Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Packed full of that cozy, comforting sweet banana flavor.
Texture: Soft, moist, and tender. The best texture I’ve ever had from any quick bread!
Ease: SO easy! You don’t even need a mixer for this Banana Bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Easy, delicious recipe. This is my go-to recipe to use up overripe bananas.
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After countless tests, tweaks, and adjustments, I’ve finally discovered the very BEST Banana Bread Recipe.
While Banana Bread is a simple recipe, it can be surprisingly easy to screw up. After testing dozens of variations, I’ve discovered the keys to a perfect loaf every single time.
This recipe is super easy to make, uses simple ingredients you may already have on hand, and you don’t even need a mixer.
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There’s nothing more comforting than a warm loaf of Banana Bread. That heavenly aroma. That soft, tender texture. That sweet banana flavor. It’s the perfect cozy quick bread to use up those overripe bananas, for the ultimate snack, breakfast, or dessert.
It also makes for a thoughtful homemade gift, and can even be made ahead of time!
Just check out one of the hundreds of 5-star reviews raving about this Banana Bread Recipe:
Reader Love
Have made alot of banana bread over the years, this is HANDS DOWN, the best recipe 👌
–
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make the Best Homemade Banana Bread
How to Tell if Bananas Are Ripe Enough for Baking
When making Banana Bread, be sure to use very overripe bananas. They should be very soft and covered with dark brown speckles, for the best sweet flavor and the best texture.
- To speed up the ripening process: Place bananas in a paper bag in a warm area for a day or two. The peels create ethylene gas, which fills up the bag and helps them ripen faster.
- To ripen bananas today: Place whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the skins are darkened and the fruit is soft.
- Freeze extra bananas: If you have more overripe bananas than you need for this recipe, you can always peel and freeze them for later. Simply thaw and bring to room temperature before using as instructed in the recipe below.
How to Mash Bananas for Baking
Mash the ripe bananas very well by hand with a fork or potato masher. I find mashing with an electric mixer mashes the bananas too well, making the batter too thin to rise properly. This often leads to bread that’s slightly mushy or even slightly sunken in the center.
How to Make Moist Banana Bread
- Butter and oil: I experimented with using melted butter vs. oil in Banana Bread and found that an even mixture of both created the best results. You get the rich flavor from the butter, but the sensation of moistness from the vegetable oil.
- Why use oil: Oil is a liquid at room temperature, so it feels moist on the palate even though it contains no water.
- Brown sugar and plain yogurt or sour cream: The other key ingredients that help make this recipe moist, tender, and flavorful.
Can I Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips to This Banana Bread?
Yes, you can add 1 cup of coarsely chopped nuts or chocolate chips. I prefer chopped, lightly toasted walnuts or semisweet chocolate chips, but feel free to get creative here.
If you prefer pecans, I have a recipe for Butter Pecan Banana Bread you’ll love!
The Correct Pan For Banana Bread
The pan I recommend is a light-colored METAL 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Anything too dark in color will risk scorching the edges.
Glass and ceramic loaf pans will take MUCH longer to bake – upwards of 15 to 20 minutes extra. You also risk the Banana Bread collapsing and being underbaked or gummy in the middle. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Use the correct size loaf pan: 9 by 5-inches. I know that an 8 ½ by 4 ½-inch pan seems basically identical, but the difference in volume capacity is 15% and that has a surprisingly large impact on the final loaf.
If you use the smaller pan size, your loaf may spill over the edges and remain underbaked in the center. If you only have a smaller pan, withhold about 15% of the batter from the pan.
How to Bake Banana Bread Without Collapsing!
- Follow my notes above for using the correct baking pan – both size and material matter!
- Make sure your oven is completely preheated. Wait at least 10 additional minutes after your oven emits that preheat beep before placing your loaf in, to ensure it’s hot enough.
- Invest in an oven thermometer to see just how accurate your oven actually is. Read more about oven temperatures in my article here.
- Be sure not to overmix the Banana Bread batter.
- Don’t underbake. More on this just below.
How to Tell When Banana Bread is Done Baking?
Bake your Banana Bread until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers an internal temperature of 200 to 205°F. This is the best and easiest way to ensure your loaf is perfectly cooked through but not overdone.
Can You Save Underbaked Banana Bread?
We’ve all been there. You go to slice your cooled loaf, only to discover it’s gummy and underdone in the center. Putting it back in the oven will only scorch the exterior before the interior can heat through.
Instead, place those slices on a buttered griddle and fry them up, kind of like French Toast. You can also do this with stale Banana Bread (if it lasts that long!). Add a little peanut butter at the end for the ultimate indulgence!
Can I Add Frosting?
Add Cream Cheese Frosting or Buttercream Frosting to take this recipe to a whole new level!
