Best Banana Bread
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Say hello to your new favorite banana bread recipe! With its tender crumb, rich flavor, and irresistibly crisp crust, it’s simply the best!
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. It doesn’t give the bread a lemony flavor but rather enhances the banana flavor. Its acidity also interacts with the baking soda, helping the bread rise and giving it a 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, I’ve got you covered with an array of options, including marbled banana bread, chocolate banana bread, and chai-spiced banana bread. You can never have too many banana bread recipes!
Table of Contents
“Best banana bread ever! And I have tried a lot of different recipes. I think the secret is the lemon juice!”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the bread.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Act as leavening agents to help the banana bread rise and become fluffy.
- Butter: Adds richness, moisture, and flavor to the bread, and helps create a tender crumb.
- Sugar: Sweetens the bread and contributes to the golden-brown crust when baked.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, add structure, and contribute to the bread’s rise and fluffiness.
- Mashed very ripe bananas: The star ingredient that provides moisture, sweetness, and distinct banana flavor to the bread. For a really moist, banana-forward 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. (See the FAQs below for tips on how to speed up ripening.)
- Lemon juice: Enhances the banana flavor and reacts with the baking soda to aid in leavening and browning.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the banana bread, adding depth and warmth.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re in a hurry to ripen bananas for baking, there are a couple of methods you can try:
24-Hour Method: Place the bananas (still attached at the stem) in a loosely sealed brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter. Check them after 24 hours to see if they’ve ripened to your liking.
Quick Oven Ripening: If you need ripe bananas even faster, you can use your oven. Place the bananas, still in their peels, on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any leakage. Bake them at a low temperature of 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they develop a deep brown color. This method helps break down the starches in the bananas quickly, resulting in a softer texture and sweeter flavor.
Yes, banana bread can 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. Crisp up individual slices in the toaster for a fresh-baked effect.
The bread should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. If properly stored, it will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days. If you’re not planning to eat it within that time frame, freeze for longer storage.
Absolutely! If you have overripe bananas and you’re not ready to bake, don’t let them go to waste. I typically freeze them in bags of 2 or 3, as mashed, they typically yield about 1 cup, which is what most banana recipes call for. Simply peel the bananas, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, thaw them in the bag and then mash.
Banana Bread Video Tutorial
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Best Banana Bread
Say hello to your new favorite banana bread recipe! With its tender crumb, rich flavor, and irresistibly crisp crust, it’s simply the best!
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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Your banana bread sounds delicious and I would like to make it. At what speed do you use the electric beater, high, medium to beat the sugar and butter? At what speed (low, medium, high) do you use to beat the eggs, and how long do you beat for each egg, 30 seconds? Thank you for the recipe. I have made several of your recipes and they were really good !!!
Hi Helen, I’d beat the butter and sugar on medium/medium-high and the eggs on medium for about 30 seconds. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
This turned out to be a delicious classic. It’s moist and dense but still light and airy. I’m dairy-free so I used dairy-free butter. I didn’t have unsalted butter so I omitted the salt. I also added dairy-free chocolate chips to the top before baking. I meant to fold them in before but forgot. Will be making again!
Jenn, you never steer me wrong! This recipe is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe almost to a T with the exception of adding chocolate chips and decreasing sugar to 2/3 cup to offset sweetness of chocolate chips. So so good and a perfect snow storm recipe… we are looking at two feet here!
Delicious, added choco chips and came out beautifully
Felt I should comment, as this is my favourite banana bread recipe. It is the only recipe that turns out great every time I make it. I have had little luck finding a healthier banana bread recipe – would love it if you had a recipe for a healthier version!
Glad you like it, Gem — you may want to give this one a try. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I love this recipe! But when I tried doubling the recipe and making two loaves, one of them came out uncooked in the middle but very brown on the outside. Any tips on how much time to bake?
Hi Jean, I’m sorry to hear you had a problem doubling this! Were the two loaf pans the same size? Was one of them glass or darker metal?
How would you recommend doubling this recipe?
Hi Sasha, I would double all of the ingredients; if you bake 2 loaves at the same time, they will take a bit longer to cook.
Needs to include What temperature?
Hi James, the bread should be baked at 350°F/175°C. Hope you enjoy!
Soooooooooo gooood. Doing it every day though I wish it was a little crunchier.
This is the best recipe for Banana Bread I have ever used. The addition of lemon and vanilla makes all the difference.
