Yes, you can find delicious banana bread across the Islands, but Maui is known for producing some of the best. Usually made with apple bananas that grow abundantly around the island, these buttery, moist loaves just melt in your mouth. Some businesses incorporate other fruits and fillings, such as mango and pineapple, or chocolate chips, coconut and macadamia nuts.
READ MORE: 15 Dishes Every Traveler to Maui Should Try
Locals often look forward to delicious banana bread that might be from their neighbor’s kitchen or served at a potluck. Fortunately, whether you’re a traveler or can’t get your hands on a sweet loaf quick enough, some of the best banana bread on Maui can often be found at local bakeries and family-run farm stands where recipes are heavily guarded and have been passed down through generations.
Here’s a ranking on which banana bread is the best on Maui, according to our readers.
1. Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread
Photo: Grace Maeda
Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread has a cult following of locals and visitors who make the trek to Keʻanae, a peninsula just off the Road to Hāna, because her bread is that delicious. Always served fresh and hot, Aunty Sandy’s loaves are rich and buttery. The globe-trotting chef Gordan Ramsay ventured to meet Aunty Sandy and to see what the hype was about—and he wasn’t disappointed with her banana bread.
2. Halfway toHāna
The Halfway to Hāna stand has been making delicious banana bread for decades. The stand opened in 1982 at mile marker 17 along Hāna Highway. It’s a charming pitstop to relax and enjoy a fresh loaf. Baked daily, the stand’s banana bread is moist and fluffy and not overly sweet. You can even order a banana bread ice cream sundae, which is served with vanilla macadamia nut ice cream.
3. Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
Located in the heart of Olowalu in West Maui, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop is known for its amazing pies and hearty sandwiches. But its banana bread loaves shouldn’t be skipped. These loaves are some of the best on the island, topped with oats and sugar for a perfect caramelized crunch.
4. Maui Bread Co.
Maui Bread Co. is regularly voted as having some of the best banana bread on Maui. At this Kīhei bakery, these sweet and moist loaves are baked to perfection. The company also makes gluten-free banana bread. One more thing to love about the company: it ships bread to neighbor islands and to the U.S. mainland!
5. Julia’s Best Banana Bread
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Julia’s Best Banana Bread is a beloved establishment. The charming lime-green treehouse is perched along Kahekili Highway in the rural town of Kahakuloa. Here, Auntie Julia sells her delicious homemade banana bread—which is some of the best on the island.
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Grace Maeda is the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.
