The Perfect Banana Bread Recipe

Name: The Perfect Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas); 2 eggs (room temperature); 1/3 cup buttermilk; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (canola oil, or greek yogurt); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup light brown sugar (packed); 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; pinch salt; pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

This is THE BEST banana bread recipe – easy to make, moist banana bread that is crisp on the outside and loaded with flavor. One bowl, no mixer required! This is the ONLY banana bread recipe you’ll ever need! Only have one banana? Try my small batch one banana muffins!

A loaf of golden banana bread, sliced on a white plate

I spent literal years trying to come up with the perfect banana bread recipe, and after many, many iterations of this recipe, I finally found the perfect combination! This is a moist banana bread recipe, but not heavy. It’s flavorful, but not loaded with sugar. The top has just the right amount of crunch, and the whole thing smells amazing.

I’m not a fan of bananas in general, but good lord do I love this banana bread. There’s something about the aroma that is so calming and comforting. Somehow, over the years, banana bread became my go-to comfort food.

Side note: Does Yankee Candle make a banana bread scent? I’m going to look into that, ASAP. (Okay, I looked, and they don’t – but this company does!)

Key Ingredients

Sliced banana bread on a white plate surrounded by bananas, eggs and brown sugar

Banana – Because, you know, banana bread! You want them to be very ripe, and will need about 3 medium bananas.
Eggs – Make sure they’re room temperature as that makes them easier to incorporate into the batter.
Buttermilk – I really don’t recommend swapping this for anything else. If you don’t have any, the good news is it’s super easy to make your own buttermilk if you have milk and vinegar or lemon juice around.
Unsalted butter – I always call for unsalted butter because I want to control the amount of salt in my recipes. You can also swap it for canola oil or greek yogurt.
Pure vanilla extract – This really rounds out the flavor of the whole thing nicely.
Light brown sugar – I know some folks have had good results with dark brown sugar or coconut sugar, but I haven’t tried those personally.
All-purpose flour – I haven’t tried it with alternatives like almond flour, but if you do let me know how it goes!
Baking soda – The baking soda will interact with the acid in the buttermilk to give the loaf moisture and rise.
Salt – I only add a pinch of table salt as I want the sweetness of the ripe bananas to shine through.
Ground cinnamon – This is optional, but I really love the addition of cinnamon for the overall flavor.

How to make a simple banana bread recipe

Step 1: In a large bowl, mash banana to remove as many of the lumps as possible. If desired, run through a food processor or blender for a couple of seconds.

Eggs being cracked into a clear bowl of mashed bananas

Step 2: Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.

Light brown sugar piled on top of mashed bananas

Step 3: Add brown sugar and whisk again until well combined.

Dry ingredients being added to a bowl of tan colored batter

Step 4: Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk until just combined.

Banana bread batter being poured into a loaf pan

Step 5: Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on rack in the lower third of the oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 6: Leaving loaf in the pan, place it on a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes. Invert and carefully remove the loaf and place it back on the wire rack to cool completely.

The best kind of bananas for banana bread

You want to make perfect banana bread? Well, if you’re making banana bread, so guess what the most critical ingredient is? The bananas! Having the ripest bananas possible is going to be the key to your success.

The darker the peel is, the more ripe and sweet it is. You want the bananas to be practically black for optimal flavor. They’re going to be falling apart when you peel them – and that’s perfect! You’ve probably heard them referred to as overripe bananas.

I find that I can tell when they’re almost ready to go because my whole pantry smells like bananas. And while it’s not my favorite scent, it sure does make it easy to know when to use them.

Oh, no – my bananas aren’t ripe!

You have a couple of options:

Offset the flavor by tweaking the other ingredients. Because the bananas won’t be as flavorful or sweet, you can add another few tablespoons of brown sugar and another pinch of salt to help with the overall flavor profile.
You can quickly ripen the bananas by placing them on a foil-lined baking sheet and baking them at 300°F for 15 minutes, or until the peels are black. Let them cool, then add them to the bowl and start mashing!