I’ve made this numerous times – perfect.
However, I would now like to make in those mini tinfoil 4.5 x 8.6 pans.
Does anyone know how long to bake? And do you keep the oven temp the same?
Glad you like it! Because the recipe calls for a 9 x 5“ loaf pan, the ones that you’re describing aren’t much smaller. You could divide the batter into two of those pans and it will make two flatter loaves. I’d keep the oven temp the same, but It will also take less time so keep a close eye on them. If you want to make two fuller loaves, I’d suggest making one and a half times the recipe. Hope that helps!
I know you like an update:
Just took out of the oven at 37 min using your recipe divided in half for each mini loaf.
Good to know — thanks for reporting back!
This is the best banana bread recipe I’ve tried!!! I used whole wheat pastry flour because that’s all I had. It’s flavorful and light! Wonderful recipe!
Thank you Jenn! Love this banana bread! The only thing is mine seems to take over an hour to bake, might be my oven though.
I’d been trying out different recipes for banana bread, and I think I’ve finally found my favorite! I’ve baked banana bread twice so far following exactly what your recipe says. Both time, it came out delicious! It was super flavorful and moist. Thank you Jenn!
Again! Another amazing recipe…thank you so much for sharing your recipes with all of us. It looks exactly like yours and taste phenomenal!
I saw your response to a question about baking in a glass vs metal pan. Would a glazed ceramic pan need a different baking temperature (or any other changes)? (This recipe is delicious, by the way!)
Glad you like this! You shouldn’t need to make any changes in time or temperature with a ceramic pan.
Easy and delicious! And, I make a lot of banana bread.
Hi Jenn..I made your banana bread today and it’s delicious..never put lemon juice in my banana bread before but it’s the best I have ever made..thank you for sharing this recipe..I love your blog and I trust your expert knowledge 100 percent! Judith
I had 3 squishy bananas sitting on the counter that needed to be used…and this recipe turned them into 12 delicious muffins! I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding a tiny sprinkling of sanding sugar on top of each muffin before baking. It gave them a delightful crunch…..this recipe is over the top!!! (P.S. I used cupcake liners in the muffin pan for easy cleanup.)
Wonderful Banana Bread recipe, Jenn! I love how easy it was to put together. Didn’t get out the mixer, just whisked by hand and it turned out great.
Best ever…yum
Excellent recipe, who knew bananas go so well with lemon. It came out perfect. We loved it. Anyone who had problems should check their oven settings. Jenn’s recipe works great, no adjustments needed. Thanks Jenn
THE best banana bread ever. So moist and full of flavor, absolutely perfect. I used three bananas and added 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the mix and it was a perfect addition. My husband says he doesn’t think I ever made anything better in my life lol. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with Jenn’s recipes, they turn amazeballs every time!
Excellent!
Delicious! Very easy to follow recipe instructions. This is my third time making it and it comes out great every time!
This banana bread is amazing! I made this recipe vegan by replacing butter with vegan butter and the eggs with 2 flax eggs and it’s amazing! Even my non vegan family members loved it. We make a lot of banana bread and honestly I just find a new recipe each time but this is a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
poorly written recipe
tried this recipe once, it was great! just have one question: does the “1-3/4 cup of flour” refer to one AND three quarters or one TO three quarters? Same goes with the vanilla extract.
Hi, Glad you liked it! Those measurements refer to 1 cup plus 3/4 cup of flour (and the same format for the vanilla). For some reason, the back end of my system makes me include that hyphen. Sorry for any confusion!
That’s funny because I always have the same question. It is a bit confusing with the hyphen.
What an excellent recipe! I deviated slightly from the recipe in that I took Julia Childs advice and used jumbo eggs. Sugar reduced to 1/3 cup. I’m not a sweet fan, plenty of sugar in the bananas. Flour was spooned and leveled in measure, bananas were cooked for 8 min in a non-stick skillet to reduce the moisture, 3/4 cup pecan pieces added. Bread pulled at 200 deg F on an instant thermometer. P E R F E C T !
Yes, I gave this a shot. Tried to make banana bread about 20 years ago during the dot-com crash when I went from high-paid engineer to Mr. Mom. Not so good. Rephrase. Horrible. About a month ago, my wife and I tried another recipe. OK, but not great. Today, I tried yours. Far superior to my last efforts. Thank you, m’lady.
