This Banana Bread Recipe uses brown sugar and lots of bananas for the BEST flavor. Plus, it takes only 15 minutes to make by hand–no mixer required! Recipe includes a how-to video!
This is it: the BEST banana bread recipe. After over half a dozen recipe tests, I finally landed on a winner. This recipe makes a moist, super flavorful (thanks to our key players: bananas, buttermilk, brown sugar, and vanilla), and easily customizable banana bread, a near cousin to my popular carrot cake recipe.
Want to add nuts? Go for it! Like chocolate chip banana bread? Throw them in too. Or, go a little crazy and add both–this recipe can handle it!
My banana bread recipe is closely based off of my popular banana muffins. That recipe has received nothing but rave reviews, and it took just a few modifications to make it perfect for baking in a bread pan. Serve yours warm with a little bit of honey butter (people do eat banana bread with butter, right?), and you’ve got yourself a slice of pure perfection.
Try it, and you can thank me later!
What You Need
My banana bread recipe is simple and uses basic ingredients:
- Bananas. The browner, spottier, and riper the better and more flavorful your finished bread will be.
- Oil & butter. As with my vanilla cake recipe, I’ve found a blend of oil and butter gives this cake the best texture and flavor. Make sure to melt your butter before using.
- Sugar. I use a blend of brown sugar and granulated for the most flavor. Dark or light brown sugar will work here; dark will give you a richer flavor, slightly more moist texture, and will make the cake darker.
- Eggs. Large, extra large, or jumbo will work here.
- Vanilla extract and salt. For flavor!
- Buttermilk. This adds moisture and flavor to the cake. Real, full-fat buttermilk is best, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can always make my buttermilk substitute instead. To do this, combine ¾ teaspoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) with ¼ scant cup milk, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Baking powder & baking soda. To give the bread a bit of lift.
SAM’S TIP: Sprinkle a little bit of extra granulated sugar over the batter just before baking for added flavor and texture.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make The Best Banana Bread Recipe
- Mash your bananas. The riper the better!
- Stir together bananas, oil, and butter, then mix in sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) separately.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients gently.
- Pour into a greased bread pan and sprinkle generously with sugar (optional, but not really).
- When your banana bread is a beautiful golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s finished baking!
SAM’S TIP: Don’t over-mix your batter! Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined; it’s okay if you see some faint flour streaks when you’re done.
Frequently Asked Questions
VERY ripe bananas are ideal. We’re talking dark brown, spotty, and mushy–pretty much the opposite of what you’d like to eat! Super ripe bananas have the most flavor and will subsequently make your bread super flavorful too.
Absolutely! Stir in 1¼ cup coarsely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are great choices), chocolate chips, or even raisins at the end. Just remember to not over-mix!
Store at room temperature in an airtight container (or wrapped with plastic wrap) for up to three days. It can also be tightly wrapped and frozen for several months!
First make sure you do not over-bake the bread, as this is the quickest way to make it dry. Once it’s cooked and cooled, store your banana bread tightly wrapped at room temperature and enjoy within 3 days for best results. Do NOT refrigerate–this will dry out the bread!
SAM’S TIP: If using nuts, try toasting them first for added flavor! To do this, simply spread the nuts on a baking sheet in an even layer and bake on 350F for 5-10 minutes, turning halfway through.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook.
The BEST Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed overripe bananas this is usually 3 large ripe bananas for me (355ml)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter melted
- ⅔ cup (135 g) light or dark brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk¹
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose plain flour
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips or chopped nuts² optional
- ¼ cup (50 g) coarse or granulated sugar for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease the bottom and ½" up the sides of a 9×5" bread pan. Set aside.
- Combine mashed bananas, canola oil, and melted butter in a large bowl and stir until well-combined.1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed overripe bananas, ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil, ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- Add sugars and stir well.⅔ cup (135 g) light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add buttermilk and stir until thoroughly combined.¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk¹
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose, ¾ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add dry ingredients to wet and carefully, gently using a spatula (not an electric mixer) fold ingredients together until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter or your banana cake could end up dense/dry. If adding nuts/chocolate chips, stir them in here.1 ¼ cups chocolate chips or chopped nuts²
- Pour batter into prepared pan and, if desired, sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.¼ cup (50 g) coarse or granulated sugar for sprinkling
- Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted all the way into the center of the cake comes out clean or preferably with a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake your banana bread or it will be dry.
