With its super-moist and buttery texture, banana and brown sugar flavors, soft crumb, and 1,300+ reviews, this is a delicious AND undeniably popular banana bread recipe. You need 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. It’s one of the most popular recipes I’ve published on this website, out of over 1,200. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Michele, says: “Perfectly delish every time! Absolutely foolproof. Nuts, no nuts, smidge more or less of sour creamโno problem… bigger bananas, smallerโno worries, perfect, beyond delicious EVERY time. โ โ โ โ โ ”
This is my favorite banana bread recipe, one that I’ve cherished for years. It’s one of those classic recipes that you start to know by heart, just like a good pie crust or chocolate chip cookies recipe. This bread comes to mind first when I have leftover spotty bananas on the counter, and it’s the bread that’s on constant rotation in my freezer stash.
One reader, Tricia, commented: “I have this recipe on speed dial. LOL. It is so tasty and is always a crowd pleaser. My kids and entire family love it!!! โ โ โ โ โ ”
Yes, I have this recipe on speed dial too!
I’ve tried dozens of banana bread recipes over the years, and when I baked and originally published this recipe many years ago, I never looked back.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Recipe Too
- Mega banana flavor
- Not overly sweet, so banana flavor shines
- Dense, but still quite tender & soft
- Buttery & stays moist for days (tastes best on day 2, just like peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread)
- Straightforward, simple recipe
- Freezes wonderfully
- Excellent plain or with nuts or chocolate chipsโor a swipe of cinnamon butter
How to Mash Bananas
Did you know you can use your electric mixer to mash bananas? Break or slice the spotty bananas into large pieces and place in the bowl of your stand mixerโor use a regular mixing bowl and your hand mixer. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed as the bananas break down into mashed banana. Transfer the bananas to another bowl and use the mixing bowl for the butter and sugar. (No need to clean itโsome mashed banana remnants is fine.)
I do this when I mash bananas for banana muffins and banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies too.
Other Banana Bread Ingredients
- Butter: Use softened butter for a soft texture and irresistible butter flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Use all brown sugar in this recipe. In the headnotes for this chocolate chip cookies recipe, I explain that brown sugar yields soft and moist cookies. Well, brown sugar works that same magic in banana bread, too. It also adds wonderful flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs supply cakes, cupcakes, breads, doughs, and cookies their stability and structure, as well as a tender texture. You’ll need 2 large eggs for this.
- Sour Cream or Yogurt: Sour cream or yogurt adds even more moisture to this banana bread. (You can use the 2 interchangeably in most baking recipes.)
For banana nut bread, add 3/4 cup of chopped nuts to the banana bread batter; I like using either pecans or walnuts. If you’re nuts for nuts (LOL), you’ll enjoy the toasty slight crunch nestled inside the soft crumbs. If you’re not a nut person, feel free to leave them out or replace with chocolate chips. For a whole wheat version, try my whole wheat banana bread. Or for a chocolate version, try my double chocolate banana bread.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with 1 and 1/2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
Can I Turn This Into a Banana Bundt Cake?
I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Freeze banana bread using these instructions to preserve its fresh flavor and texture for months:
- Cool baked banana bread completely.
- Tightly wrap the loaf or slices (individually or grouped) in 2โ3 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
- Place wrapped banana bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or reusable container.
- Date the bag and freeze for up to 3โ4 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped in the refrigerator or at room temperature. All methods work like a charm!
I like to freeze the quick bread in slices because slices thaw much quicker than a whole loaf.
Overall, this is an easy recipe for classic banana bread. The batter takes about 10 minutes to throw together, the bread stays moist for days, and nothing beats the smell of fresh banana bread in the oven. (Except for, maybe, zucchini bread or pumpkin bread… try those next!)
Other Favorite Banana Recipes:
- Banana Cake & Banana Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Banana Cream Pie & Banoffee Pie
- Banana Muffins or Healthier Chocolate Banana Muffins & Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
- Baked Banana Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
My Favorite Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its super-moist and buttery texture, banana and brown sugar flavors, soft crumb, and 1,000+ reviews, this is a delicious AND undeniably popular banana bread recipe. You need 4 large ripe bananas. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 3โ4 ripe bananas)
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 3/4 cup (90g) chopped pecans or walnuts, or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the mashed bananas, yogurt/sour cream, and vanilla until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the nuts/chocolate chips, if using. The batter should be thick.
- Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60โ65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil halfway through, to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Remove the bread from the pan and place it directly on the rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.ย
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Update in 2025: With enough reader feedback stating the bread can often be too moist and dense, and therefore not bake properly, my team and I retested the bread multiple times over the past 2 years; we slightly reduced the amount of mashed bananas from 2 cups to 1 and 1/2 cups.
- Butter: If needed, you can use salted butter in this recipe with no other changes needed. I’ve also successfully reduced the butter down to 6 Tablespoons (85g) with no issue (just as tasty).
- Brown Sugar: This is not an overly sweet quick bread. If you want a sweeter banana bread, increase to 1 cup (200g) brown sugar. Feel free to replace some or all of the brown sugar with regular white granulated sugar.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: This banana bread also tastes fantastic with cream cheese frosting on top! To make it, beat 4 ounces (113g) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (56g) of softened unsalted butter together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup (120g) of confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until combined. Spread on cooled loaf.
- Banana Bread Muffins:ย Use this banana bread recipe to make 15 banana bread muffins. Spoon the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan (fill each to the top with batter) and bake for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF (218ยฐC); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Bake for an additional 16โ17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the banana bread muffins is about 21โ23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my quick & easy banana muffins.
- Brown Sugar: Feel free to substitute the same amount of regular white granulated sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners.
- No Sour Cream or Yogurt? Feel free to use 1/3 cup (75โ80g) mashed banana (in addition to what is called for in the recipe), unsweetened applesauce, or even canned pumpkin puree.
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
- Can I Turn This Into Banana Bundt Cake? There isn’t enough batter. I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Baked twice with thise recipe and the middle part of my banana bread was very soft. Tried putting it back on the oven but it was still the same. The outside looked perfect but the inside wasnt fully cook. Any suggestions on what I have done wrong?
Hi Lilly, if you notice the edges of the loaf baking before the center, you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from over browning. If you have an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200ยฐF to 205ยฐF (93ยฐC to 96ยฐC) when itโs fully baked. Hope this helps for next time!
Can you suggest a glaze for the bread? Baking these for a bakesale and would like to give them a special twist.Kelley
Hi Kelley, I bet the maple glaze from these cookies would be lovely here!
Iโd like to make mini breads. 3×5 loaves. Do you have baking time suggestions?
Hi Brenda! You can absolutely use this recipe to make smaller loaves. Yield and bake time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Fill your pans about halfway and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temp. Enjoy!
What a disappointment! The bottom was burnt after 60 minutes when other foods I bake come out great. And there was very little sweetness to it. I wonโt try your recipes again
Hi Charlotte, sorry to hear this. This is quite a large loaf and takes a while to bake through. Did you bake your bread in the bottom third of your oven? That helps it bake evenly. Make sure to start with ripe, sweet bananas for best flavor. Thank you for giving this recipe a try.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful banana bread recipe! The detailed instructions, helpful baking tips, and clear guidance make it easier for home bakers to achieve a delicious result. I really appreciate how you explain the techniques behind a moist, flavourful banana bread, helping readers understand not just what to do, but why it works. A valuable and inspiring resource for anyone who enjoys homemade baking. Keep sharing your fantastic recipes and baking knowledge!
Followed the recipient as is~ turned out perfect. Delicious!
Is there a variation for banana bread that adds a little bit of pumpkin puree for a little more fall flavor? if not thats totally fine just wondering!!!! Thanks Sally!
Hi Marian, you could swap the yogurt/sour cream with 1/3 cup pumpkin puree. Let us know if you try it!
Can this recipe be doubled or should I make an another one for a different batch? Thank you.
Hi Christine, For best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
I have made this recipe several times and it is always excellent. My family prefers the walnuts in it.
This is a fantastic recipe! Thank you!
I often bring this to tournaments and the kids just love it.
And a lot of people say: I usually donโt like banana bread but this oneโฆ.
Of course, I always credit you
It may be my oven, but the bottom was burnt. I used the lowest rack and tented it at 30 minutes and then cooked for 30 more minutes. It does have a beautiful rise and the top looks great.
Not sure what I did wrong. But kept checking…mini loafs were still undercooked at 60 minutes then burned on the outside and undercooked on the inside. Followed directions exactly.
Waste of ingredients and time.
Hi C, Thanks for giving this recipe and try and we’re sorry to hear the mini loaves didn’t turn out. They should typically bake much faster than a full-size loaf, though the exact time depends on the size of your pans. Did you happen to make any changes to the recipe or make any ingredient substitutions? Were you using conventional (not convection/fan forced) oven settings? Did you cover them loosely with foil as they baked?
