Easy Banana Bread
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This Easy Banana Bread recipe has been my go-to for decades. It truly is a no fail recipe; simple and delicious. No mixer needed for this fabulous, moist bread!
Banana bread is one of my favorite recipes to make when I have a sweet tooth. I’ve been making this recipe for decades when I need to use up some over-ripe bananas. It literally is one of the easiest things to make. No mixer needed, you can whisk everything in a bowl, so less cleaning required. The most important advantage is that this bread is just so delicious and moist, everyone loves it!
Somehow it always seems to happen that whenever we buy a bunch of bananas we never eat them all before they get too ripe. There are always plenty left over! This is probably one of the first recipes I ever learned how to make as a kid because it is just so easy.
What Ingredients Are in Banana Bread
You’ll want to make sure your bananas are as ripe as possible. The browner the better! That’s how you’ll get that gorgeous color throughout the loaf. While everyone has their own interpretation of banana bread, I have a few secrets up my sleeve.
I use both white and brown sugar to get a nice sweet caramelized flavor, both baking soda and powder to ensure a light, fluffy loaf, a touch of cinnamon, and my most important secret: sour cream. This gives your loaf an undeniable richness and slices that won’t dry out.
This recipe also doesn’t require any nuts, so if you have a nut allergy this banana bread is perfect for you.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
There are two great methods that you can use if you’re craving banana bread, but your bananas just aren’t quite ready. You can:
- Place the bananas on a baking sheet and bake them at 250 F for 10-20 minutes. This will depend on how ripe your bananas are to start out with. Keep an eye on them and add time as you see fit.
- If you are okay with waiting an extra day, place your bananas in a paper bag and fold the top to seal off the outside air. This leaves them in a bag full of their own ethylene, which is what causes them to ripen. Adding an apple, fig, or pear to the bag will help them ripen up a bit more.
Other Ingredients You Can Add
Now it’s your opportunity to customize this heavenly bread! I love to mix some chocolate chips and chopped pecans in my banana bread. You can add any nuts you like to this. I find the softer nuts, like pecans and walnuts, work best for this tender banana bread recipe. Dried fruits like raisins or cranberries are also fantastic additions!
You can also add a few dollops of melted chocolate or peanut butter in the middle of the loaf and swirl with a skewer to create a beautiful and delicious filling for your bread.
What Tools You Need
This recipe is so fast to throw together, and is also a great opportunity to introduce kids to the baking world.
For this recipe you’ll need:
How to Make Banana Bread
There are only three steps for this recipe!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Slice, butter, and eat!
How Long to Bake
Every oven is different, so don’t worry if your bread isn’t ready after 45 minutes. Have a couple clean toothpicks ready to go, and test your bread by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out with some batter, add an extra 5-10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.
Tips And Tricks
- Let your bananas get nice and ripe for this bread. The more ripe they get, the better both the flavor and color of your bread will be. Don’t fear a brown banana!
- When you mash the bananas, let them stay a little chunky. Those bits of warm soft banana are the best bites.
- You won’t taste the sour cream in this bread- it gives it a tiny bit of tanginess and so much moisture. You can replace this ingredient with plain greek yogurt, if you prefer.
- Don’t over-mix! Once everything is evenly incorporated, the batter is ready to go.
- Be generous with the cooking spray in your loaf tin, especially in the corners.
- Use a cooling rack once the bread is done baking to avoid the exterior from becoming too dark.
Leftovers
Wrap this bread tightly with plastic wrap or you can store it in an airtight container. It will last on your counter for 3 days, or in the fridge for about one week. I love to microwave my slices of banana bread for 20-30 seconds to let it soften up, especially if it’s been in the fridge.
Freezing
You can absolutely freeze banana bread. Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. It will last in the freezer for 3 to 4 months!
Wrap the loaf or the individual slices extremely well with plastic wrap, even if they’re being stored in an airtight container. The bread will give off some moisture which can cause freezer-burn without the plastic wrap. Let it thaw completely at room temperature.
More Great Recipes To Try:
- Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread
- Easy Banana Nut Bread
- Banana Blueberry Bread
- Banana Bread French Toast with Caramelized Bananas
- The Perfect Banana Muffin
- Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread
- Banana Nut Muffins
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Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 bananas (ripe, mashed)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter (unsalted, softened)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and loaf pan: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Generously grease a loaf pan or spray it with cooking spray. I used a 12×4.5 inch loaf pan, but a regular size loaf pan will work as well.
- Make batter: In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with either a fork or a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients together and mix with a whisk. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if needed.
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then let it come to room temperature on a cooling rack. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Cleaning out the freezer I found 3 bananas and decided to use them. Since I have had such good luck with other recipes from this site , I came here first and I am so glad I did! I took the tip for making it chocolate banana bread by putting a couple of dollops of thick fudge sauce on the top of each mini loaf(3) and ran a knife through to swirl the top a little. They were moist and delicious, thanks for another great recipe.
Yay, so glad you liked it!
This was wonderful! I ended up making it vegan due to my daughter’s allergies. It was the first time she had banana bread and she loved it. To make it vegan, I just replaced the sour cream and egg with vegan vanilla yogurt (individual serving size). All of your recipes have been so good!
Thanks! I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!
Very tasty! I made mini loves and used Greek yogurt. Turned out delicious.
. Thank you for such a simple and quick banana bread.
This is my go to banana bread recipe. I love it so much! Everything is perfect, from the taste to the texture. And it stays soft for days after
Yay, happy to hear that!
I loved this recipe so much but I don’t have a toothpick. Oh well!!
I loved this recipe so much even if I didn’t have a toothpick! I made this recipe 2 times and each time it turned out great!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi if my pan is 8×4 in. Do i need to reduce the ingredients?
Yes! You’d have to cut them in half or make 2 loaves if you have 2 pans.
My children and I made this over the weekend (COVID19 quarantine baking)! We absolutely loved it. So moist. Perfect sweetness. My children want this to be a new breakfast staple at our house.
It’s best to melt the butter and then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Delicious banana bread!
Hello this recipe is amazing and so moist thank you
My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it!
Question. Do you “pack” the brown sugar into the measuring cup or put it in loosely?
Yes, always.
Just made this today, and just tasted it, very nice, not too sweet, I topped it with sliced almonds and brown sugar.mmmm!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was surprised when I saw that it called for everything to just be mixed together, but I made sure not to over-mix and it is the best banana bread I’ve ever made!!
Best Banana Bread I have ever made.
I highly recommend it.
This is what I love to hear!
I really enjoyed this recipe. Not overly sweet. A denser bread than others I’ve tried. And since there’s no oil, it’s not greasy but still perfectly moist. A great feature to me is it’s not crumbly hence no mess when eating it. I now appreciate people leaving loose,
over ripe bananas behind at the store because I don’t like waiting for bananas to ripen. I’m making my second batch as I write this. Thanks Jo.
My pleasure, glad you liked it!
Yes! I made this recipe and it produced delicious results!
My 3 and 5 year olds helped make the banana bread and they enjoyed eating it, too!
Thank you for this recipe!
My pleasure, so happy to hear you guys enjoyed it!