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! With a tender crumb and a crisp crust, it’s absolutely phenomenal fresh out of the oven and just as delicious toasted up for breakfast the next day. You might be surprised by an unexpected ingredient: lemon juice. While it doesn’t make the bread taste lemony, it actually enhances the banana flavor. The acidity also works with the baking soda to help the bread rise, giving 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 if you like. And if you’re craving variety, I’ve got plenty of options, including marbled banana bread, chocolate banana bread, whole wheat banana bread, and chai-spiced banana bread. After all, 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.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Banana 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. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap, or place it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. Crisp up individual slices in the toaster for a fresh-baked effect.
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.
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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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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This was great! I actually had three really brown bananas. I read a few reviews and tried mashing the bananas first and popping them in the freezer and later using them. That really released all of the sugars making this a really good banana bread, however it makes your banana bread SLIGHTLY darker in color. I also didn’t have lemon juice so I used 5% acidity distilled white vinegar. Turned out well!
can i use cake flour?
Hi Jackie, This banana bread is so light as is, that I wouldn’t really recommend it. If that’s all you have though, you could use it but I would increase the amount of flour by a few tablespoons.
Just made it! I had two bananas on my counter. I halved the recipe. To make my banana bread, I always mash my bananas first, pop them in the freezer in the morning and when I go to use them I just defrost them by putting a hot bowl of water underneath the banana bowl. Makes the bananas much better. This recipe was delicious; finished the same night.
Thanks Jenn!
Does it have to have lemon juice? I don’t usually have that on hand, but want to make this… Like now. LOL. I love your pumpkin bread and pumpkin corn muffins… Which I’ve made in the past week.
Melissa, You won’t taste the lemon juice; it just reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise. You can try baking the bread without it, but it may be a little heavier/flatter.
This banana bread is easy, moist, flavorful and fantastic. I’m making it (2 loaves) for the second time today. I add more walnuts but that’s the only change. It’s perfect as is but we love walnuts.
Every recipe I have tried has been excellent. Banana Bread no exception. Best resource yet.
First, I love your site and your recipes! I’ve made the pumpkin bread multiple times to rave reviews. I’m an experienced baker, and I’ve double checked all the ingredients and amounts I used (made exactly as written) but within 10 minutes of being in the oven its overflowed the 9×4 pan (at least 1/2 c of batter) and collapsed in the middle. I feel like it rose too quickly but I don’t know why. Any thoughts? I’m definitely willing to try again based on my success with your other recipes. Thanks!
Hi Amy, So sorry you had trouble with the bread. The recipe calls for a 9×5 pan. You mentioned your pan is 9×4, which might explain the problem — although, that is an odd size for a loaf pan. Did you mean to write 8×4? If you used an 8×4, which is a typical size, the batter would definitely overflow.
Thank you, Jenn! My pan was a 9×5 (sorry for the typo). I also forgot to mention I live in Denver (one mile above sea level), so I wonder if my leavening agents don’t need quite as much boost (things tend to rise and fall more quickly here). It was moist and delicious regardless of how it looked; I’ll just have try it again!! 🙂
Ahh, yes — Denver is likely the problem 🙂
I love your recipes and really want to try this banana bread but I’m getting confused with how many grams are actually in a cup. I’ve searched the net but the answer varies wildly. Could you possibly give the recipe with grams as well as cups please for your UK fans. Also, would it work if I used half whole wheat flour? Thank you!
Hi Shirley, I added metric units to the recipe for you. In the top right corner of the recipe, there is a button that allows you to choose cup or metric measures. Hope that helps. I have recently started adding metric measurements to my recipes but am still going back through the archives and updating older recipes. If you come across any others that you’d like to try, let me know and I’ll bump them to the top of my list 🙂
Oh, and I think half whole wheat flour would work, but it won’t be nearly as delicate — maybe try it as is first, then experiment?
I tried the recipe today (exactly as you wrote it) and just WOW!!
So light and moist, a real keeper! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, you are so kind to spare the time to do that. Yes we have lots of banana bread recipes in the UK I could have used but with the amazing reviews this one has how could I not try it! 🙂
This bread was amaaazzing. So light and moist and banana-eeeee! It really doesn’t need anything added to it but I wanted a little bit of crunch on top. I had no nuts so i added a generous sprinkling of hemp hearts on top. It turned out great!! Highly recommend trying this bread if you are looking for a keeper! 🙂
I am officially in awe of Jenn Segal. I feel like I’ve tried every banana bread recipe on the internet and none even comes CLOSE to this one. Usually banana bread is too dense or too sweet for me, and this one is just right. I will be keeping this recipe forever! Can’t wait to try all the other recipes on this site!