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 ripe bananas.
One reader, Michele, says: “Perfectly delish every time! Absolutely foolproof. Nuts, no nuts, smidge more or less of sour cream—no problem… bigger bananas, smaller—no worries, perfect, beyond delicious EVERY time. ★★★★★”
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.
It’s one of the most popular recipes I’ve published on this website, out of over 1,200.
One reader, Tricia, says: “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!!! ★★★★★”
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 back in 2013, I never looked back.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Recipe Too
- Mega banana flavor (from 2 cups/460g mashed bananas)
- Not overly sweet, so banana flavor shines
- Dense, but still quite tender & soft
- Buttery & stays moist for days
- Straightforward, simple recipe
- Freezes wonderfully
- Excellent plain or with nuts or chocolate chips
This bread uses more mashed bananas than similar recipes. Add 2 whole cups (460g) of mashed banana, which is about 4 large bananas. More banana = more moisture and flavor in the finished loaf.
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 mixer—or 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 it—some 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 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 2–3 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 3–4 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
- 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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (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
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 cups (460g) mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 3/4 cup (100g) chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a metal 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not over-mix. Fold in the nuts, if using.
- Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread 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. This may be after 60–65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes around the 60-minute mark.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour. Remove bread from the pan and cool bread directly on the wire rack until ready to slice and serve.
- Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together. See post above for freezing instructions.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- 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 (112g) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (60g) 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: 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 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the banana bread muffins is about 21–23 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 mashed banana (in addition to the 2 cups), 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 2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
- Chocolate Chips: I love this bread with chocolate chips, too. Feel free to add 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips. No need to leave out the nuts if you add the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips and nuts are both optional.
- 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.
hard to rate this. i think it was all my problem. this came out very dense, tasty but dense! maybe i put in too many bananas. they were small so i put in 5. Soda is fresh. used smaller pans and watched carefully. i had a wonderful recipe years ago but have misplaced it. i have been searching ever since. i thought this would be the one since i love so many of Sally’s recipes.
The Best Banana Bread Ever this will be the forever banana bread recipe for my family we love it!! Thanks so much!!!!
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful banana bread recipe! I followed it to a T and it turned out perfectly. I’d never heard of using yogurt or sour cream before. Total game changer. I used sour cream, but I was wondering if plain Greek yogurt would work as well? I also added raisins and walnuts.
Definitely my “forever” banana bread! I’m a casual baker so I’m pretty proud of the outcome. Thanks!
We love Banna bread this is a keeper
I hope that being High altitude will not be an issue since I have never baked here at my new home but we live at 6000 FT if anyone else lives at high altitude please give me pointers
I made this yesterday. It was the best banana bread that I ever made. Thank you for the recipe. Wish I could have added a picture.
I keep mine in the fridge amd have it woth coffee in morning. Soooo good. Just enough sweet and i add a little more cinnamon than recipe asks for.
Moist and plenty sweet for our taste. This will be repeated often in our home!
It turned out well – nice and moist. Glad you emphasized that extra cooking time might be needed. In my case, I required it.
Amazing! Turned out brilliant and delicious. How many servings would you say this is? And how many calories per slice? Thank you
Hi Jazmine, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! Exact servings and nutrition info depends on how thick/thin you slice the bread. We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
It ended up tasting great, but the middle was very gooey at 60mins. I ended up cutting a hole in the foil to let the middle cook up a bit more, and it worked pretty well.
Needs more sugar. It was quite bland.
tasted great but didnt rise
Hi Sara, it sounds like perhaps your baking soda may be old and not working properly. We find it can lose strength after just a few months. Also make sure not to over-mix your batter, which can lead to a dense bread. Hope the next one turns out better!
Thank you for this recipe!! It’s so delicious – you can also take the entire ingredient list, put them all into a bowl and just mash into a mixture for any other lazy chefs out there 🙂 The taste comes out the same (as far as I can tell, having made both versions now)
I usually always follow recipes exactly as instructed on the first baking attempt. However, I did not have a full 2 cups of mashed bananas. So…I mashed up an over ripe avocado which added exactly the amount I was missing. Couldn’t tell the difference and no one knew except me. Great recipe by the way. Sally has the best website and I always go to her first. Chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe is the absolute BEST!
