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 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.
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.
Wow! I am so glad I found your recipe. It is everything banana nut muffin dreams are made of! These muffins do not disappoint ! I added some Allspice and Tumeric but only because I like to add a little more spice.
Hi Sally,
I’ve enjoyed your blog for ages. Just made the Banana Bread into muffins. Simply delicious! This will be my go to recipe from now on! I always seem to have spotty bananas weekly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Quick question – Do you bake in a convection oven or on regular bake? I mostly use convection, unless baking cakes, but I’m curious as to what you use.
Kathy
Hi Kathy! I bake on and write my recipes for the conventional setting since it’s most common– so adjust the oven appropriately if using convection. (Typically, if using convection for baking, you need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees F.)
I’ve been making banana bread for years, then I lost my recipe. I’m so glad I did!
This is the best banana bread ever!
I’ve been making/eating banana bread my whole life. This is the best recipe! I always like to add extra cinnamon and some nutmeg. Just pulled a loaf out of the oven and my kitchen smells amazing!
I’ve been baking banana bread for 50+ years (some were good, some were better, some were dry) and this is THE best recipe I’ve come across over the decades. Love the only brown sugar & no granulated…..so moist! So delicious! Thanks Sally
I added a bit more flour and chunky applesauce with some chopped apples and it was delicious. Raisins work well also.
Very good recipe, just what i needed. I like chopped walnuts so this came out so good. From one Sally to another, thanks
My granddaughter texted me 6 weeks ago and told me that she had banana bread at someone house and did not like it . She loves banana bread and thought that grandma could make it better. I found your recipe and have now made every week for her and 4 times for my husband. I don’t even need to look at the recipe anymore. I know it by heart. Thank you
I tried the recipe with gluten free flour. The flavor was great. The bread was a bit dry for my taste but I think it was the flour so I warmed it and added butter. It was great lol I’ll try it again after collaborating with the gluten free community to see how to adjust accordingly. Thank you for sharing.
This is the best banana bread recipe. It is moist, not too sweet . It is perfect. This will be the only recipe I will use. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
title says it all – best EVER banana bread!
I’ve made a handful of recipes from Sally she never disappoints but unfortunately the banana bread didn’t turn out like I expected. I followed all the instructions but my bread came out chewy & a bit dense( I guess that’s the best way to describe it) I’m not sure if the yogurt had anything to do with this. Right now I’m making it again but a different recipe.
Hi Naz, if the bread is chewy and dense, it sounds under-baked. It shouldn’t be the yogurt. If you decide to try my recipe again, I recommend baking for longer.
I was trying to find my mother’s recipe to make for my husband. When I couldn’t find it, I turned to search the internet and tried two other recipes, which were disasters, before I came across yours. This is, hands down, the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever tasted! It’s got an amazing banana flavor that is moist and delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you, this was delicious! I made it last weekend and it was so yummy that everyone wanted more. I’m making it today as well… I will hide some today, so I can enjoy it with my latte tomorrow morning 😉
Hi Sally
Thanks so much for sharing this incredible banana bread recipe. I made this before going to work for my coworkers and told them it was a first time for banana bread. The bread was still a tad bit warm when I put it on the table and omg, they didn’t leave anything. The whole loaf was finished in a couple hours. I had 2 pieces myself. It was delicious and went well with our coffee. They’re already asking for it again. Thanks so much. I felt like a star
My daughter made this recipe in September 2019 it was delicious with chocolate chips and walnuts .Im going to make it for my husband
Can I use chocolate chips instead of nuts?
Absolutely!
My 2 year old daughter loves this banana bread so much, I’m making it for the second time this week. I’ve pinched a couple of slices as well haha. So delicious and easy to make, thank you
The flavor is great, but I’m not sure if I’m baking it long enough. It’s very dense not bread like. Toothpick came out clean.
Hi, Sally. I’ve made this recipes a bunch of times and it’s wonderful! I searched around your site but couldn’t find an answer: Whats your take on substituting whole wheat flour for white flour?
