Easy Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

By Lidey Heuck

Easy Banana Bread Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 25 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
65 minutes
Rating
4(637)
Notes
Read community notes

This recipe makes a simple and classic banana bread — lightly spiced with a hint of cinnamon, and incredibly tender thanks to a dollop of sour cream in the batter. For best results, use very ripe bananas, but know the recipe will still work if yours are not yet at the speckly stage. While banana bread is, of course, delicious when it’s warm from the oven, the flavor and texture are actually the best on the second day (if you can wait that long). Feel free to mix 1 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, or a combination, into the batter for this easy, everyday treat.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings (1 loaf)

  • Nonstick spray, for greasing
  • 2large eggs
  • cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium ripe bananas)
  • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and slightly cooled
  • ¾cup/165 grams light brown sugar, packed
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼cup/57 grams sour cream
  • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Kosher)
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

  2. Step

    2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, bananas, butter, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth (a few lumps of banana are OK). Stir in the sour cream.

  3. Step

    3

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until the flour is fully incorporated, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. (If using chocolate chips or walnuts, fold them in at this stage.) Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the surface into an even layer with a spatula, and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

  4. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Run a paring knife around the sides of the banana bread and remove the loaf, transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling. Peel off the parchment paper before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Banana bread will keep for up to 3 days, covered, at room temperature.

Ratings

4

out of 5

637

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Zee

This is almost exactly the recipe I have used for decades. I add a bit of orange oil or essence, as well as some dried orange peel and pecans. These additions make the loaf, a bit more savory and crunchy from the nuts.

adrienne

You don't need all that butter, just use 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, I also use one cup of whole wheat or spelt flour and 3/4 of a cup of organic rice flour..

FarTraveler

Banana bread makes wonderful French toast. Leaned the trick while visiting the Caribbean one year.

Johnny Ventura

I haven't tried this recipe, been making banana bread for many years.The recipe I use is really "EASY" though:3/4 smashed ripe bananas, 1/3 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup sugar. 1 egg beaten, 1 tsp baking soda,1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp baking soda. 1 1/2 cups shifted flour ( some chopped nuts)Loaf pan w/ parchment paper liner @ 350 , 1 hour

Richard

For a good and easy gluten-free banana cake/bread see Nigella Lawson's recipe (available online). It uses almond flour and rice flour as flours, and no additives such as xanthan gum. I cut the sugar from 3/4 to 1/2 cup and it's still sweet (and would do so in the current recipe also). I also make it successfully as muffins in parchment paper baking cups, baked for about a half an hour (which I'm sure can also be done with the current recipe). You wouldn't know it's gluten-free.

Lesley

Didn’t have sour cream, used nonfat Greek yogurt. Only had 5/8 c brown sugar. Didn’t realize until it was baking that I completely left out the butter! GREAT bread nonetheless! A little rubbery rather than crumbly which I like anyways!

Brad

I sprinkle some brown sugar/cinnamon sugar mix to top before baking and it is extra delicious!

A. Cartwright

The sour cream or yogurt also gives the baking soda a boost. Even more delicious is to substitute half a cup of cocoa for half a cup of flour.

Vicki

I've made this recipe with and without the sour cream (trying to cut down on dairy). I don't always add cinnamon, but I do always fold in chopped dates, raisins, apricots, and/or cherries. I almost always make this recipe as muffins, instead of a loaf - shorter baking time and easier to pack in lunches. Recently, I substituted a balanced mixture of whole wheat, rice, and almond flours for the all-purpose flour (cutting back on gluten), and also tipped in 1/4 cup of Chia seeds. BIG hit!!!

Pat

I grease the pan generously with butter and then sprinkle in granulated sugar, as much as the butter will hold. When loosening the cake, just run a table knife around the edges, then gently 'lift' the cake from side to side, end to end. Inverting it onto a cooling rack is easy...it comes right out of the pan and you have a delightful crunchy crust.

Julie

Made this today with walnuts and dark chocolate chips. It turned out really good and super easy.

Aime

Since the butter is melted, has anyone tried browning it and then letting it cool?

A. Cartwright

I wonder how many cooks get burnt every year inserting toothpicks into pans sitting in 350° ovensUse a bamboo skewer for safety sake.

Nick

Sure, cut back on the butter and sugar to make it healthier. Throw in a few walnuts too. The main secret....don't over-mix it.

LJacobs

Confused how it was too salty (and the recipe calls for baking soda)? I made this evening, and they’re delicious - not over-sweet.

c.mere

Great with only 1/2 cup of sugar but was still fairly sweet. I’d take the cinnamon out next time because it masked the banana flavour too much. Nicely moist.

TimmyZ

I like using a cannabis infused coconut oil instead of butter. The flavors compliment each other nicely.

Washington DC area

My family is trying to cut back on saturated fat. So, I replaced the butter with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and used low-fat sour cream. As others suggested, I also used about 1 cup of whole wheat flour 1 cup AP. It’s moist and tasty. I don’t think it’s too sweet, but, again for health reasons, I will reduce the brown sugar next time.

Kathryn

Very quick and easy recipe. Delicious Too.

Coquille

Used 1 cup spelt and 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, and otherwise followed the recipe. Delish! Next time will try it with nuts and dark chocolate.

Mark Lynn

After greasing the tins I sprinkle in a generous amount of sesame seeds. They add a great crunch to the often overlooked crust.

Jody

Tasty as well as quick & easy. Made as written. I did fold in as suggested in the recipe, chocolate chips as well as pecans, which elevated its yumminess factor.

Banana bread maker

Up your banana bread game! Mix in chia seeds, few Tbs ground flax, hemp seeds, sub AP flour with 1/2 almond flour and gluten free flour. Then add coconut flakes, chocolate chips and walnuts. Go rogue and SKIP the sugar! Don’t need it. Sub the butter with flax seed oil. So good…

Nina

Threw in a handful of crushed walnuts and white chocolate chips. Totally forgot to add the sour cream, so kept checking so I wouldn’t overcook. Took about 35 min instead of recommended time. Also sprinkled brown sugar/cinnamon on top about half way through. Absolutely deelish and even better over next couple of days.

Alice

I baked the bread for 55 minutes at 350 degrees. The center portion puffed up significantly but the dough was unbaked in the puffed section. I pulled in out cut off the unbacked portion and returned the bread to the oven for 10 more minutes since there was uncooked dough in the center. Any idea way this happened? The bread is delicious and probably is the best banana bread I've ever had.

Carol

I wonder if baking the whole love for 65 minutes would have done the trick. It’s challenging though that center that is unbaked!!

Jenny

A nice basic banana bread recipe.

GAIL

This is by far, the best banana bread recipe. I’ve been making banana bread for decades and this one is tops! I added 1/2 c. chocolate chips, 1/2 spelt flour, Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I also melted the brown sugar with the butter, into a caramel like mixture. Trader Joe’s bourbon vanilla. It turned out very moist, light and flavorful. I will add orange peel next time. Some great suggestions offered by others.

MJF

Am done with sticking toothpicks, skewers or knives into baked goods. I use a quality probe thermometer to test for doneness. Breads, especially those with eggs, should be 195-205 degrees at the center. It's more reliable and keeps your food safe!

Beate

Delicious just as the recipe is. No need for any modifications.Not too sweet, perfect density and moisture.I used defrosted frozen bananas and added mini chocolate chips.Yum.

Terrie

Great recipe! Only change to recipe was canola oil instead of butter! Perfect consistency! Did use mixer at the end to break up banana bits & to better incorporate the flour. & used walnuts of course.

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Easy Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many bananas is 2 cups? ›

2 bananas: 1-1/3 cups chopped | 1 cup mashed. 3 bananas: 2 cups chopped | 1-1/2 cups mashed. 4 bananas: 2-2/3 cups chopped | 2 cups mashed.

