Simply the Best Banana Bread Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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!
Related Recipes
This recipe was originally published March 18th 2019.
Hi Sam – can you freeze this?
Thanks L
Hi, Lindsay! Yes, you can freeze it. 🙂
Hi Sam – This banana bread is amazing. I started on your banana muffins which my little one devours and now we make the bread and I think it’s even better. We put it in a panini make for breakfast so it’s warm and has those awesome lines down it.
My question is – can you freeze leftovers if you are not getting through it so quickly one week?
Thank you for giving us so much pleasure at home, especially now. Lx
I am so glad that your family has enjoyed the bread, Lindsay. The good news is that it freezes nicely as well. 🙂
Could you use sour cream instead of the buttermilk & if so how much?
Hi, Fran! I do not recommend it. Here is a link to my buttermilk substitute if needed. 🙂
Could I use sour cream in place of the buttermilk & if so how much?
Hi, Fran! I have never substituted using sour cream so I am not certain how it will do. I do have a buttermilk substitute that you can use instead. I hope that you enjoy the banana bread. 🙂
I have to tell you I did experiment using about a fourth cup sour cream & it turned out great. I added extra walnuts & chopped up Medjool dates, honestly it’s the best I’ve ever made! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes, I’m anxious to keep trying more!!
YES! That makes me so happy to know that it worked so well for you, Fran! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I am really glad that you enjoyed the banana bread. 🙂
What about adding black berrys?
I have some beautiful blackberrys.
Do you think it would be to much.
I think that would be a great addition, Shannon! I’d fold them into the batter at the end.
I followed this recipe exactly except I used salted butter instead of unsalted. This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made. It’s delicious. So flavorful and very moist. I did have to bake it a bit longer than the time given, but that could have been because of my oven. This is now my go-to banana bread recipe!
Thank you so much, Francine! I am so glad that you enjoyed the banana bread. You are correct! The bake time is an estimate, as everyone’s oven varies. 🙂
The best banana bread recipe I have ever tried — and I have probably tried over a dozen different recipes in the last 30 years. I was hesitant to try yet another recipe, but the reviews convinced me otherwise. I followed the directions exactly as written, and did not change a thing. Thank you.
I am so glad that you decided to give my recipe a try, Bridget, and I am so glad that it came out perfectly for you! Enjoy! 🙂
Excellent recipe! Yum.
I had brown but no white sugar and used Splenda.
It worked just fine.
Thanks
Thank you so much, Robert! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Banana Bread and that the substitutions worked well for you. 🙂
Hi Sam~all of your recipes have been great and will make this soon. I noticed in the muffin comments someone replaced the vanilla with rum. do you think a spiced rum would be too much? Thanks for your help and hard work!
Hello, Peg! I personally haven’t tried spiced rum, but I think it will be ok. It will alter the flavor slightly. I hope that you enjoy the Banana Bread. 🙂
Positively the best banana bread recipe ever and I’ve been making banana bread for years. (I’m 85 years old) I now double the recipe.
Thank you so very much, Oma! I am happy that you enjoy the banana bread recipe. I really appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Dear Sam:
Just an FYI regarding butter on you bread. Yes! Also Cream Cheese, The bread can also be toasted and eaten. Works well for French Toast just use the same egg batter you would normaly. I am much older and we used our Quick Breads all different ways.
Thank you so much, Paul! I am so glad that you enjoy the banana bread and have found so many ways to enjoy it. Thanks for sharing and for your comment. 🙂
I have made this recipe twice this week and am here to attest that this is the best banana bread we have ever enjoyed! I am heading over to Pinterest to delete all the other recipes I have saved. Thank you!
What a compliment! Thank you so much, Elsa! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Banana Bread. 🙂
This is the best banana bread I have ever made or had! Thanks for sharing another amazing recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you, Brittini! I appreciate it 🙂
Wow….can’t wait to taste, it’s in the oven but I’ve made probably 30 plus diff banana bread recipes and just by the way the ingredients came together (I also tasted it raw but don’t you do it) I could tell. I also made two, one with nuts and one with dark chic chips. I only use the very best ingredients and Organics!!!
I hope you love the banana bread Sonia! 🙂
I was to make this in a 9×13 cakepan….. what temp snd how long do you suggest?
Hi Kristina! The temperature would remain the same, but I haven’t tried this in a 9 x 13 so I’m not sure how it will turn out or how long to bake it.