Notes
¹Buttermilk
If you don’t have buttermilk in your fridge, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute instead.²Adding nuts
If you have nuts that aren’t already chopped, I recommend toasting them first for an even better flavor. To toast, layer 1 ½ cup of walnut or pecan halves over a baking sheet and bake on 350F for about 8 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool then use a large knife to coarsely chop. I don’t recommend toasting pre-chopped nuts just because they don’t always cook evenly and could end up burned.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. This recipe also freezes well, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and it will keep for several months!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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This recipe was originally published March 18th 2019.
E. Patterson
I just made this banana bread and it by far the best recipe I’ve ever tried! Living at high altitude (7000 ft) you never know how a new recipe will turn out but this banana bread was perfect. It was a huge hit with my family. It’s scrummy by itself, with butter, or with vanilla ice cream!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the banana bread! Thank you for the feedback for high altitude baking. 🙂
Carla
I tried the recipe and my banana bread was fabulous! Thank you so much!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the banana bread, Carla!! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
shirley
Hi Sam,
Can l double the banana recipe to be use for a 10 inches tube pan instead of 9 x 5 bread pan?
Thanks,
Shirley
Sam
Hi Shirley, I haven’t tried this before but I think that it would be fine. Enjoy!
Letisha
Thank you Sam! This was the first time I have ever made banana bread and your recipe was so easy to follow and DELICIOUS!! Thank you for this❤️🍌 I will DEFINITELY be making it again in the future!
Sending thanks all the way from South Africa xx
Sam
Thank you so much, Letisha! I am so glad you enjoyed the banana bread! 🙂
Britt Collins
This is absolutely the best banana bread of my life!! The top is cristy and the inside is moist and delicious! My family is going to enjoy this banana bread for years to come, thank you for perfecting your recipe 🙂
Sam
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed, Britt! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Cheryl
Hi Sam,
I have to tell you… I thought I had the “best banana bread” recipe until I tried your recipe. Your banana bread is delicious!!! I threw out my recipe and replaced it with yours. Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic recipes.
Sam
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Kristin Hall
Hi Sam,
Would it be okay if you take the bananas out. Would it still make regular bread or would it mess up the recipe?
Thanks,
Kristin
Sam
Hi Kristin! I would not recommend leaving the bananas out of this bread. 🙂
Renea
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic with a little blackberry jam spread over a warm slice.
Sam
That sounds delicious! I am so glad you enjoyed the banana bread Renea! 🙂
Martha
Love this recipe! Easy, and bread came out delicious!!
Sam
Ah YAY! So glad to hear this! Thanks for letting me know how it worked for you, Martha, I appreciate it! You are the first to officially review it! 🙂
annie
My husband loathes the taste of very ripe bananas but loves them when they’re still a bit green. Have you tried using such bananas in the recipe? There would still be the banana taste, more subtle and maybe a little tart.
Sam
Hi Annie! I have not, I bet it would work though, and probably with a more subtle banana taste which it sounds like he would like. The bananas will also be a bit tougher to mash so as a bonus you might get a bit of an arm workout! If you try the recipe that way I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Juliet
Can’t wait to try this! Banana bread with cinnamon butter (butter, cinnamon, icing sugar) is the BEST. Not the healthiest, but the best :p
Sam
Oh that sounds SO good! Haha, probably not the healthiest but I’m going to have to try it anyway. Thanks, Juliet! 🙂
Jaime
I definitely look forward to trying this recipe. What’s good also to try is warming a slice of banana bread, if it’s not warm already, spreading a thin layer of butter or margarine and then drizzling with maple syrup. Too good!
Sam
I’m definitely doing this tomorrow morning! Thanks for the suggestion! I hope you love the recipe!
Chandra Persaud
Hi Sam it’s totally OK to put butter on your banana bread😁I do all the time, I have even spread Nutella on there and also baked with swirls of Nutella in batter. Will have to try your recipe next..💕
Sam
Omg. Nutella! I hadn’t even thought to add that to banana bread but now that you’ve said it I have to try this.
I hope you love the banana bread, Chandra! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Kimberley Gebhart
Sam, I’ve had banana bread buttered and then grilled. Simply delicious! Great with zucchini bread too.
Sam
Oh wow, that sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try this out! <3
Jenine A Murrin
Would it be acceptable to replace the sugar with honey? Also, replace the oil with applesauce?
Sam
I think the oil substitution would be fine but it’s a little hard for me to say for sure about replacing the sugar with honey. If you try it out would you let me know how it works for you?