Tips for making the best banana bread

Make sure your bananas are ripe. Like I mentioned above, I’m talking about the darkest bananas possible – or at the very least, yellow with streaks of brown on the peel. The riper they are, the more flavor and sweetness they’re going to add.
If you’re not a fan of small banana chunks in your bread, you can blend the bananas instead of just mashing them. But for banana lovers, a good old-fashioned mashing is all it takes.
When I say that you need to coat the pan with nonstick spray, I mean it. Make sure you cover every inch to ensure your loaf comes out easily when it’s done.
Don’t have buttermilk handy? The good news is it’s super easy to make your own buttermilk if you have milk and vinegar or lemon juice around.

A slice of thick banana bread broken in half to show the moist interior

Banana bread flavor variations

Add some crunch! I don’t add nuts to mine when I make it, but I know lots of people love the added crunch of walnuts. If you’re into that sort of thing, toss 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts into the batter, and maybe sprinkle some on top, too – you know, for good measure. Voila – you’ve got banana nut bread!
Want to add fresh blueberries? Toss 1 1/2-2 cups fresh blueberries in 1 Tablespoon of all-purpose flour to coat, then gently fold into the batter at the end of step 5.
Try adding cranberries and lemon. Add 1 1/2 cups cranberries and 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest.
You can’t go wrong with chocolate chips, either. Add 1/2 cup milk, and semisweet or dark chocolate chips.
Drizzle the top with peanut butter! Warm a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave and then drizzle it on top of the baked loaf.

Can you use a banana bread recipe for muffins?

Heck yeah, you can! Use this same recipe, but instead of a loaf pan, fill muffin tin (aff link) cups 3/4 full and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then turn the oven temperature down to 350°F. Bake for another 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are set and golden.

A front shot of a sliced loaf of golden brown banana bread

How do you keep banana bread moist?

To make sure you have moist banana bread and that it doesn’t dry out, you should always wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Even better? Wrap it and stick it in a covered container.

That crack down the middle of freshly baked bread is what I live for. It’s imperfectly perfect, and that’s exactly the way I like it. I know lots of people like to lie a thin slice of banana down the top, but I’m not about that life.

Does banana bread freeze well?

Yes! Make sure your loaf has cooled completely, and then wrap each loaf tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and then put it in a large resealable bag and seal it tightly.

Place in your freezer for up to 2 months.

To defrost, remove the loaf from the plastic bag, unwrap it, and let set on a wire rack until it comes to room temperature (about 3 hours).

FAQs

What if my bananas aren’t ripe?

Offset the flavor by tweaking the other ingredients. Because the bananas won’t be as flavorful or sweet, you can add another few tablespoons of brown sugar and another pinch of salt to help with the overall flavor profile. You can quickly ripen the bananas by placing them on a foil-lined baking sheet and baking them at 300°F for 15 minutes, or until the peels are black. Let them cool, then add them to the bowl and start mashing!

Can bananas be too ripe for banana bread?

Absolutely not! The darker the peel is, the more ripe and sweet it is. You want the bananas to be practically black for optimal flavor. They’re going to be falling apart when you peel them – and that’s perfect! You’ve probably heard them referred to as overripe bananas.

What are the ingredients in banana bread?

For my banana bread recipe, the ingredients are: bananas, eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.

Is banana bread healthy or unhealthy?

I wouldn’t call it healthy, but it’s certainly better than sitting down with an entire sheet cake.

Does banana bread need to be refrigerated?

I avoid it if I can. To make sure you have moist banana bread and that it doesn’t dry out, you should always wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or store it in an airtight container. Even better? Wrap it and stick it in a covered container.

Can you freeze banana bread?

Yes! Make sure your loaf has cooled completely, and then wrap each loaf tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and then put it in a large resealable bag and seal it tightly. Place in your freezer for up to 2 months. To defrost, remove the loaf from the plastic bag, unwrap it, and let set on a wire rack until it comes to room temperature (about 3 hours).

After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!