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 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.
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!!! ★★★★★”
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 chips—or 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 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 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 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
- 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 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 Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 ripe bananas)
- 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 350°F (177°C). 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. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on 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 yogurt, vanilla, and mashed bananas 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 60–65 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 cool it directly on the rack until ready to slice and serve.
- Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 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 (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 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.
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
An amazing banana bread recipe. I loved it.
Followed the recipe to the letter and it turned out absolutely perfect!
I’m obsessed with this delicious banana bread recipe. I use an 8×8 square pan and the bake comes out beautifully, even using 2 cups bananas. Thanks for another amazing recipe Sally!
I want to add chopped apples to make this an apple banana bread. Can I add chopped apples and chopped nuts? If yes, which amount would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Emma, that should work! We recommend starting with up to one cup of chopped apples.
I also want to add that I love your recipes because you always include everything in grams! I’m a sourdough baker so having exact measurements matter to me lol
Omg these were AMAZING! I didn’t have any nutmeg so I used some allspice & cloves and it was just as good. SO soft and moist. I doubled the batch to make an extra for my in laws and I can’t wait for them to try it! My batter didn’t seem that thick but maybe it’s because I shredded my zucchinis more thinly. I also added chocolate chips. Soooo good
Hello, I’ve done this recipe two times and it’s great! I would like to know the macros, pls
Hi Denisse, 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
Is it ok to make this without a mixer electric
Hi Jayne, an electric mixer is helpful for creaming the butter and sugar, but you can do so by hand. It will just take a bit longer and require some arm muscle!
I have baked so many versions of Banana Bread over the years and this one is BY FAR the best I’ve ever had. It balances sweetness and rich brown sugar flavors with the softest crumb imaginable. I added toasted pecans and baked it for about 70 minutes in my oven until the tester came out clean. Absolutely a favorite! Sally does it again!
Hi i made my banana bread today it so yommy
I don’t often leave comments on recipes, but this banana bread became an instant hit in my house the first time I made it. It barely lasts a couple days because we go through it so quickly. It will be my go-to banana bread recipe from now on.
Will this taste like store BOUGHT Bannana Bread?
No! it will taste sooo much better!
Am I am able to pre mix the dry and pre mix the wet ingredients the day before, and combine the next day? L
Hi Cat! We can’t see why not.
Hi Cat, I owned a cafe and we used to premix our dry in a bowl. pre mixed the wet in another and a separate bowl with the mashed bananas. you can also substitute applesauce for the sour cream if you don’t have any on hand.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe!!! So easy to follow and the outcome was delicious. Will be making it again. 🙂
I completely agree…this bread turned out to be incredibly soft, moist and asking for more. Thank you.
Yes I have a question on different recipes I’ve read. Some recipes use both baking powder and baking soda! Why and wat is the best option?
Hi Barbara, we have an entire post on the differences between baking powder vs. baking soda and why and when to use one or the other (or both!) Hope this helps to answer your questions!
Am I am able to pre mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients so I can just combine and bake the next day?
Could you substitute the flour with gluten free flour and have the same result?
Hi Milana, we haven’t tested it, but some readers have reported success using a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour instead. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Make this recipe as muffins and add chocolate chips. Definitely a favorite of mine, and I love making it when I know I have bananas available.
I’m hoping my glass baking dish works well with this recipe. It’s still in the oven. I covered it with foil halfway through. Fingers crossed
Really, really seriously good recipe
Delicious with a tender crumb, this is my Go To No Fail recipe for serving or gifting.
If you want to make this vegan, I made 3 subs and only used 1/2 cup brown sugar but otherwise followed the directions, and this came out perfect. 2 flax eggs — 2 tbsp ground flax and 6 tbsp soymilk. Whisk these together w/ a fork and let sit for ~5min, and you will have enough flax egg to sub in for 2 large eggs!
> 1/3 cup vegan buttermilk (to replace the yogurt/sour cream) — A little over 1/4 cup soymilk whisked together w/ 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice!). Let these sit together ~5 min after whisking and your buttermilk is ready (:
> Coconut oil (or vegan butter)
I had 1/2 banana left after mashing up the right amount, so I sliced it up and arranged the sliced on top of the batter before baking, it was a nice touch, would recommend :3
Stellar recipe! This is my first time making banana bread, and it is superb.
I followed the suggestion of adding 1 cup of brown sugar for a sweeter bread, as well as added a tablespoon-ish more of butter to cream it a bit more.
Soft, moist, not too dense, and incredibly flavourful. Thank you for sharing!
I made the banana loaf and did it in a muffin pan. I don’t know why the bottoms always comes out dark. I also tried in muffin paper but it stuck to the papers. Any suggestions?? Oh, let me tell you it was so darn scrumptious even with dark bottoms. I added walnuts and chocolate chips. I would definitely make these again.
Hi Linda! Are the muffins over-baked? You can try baking in a different position in your oven (move them up or down) – most ovens have hot spots/areas. We love PaperChef parchment muffin liners if you’re looking for a high quality non stick liner. You may also love our banana muffins recipe!
Can this bread be frozen?
Hi Aida, yes, wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Made the banana bread for the first time and served it tonight to the family. Everyone loved it. Delicious! Needed it to be dairy free so I swapped non dairy margarine for the butter and substituted tofutti soy sour cream for the yogurt/sour cream. Added chocolate chips to the chopped pecans. Definitely a winner.
Hi MaryJo, that shouldn’t be a problem! About 1 cup of fresh cranberries would be great here.
Meh… not a lot of flavor.
Hi Ashley! Did you use ripe bananas? That’s the best way to guarantee good flavor in banana bread. Thank you for giving this recipe a try.
Ashley,
Like they suggested, use very ripe bananas, soft & very brown spotted. I also add a tiny bit more cinnamon (well-rounded tsp) & vanilla (let it overspill the measuring spoon). More flavor, more yum! Good luck!
Awesome recipe! keep in the fridge. I used honey in place of brown sugar and added butter protein powder in place of some flour. Great recipe love the doughy texture.
So good. I subbed out the yogurt/sour cream for the 1/3rd cup of extra banana. Strong banana flavor. This was so good. Easy and fast to make and baked at just under an hour.
I tried this recipe with a few changes. Cottage cheese for the sour cream and softened butter not melted. I decided to put half white flour and half whole wheat flour and added a teaspoon of baking powder for added rise. I used a hand whisk from my sourdough kit to mix ingredients and used small loaf pans for a 25 minute bake. My grandchildren could not get enough. They loved a touch of whipped cream on each piece as well!