Can I bake 2 loaves of banana bread at the same time? ›

You can double a standard banana bread recipe, as long as you bake the batter in two same-size loaf pans, or one after the other.

Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

What happens if you put too many eggs in banana bread? ›

Adding more eggs makes for a spongy, less flavorful banana bread. Doubling the number of eggs I was using resulted in a spongy cake with a moist texture.

Is 1 banana equal to 1 cup? ›

A large banana (counts as 1 cup of fruit). A small orange (counts as ½ cup of fruit). Put different types of fruits on your shopping list.

How many bananas are 3 pounds? ›

3 medium size bananas weigh approximately 1 pound. A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers. As bananas ripen, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar.

What happens if you put too much flour in banana bread? ›

If you use too much flour, you'll end up with really dry banana bread, and If you don't use enough flour, your banana bread will be way too wet. The secret lies in how you measure the flour. The scoop out of the bag method could be packing way too much flour.

Can I use a 9x13 instead of two loaf pans? ›

The solution? A 9×13 baking dish. The batter that fills two loaf pans is perfect for one baking dish. We didn't even need to adjust the cooking time that much; since the baking dish is more shallow, it bakes in about the same time as a loaf pan, even though it's bigger.

Can I mix banana bread the night before? ›

Yes, you can keep banana bread batter in the fridge overnight. I'd recommend covering your mixing bowl in plastic wrap, or mixing in a bowl that has a lid you can attach. However, I'm not sure why you'd want to refrigerate your banana bread batter. The batter itself typically comes together in just a few minutes.

When not to use bananas for bread? ›

Mold on bananas is fuzzy white, gray, or greenish—it looks a lot like mold on bread. If a banana smells rotten or fermented or is leaking fluid, it's time to say goodbye. If the fruit inside, not just the peel, is black, that's a sign that your banana is too far gone to safely eat.

Is it bad to use overripe bananas for banana bread? ›

Brown, overripe bananas are sweeter because in the ripening process the starches in the banana are converted to sugar. You can even use super-soft, black bananas that have a really strong smell and are oozy inside. As long as they're not moldy, there's no such thing as too-ripe bananas for banana bread.

What happens if I use 1 egg instead of 2? ›

Please note that substituting two large eggs with one extra-large egg might slightly alter the texture of your dish, but it typically won't drastically change the taste or overall outcome.

How many bananas equals 2 eggs? ›

Use ripe bananas to add moisture. One mashed banana can replace one egg in cakes and pancakes. Since it will add a bit of flavor, make sure that it's compatible with the other ingredients of the recipe.

Why is my banana bread still wet in the middle? ›

You incorrectly measured the ingredients.

If you do not measure the ingredients exactly (and just eyeball things) then the liquid-to-dry ratio of the ingredients could be off. Too much liquid can lead to banana bread that sinks in the middle. Of course, an excess amount of dry ingredients can also lead to trouble.

How much is 2 servings of bananas? ›

A serving of bananas is typically considered to be one medium-sized banana, which is about 6 inches long and weighs about 100 grams. A large banana is about 7 inches long and weighs about 130 grams. Bananas are a good source of potassium, which is an important mineral for heart health.

What counts as a cup of bananas? ›

Cup of Fruit Table
Amount that counts as 1 cup of fruit
Banana1 large banana 1 cup, sliced ⅔ cup, mashed
Blueberries1 cup, fresh or frozen ⅓ cup, dried
Cantaloupe1 cup, diced or melon balls
Casaba melon1 cup, diced or melon balls
22 more rows

How many servings is 2 bananas? ›

One large banana (about eight inches long) is equal to one serving of fruit. Bananas provide: B vitamins. Fiber.

Is a banana 1 or 2 servings? ›

Medium fresh fruit

A portion is 1 piece of fruit, such as 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or nectarine.

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