You remember the tweet. It was 2017, and Chrissy Teigen was essentially holding a digital hostage negotiation for brown bananas. She needed six. Not five. Six. In exchange for these mushy, overripe fruits, she was offering a Becca makeup palette, a signed cookbook, and a pair of John Legend’s (clean) underwear.
It sounds like a fever dream, but that was the birth of a recipe that would eventually "break the internet" before we all got tired of that phrase.
Now, years later, Chrissy Teigen banana bread isn't just a viral moment; it's a staple in the Cravings empire. But here’s the thing: most people mess it up because they treat it like a standard, healthy-ish morning loaf. It’s not. If you’re looking for a low-sugar, whole-grain fitness snack, close this tab. This is a cake masquerading as bread, and that is exactly why it works.
The Secret Ingredient You’re Scared To Use
If you look at the recipe in Cravings: Hungry for More, one ingredient stands out like a sore thumb: a box of vanilla instant pudding mix.
I know. It feels like cheating.
Purists will tell you that a "real" baker doesn't use boxed mixes. They’re wrong. The science is actually pretty simple even if it feels like a shortcut. Instant pudding contains modified cornstarch. In a high-heat environment like your oven, that cornstarch acts as a moisture magnet. It prevents the water in the bananas and eggs from evaporating too quickly.
The result? A crumb so moist it’s almost tacky. It’s dense, it’s heavy, and it refuses to be dry. Honestly, if you skip the pudding, you aren't making Chrissy’s recipe. You’re just making... bread.
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Why Six Bananas Matter
Most recipes call for two, maybe three bananas. Chrissy demands six. This isn't just a "more is better" philosophy. It’s about the ratio of fruit to flour.
When you use six bananas, you're essentially creating a fruit custard that happens to have enough flour to hold its shape. It creates a deep, caramelized flavor that you just can't get from a couple of spotty yellow peels. They need to be black. Not "oh, these have a few freckles" brown. I mean "I’m about to throw these in the trash because they look like they’ve seen too much" black.
The Bundt Pan vs. The Loaf Pan Debate
Go on Instagram and you'll see people making this in standard 9x5 loaf pans.
Stop doing that. There’s a reason the original recipe specifies a Bundt pan. Because the batter is so incredibly wet—thanks to those six bananas, the oil, and the pudding mix—it takes a long time to bake. In a standard loaf pan, the edges will burn into a carbon crust before the middle even thinks about setting.
A Bundt pan has that hole in the middle (the "chimney") which allows heat to circulate through the center of the cake. It’s the only way to get an even bake on something this dense. If you absolutely must use a loaf pan, you’ve gotta drop the temperature and be prepared to wait nearly two hours, which is just a recipe for a bad Saturday.
Texture Is the Real Hero
The coconut. People always ask if they can leave it out.
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You can, but you shouldn’t. The unsweetened shredded coconut isn't there for tropical flavor. It’s there for structural integrity. In a bread this moist, you need something to break up the mush. The coconut provides a "bite" that keeps the whole thing from feeling like baby food.
The $8 Boxed Mix vs. From Scratch
In 2022, the Cravings brand launched a boxed mix version of the Chrissy Teigen banana bread. It sold out immediately. Twice.
I’ve tried both. There’s a weird guilt that comes with buying a box mix for something you can make with stuff in your pantry, but the mix is surprisingly legit. It uses real dehydrated bananas and includes the coconut and chocolate chunks.
- The Scratch Version: Better control over the chocolate (I prefer 70% dark chunks).
- The Box Mix: Requires you to add eggs, oil, and water. No fresh bananas needed.
- The Verdict: The scratch version is superior because fresh, fermented bananas have a complexity that powder can't mimic. But for a Tuesday night craving? The box is fine.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Fix Them)
It’s easy to look at a recipe with 30 million fans and think it’s foolproof. It isn't.
I’ve seen people complain that the bread "collapsed" or stayed "raw" in the middle. Usually, this happens because they used large eggs instead of extra-large, or they didn't measure the flour correctly. Pro tip: spoon your flour into the measuring cup. Don't scoop the cup into the bag. Scooping packs the flour down, and you'll end up with a brick.
Also, the salt. 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt seems like a lot. It isn't. You need that salt to cut through the 2 cups of sugar and the vanilla pudding. Without it, the bread is just a sugary blur.
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Making It Your Own Without Ruining It
While the original recipe is a masterpiece of excess, you can tweak it slightly without the Cravings police knocking on your door.
- The Chocolate: Use a bar of dark chocolate and chop it yourself. The different sized shards mean some melt into the batter while others stay as big, crunchy chunks.
- The "Cheat" Ripening: If you don't have six black bananas and you don't want to trade underwear on Twitter, put your yellow bananas on a baking sheet. Bake them at 300°F for 20 minutes until the peels turn black. It's not quite the same as natural ripening, but it'll get you 90% of the way there.
- The Salted Butter Finish: Chrissy insists on serving this with salty butter. She’s right. A thick smear of Kerrygold on a warm slice changes the entire experience from "snack" to "religious event."
Actionable Steps for Your Next Bake
If you're ready to tackle the legend, don't just wing it.
Start by clearing out your produce drawer and letting those bananas get truly disgusting. I'm talking about the stage where fruit flies start considering a move-in date. Once you have your six, grab a box of Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding (the 3.5 oz size).
Grease your Bundt pan with more oil than you think you need, then dust it with flour. If you miss a spot, the sugar in this bread will glue it to the pan forever. Bake it at 325°F. Start checking at 60 minutes, but don't be surprised if it takes 75.
Let it cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes. Any longer and the steam will make it soggy; any shorter and it'll fall apart when you flip it. Flip it, butter it, and forget your diet for an hour. You’ve earned it.