{"id":199,"date":"2024-01-18T04:22:50","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T04:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2024\/01\/18\/costco-kirkland-banana-nut-loaf-review\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T20:39:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T00:39:02","slug":"costco-kirkland-banana-nut-loaf-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/18\/costco-kirkland-banana-nut-loaf-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Banana Nut Loaf Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I was not paid or compensated for this review, and I have no affiliation with <\/em>Costco<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little bit sacrilegious.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You should probably<\/em> try this Banana Nut Loaf from Costco. Probably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(No, I don\u2019t work for Costco.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean. It\u2019s not as good as my mom\u2019s<\/em> banana nut bread (what is???), but it\u2019s pretty good<\/em> for supermarket fodder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, the ingredients were the reason I bought this. I’m impressed by how straightforward and, errr, \u201chomemade\u201d they are. Butter, bananas, and walnuts, without fake garbage or nasty<\/em> oils. I\u2019ve railed against the trashy ingredients in most grocery store desserts, so I was stopped in my tracks by how wholesome and simple Costco\u2019s label is. This is surprisingly similar to homemade<\/em> banana bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels sacrilegious to say that, but here we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The loaf itself is lightly sweet and fantastically moist. But also dense and substantial \u2014 like a pound cake. From the prominent brown texture within the crumb, it looks like very, very ripe bananas were used (just like mom!). My bread tasted freshly baked, with a slight crispness at the edges of the sugar-browned crust. There aren\u2019t tons<\/em> of walnuts inside \u2014 and they are finely chopped \u2014 but I was pleased to find them crisp and crunchy. Not flaccid or stale. I hate stale nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(If you’d like to try another walnut-filled dessert, check out my review of Costco’s Carrot Bar Cake<\/a>, which features whole wheat, pineapple, and raisins.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Garnish<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The garnish walnuts are even better. I am not always<\/em> a walnut fan \u2014 because rancid walnuts abound in many baked goods. But that wasn\u2019t the case here. The top of my loaf was crusted with a generous layer of fresh, crispy, flavorful walnut chunks. Worthy walnuts. I respect these walnuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(You may also enjoy my review of Aldi’s Apple Walnut Cake<\/a> \u2014 which is imported from Germany and available seasonally in the freezer section.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fingers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Costco\u2019s banana loaf comes in a metal pan inside a box. I was able to slice it inside<\/em> the pan, and easily lift the servings out. BUT, I also discovered I could gingerly remove the whole<\/em> loaf from the pan, which looks much nicer for entertaining. This is a sturdy loaf \u2014 it cuts crisply, and holds together without crumbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(If berries are more your speed, check out my review of the Costco Lemon Blueberry Loaf<\/a> \u2014 sadly, NOT made with butter, but pretty tasty.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Costco Banana Nut Bread<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the grand scheme of things, this is a meritorious ingredient list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n