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Amy! You can try substituting whole wheat flour but the texture will be a bit heartier and not quite as moist. Or you can follow my recipe for my whole wheat banana muffins and bake them in a loaf pan instead! https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/whole-wheat-banana-nut-muffins/
Your Best Ever Banana Bread made wonderful muffins! The texture is very moist and light. Perfect grab and go breakfast or to share with my neighbors. I’m considering adding a light drizzle of your cream cheese frosting to half the batch but I’m afraid I’ll eat them all if I do!
Would it be okay to add chopped apples to this recipe?
Yes, you should be able to add them. Let me know if you try it!
I tried this recipe using the sour cream instead of yogurt and I used completely melted butter instead of room temperature also I put in about 3 and 1/2 cups of bananas and it turned out absolutely deliciously amazing!! Yum!
I followed the recipe to the T but instead if nuts I added in chocolate chips! Currently baking it and it smells yummy!!! Thank you for having such an easy recipe for me to follow!
I absolutely love this recipe. Best banana bread ever!
I add an extra teaspoon of vanilla, a dash of nutmeg, and a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. I find it bakes perfectly after an hour and 5-10 minutes.
I always bake this at night, wrap it up and cut into it in the morning. Perfection every time! People always ask me for the recipe, or request I make this for events.
Hi Sally
Can you use frozen bananas for this recipe? I have lots of bananas frozen in pieces in my freezer for smoothies and would like to use them for banana bread too, or will they change the texture of the bread if they have been frozen? Thanks
You can use frozen bananas! Just thaw them at room temperature and drain off any excess liquid. Enjoy!
I think I’ve finally found it! The best banana bread recipe. I’ve tried a few over the years but never found one that I absolutely loved. My hunt is officially over because this turned out amazing! It is so moist and flavorful and super easy to make. I used whole milk yogurt because that’s what I had in my fridge. I’ll try sour cream next time just to see if it’s any different. Will be baking a lot of banana bread and sharing with friends and family.
Thank you so much Sally!
Hi Sally, thank you for sharing this recipe!
I baked it for my fiance and his coworkers this week and I got loads of compliments on it!
One issue I had when I was baking this is that I ended up using 5 bananas and it still didn’t add up to two cups of mashed bananas. I ended up using buttermilk to add the extra moisture. The texture at the end seemed really good, and people obviously loved the flavor, but I think that extra 1/4 cup of banana or however much I was missing would have really done the trick and pumped up that banana sweetness and flavor. I also topped with a bunch of chopped pecans which looked really impressive!
Also, thank you for providing all the different variations at the end of the recipe, I am sure this would be fantastic as a muffin! Have you tried any variation of this recipe with a chocolate or peanut butter twist? I imagine this would be phenomenal with peanut butter.
I baked this recipe and I love it ! I’m going to call it My Best Banana Nut Bread Ever !!! Lol lol lol !!! Because it is the best EVER !!! My son absolutely loved it ! So thank you again for posting it !
This recipe for banana bread was absolutely the best that I have ever tried. It was simple and no frills but also simply the best. It came out moist and not too sweet, exactly as you had described it. I am never using another recipe for banana bread ever again. I used 2 frozen bananas and 2 fresh ones and it worked so well. I can’t wait for my bananas to ripen again.
The recipe sounds yummy- and I want to make this bread for my 12 year old granddaughter who is the queen of banana bread! When she has an overnight with us I always have my tried-and-true recipe for banana bread made for her. I want to try THIS recipe as it sounds wonderful. However, do you have recommendations for high-altitude baking? In my other banana bread recipe I ‘up’ the amount of flour- which I can do here. But I use water and buttermilk in my other recipe and I ‘up’ the liquid by 1/4 cup— Your recipe doesn’t include liquid- Mmm…..might I add more sour cream? HELP! Thank you!
Hi Linda! Many readers have had luck with this recipe (as is) at high altitude. I, however, can’t speak for them. I’ve never lived at high altitude to test it. However, many bakers find this chart extremely helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking