Best Banana Bread
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With its tender crumb, rich banana flavor, and irresistible crisp crust, this is the ultimate banana bread!
Are you on the hunt for the perfect banana bread recipe? Look no further — this is the one you’ve been searching for! Tender with a crisp crust, it’s absolutely phenomenal fresh out of the oven, and equally delicious when toasted up for breakfast the next day. You may be surprised to see an unusual ingredient in the recipe: lemon juice. Don’t worry, it doesn’t give the bread a lemony flavor. Like sour cream or buttermilk, the acidity in the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise and give it a beautiful golden color, toasty flavor, and light, fluffy texture.
My family loves this banana bread plain, but you can easily add nuts or chocolate chips to give it some extra oomph. If you’re looking for more variations — because you can never have too many banana bread recipes! — I’ve got you covered with an array of options, including marbled, a chocolate, chai-spiced, whole wheat, and coconut-pecan banana breads. With so many delicious options, you’re sure to find a favorite!
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread
For a really moist, banana-y banana bread, use very ripe bananas. The bananas should at least be dark yellow with plenty of brown spots, and it’s okay if the skin has turned completely brown.
If you’d like to make banana bread and your bananas are not quite ripe enough, you have a few options:
- 24-Hour Method: Put the bananas (still attached at the stem) in a loosely sealed brown paper bag and let sit on the counter. The bananas give off ethylene gas which causes ripening, and trapping the gas in a bag speeds up this process.
- Quick Oven Ripening: Place the bananas in their peels on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean-up in case they leak) and bake at 250˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or as long as it takes them to reach a deep brown color.
If you have overripe bananas and you’re not ready to bake, don’t let them go to waste – freeze them! I typically freeze them in bags of 2 or 3, as when mashed, they usually come out to about 1 cup (which is what most banana bread recipes call for). Simply peel the bananas and put them in an airtight container or freezer bag; when ready to use, thaw them in the bag and then mash.
STEP-BY-STEP Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Beat well after each addition.
Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
HOW TO STORE BANANA BREAD
Banana bread is best served fresh out of the oven, but it will keep for a few days, wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap, or place it in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Video Tutorial
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Best Banana Bread
With its tender crumb, rich banana flavor, and irresistible crisp crust, this is the ultimate banana bread!
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 large bananas
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5-inch metal loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that's okay.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 208
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 394 mg
- Cholesterol: 51 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Used frozen bananas, doubled the recipe and baked in an angel food pan–what was available in a kitchen not my own. Came out perfect, delicious. I added walnuts, too.
Your article does not have the ingredients you just talk about it. You show a picture but you don’t have the actual measurements.
It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I made this on Friday for a Saturday brunch. My whole family gathered at my son’s apartment in Brooklyn. It was perfect and I’ve made many banana loaves. I will definitely make again and again!
Delicious! Best banana bread recipe I have ever made.
I topped it with the walnut mixture from your banana nut muffin recipe.
AMAZING! Best Banana Bread ever!
OK, not great. Not a lot of flavor.
Easy and delicious banana bread recipe! Used 2 little loaf pana and it worked out great. Which is how I find many of your baking recipes! Will start tryimg some of the meal recipes soon!
Thank you for the recipe Jenn! I make this banana bread every 2 wks or so and my family loves it! Today I made it into muffins and it turned out great. Keep up the great work!
This is the first time that I buttered and dusted my pan and this step created crust magic. Golden in color, evenly fluffy, crispy, buttery, banana delight. Fabulous recipe. Thank you, Jenn!
I made these according to the recipe. Very good! As others suggested, they could use more sugar. I did sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top along with sliced almonds before baking which yielded a lovely crunchy top. Instead of a loaf, I made 12 big muffins. They took only 15 mins in my oven. Delish Sunday breakfast.
Hi Jenn, if I wanted to lower the fat content could I substitute applesauce for the butter?
Hi Christine, If you’d like, you can replace half the amount of butter in the recipe with applesauce. Just keep in mind that the bread will be more moist and dense. I’d love to hear how it comes out if you try it!
The texture is beautiful, but it has no flavor.
I followed the recipe but, because I first zested the lemon before squeezing it for the juice called for, tossed in the zest (figured why not) and also added some finely chopped pecans. Delicious, very light, moist and is now the only banana bread recipe I’ll ever use.
Your recipes, and this website, brings me so much pleasure Jenn; I love to cook and bake and you help make me a super-star with family and friends!
