This banana bread recipe is moist, tender, and packed with rich banana flavor. It’s a great way to use up ripe bananas for breakfast, snacks, or the freezer.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Sweet with brown sugar, cinnamon, and rich banana flavor, baking up soft and tender with a melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Budget Tip: This recipe is perfect for using up those overripe bananas so they don’t go to waste.
- Time-Saving Tip: No time to bake and your bananas are turning brown? Unpeel and freeze 4 at a time in a Ziploc bag for easy baking later!
- Freezing: This banana loaf freezes beautifully. Wrap the whole loaf or wrap individual slices for a quick grab-and-go snack.
Banana Basics
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best sweetness. If using frozen, squeeze out any extra liquid before mixing. How many bananas in a cup? There are about 3 medium bananas in a cup. So for this recipe, you will want about 4 medium ripe bananas.
- Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour as the base. You can replace up to ⅔ cup of it with whole wheat flour. Spoon and level the flour for a light, fluffy banana bread.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter in this recipe. If you have salted butter, skip the salt. You can replace some of the butter with oil for an extra moist crumb.
- Sugar: Sugar gives this banana bread its sweet flavor and soft texture, so don’t skip, swap, or reduce it.
Banana Bread Variations
One of the best parts about banana bread is once you’ve got the hang of it there are so many ways to customize it!
- Add nutmeg or swap pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon.
- To make it into a banana nut bread, add toasted nuts such as walnuts or pecans.
- Top the loaf with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Add mini chocolate chips, raisins, or shredded coconut.
How to Make Banana Bread
It’s easy to make the best banana bread with just a few simple steps!
- Whisk together dry ingredients (full recipe below).
- Cream butter and sugar. Add bananas, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Combine.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to Store Banana Bread
- For best results, keep moist banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze loaves or slices by tightly wrapping them in plastic wrap or storing them in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
- Warm slices quickly in the microwave or pop them in the toaster for a soft, cozy bite.
Ripe Banana Recipes
Did you enjoy this Banana Bread recipe? Leave us a rating and comment below!
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups mashed bananas about 4 small bananas
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened, or vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (or line with parchment paper) a loaf pan.
- Mash the bananas with a fork to make 1 ⅓ cups mashed banana.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, and mix well. Stir in mashed bananas.
- Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until combined, do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
To ripen bananas quickly: Bake in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until the peels turn black. Cool completely before using.
Be sure to measure the flour correctly by spooning it into a measuring cup, not scooping it with the measuring cup.
Do not overbake. Ovens can vary; be sure to check your bread at least 10 minutes early. Remove from the pan to cool completely.
Leftovers will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 4 days. It will also keep in the refrigerator, but wrap it tightly.
This is also great for freezing. Wrap and keep in freezer for 4 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 221 | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
For the banana bread, is there anything I can substitute the butter or the oil with? I am on a special diet where I have to watch the fats I eat. thanks
Hi Janet, other readers have replace the butter with olive oil with good results. I hope that helps!
Holly, the banana bread recipe says to spoon flour into a measuring cup. I have never heard of this. I have always scooped it out with the measuring cup. What is the difference? A new way to avoid sifting?
I love your recipes. I am 84 years old and willing to learn new ways from the younger generation.
Hi Carmen, that is a great question and I go into depth a bit more in this How to Measure Flour Guide. But essentially we use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup because it helps prevent the flour from becoming too packed into the measuring cup which can result in too much flour being added to the recipe.
looks amazing. may I ask your opinion…if I use a pan, (not a loaf pan), what, in your opinion, is the adjustment in baking time? I guess I would check it at about the 20 min mark and adjust from there? anything else I need to consider? thanks
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Mary. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
May I substitute gluten free flour for the all purpose flour and add xanthum gum to the dry ingredients
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure but that should work just fine if you use a gluten-free all purpose flour (not an almond flour).If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
You talk about moist!! I made this bread back in January of last year and it was a hit. I made it again for Christmas because I wanted to try out my new Nordic fancy loaf pan. I slathered the pan with melted butter and sprinkled it with coarse sugar for an easy release. Needless to say it came out of the pan easily and left a crunchy crust to the bread. Pretty! The bread stayed moist and delicious for several days covered on my counter. It was gone with morning coffee on day three. This is a great recipe for the family or gifting. It’s a keeper.
I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a hit Tess!
I love baking, and finding recipes that I love
I’ve made this recipe several times. My husband absolutely loves it. I add some raisins for him then I make a little one in a little tiny baking pan with some chocolate chips for me.
First time trying this recipe…it’s a winner….my friend was going to throw her bananas out so I took them and turned them into this masterpiece…
Thanks for a great recipe…
P.S. Never throw ripe bananas away!!!!!!! lol
the best one so far 😋💕💕💕 and easy to make
Delicious and moist. my guys loved it. I added a little bit of small chocolate chips.
Easy to make,moist and delicious.
not as moist as I’d have hoped but I’m at a higher altitude than I’m used to so maybe to much flour
Wow!! This is the best banana bread I’ve ever baked, without a doubt! I used the oil instead of the butter. It had the perfect moisture.
My loaf pan size was 8″ L x 4 1/2″ W x 3″ D I baked it for 57 minutes.
Perfect!!! Excellent!!! 🙂
Thank you ❤️