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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Excellent recipe so good and quick another great one from jen.highly recommend.
This would be great bread for my son’s breakfast menu
Yet another incredible recipe from Jenn. Like others, banana bread has always been elusive for me–either underdone, overdone, too sweet, too bland. Finally, we have a recipe that everyone loves, and like all of the recipes on OUAC, it’s foolproof.
I had a few very ripe bananas that I wanted to put to use so I gave this recipe a try. I was a bit unsure of the lemon juice, but it adds just the perfect amount of acid to make this bread outstanding–delicious without being too sweet. Thanks for yet another winner!
This is the very BEST Banana Bread recipe I’ve ever used, no brown sugar, moist, decadent and easy to slice. Has never failed. I sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mix on top while cooling. Thanks!
I love Jenn’s recipes and had 3 leftover bananas on counter. Wonderful, simple & quick basic banana bread recipe. I lined loaf pan with parchment and was tempted to add chocolate chips/nuts but decided to go plain. Perfection, not too sweet or heavy and all ingredients in the pantry. Another winner!
Another delicious recipe from OUAC! I have struggled to find good banana bread recipes and have tried dozens (no lie!). This one met approval from everyone in my family, especially my picky husband! Thanks Jenn!!
Hello, I was wondering, what can I use to replace butter in this recipe for banana bread? I’m trying to keep a healthy lifestyle diet but I’ve been craving something sweet, so I decided I could just make a home made banana bread rather than buying cupcakes. Could you recommend me a healthy yet low calorie, if possible, substitute for butter? (: Thank you very much for reading and I will also be making your chocolate chip granola bars, they look incredibly scrumptious~
Hi Chelsea, I wish I could be more helpful but I’ve never tried this recipe with a butter substitute. You could always try replacing some (not all) of the butter with more bananas.
Unsweetened applesauce or more bananas. ☺
yummm I love banana bread! Have you ever tried sour cream in the recipe? Makes for a very moist bread! Thanks for sharing!
Could these be made into muffins too?
Hi Teri, I love sour cream banana breads (see my chocolate banana bread and chai spiced versions). These can be made as muffins, although they will be very flat.
Every recipe I have made of yours has turned out perfectly, including this banana bread! You and Ina Garten have the best recipes. They are always delicious!
I made two loaves at once: one with the all-purpose flour the recipe calls for, and one with self-rising flour after I ran out of the all purpose. I preferred the self-rising flour loaf, and added chocolate chips. Excellent recipe, very easy to make!