LOVED THIS! Was feeling like making some to start the week and I don’t know if it’s supposed to be light instead of dense but I love it no matter what! I will use this recipe forever now (like most of your recipes!!).
temp?
Hi Anna, the bread gets baked at 350°F/175°C.
I really must thank you for this wonderful recipe with detailed instructions! I made it with (sifted) white spelt flour, and following the rest of the recipe to the letter (metric quantities), after 42 minutes in the new mini oven it came out perfectly! The texture is really light and soft, and the flavour is beautiful. I may try adding some chopped walnuts or pecans next time as well.
Made a vegan version by using a 50/50 mixture of flavourless coconut oil and light olive oil instead of butter, and 2 tablespoons of ground golden linseeds/flaxseeds soaked in 5 tablespoons of water instead of the eggs.
I added 75g of chopped pecans as well (about 3/4 cup, measured before chopping), and again used white spelt flour.
I sprinkled a tiny bit of sugar over the top before baking, to add a little crunch.
Because of the added nuts, I decided to bake it for 45 minutes this time, and though it ended up with a very slight dip in the centre, the cake was fully done and again beautifully moist.
Each version of this recipe has been utterly delicious, and I will definitely be making it again!!!
Best banana bread ever! And I have tried a lot of different recipes. I think the secret is the lemon juice!
This truly is the best recipe, I have made it several times and it never disappoints. I do recommend to use the grams measurements if you have a scale so it comes out perfect!
Silly question but can you do this without an electric mixer? I added this to my daughters first apartment cook book recipes and she does not have one
Hi Nicole, that’s nice that you’re making that for her! It will take a little elbow grease, but it’s doable without a mixer. Here’s some guidance that may be helpful.
This is my new favorite banana bread recipe. It replaces my old one, which was almost identical but used vegetable oil instead of butter and did not include lemon juice. I swapped out brown sugar for white sugar and added butterscotch chips, and it was delicious.
This recipe is the best I’ve tried. I like this banana bread because it’s so light in texture. This will be my go-to recipe forever.
Baking isnt my thing but I had a go at this one. It was easy to follow and I must say it wasnt too bad actually quite a big hit in the house! Will definitely be making another one….might have to invest in a mixer…a handheld one at least 🙂
A very lovely banana bread, gorgeous spread with a bit of butter with morning cuppa. I also freeze slices for my boyfriend to take to work in his packed lunches 👍🏼
One of the best banana bread recipes I’ve ever made! Thank you!
I made this delicious banana bread yesterday afternoon. More than half is already gone and there are only 2 of us. So light and airy! Before I juiced the lemon, I added some of the lemon zest, couldn’t resist. Loving this with our coffee this morning. Perfect Directions! Thank you!!
Just made this recipe and it turned out amazing!!!! I would definitely recommend. Thanks for sharing this. My son & husband loved it!
My family loved this recipe for banana bread! My husband is diabetic so I made the recipe for banana bread on the Splenda artificial sweetener bag. Of course this didn’t even come close to your recipe. Is there an artificial sweetener that would work for diabetics in this recipe? Otherwise, the family will need to eat the entire loaf before he gets home from work, lol!
Glad it was a hit! While I’ve never made this with a sugar substitute, I have read plenty of comments from readers who have said they’ve replaced some or all of the sugar in baked goods with a substitute like Stevia or Splenda and have had good results.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Jenn, I wanted to let you know that the substitution of Splenda for the sugar in the original recipe turned out well. However, next time I will substitute only half of the sugar with Splenda because we like more of a crust on the bread. I think the use of Splenda made the crust softer. Thank you for providing the information so quickly!
Good to know, Jan — thanks for taking the time to follow up!
Monk fruit sugar, it’s diabetic friendly and helps to regulate blood sugar. It’s a little expensive but worth it as it doesn’t compromise on taste.
I made this into muffins using a 12 tin. 350 for 22 minutes since I filled them up quite a bit. I also made them gluten free using Bobs Red Mill baking flour. They were amazing! Still moist today. They remind me of the ones I used to eat as a kid and I’ve been trying to find that same taste with other recipes with no luck. Thanks Jenn! Will definitely be making again.
Hello, Banana Bread looks good. I will add the lemon juice to Banana Bread. Will taste to see the difference or better taste.
Thanks for suggestion..
