Simply the perfect Banana Bread recipe. Moist, quick and easy to make with a soft, tender crumb. Truly the best Banana Bread I’ve ever had and our favorite way to use up ripe bananas!
Love bananas? Us too! Try this delicious Banana Pudding and Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies too!
There is nothing better than homemade banana bread. I have spent a good part of my life baking and I still get a thrill when I see I have some beautifully ripe bananas that need to be used.
When testing this recipe, I made over 50 loaves of banana bread. You read that right. I’ve tested every combination of ingredients, temperatures, baking methods, pan sizes – you name it. It’s been a labor of love – and a heck of a lot of bananas.
When I say this is the best banana bread I’ve ever had, I mean it. My kids agree.
Best Banana Bread Recipe
What makes this the best banana bread? There are a few things that I was looking for as I developed this recipe:
Banana flavor. This is often overlooked in banana recipes. Banana bread should taste like bananas, period. I have found the perfect amount of banana to be 1 1/4 cup of mashed ripe banana, or, about 3 to 4 really ripe bananas. This gives the bread the perfect amount of banana flavor to this easy recipe. (Note: I tested this recipe using 1 to 1 1/2 cups of banana and the recipe works flawlessly for this range.)
Moistness. This moist banana bread recipe is exactly what I was going for. Banana bread should be deliciously moist but not dense. It has a It needs to have enough moistness that it stays fresh for days. The moistness lends to a super soft, tender crumb.
I literally had to hide loaves of banana bread to ensure that I could check days later. You would think Reece and Bryce would be sick of this banana bread recipe at this point, but nope.
Banana bread with sour cream is my favorite way to ensure a moist bread but you can also use Greek yogurt if you prefer.
Easy. Yep, this banana bread recipe is a quick bread – so it shouldn’t take a lot of effort. The hardest part of this recipe is mashing the bananas. I use a potato masher, my mixer or a fork. You do you. This recipe can be made in one bowl and the butter is melted so you don’t even need a mixer. A whisk, a bowl and a spatula are all you need.
Easy Bread Recipes
We love quick bread recipes! Check out these favorites:
Easy Banana Bread Recipe: Ingredients
One of the best things about this recipe is that it uses kitchen staples. All you need is your ripe bananas and you’ve likely got everything else on hand. You can find the full, printable recipe at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
- ripe bananas – you want really ripe bananas which mean plenty of brown spots all over the bananas. Watch the video to see what my bananas look like, and they can be even riper than that!
- sugar – for the video and banana bread pictured, I used all granulated sugar. This recipe is delicious with brown sugar as well and it can add even more moisture to the bread. I like to use either 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, or 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Try this recipe different ways and see which you prefer.
- eggs – room temperature eggs work best.
- sour cream – I prefer banana bread with sour cream but Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
- unsalted butter – the butter needs to be melted and then cooled for a good 20 minutes. I melt the butter before I start pulling out ingredients or prepping the loaf pan to make sure it has plenty of time to cool. Butter should be opaque.
- vanilla extract – use high quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for the best flavor.
- all purpose flour – creates the structure of this bread.
- baking soda and salt – for leavening and flavor.
How To Make Banana Bread
I like to make this recipe in an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan but it also works in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. How do you make banana bread? Let’s take a quick look at the simple steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mash bananas – there can be some small chunks remaining.
- Whisk in sugar, eggs, melted butter, sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Stir in flour mixture just until combined.
- Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
- Cool on cooling rack.
- Slice and serve.
Serve with our favorite Honey Butter or Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter for the ultimate treat!
Banana Bread Recipe FAQs
Very! The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more delicious the bread. You want to look for bananas with lots of dark spots all over. The more the merrier.
Bananas by themselves are okay in moderation for dogs, but since this bread contains a fair amount of sugar, it’s not the best treat for your pup. Stick to these dog treats instead.
After baking, the bread will last for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Simply wrap in plastic wrap or store in a large resealable bag. If you store it in the fridge, it will last an additional few days.
Banana bread should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, wrapped in plastic or in a large, resealable bag.
Absolutely and I recommend it! I often make two (or more) loaves, and freezing a loaf is the best way to guarantee we have banana bread ready to enjoy when the next craving hits. To freeze:
Bake as directed and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Wrap the bread (in slices or as a whole loaf) in two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil.
Place in a freezer ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bread should be thawed at room temperature. Simply unwrap the number of slices or whole loaf and let come to room temperature. Enjoy!
Variations To Try
I’ve shard a lot of banana bread recipes over the years. Here are some of our favorites:
- Pina Colada Banana Bread
- Butterscotch Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Banana Blueberry Bread
But for this recipe here are some quick ways to change things up:
- Add nuts. Banana Nut Bread is so good! We frequently use chopped walnuts or pecans but any nut will work. Toast the nuts beforehand for best flavor. We use about 3/4 cups.
- Add chips. Chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, vanilla, you can’t go wrong. About 1/2 to 3/4 cups will do it.
- Toppings. Add banana slices to the top of your bread before baking. Or sprinkle on some sanding sugar. Or both!
- Spice it up. Try adding 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the batter. It adds a delicious and tantalizing layer of flavor.
- Use the pan. Instead of just greasing the pan with nonstick cooking spray, sprinkle in some sugar or cinnamon sugar mixture and coat the pan so your crust is even more delicious.
More Banana Recipes To Try
- The BEST Banana Pudding
- No Bake Banana Cream Pudding Cheesecake
- Banana Split Dessert
- Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
- Double Chocolate Banana Applesauce Muffins
How To Make Banana Bread
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 ripe bananas mashed should be about 1 ¼ cups (anywhere from 1 to 1 ½ cups will work)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar can use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar (see post)
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup sour cream plain Greek yogurt can be used instead
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease and flour the bottom and sides of an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan. (Can also butter pan and sprinkle with sugar or a combination of sugar and cinnamon.) Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mash bananas in a large bowl using a potato masher, fork, or a mixer. There can be some small chunks remaining, it doesn't have to be completely smooth.
- Whisk in sugar, eggs, melted butter, sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Add flour mixture and stir in gently just until combined. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and use the spatula to smooth the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If bread starts to get too brown on top, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Let bread cool on cooling rack in loaf pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert the loaf pan and carefully remove banana bread. Let bread continue to cool on the rack for another hour or more. Slice and serve.
Stacey says
Really good! But definitely on the sweet side so next time I will cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup total.