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.
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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
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The best recipe i ever made. Excellent!
Hi on your banana bread recipe you said we could use butter or oil. How much oil? is it half cup oil or half cup butter?
Thank you
½ cup of butter or oil
I made this banana bread recipe & it came out amazing! Very easy recipe to follow! Highly recommended!
I haven’t received the recipe, in need of ingredients, cooking temp, cooking time.
Hi Gloria, the recipe can be found at the bottom of the page. You can find it by scrolling down or by using the “jump to recipe” button at the top. I hope that helps!
This recipe turned out really great, I like mine a little sweeter but my mom said it was perfect. My bananas were stored in the freezer, and they were still a little chilly after mashing, and I used a different type of butter. All that is to say I think this recipe has a little wiggle room if you need it. Will definitely be using this recipe again!
This recipe was simple and easy to do. I was very please, and the banana flavor really came through. Awesome!!
Made this recipe with ripe bananas and it didn’t have the banana flavor. The center is moist but bottom and the end pieces are very dry. Not sure what I did wrong.
You’ll want your bananas to be over ripe. My bananas are nearly all black on the skin before I use them, and the banana flavor really shines through. The banana might seem real oily and not edible, but that is when it’s perfect for baking with.
Im an 8 year old girl and I made it with my mum and it was so much fun! It tasted delicious,even it smelled like banana. I ♥️ the smell
Aww, we are so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for leaving a comment, Liyanne!
Came out beautifully! So soft on the inside, crisp outside and just the right sweetness. Honestly this banana bread recipe boosted my confidence in baking. Thank you for sharing it! oh and one modification, only had olive oil becel instead of butter but turned out so good!
So happy to hear that, Bianca!
Mine was so damn dry!! I followed it step by step and all of the ingredients was correct. Idk what I did.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t quite work out for you! Over mixing the batter could result in dry banana bread, or measuring the flour incorrectly? We always use this method when measuring flour.
Everybody liked it but I had to take it out 20 minutes early because it got very dark and would’ve burnt if I kept it in longer
I’m always searching for new banana bread recipes & stumbled upon this one! ITS SO GOOD! From the batter (yes I lick the bowl) to the baked bread, it is delicious! I am celiac so I used bobs 1:1 gluten free flour and oh my gosh, YUM! Thank you for this recipe!!
Looked amazing when I took it out of the oven but had no taste. My husband who likes everything was disappointed. Unless you cover it with butter or cream cheese it was not too good.
I am so sorry to hear that, Sue! This recipe is a true favorite in my house. For a really nice banana flavor, use really ripe bananas! I hope that helps.
I am so excited to try this recipe! Am I able to add walnuts to this recipe without adjusting other measurements? I figured I would fold 1/2 to 1 cup in at the end, but didn’t want to ruin the loaf! Thanks in advance.
Hi Holly , I made this recipe today and came out great . I followed your note suggestions and mine was done in 45 mins using a Hamilton Beach countertop oven . You are correct with timing ..is Essential with types of ovens . Glad I looked over your Notes & Tips . Thank you again for another Fantastic Recipe . Take care :)
So glad you loved it Peggy!
I found this recipe to make a delicious banana bread !! Will definitely make it again!!!
I made a double batch the top is moist but the body of the bread is really dry. Can you tell me what I did wrong? I’ve made a single batch & it turned out awesome. I’m confused
Hi Shelly, if made in a single loaf pan that might be the issue. To double this recipe, I would make two separate loaves. Sometimes this will increase the required cook time to accommodate having more items in the oven.
hi, made it in a loaf pan, it was so delicious! I would love to try as cupcakes, do you have a suggestion for cooking time for that? thank you!
We haven’t tried this recipe as muffins but it should work well. We do have a tried and true banana bread muffins we love as well! You could follow the cook time in that recipe.
Even without very ripe bananas this was still good! I was very short on time to get these into the oven, read the comments first. mixed myself up and ended up melting and cooling the butter. Still tried to “cream” it with the sugars, still, lol. Even with my mistake it still turned out to be a great recipe. No complaints! Thank you!
Can I substitute paleo flour blend for the all purpose flour?
I have never worked with paleo flour before so I can’t say for sure. But if you often use it as an all-purpose flour replacement then it should work.
How long do they last and can you freeze the bread? And if so, how long can that be? Thank you.
Hi Jennifer, it can easily be frozen! To freeze, place in a zippered bag or an airtight container labeled with the date on it. It should be good for about eight weeks. Then thaw at room temp and serve!
Soo delicious and easy to make. My family loved it and had to make another the next day. Thank you for sharing the recipe