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
Amazing recipe! I skipped the sugar altogether since my bananas were sweet, and it was PERFECT no extra sugar needed!
Can I
Use your self raising flour
Hi Ahmed, we don’t suggest using self raising flour for this banana bread unless you test different amounts. The bread won’t rise properly with a 1:1 switch.
Loved this recipe. I found that the top was too cooked then I saw where you said to cover loosely with foil. Is that at the beginning of baking or closer to the end?
Hi Nakita, we usually cover the bread around the half way point, but feel free to do it sooner or later depending on how your bread is coming along. So glad you enjoyed it!
My bread was done in only 50 minutes
Additionally 50 min was too long 45 would have been ok i over baked it
This turned out beautifully, but I tried to tap it out of the pan before it was ready and the entire inside fell out, leaving just the shell that was still attached to the pan. Was still good, but I need to figure out exactly *how* much a pan needs to be greased because I feel like I always have this problem. The bits I had were good.
Hi Lindsay, feel free to use more baking spray if you’re having issues with sticking. Is you pan particularly dark? That could be causing the excess sticking.
Best banana bread ever! Only recipe I’ll use and I bake a lot!
Very good! It came out very fine.
I love you recipes!! Thank you.
I made muffins from the recipe. They are moist, not too sweet, and easy to make. The texture is a little more chewy than I expected. But I will make them again.
yummmmmmmmmm
Very good! I didn’t have yogurt or sour cream, so I followed the suggestion of canned pumpkin. Turned out perfectly!
Very good! Came out very fine. I love your recipes. Thank you!!
My family here in Australia absolutely love the Banana Bread along with the Banana Cake. Your recipes are fabulous and very easy to follow.
Everyone loves this banana bread. I need to see if I can freeze it.
Excellent recipe, perfect even with plant based substitutions! Made recipe as written using plant-based butter, Bob’s RedMill egg substitute, and plant-based sour cream (almond milk based). Added walnuts and raisins and made as muffins. Excellent fluffy tender flavorful muffins, thank you!!
This is my go to banana bread recipe! I have banana trees and when a bundle is ready the whole thing has to be taken, so when they ripen we have A LOT of bananas to use. Today was again that day.
I made 30 muffins and three loaves.
For the muffins I stick with the two cups of banana per recipe (I measure with US measuring cups instead of weighing them because these bananas are denser and smaller than the US variety) but for the loaves I use 1 and 1/2 cups.
For the loaves especially I cook until they have an internal temperature of 93-96° C instead of the toothpick test.
My loaves did take longer than 60 minutes but I was also cooking three at once. I covered after 30 minutes and then they cooked for about another 45 minutes.
Absolute perfection.
Hi! I love your recipes and usually have luck with them but even with the changes to the recipe you mention above, at 65 minutes in the oven, my banana bread was still super gooey in the middle. I ended up putting foil on top and baking for another 15 minutes before it was fully cooked through. Tastes great though. I do agree with others that this would be better spilt between two loaf pans and baked for less than the 60 minutes.
Made in a cast iron loaf pan, and it is the best banana bread I have ever had. I think I had a bit less banana than stated (by about 30 g) but it didn’t matter at all. Still moist, and definitely doesn’t need to be any sweeter than it already is- ’tis perfect.
Love the flavor and use your recipes lots! Each time I make this the center is never done and the rest is over baked. Any recommendations? Would love to add this to things I make for friends but so far no luck !
Hi Kelsey, we just made a small update (reduced the banana a bit) that should help this issue some bakers were having!
Oh my gosh this is delicious. I’m celiac and substituted gluten free flour (president’s choice) and it turned out so well. Will save and make again.
Love your Banana bread recipe.
What I do is drop the temp by about 1/3 half way through and I place a dish of water in the oven underneith this keeps a moist atmshphere and helps to stop browning.
PS a slight splash of coconut milk…….
We loved the dense recipe of yesteryear! I’ve seen others comment here and your comments back but still have a question. If I want to go back to the old texture, is the ONLY change adding more banana (two cups)? Or do I need to make adjustments to the yogurt as well?
Hi TK! The amount of banana was the only update. Glad you love this recipe!
What do you recommend greasing the pan with?
Hi Loo! We use a baking spray, like Pam.
I love this recipe. So did everyone else. How long do I bake it if I am using 5.5×3″ pans.
Hi Sue, this will be too much batter for one small loaf pan. If you’re making 2, the bake time will be shorter, but keep an eye on them in the oven and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I love this banana bread!
This time, I didn’t have enough sour cream, so I added softened cream cheese to make up the difference, and it was still wonderful!
I have been using your recipes for awhile now, really enjoy baking them, always tasty.
Perfect every time I do nuts and semi sweet chocolate chips. I also do a pepitas, sunflower seed and almond mix with the chocolate chips
Hi! Is it possible making this recipe gluten-free?? Thanks in advance
Hi Gabriela, we haven’t tested a gluten free version of this recipe, but let us know if you try anything.
Hello! Do you have your original recipie?? I LOVED the dense/moist bread. Thank you so much!!
Hi Stephanie! See Notes after the recipe: 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.
Would I be able to use oil instead of butter, and if so, how much?
Hi Aaaash, in place of the butter here, you could try solid coconut oil or even a plant-based butter. You need a fat that is solid at room temperature so that it can be creamed together with the sugar.
The yogurt is what makes this banana bread recipe awesome. I have been using your recipe for years, sharing it with the locals on the island of Madeira, Portugal. Bananas grow all over the island, they are smaller in size with a sweeter taste so I used less sugar. Your recipe was a great success! Thank you
Your recipes are always amazing and I have referred you to many friends and relatives. This time my banana bread came out very weird- not cakey at all, more solid. I followed recipe well, what do you think happened?
Hi Rowena, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. When you say solid, did it seem overly dense? This is denser bread and is quite moist thanks to all the bananas. Is your baking soda fresh? We find it starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months, even if it’s not technically expired. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, too, as that can cause the bread to bake up squat and dense. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
My baking soda is fresh, I creamed the butter and sugars for three minutes as the recipe stated. I just blended in the dry ingredients until it was not longer white. Cake was very dense. I used four bananas, about 1 3/4 c. Could that have been it?
Hi Rowena, yes, the additional bananas would cause the bread to be overly moist and dense. You’ll want 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas here.
I have to share this because a big mistake on my part turned into something delicious. First, I added an extra large banana. Secondly, I over filled my bread pan. Bad mistake. After 70 minutes I took it out of the oven, cooled It for a bit, turned it upside down and, as I suspected, it was not fully baked. I refrigerated it, took it out and sliced it this morning, heated up a small skillet and lightly fried the slices. Absolutely delicious with cream cheese spread on it. The flavor was amazing. Not so sweet which is how we like it. My adult son said I should under bake it all the time it turned out so good. I also added about a cup of finely chopped pecans and walnuts. Thanks for a great recipe. And, bakers, don’t throw out your mistakes. Try and work with them.
OMGosh, Susan! I’m going to try frying some slices! That sounds delightfully tasty!
I went ahead and tried this .. fried in butter and did the cream cheese thing~~`YUM!
THANK YOU!
PS…Sally, mine turned out wonderful ! I followed your recipe, using some of your updated notes. I know what consistency the batter should be so that’s a plus on my side.
Thank you for sharing !!!
Hello,
I don’t have sour cream or yogurt on hand but I do have Neufchatel cheese. If I whip with a little milk to smooth it out and I substitute that for sour cream or yogurt?
Hi Debbie, we haven’t tested it, but we fear that may still be a bit too thick here. Let us know if you do decide to give it a try.
Can you double this recipe