Banana Bread
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Say hello to your new favorite banana bread. This easy recipe bakes up with a tender crumb, rich flavor, and an irresistibly crisp crust. It’s a keeper.
On the hunt for the perfect banana bread recipe? Look no further—this is the one. Moist, fragrant, and just the right amount of sweet, it’s phenomenal fresh out of the oven and just as good toasted for breakfast the next day. My family loves it plain, but you can easily add nuts (I’m partial to walnuts) or chocolate chips if that’s your thing.
If you’re in the mood to mix it up, I’ve got plenty of options: marbled banana bread, chocolate banana bread, banana coconut bread, chai-spiced banana bread—and don’t forget banana nut muffins and banana chocolate chip muffins. After all, you can never have too many banana bread recipes!
“Best banana bread I’ve ever made! But it’s dangerous—I steal a slice each time I’m in the kitchen! Next up is Jenn’s pumpkin bread.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread
- All-purpose flour, baking soda & baking powder: These dry ingredients give the bread structure and lift. For best results with the flour, scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife.
- Unsalted butter, sugar & large eggs: This trio brings richness, sweetness, and structure. The butter should be close to room temperature so that it’s soft enough to blend with the sugar. The eggs help bind everything together.
- Ripe bananas: Provide moisture, natural sweetness, and big banana flavor—the riper, the better. They should be dark yellow with lots of brown spots, or even fully brown. (Pro Tip: To ripen quickly, bake bananas in their peels at 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and blackened. Extra-ripe bananas freeze well too—just peel and store in a freezer bag until you’re ready to thaw and mash.)
- Lemon & vanilla extract: Lemon juice brightens things up and helps with lift, and vanilla adds a warm finishing note.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. It’s important to whisk thoroughly; this distributes the leaveners evenly, so the loaf rises uniformly.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Creaming incorporates air into the batter, which helps the bread bake up light instead of dense.
Step 3: Beat in the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time and beat the mixture well after each addition.
Step 4: Add the bananas and flavorings. Mix in the mashed bananas, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Step 5: Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. (Overmixing develops the gluten and can make the bread tough instead of tender.)
Step 6: Bake. Pour the batter from the mixing bowl into the prepared loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to get everything out of the bowl. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 7: Cool and store. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Banana bread will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days; freeze for longer storage.
Video Tutorial
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Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2 to 3 large bananas
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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I love all your recipes, Jenn, and your wonderful teaching style. You provide so much more than just a recipe. You offer helpful tips every step of the way through each recipe, which I appreciate. I’ve made this banana bread recipe several times and always enjoy it. I have two questions for you: 1) You call for a metal 9×5 pan. I have a glass pan of that size, which I used. I also have smaller 8.5×4.5 pans that are metal. How important is it to use a metal pan? And how important is the size when both pans are so close in size? 2) More often than not my bread is done except for the top middle. So I bake the bread longer to finish that middle. My oven runs hotter than your recipes call for so I bake this bread at 340 for 42 minutes. I sometimes turn off the oven for the last minute or two to fully bake the center without drying out the outer edges. But this center issue is a problem. I feel that my bread would be slightly moister if I didn’t have to continue to bake it once all but the top center is done. Looking forward to your reply.
Hi Karen, I believe the issue is the glass pan. In general, when substituting a glass baking dish in a recipe that calls for a metal baking pan, you should lower the oven temperature by 25°F, as glass transfers more heat than metal. And even though 9×5-in and 8×4-in pans are close in size, it’s important to use the pan that is called for. Hope that helps and so glad you like the recipes!
Yes, Jenn, your reply is both helpful and fascinating. I now understand how using a glass pan rather than metal is causing the problem that I asked you about. Many thanks for your help!
Very Good! Added Chunks of chocolate and it was a crowd pleaser…Thanks!
This is a very moist banana bread. I’ve made this recipe many times and it never fails. I sometimes add chopped nuts but never alter the recipes because they work! Loved baked gift also.
I’ve made this numerous times and it’s excellent!! Can the recipe be doubled?
Sure, Lori, just divide the batter between two loaf pans. (And glad you like it!)
incorporate the banana juice into the batter.
This was good but not our favorite banana bread recipe.
It’s a super yummy banana bread as it is but my husband is gluten free. How can I make this recipe gluten free?
Hi Lori, I would try a gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it.
I have tried many banana bread recipes over the years, and this one is the BEST! It’s a little bit more effort than the usual ones made with vegetable oil in that you have to cream the butter and sugar in this recipe; however, I think it is well worth the tiny bit of extra work! I love that it is less dense and oily. I will be making this again and again!
I admit I had low expectations because my bananas, frozen and thawed, were disgustingly brown and slimy. I was afraid they had fermented, but I had faith and made the recipe anyway with my 3-year old daughter. I will never try another banana bread recipe. Until now, I could never get banana bread to bake fully on the inside. Now Jenn’s recipe is my secret weapon!
My edits: I used only 2/3 of the sugar called for (it came out with an amazing caramelly flavor) and I used 25% whole wheat flour, 25% oats, and 50% white flour. I also added chopped pecans. I love a hearty, chewy, nutty texture in a banana bread, and this is exactly what I got. Total win.
Made it but put 1 tsp lemon extract instead of lemon juice.Works as a great substitude! Next time im skipping the baking power…makes it too light and i like heavy amd moist! Other than that…good receipe!