Simply the Best Banana Bread Recipe
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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 1/2 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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This recipe was originally published March 18th 2019.
This really IS the best banana bread I’ve ever baked. I think the combination of oil and butter, plus the two different kinds of sugars make it extraordinary. A note: I used buttermilk powder rather than fresh buttermilk (which isn’t always easy to find and I always end up with most of it left over), and I think that also made a difference. The loaf kept for days just wrapped in cling film, though by day 3 there wasn’t much left. HIGHLY recommend!!!
We are so happy you enjoyed it, Therese! Thanks for the review 🩷
this is the best banana bread recipe ever. my hubby told me not to lose it!
I’m a professional chocolatier/ confectioner of 20+ years. I’m not really a baker. I did make this banana bread and added toasted pecans as well as my pecan praline topping. I sell a ton of Pecan Pralines 😂This is decadent and will be on my menu for family for special occasions !! I know a Pecan Pralines Banana bread will be the first go Thanks!! Also you might like to know that I live in Colorado at 7000 feet and baking can be a beast up here at times trying to adjust recipes for baking- I’m happy to report NO modifications were made it came out perfectly! This may be helpful for others in high country- Cheers!!
Without a doubt the best banana bread I’ve ever made. I have tried several of your recipes and all have been excellent! SugarSpunRun is my go to site for recipes!
Thanks so much for the kind review, Judy! We are so happy you have been enjoying everything 🥰
So good, moist, flavorful, this recipe is a keeper ♥️
I am 67 years young and this is without a doubt the best banana bread recipe I have ever made. Thank you much for sharing. I will be savng this one.
God Bless You!
We are so happy you love it, Karhey! Thanks for the sweet review 🩷
How do you feel about topping this with a streusel?
Sounds delicious! Enjoy! 🙂
OMG! This banana bread recipe is the best ever! I have been making banana bread for over 40 years and tried many recipes but this one is by far the tastiest and most moist recipe ever! Never used oil and melted butter together and buttermilk. But it definitely makes the bread the most delish! My go to recipe now for banana bread for sure!
We are so happy you loved it so much Karen! Thanks for the sweet comment 🩷
Hi Sam! Love your recipes! I had a question, do you think I could lessen the sugar here a bit without it affecting the moistness of the bread?
HI Rosanna! I think you could likely get away with a small reduction, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
I just made this banana bread recipe and it is incredible!!! So moist and perfect! I added the chopped walnuts. My husband said best one I have baked yet and I’ve baked several. Been loving your recipes!!
Thanks for giving it a try, Ruth! We’re so happy you have been enjoying everything 🥰
So delicious! This is the BEST banana bread recipe I have made EVER. Family, friends, and co-workers enjoy it. It’s moist and full of yummy flavors. Just the right sweetness. This is my go-to banana recipe!
Thanks for the review, Val! We’re so happy our recipe is a hit for you ❤️
would this work if I added blueberries instead of chocolate n nuts and some orange zest?
I haven’t tried it. It could change the texture with the orange zest and removing the nuts. Let me know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂
We were excited to try these and WOW they are ABSOLUTELY delicious!
😋
for sure…. the best!
Cookbook????
Hurricane Beryl is coming, and I am making this awesome banana bread for the second time. We will be prepared! Ha ha. This recipe is so delicious. Everyone raves about it. With my oven, I pulled the loaves out at 50 minutes. So moist and delicious. Perfect.
Oh no! Stay safe and enjoy your banana bread! 🙂
The banana bread turned out excellent!
Wonderful! Thanks for giving it a try, Gloria 🥰
Sam, Sam, Sam – you have done it again! Another winning recipe! I have to admit that I am not the best banana bread baker (say that five times fast).
Thanks to your tip of not over mixing was a game changer and generously sprinkling of coarse sugar. Personally I did not miss any addition of spices. The natural banana flavor was just perfect. I also have a bad habit of under baking banana bread so I used an instant read thermometer.
The recipe was simple and easy to follow. Thank you!
Needs spices, otherwise it’s perfect. I added: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ground cloves. I’ll always use this recipe with my additional spices. She has opened my mind to measuring with weight, which is better for me and less cleanup.