Can I Use This Recipe to Make Banana Bread Muffins?
Yes, you can turn this recipe into about two dozen Banana Bread muffins.
Fill the batter about 3/4 full into the cavities of two standard muffin tins and bake at 350°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Alternatively, I have a fabulous recipe for fluffy Bakery Style Banana Muffins as well as Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins!
How to Store Banana Bread
Cover and store cooled Banana Bread at room temperature for 2 days. The flavors will actually intensify as the bread sits!
How to Freeze Banana Bread
To freeze, tightly wrap the completely cooled loaf or slices in plastic wrap, then place in a ziptop bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature. If thawing an entire loaf, you can also refresh the Banana Bread by popping it into a 325°F oven for about 10 minutes.
More Banana Recipes You’ll Love:
Banana Bread
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) mashed overripe bananas, from about 3 large bananas*
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (142 grams) coarsely chopped toasted walnuts, or (170 grams) chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, oil, and vanilla. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just barely combined. Gently fold in the walnuts or chocolate chips (if using), being very careful not to overmix. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake about 55 to 65 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 200-205°F. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to finish cooling completely, before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
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This post was originally published in 2012 and was updated in 2023 updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This banana bread is totally amazing! Thank you for the recipe and the tips!
This recipe is perfection. My husband shared some with friends and they were amazed. “Where did you get this?!” was their response to one bite; said it was the best banana bread they’ve ever had. Thanks for another hit recipe!
WOW !!! The thermometer tip is something I wish I had had. Love it !! Thank you.
love banana bread and this recipe never fails! would love to know how/if i can add blueberries to this recipe for a blueberry banana bread?
Hi Dani! We haven’t tried that, but it should be delicious! Let us know how it goes 🙂
I appreciate your clear explanations and the emphasis on safety throughout the process.
It’s evident that you care about your readers’ well-being and want us to tackle these issues safely and effectively.
Your blog has become my go-to resource for appliance-related issues,
and I’ll be sure to share it with friends and family who might face similar problems with their appliances.
Keep up the fantastic work!
I have been baking a banana bread recipe that I got from my sister-in-law 30 years ago. Today I couldn’t find it, so I turned to your website.Your recipe is even better! My new favorite! I used the optional cinnamon and 1 cup of toasted walnuts. It baked up perfectly moist, with a domed top and a slightly crunchy crust. Great recipe!
I just made this and it was really really good! Very moist and tasty!
Hey Tess
Just wanted to share my end result with you based on your banana bread recipe. I baked my batch in a cast iron loaf pan, lid on, for the 1st 30 mins then removed the lid to brown Super recipe, super result!
I did however make one small change…substituted sour cream/plain yoghurt with mayonnaise…yummy!
Thank you!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe so much, Brent!
BEST Banana Bread Recipe EVER! I’ve been baking Banana Bread for 50+ years and this is my new standard! Thank you!
Amazing to hear this, Jeannie! YAY!!
Amazing just as written – I included the cinnamon and added walnuts, but I imagine that chocolate chips (or even both) would be amazing too. The bread is not too sweet or too “healthy” tasting – just perfect. And I’ve tried several banana bread recipes over the years! I had to bake a further 15 minutes with foil on top and I used an instant read thermometer to get the bread to 200 degrees (I often find this to be the case with my oven).
Will this recipe work if I make the batter in the morning and bake in the evening? If so, should I keep it in the fridge or the freezer?
Hi Danielle! We haven’t tried making the batter for this Banana Bread ahead of time, so I’m not sure how well it will work. Chilling won’t be ideal, as this banana bread is leavened with baking soda (which chemically reacts to the acidic ingredients in the batter right away – learn more about that here), and we haven’t tested freezing this batter or baking it from frozen. I recommend baking right after finishing the batter, if possible – the banana bread will still be moist and delicious for 2 days and the flavor actually intensifies as it sits! Tessa also included instructions for freezing the baked banana bread in the pink tip box, right above the recipe. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I’ve been forced – due to my small oven on a holiday that had me baking nonstop all day – to set one of the loaves aside for several hours (the recipe I was using was similar to this one but – I didn’t notice at the outset – made enough batter for two loaves) and the one that sat out was noticably denser. it took longer to cook, for some reason, and had that heavy, “angry gluten” feel. If u want to make something ahead of time, bust out the yeast and dazzle! But if ur doing a quick bread, u might as well do it all at once (it only takes ten minutes to get it ready, after all).
Made this today and am loving the result! Going to get a light colored pan for the next one though,still super moist but just a touch dark on the ends. A definite 5
Delicious and easy to make. I made them muffin. I didn’t add granulated sugar. Only brown sugar is enough for me. My family is not having too much sugar. Everyone loves this recipe. Thank you.