Hello! if I wanted to make this recipe without eggs, what would be a good substitute for that?
Hi Kiki, we haven’t tested this recipe without eggs, so we’re unsure what might work best as a substitute. Let us know if you do any experimenting.
Aquafava is an excellent egg substitute for vegans. Itโs the juice from a can of garbanzo beans.
Hello, I wanted to make this but with 100% whole wheat, and you mentioned in to use your other whole wheat banana bread recipe, but that recipe uses oil and apple sauce, I liked this recipe because it doesn’t use those, but rather uses yogurt. Can I make this recipe but with whole wheat flour? Would I just have tk add another banana or more yogurt? Thanks
Hi Alexandra, You could try subbing half the flour for whole-wheat flour here. It will be a little denser. Or, you could swap the applesauce in the whole wheat banana bread for yogurt. Let us know what you try!
Great recipe, easy to make and so delicious!
This is a good recipe. I also add to the spice mix, 1/8 tsp of ground cloves, and a 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger and allspice. I like choc chips in my cake so they are added instead of walnuts.
Iโve always had a problem with the outside of banana bread getting too dark and dry before the middle is done. I followed this recipe exactly, including tenting with foil halfway through and lowering oven rack. Baking time for me was 70 mins. It turned out perfectly. Thank-you Sally!
Hey wanted to let you know I’ve tried this recipe twice and I love it – thank you for posting! I did drop the yogurt and added the extra banana as you indicated in your Notes section, and I did not add any of the optional nuts or chips. Fantastic result, added this recipe to my personal collection with credit to you. Thanks again!
I have been cooking in restaurants for over 25 years. I am more savory than sweet but I can bake and make desserts. Now whenever I look for a baking recipe I always look to Sally’s Baking Addiction first. I’ve tried about a dozen of her recipes and was never disappointed. Thank you Sally.
I’ve made this 3 times now and all have been great!
Today’s version I substituted some partially dried blueberries instead of the nuts and honey flavoured yogurt instead of plain and oh my god it was good.
Thanks for the recipe!
I just got your cookbook a few days ago and this is the first recipe I made! It is delicious! I did not have brown sugar, and I didn’t want to go to the store, so I did the white sugar with molasses substitute and it was still perfect!
Can I use mini loaf pans? If so, how long do they bake?
Hi Bettie, you can absolutely use this recipe to make smaller loaves. Yield and bake time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Fill your pans about halfway and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temp. Enjoy!
I donโt have yogurt or sour cream. Could I use buttermilk instead? Itโs homemade and quite thick.
Hi Sam, you could use buttermilk instead of yogurt or sour cream (same amount), but the batter will be on the thinner side and, as a result, the baked bread will end up a little squat without as much rise. We recommend sticking to the recipe for best results.
What cooking time and temp if using mini loaf pan?
Hi Linda, you can absolutely use this recipe to make smaller loaves. Yield and bake time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Fill your pans about halfway and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temp. Enjoy!
I chose to use the convection bake on my oven for this recipe. Can you tell me if you have ever done that setting for this recipe and how it turned out? I have just put mine in the oven.
Hi Trish, our recipes are all written for conventional oven bake settings, and that is what we recommend. If you use convection, you may need to lower the temperature a bit. Hope it still turns out great!
made this today with chocolate chips and its sooo good!!! so moist and not too dense!!!
Hello! If I use this recipe to make banana muffins, how many grams per cupcake liner should I do and how many minutes to cook it? Thank you
Hi Christine, if using this batter for muffins, divide evenly among 15 muffin liners. See the recipe Notes (note #6) below the recipe for baking instructions. Or you can follow this recipe for 12 banana muffins instead.
Hi! I wanted to make this with the filling of your pumpkin cream cheese bundcake, do you think it could work and what advice you may have? Thanks!
Hi Ana, cream cheese will be too thick in this banana bread recipe. A cream cheese frosting would be lovely on top, though!
How would alternate this recipe to make a pumpkin pie banana bread? I used the combination of both recipes of your pumpkin and banana bread, but the taste of pumpkin over powered the banana taste and it lacked sweetness.
Hi Cy, we haven’t played around with combining those recipes ourselves so can’t offer too much guidance! You could try adding less spice and a little more sugar to allow the banana flavor to come through a bit more. Let us know what you try!