Best Banana Bread Recipe
Posted Apr 06, 2023, Updated Feb 13, 2024
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This is the best banana bread ever! It is easy to make in one bowl, moist, perfectly sweet, and bursting with banana flavor. This is sure to become your go-to banana bread recipe.
I’m a firm believer that everyone needs an amazing banana bread recipe in their repertoire! So today I’m sharing our family’s favorite, go-to recipe for the best banana bread ever.
It’s buttery, moist, and loaded with banana flavor. Plus it’s easy to make and most definitely the best way to use overripe bananas.
It took me many years and lots of testing and tweaking to finally be able to say I created the best banana bread recipe ever. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients and a few minutes to make, and I promise you will love it as much as we do.
The Best Banana Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s take a minute to chat about the ingredients used in this best banana bread recipe, and possible substitutions.
- Overripe Bananas. Buy some extra bananas and let them get extra brown just to make this recipe. If you use yellow/green bananas your bread will lack moisture and sweetness. If using frozen, overripe bananas, let them thaw to room temperature and mix them together (including any water that is released in thawing) before proceeding with the recipe.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, ghee, coconut oil and vegan butter all work well in this recipe. You can substitute up to half of the butter (1/4 cup) with canola oil or applesauce if you would like.
- Granulated sugar. Use organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Brown Sugar. This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but if you want a richer molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. For the best results I recommend using all-purpose flour. However bread flour also works well in this banana bread recipe. You can substitute up to ¾ cup of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. For a gluten-free version, use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free baking flour.
Looking for a different banana bread recipe? Then try my beloved Paleo Banana Bread or this Double Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread. This healthy banana bread is so good. Or try pumpkin banana bread & peanut butter banana bread!
How to Make Banana Bread
This banana bread recipe is easy to make, but lets walk through the process step-by-step so that you all end up with perfect banana bread every single time! And don’t forget to watch the video.
The very first step in this banana bread recipe is to mash the bananas.
Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them.
Next, add the wet ingredients to the mashed bananas. Be sure the butter is melted and the eggs are room temperature for the best results.
To quickly make a cold egg room temperature, submerge it in warm water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Next, add the white and brown sugar and stir the mixture thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved and there are no lumps.
The next step in this banana bread recipe is adding the dry ingredients. You can mix them together in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet ingredients, however that just makes one more dish to clean.
So I just add the dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir them a little bit on the surface before combining. Stir until there are no lumps of unmixed dry ingredients.
Mix ins
If you want to add some mix-ins to this banana bread recipe, this is the place in the process when you would do that. You can add up to 1 cup of the following:
- Chocolate Chips
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cinnamon chips
- White chocolate chips
- Blueberries
- Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.)
- Swirl of peanut butter or Nutella
Bake the Banana Bread
Next pour your well-mixed batter into a greased loaf pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Then pop the pan into the preheated oven and wait.
Note: It’s very important to grease your loaf pan well to ensure easy removal. I use a non-stick spray. However you can rub the sides with butter or shortening if desired.
Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
To remove the banana bread from the pan, take a knife or a thin spatula and gently separate the bread from the sides of the loaf pan. Shake the pan to see if you have released the sides.
Once the bread is released from the pan, turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Serving suggestions
Since this is absolutely the best banana bread ever, it tastes amazing served plain. However, here are a few of our favorite toppings that we like to slather on our warm banana bread:
- Peanut butter or any other nut/seed butter. Try making this homemade peanut butter, vanilla peanut butter or vanilla almond butter.
- Nutella
- Jam
- Slather it with this cinnamon honey butter
- Butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar
- Drizzle of honey or maple syrup
- A dollop of homemade whipped cream.
Store/Freeze
Store this moist banana bread in an airtight container or plastic bag to ensure it does not dry out. Store it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Or, freeze the banana bread for up to 2 months. I suggest slicing it into individual slices, wrapping them with plastic wrap and storing them in an airtight container in the freezer.
Banana Bread Recipe FAQs
Make sure you use overripe, brown bananas. They have the best flavor, maximum sweetness, and are the easiest to mash. They should be very dark brown or almost black and soft to the touch.
If you’re looking to add some mix-ins to this banana bread recipe, this is the place in the process when you would do that. You can add up to 1 cup of the following with great results.
Chocolate ChipsÂ
Walnuts
Pecans
Cinnamon chips
White chocolate chips
Blueberries
Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.)
Swirl of peanut butter or NutellaÂ
This easy banana bread recipe is done when the following occurs:Â
The top is golden-brown and set (not jiggly).Â
The sides of the bread start to slightly pull away from the loaf pan.Â
A cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean or with very few crumbs.Â
Yes. I recommend freezing this banana bread in slices in an airtight container. That way you can pull out a slice at a time to enjoy.
The key to keeping this easy banana bread super moist after it has baked is storing it in an airtight container or plastic bag as soon as it is cut into. Don’t leave the cut loaf sitting out, exposed to the air, for longer than necessary.
Try these recipes:
Banana Cupcakes (or banana cake)
Chocolate Banana Bread
Fluffy Banana Pancakes
Oatmeal Banana Cookies
Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Best Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 overripe bananas (1 ½ cups mashed)
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease or butter a 9×5" loaf pan, set aside. You can also line the loaf pan with parchment paper then grease.
- Mash the bananas together in a large bowl.
- Then, add melted butter, eggs and vanilla to the mashed bananas and stir to combine.
- Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to the banana mixture. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon and stir until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake the banana bread on the lower rack in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Use a knife to release the sides of the bread from the pan.
- Remove the banana bread from the loaf pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to let it cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Overripe bananas. If using frozen, overripe bananas, let them thaw to room temperature and mix them together (including any water that is released in thawing) before proceeding with the recipe.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, canola oil, coconut oil, ghee, vegan butter, etc. all work well in this recipe. You can substitute up to half of the butter (1/4 cup) with canola oil or applesauce.Â
- Granulated sugar. Use organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you want a richer molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar instead.
- All-purpose flour. For the best results I recommend using all-purpose flour. However bread flour also works well. You can substitute up to ¾ cup of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. For a gluten-free version, use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free baking flour.Â
- Chocolate ChipsÂ
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cinnamon chips
- White chocolate chips
- Blueberries
- Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.)
- Swirl of peanut butter or NutellaÂ
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Question, I’ve heard of banana bread recipes incorporating condensed milk into it. Do you know how it would impact the recipe? Would it make it sweeter and more moist?
It will definitely make it sweeter. What ingredients are you hoping to substitute with the condensed milk?