This really is the best banana bread EVER! I think I could eat the entire loaf myself. This is like my only banana bread recipe now
Excelent recipe!I have made it as is many times and it’s always eaten and enjoyed by all. I have a gluten free family member and have now made this recipe 3 times using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour–each time a success! For the GF flour, I have found I need to increase baking time. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as is and it’s great.
I’ve also added chocolate chips to the recipe and that’s a kid favorite.
We love this recipe in our home. I’m wondering how I could convert it to a muffin or mini muffin recipe..?
Glad you like it, Beth! It should work nicely for muffins. I’d keep the oven temp the same and start checking them for doneness at about 18 minutes for standard muffins and about 12 minutes for minis. Hope that helps!
Can you make this with gluten-free flour, and if so what brand/kind do you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Martha, I haven’t made a gluten-free version of this but other readers have and have been happy with the results. Please let me know how it turns out if you make it!
Try Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF Flour Blend. Already has xanthan gum so don’t add any. I use this and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF blend (also has xanthan). Of the two, I lean more towards Bob’s, but do know that the KA blend is enriched. The only one that I know of in the market that has that. Tip: I always add a bit more leavener. If recipe calls for 1 tsp bkg pdr, I’ll add another 1/8th tsp. ALSO: Allow batter to sit in the prepared pans for about 5 mins or so. This allows flours to “hydrate” but do know that I use only double acting bkg pdr.
Good luck! And ENJOY!
FORGOT TO ADD: I replace 1/2 cup of the flour with Bob’s Superfine Almond Flour or the Unblanched Superfine Almond Flour. Of the two, I prefer the results with the unblanched (comes out a bit firmer, which I prefer). I use homemade brown sugar and reduce the amount called for to 2/3 c or use equivalent Truvia Brown Sugar Blend. I also play with the butter because that is just too much when you are watching calories. Recipe works well with replacing eggs with liquid eggs. Hey, when you have to watch A1C and cholesterol, you do what you gotta do so you can still enjoy a treat!
I’m not rating since I did not follow recipe as written.
I actually prefer Cup4Cup gf flour. I find I don’t need to make any adjustments to recipes, it’s really a terrific gf flour (better than Bob’s Redmill, as much as I love them).
I didn’t use Jenn’s actual recipe because I had a lot of bananas to use up and needed one that could absorb at least 4 but I did follow her instructions since all recipes pretty much start the same. The step-by-step photos are so helpful, thank you Jenn! I’m new to baking and had no idea what ‘cream until light and fluffy’ should look like until I read your post. I also panicked initially when adding the banana and it looked curdled, so also appreciate your extra note there. Thanks again!
This banana bread is incredible and one of my favourite things to bake. It’s so easy to throw together and so delicious. I find it’s great to share too, loaves are always easier to cut than rounds, and it’s always very popular whenever I take it anywhere. I like my banana bread loaded with goodies so I add chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts and/or raisins, whatever I’m in the mood for, about a cup total. I’ve cooked this in at least 4 different ovens in 2 different countries and I always have to add 5-10 mins to the cooking time (usually 50-55 mins for me), but it comes out perfectly every time. Thanks for this winner, Jenn. I’d give it more than 5 stars, if I could!
This recipe is a keeper. Added some cinnamon and baked for only 50 minutes in glass dish.
Why don’t you use sour cream in this recipe when you do in the others?
Thanks, love all your recipes!
Edie
Hi Edie, I developed this recipe a long time ago so I don’t remember the reason I didn’t use sour cream in this one but I promise it works. 🙂
Moist and can really taste it’s banana as many recipies only use one banana . Will def add to our favourites!
This is my new favorite banana bread mother recipe. I doubled this recipe using the kitchen scale measures, subbing flavorful coconut oil for the butter for a lactose-intolerant friend. I also couldn’t resist subbing most of the volume (not weight) of the sugar for maple syrup, as I wanted a slightly more wholesome version. I even substituted 100g almond flour for the regular flour. The mixture was more liquid, thanks to the maple syrup, but the loaf was a wonderful texture, springy and light instead of dense and muffin-like. It is really a banana-bread, not muffin, recipe, much lighter and more delicate than the more stodgy (yet satisfying!) banana muffins I am used to making. When you use the batter in the muffin tins they don’t dome like muffins (that might also be because of the more liquid dough I used), but they make nice short mini cakes that kids like holding. Oh and of course I added chocolate chips—for the kids (that is my excuse, anyways!).
