grape Banana Bread is your new summer go-to bread. And when we say “Blueberry Grape,” we don’t mean blueberries and grapes; we mean Blueberry™ Grapes. Yes, blueberry grapes are the hottest new produce of the summer, and we want you to know that they make an outstanding addition to banana bread.

What Are Blueberry™ Grapes?

Blueberry™ Grapes are a new variety of grapes named for their visual resemblance to blueberries. The grape is small with a nice “bloom” that makes it resemble a blueberry. (The “bloom” on a grape is the naturally occurring white powdery coating on a grape’s skin.) The taste is faintly like a blueberry, but it’s closer to a Concord grape with a bright candy flavor rather than a grape jelly flavor.

Blueberry grapes are grown in California and are available from mid-July through mid-August. You may see them in grocery stores with specialty produce sections, or you can ask your local produce manager. (Alternatively, you may order them from Melissa’s Produce at the link above.)

What Can You Do With Blueberry Grapes?

We first learned about blueberry grapes at a presentation given by Robert Schueller at the Orange County Fair. Schueller, the director of public relations at Melissa’s Produce, is a world-renowned produce expert who knows all of the hottest produce trends.

When Robert introduced the blueberry grapes, the question came up from the (cooking-centric) audience: Can you cook with blueberry grapes? A murmur ran through the crowd. They are larger than blueberries, but can you cook them like blueberries? Wouldn’t they be more watery – and how would you account for that? Is the skin tougher than a blueberry? Would it be better to slice them in half before you cook them? And then how would that affect the moisture in the recipe?

Baking with Blueberry Grapes

We were intrigued by all of these questions, and so we decided to tackle them head-on in the Jolly Tomato kitchen. Why not just start cooking with blueberry grapes? We considered making grape pancakes, but we thought the grapes might be too big and overwhelming for a pancake. A blueberry shortbread or pie seemed like a good idea. However, you would probably want to cook them down and then you would want to strain out the skins.

Health Ads by

So we decided to jump right in and put them – where else? – in a banana bread. Check it out:

Blueberry Grape Banana Bread Recipe

Print

Blueberry Grape Banana Bread

A delicious quick banana bread, with delightful pops of juiciness from blueberry grapes.

Course Breakfast or Snack, Snack, Snack or Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword banana bread, blueberry grapes

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cups blueberry grapes, stemmed, rinsed, and patted dry

Instructions

1. In a large stand mixer, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Set aside.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking sode, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture by stirring just until combined. Add mashed bananas and blueberry grapes and stir until combined (do not overmix).

3. Pour mixture into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then use a spatula to loosen the bread around the edges. Turn over to release the bread from the loaf pan, then set on a serving plate or cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you will keep the bread for more than two days, place it in the refrigerator or slice it and freeze it.

Blueberry Grape Baking Thoughts

So now that we have enjoyed this delicious banana bread, here are some thoughts on baking with blueberry grapes. First, they seem to stay intact while baking, so the added moisture does not seem to affect the final product. Second, the thickness of the skin seems to be what keeps them intact, so we would not have chosen to cut them in half for this bread.

And last, they add delightful pockets of juiciness throughout the bread – even juicier than you would get if you had added blueberries (which tend to “bleed” a little bit). So we give this a 10/10, would absolutely recommend. What do you think?

P.S. If you’re looking for more banana bread recipes, check out this Chocolate Buckwheat Banana Bread (a gluten-free recipe) or our Vegan Protein Banana Bread.

Blogger disclosure: Melissa’s Produce gave us a sample of blueberry grapes to try. We did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are our own.