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
More Quick Bread Recipes You May Like
Banana Bread
With big banana flavor, this bread is perfect for snacking, gifting, or enjoying with a cup of coffee.
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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Hi Jenn,
I’ve baked your blueberry muffins which were a huge hit on Easter!!! Could I make this banana bread into muffins? If possible, would I need to spray the paper liners and how long would I bake them for? I plan to bake these with my granddaughter. 💜
Thank you,
Winnie
Glad to hear the blueberry muffins went over well! Yes, you can convert this into muffins and I don’t think it’s necessary to spray the liners. I’d start checking them for doneness at about 18 minutes. Enjoy your time with your granddaughter!
This bread is so good. I have made it many times since I found this recipe. 🙂
I’m sure I commented here quite awhile ago – love, love, love this recipe!
I just want to know Jenn, would the addition of some raisins or dates be okay or would it result in a total fail due to the weight and sugar content of said addition?
Many thanks.
Hi Susan, Glad you like it! It’s perfectly fine to add some raisins or dates. 😊
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made. 😄😋 Easy recipe 😋 THANK YOU. I’m hoping I don’t eat the whole thing!!!
Mine came out raw in the middle – it’s fine for about 2 inches on both ends. It looks a lot higher than yours – maybe I should have used 2 pans? I cut off the ends and sliced the rest in 2 end to end and put it back in the oven (on foil) for another 15 minutes. Still only about 95% cooked in the middle. ??
Hi Peggy, I’m sorry you had a problem with this cooking through! Did you use a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan? If so, did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Any chance you may have mismeasured something?
*won hands down!
I did a blind bake test making this bread and the one from my childhood. Kinda hate to admit, but this one hands down. They are similar but my old one adds some yogurt or buttermilk and half white/half brown sugar. Sounds better, but it’s not! Jenn’s is lighter– maybe cause it uses baking soda and powder. Not sure, but this is the one we will use from now on. Thank you Jenn!
A super easy recipe that bakes up beautifully. Had a lighter texture than the old recipe I’ve used for years. This recipe also has a crisp buttery crust with moist interior. My husband loved it (confessions of a non-banana fan that only uses them to ripen other fruit; this gave me a great way to use them up). Tossed in a handful of chopped walnuts for texture. My loaf tested raw at 45 minutes. Voila’ an additional 15 min. oven magic transformed it into a beautifully baked loaf inside n’ out. Highly recommend. Love every recipe of Jen’s I’ve tried, from black bean dip to… (a LOT). Thank you Jen for your fantastic recipes, cookbooks, website and sharing your gift with everyone.
💜
Hey Jenn!
Have you made this recipe with Gluten Free flour like King Arthur?
Thanks so much,
Vinny
Hi Vincent, I haven’t, but a number of readers have made this successfully with gluten-free flour. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hello Jenn! Made the recipe this morning with King Arther GF flour and added in some mini-chocolate chips…no other changes from your original recipe. Everyone who tasted it said WOW this is amazing. Thank you so much! Vinny
So glad to hear it came out well – thanks for taking the time to report back!
This superb recipe will be replacing my old banana bread recipe. I made a couple of adjustments: reduced the butter from 1 stick to 2/3 stick and added some chocolate chips. It turned out great.