I’ve made this recipe twice. Both times it is raw in the middle even though the tester came out clean. The end slice was dry. If I bake it longer, the bread will be very dry around the edges. Any insight on what might be wrong? The oven thermometer said the temp was ok. Thanks.
Sorry you’ve had a problem with this (twice)! Are you using a glass pan? Are you making any adjustments to the recipe?
The best banana bread recipe for me, tried it out 3 times already and worked very well every time! I cut up a small banana and put in on top of the batter for extra ”banananess” before baking.
Love this recipe because it’s buttery! It’s simple and doesn’t have diet ingredients like apple sauce. When I want low-cal, I’ll go elsewhere lol I too have trouble with the top being completely baked through because I use a glass pan, but I read on another recipe here to lower temperature and bake longer. I baked at 325 for an hour.
My search for THEE Banana Bread recipe is over! Lemon juice is the secret in this one! For those having problems with under done-ness with baking: add-ins(I do walnuts & chocolate chips, myself) will stretch your batter. You’ll end doing two loaves. Fill your pan ONLY HALF WAY up (I noticed in her photo & after my last loaf was a hard shell on the outside & doughy in the middle) Then the 40 min bake time works perfectly. I tried going towards 45 mins because i didn’t preheat & both loaves ended up a little dry.
Loved it!!
I just made this. It’s so yummy. I added a few more bananas and a tiny bit more flour.
Turned out excellent!!
Thanks for your recipe!
🙂
Gave it a whirl and it seemed to come out fine. I skewer tested it and everything and the skewer came out clean. While cooling on the rack though the top caved in and when I checked inside I found the inside was still not cooked. Not sure why the skewer test came out clean when it was still not fully cooked in the center but sadly there was no fixing it at that point.
Pretty much every other recipe I’ve looked at or used had at least 50 minutes, usually 55 minutes, for a cooking time at 350 degrees. I guess it doesn’t surprise me that this one did not cook after 45 in the oven as that cooking time just seems too low. For anyone trying this recipe I would definitely make doubly sure it’s done before you pull it out.
I am not usually a fan of banana bread but had some that were going in the trash if I didn’t use them, so happy I did. This is a simple recipe and I have to admit I was surprised at the lack of seasonings. I think I figured out why I don’t normally like banana bread. Most recipes have too much added seasonings that just take away from the simplicity of the banana. Thank you for another keeper!
This is everyone’s favorite banana bread recipe in my family. It is different from the stodgy, heavy, sugary banana bread recipes I’ve tried (and liked!) before. This recipe gives a really nice, not too heavy loaf, with a nice crumb and good moisture. The banana flavor and aroma are there but not overpowering, which was a favorite for our adult crowd. I could see it being successful even with a little less sugar. Nuts could be a great addition but I’d pass on chocolate because it might distract from the bread’s delicious flavor. Overall, this is a hit! My favorite part is the crispy crust—can’t get enough of it with coffee or tea!
This cake was very easy to make and I added a handful of hazelnuts to the mix . I adjusted the baking time so that the cake was in the oven a bit longer – 4 m ins or so.
The texture is lovely and moist and its a good sized loaf but I have to be honest it was not my best tasting banana bread as there just wasn’t enough banana – I used exactly what the recipe states I weighted it out – all blackened . It just tasted like a nice cake not banana bread . But toasting it did bring out the flavour a bit more . Question- could I increase the amount of banana – say a third large banana – without messing up the balance of the cake ? That would fix it .
Hi Louise, I wouldn’t add another banana as it would make the bread too moist. You could maybe add a little additional banana but would not add a whole one. Hope that helps!
Recipe was nice and simple to follow. My bread was not done in the middle, as my oven bakes uneven, so it appears darker but not a burnt flavor. I measured out the banana puree to 1 cup, but wished I had added extra. I added walnuts as well. Overall, very pleased!
Excellent recipe! Made double batch today and it is just about gone. Love the the subtle sweetness of it, other recipes usually turn out too sweet. Added some nuts to it too and didnt have vanilla, or lemon juice and it still turned out fabulous!
Perfect recipe! This is the second time I’ve made it because my family loves it so much!
This is the only banana bread I will make. It turns out perfectly every single time.Everyone who I take it to loves it!!
Another winner from Jenn! Take her word for it that this bread gets even better the next day and is out of this world toasted – yummy!