Moist, sweet, and simply bursting with banana flavor, this is the best banana bread recipe! This comforting treat comes together in a flash with just a few simple ingredients and will make your home smell incredible as it bakes. I love enjoying a warm slice of this quick bread with a light smear of butter alongside my morning coffee. It’s the perfect way to start the day!
For the most flavorful banana bread, use bananas that are very ripe. The peel should be very spotted and mostly brown, and they should have a strong, sweet banana fragrance. If your bananas are not quite ripe enough, don’t worry! In this post, I have simple tricks to speed up the ripening process. And if you’re looking for more ways to bake with bananas, try my banana cupcakes recipe, banana cake recipe, and banana oatmeal cookies recipe.
Ingredients
Flour — all-purpose flour is perfect for this easy banana bread recipe.
Baking soda — baking soda is key for fluffy banana bread.
Cinnamon — I love the warmth that ground cinnamon adds to this easy banana bread recipe. You could leave it out if you prefer or use different spices (ideas in the Variations section below!).
Sugar — light or dark brown sugar adds a subtle caramel-like flavor that pairs beautifully with the banana flavor in this quick bread.
Butter — if you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the amount of added salt by ¼ teaspoon, as a stick of salted butter (which is ½ cup of butter) contains approximately ¼ teaspoon salt. However, unsalted butter is the best option, as the amount of salt in salted butter varies between brands.
Eggs — large eggs help to bind the ingredients in the batter.
Bananas — mash the overripe bananas with a fork or potato masher.
Vanilla — use good vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How to Make Banana Bread
1. Start this easy recipe by whisking together all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl using an electric mixer), add the brown sugar and softened butter and beat together on high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes
3. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients and mix.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch greased loaf pan (use butter or cooking spray). Bake the quick bread at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the loaf pan for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve plain or with a smear of honey butter.
How Can I Ripen Bananas Quickly?
For the best banana bread, you need very ripe or overripe bananas with peels that are mostly or completely brown. Bananas that are underripe or still firm won’t mash well. They also aren’t as sweet or intensely flavored, so the banana bread won’t have much banana flavor.
To ripen bananas quickly, lay the bananas on a lined baking sheet and bake them at 300°F for 15 to 40 minutes, depending on their size and how under-ripe they are. They will come out of the oven totally brown and very soft — exactly what you need for homemade banana bread.
See my detailed post about how to ripen bananas using other methods, like a paper bag, the microwave, or your air fryer!
Variations
- Add mix-ins: Mix in up to 1 cup total of chopped toasted walnuts or chopped toasted pecans for banana nut bread. Or add 1 cup of dried fruit like raisins. You can also add up to ½ cup of regular-sized or mini chocolate chips for a richer, sweeter loaf.
- Vary the sugar: You can use granulated sugar (white sugar) in place of the light or dark brown sugar if desired. Or use a mix of both!
- Add sour cream: Sour cream or Greek yogurt will add a little tang to balance out the sweetness of the bread while also adding moisture. You can replace 1 banana with ¼ cup sour cream or yogurt. This will lighten the banana flavor, but it will keep the bread moist and tender for several days.
- Top with frosting: I think this moist banana bread recipe is delicious on its own, but if you want to dress it up, try it with my cream cheese frosting, chocolate ganache, or chocolate cream cheese frosting spread over the top.
- Use different spices. A hint of cinnamon makes this recipe so comforting, but you can amp up the flavor by adding your favorite warm spices. I often add all or a mix of the following: ½ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.
Try my other variations on this recipe, like my chocolate chip banana bread and banana muffins!
How To Store and Freeze Banana Bread
Storing: Leftovers will keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for about 4 days. You can also refrigerate the loaf tightly wrapped for up to 7 days. The refrigerator can dry the bread out a little, but it will still taste delicious.
Freezing: You can freeze the whole loaf or slices. I like to cut the bread into individual slices to defrost a slice as I have a need (or craving!). Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. The bread will freeze well for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Measure the flour. One of the main causes of dry, crumbly banana bread is an overuse of flour. The best way to use the correct amount of flour is to measure it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour before spooning it into a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife.
- Softened butter works best. Softened butter, when creamed, yields a springy, light bread with a soft crumb. Set the butter out at room temperature about 1 hour before you start baking so that it softens. If you forget to set the butter out in advance, see my post for how to soften butter in just a few minutes.
- Use room-temperature eggs. They bind everything together better if they are not straight out of the refrigerator.
- A note on mashing the bananas. While you can mash the bananas until they form a smooth puree, I prefer leaving a few chunks in the batter. I love biting into a fresh slice and getting a chunk of banana! Use a fork or potato masher for the best texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to banana quick bread, the riper the better! The banana peels need to be mostly or completely brown, with a mushy, almost pudding-like texture inside. If your bananas are too ripe to eat raw, chances are they’d be perfect for this recipe.
Yes, you can, with one important consideration. After thawing the bananas, drain off any excess liquid, as this can affect the consistency of the banana bread batter.
You can use an electric mixer instead of a stand mixer until you beat in the vanilla extract. Then, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand.
Over-mixing the batter with an electric mixer can cause the loaf to be dense. Folding the flour mixture in by hand gives you total control so you can see exactly when the ingredients are just incorporated. Your bread will be more tender and fluffy this way. Plus, this batter isn’t a very stiff dough, so it’s easy to mix together by hand!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this banana bread recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Banana Bread Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9×5″ baking pan
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar (165g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1¾ cups mashed ripe bananas (430g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar and butter together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl between each. Beat in the vanilla extract. Mix the mashed bananas in and then add the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Notes
- Measure the flour. One of the main causes of dry, crumbly banana bread is an overuse of flour. The best way to use the correct amount of flour is to measure it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour before spooning it into a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife.
- Softened butter works best. Softened butter, when creamed, yields a springy, light bread with a soft crumb. Set the butter out at room temperature about 1 hour before you start baking so that it softens. If you forget to set the butter out in advance, see my post for how to soften butter in just a few minutes.
- Use room-temperature eggs. They bind everything together better if they are not straight out of the refrigerator.
- A note on mashing the bananas. While you can mash the bananas until they form a smooth puree, I prefer leaving a few chunks in the batter. I love biting into a fresh slice and getting a chunk of banana! Use a fork or potato masher for the best texture.