I do love this recipe. Would you know per chance the temp & time I would need for muffin tops? I’d like to use my English muffin pans for these.
This is an awesome recipe, it tastes way better than just the plain Jane flour sugar bananas recipe. The flavor was on point and the cinnamon and sour cream really make a difference. The only thing is I needed to cook wayyyyyy longer than instructed. I def messed up and pulled it out after an hour and should have gone another 10/15, I tried to fix the gooey center but it’s not 100 %
I will for sure try again until I can perfect this recipe.
I just finished gobbling up a banana nut muffin. It was delicious. So much so that I won’t be using any other recipe but yours. I am SO glad I read your tips on how to handle my thawed bananas. Had I not been prepared, I would have run for the hills! Those things looked like a bad science experiment. LOL. However, they tasted scrumptious. I love your site, and I have not tried a recipe I didn’t like. Happy baking!
The flavor of the bread is great. However, I have to agree with some of the comments that this bread is almost too moist. The mixture seemed a bit wet, but I trusted the recipe and went ahead with baking it. I ended up baking it an extra 10 minutes. After cooling I found that the bread was dense and too moist/doughy. I weigh all of my ingredients with a kitchen scale so it shouldn’t be a measurement issue. I have been an avid baker for years and have never had a banana bread turn out like this.
Simply the best banana bread. I add yogurt not sour cream. I also always add chocolate chips. I also need to bake it for 70 min give or take a few or it’s not cook all the way through
I’m really wanting to make this recipe, but my oven only has a fan-forced option. Would I just need to decrease the oven temperature when baking the banana bread to yield the same results?
Hi Mia, If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope you enjoy the bread!
I make this Banana Bread once a week! It is simply THE BEST recipe ever! So moist, so flavoursome! EVERYONE’S favourite!
Can I use cream cheese instead of sour cream?
Hi Cathy, we wouldn’t recommend cream cheese as an even swap for sour cream. Yogurt is a better substitute. Or you can 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.
I followed this recipe to a t and came out so soggy couldn’t even eat it. Cooked for 65 mins then put it back into the oven for Another 20 mins still so wet… Big waste of time.. I wouldn’t add in the sour cream for this recipe I believe the bananas are enough..
The best banan bread I have ever had! This recipe make a super yummy and moist banana bread. Love it so much.
I cannot afford butter for my banana bread all I have is I can’t believe it’s not butter or margarine can I use this.
Hi Bonnie, those should be fine, or even solid coconut oil (the flavor will be different of course).
How would you recommend adjusting the recipe (if at all) for only 3 bananas? 3/4 the whole thing? make it as-is with less banana? supplement with something like apple sauce?
Hi Rob, You can mash up the bananas you have then add enough unsweetened applesauce or canned pumpkin puree to yield 2 cups. Or try our banana muffins recipe which calls for 3 large bananas.
Is there anything I could substitute the butter for? I’ve heard of apple sauce but I don’t see how that could work.
Hi Neo, We have not tested a dairy free version of this bread. For the butter you can try a vegan buttery stick like the Earth Balance brand, or even solid coconut oil (the flavor will be different of course).
Just decided to make this because I had some bananas left over from the holidays that were all brown and I’m glad I did. Had everything on hand except the sour cream, with no heavy cream either… but I did have some store brand (rhymes with pub stix) eggnog, so I decided to try that as a substitute with everything else the same and it worked beautifully! It was thick enough to not make the batter runny, while adding a tiny bit more cinnamon and sweetness than usual.
Have made this several times and always delicious – a great recipe! I was short 1 banana the first time I made it do so used pumpkin puree to make up the difference. It gave it a gentle pumpkin undertone. I nicknamed that version the “Almost Enough Bananas Bread”. Sally – are you working on a new cookbook for savory dinner recipes? We all want you too!
The first time I baked this it was spectacular! Moist and full of banana flavor and the bread rose high. The next time it was an entirely different experience: dense, dry and flat. This is my third go around and, while it is still in the oven, looks to mirror my first batch. Any ideas on what the differnece might be?
Hi Mary Beth! Perhaps your second loaf was over-mixed? Or the baking soda was accidentally left out? Those are the first guesses that come to mind!