Hi Alice, it doesn’t give the bread a lemony flavor. The acidity in the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise and give it a nice golden color. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
What will happen if I make muffins with this recipe? Do I need to alter it in any way? Love your recipes!
Glad you like the recipes! 🙂
This should work nicely for muffins. I’d keep the oven temp the same and start checking them for doneness at about 18 minutes.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve made this recipe, it’s always a winner!
Today I didn’t have any lemons so I subbed 2 tsp of distilled white vinegar. (Recipe calls for 2 tbsps of lemon juice and usually I’d sub half of vinegar but I was worried about it tasting vinegary so I cut back a bit…. I probably could have done 1 tbsp of vinegar and it would have been fine!) Anyway, it worked a treat, I couldn’t taste the vinegar but the banana bread still came out light and moist. Leaving this note here in case it’s useful to anyone else!
Just out of the oven!
Because of the dark psn I baked for 30 minutes.
Thank goodness I did.
It looks and smells awesome!
I added chocolate chips.
Can’t wait to eat some.
Keeper!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. 💞
Hiya Jenn. This banana bread recipes phenomenal. I’m in my seventies and I’ve been making banana bread for over 50 years, and I really love the way this one turned out. I had three large very ripe bananas that I mashed and I ended up with one and a half cups of mashed banana. Which is one and a half times the amount the recipe calls for. So I added one and a half times every ingredient. Then to bake the banana bread I used my Pampered Chef stoneware mini loaf pan, which makes four small loaves all at once. I baked them at 350° for 33-35 minutes. Thank you so much. I will definitely make this again and the next time I think I’ll add some crushed walnuts. I love banana and walnut together.
I will be using a mini loaf pan (from King Arthur). Did you fill the pans halfway up as the large pan seems to be? Thanks for the cooking times.
Except for using gluten free flour (Cup 4 Cup), I followed the recipe exactly as written. The bread rose beautifully and tastes so flavorful! This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Jenn,
I print so many of your recipes rather than check to see if they are published in one of your cookbooks (which I have both). Is there a way you could mention that the posted recipe is in one of your books? My husband and I LOVE your recipes – I can honestly say I make one to two of your recipes every week…….Thank you in advance for more recipes to follow! BTW, I have purchased your cookbooks as gifts for my “foodie friends” and they love the book!
Hi Cindy, Thanks for your nice words about the recipes and support of the cookbooks! I actually have a “stamp” in the bottom left corner of the main picture for any blog recipe that is also in one of the cookbooks. See the Peruvian Chicken as an example. Hope that helps and keeps you from printing anything unnecessarily! 😊
Well…I’ve been making the same banana bread recipe for 38 years, have tried others, however my husband always prefers the old recipe. Made yours today…he agreed your recipe …is now replacing the old recipe! I’ve been following you for roughly 8 years, and always my go to…you never disappoint! THANK YOU !
My loaf pan is 8×4. Would you suggest adjusting both the time and temperature? If yes, by how much? Thank you!
Hi Jeanne, an 8 x 4 is not large enough for the batter. You’d actually need to use two of them for this (believe it or not, a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan holds double the amount of batter compared to an 8 x 4.)
Jenn
This is a super easy fast delicious
Banana bread recipe the lemon
Is the icing to this recipe made
Three Loaves all the same times
We’re what recipe said
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Five stars
Your recipes are awesome
Easy delicious thank you so very much for sharing
This was an excellent banana bread. Having made a few that were less than good, I was quite happy with it! But I did have to cook it longer than 45 minutes – it sunk in the middle my first try. I did use 3 bananas. Also, I used every Pumpkin pie like spice in my drawer with abandon – nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice – the lot. I liked it, I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on such things. My sons finished it off in one hour.
First time ive made a Banana Bread…..whole loaf was consumed within the same day by the family….now I have to bake another 😋
The recipe has become a staple in our house for using up old bananas. I actually make these as cupcakes and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. I few substitutions I’ve done to make these vegan and use unprocessed sugar: sub flax meal for eggs (1 Tbsp meal + 3 Tbsp water per egg) and vegan butter (1:1 sub with regular butter), and sub 1/2 cup of agave nectar for the sugar. Yum!
Hi Jenn, getting ready to make the banana bread and wanted to add pecan, how much can I add to the batter without messing up the recipe. Thanks in advance.
Hi Arlene, I think I’d go with about 1 cup.
Thanks for the reply Jenn. The banana bread was awesome as all your recipes.