With its super-moist and buttery texture, banana and brown sugar flavors, soft crumb, and 1,300+ reviews, this is a delicious AND undeniably popular banana bread recipe. You need 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. It’s one of the most popular recipes I’ve published on this website, out of over 1,200. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Michele, says: “Perfectly delish every time! Absolutely foolproof. Nuts, no nuts, smidge more or less of sour cream—no problem… bigger bananas, smaller—no worries, perfect, beyond delicious EVERY time. ★★★★★”
This is my favorite banana bread recipe, one that I’ve cherished for years. It’s one of those classic recipes that you start to know by heart, just like a good pie crust or chocolate chip cookies recipe. This bread comes to mind first when I have leftover spotty bananas on the counter, and it’s the bread that’s on constant rotation in my freezer stash.
One reader, Tricia, commented: “I have this recipe on speed dial. LOL. It is so tasty and is always a crowd pleaser. My kids and entire family love it!!! ★★★★★”
Yes, I have this recipe on speed dial too!
I’ve tried dozens of banana bread recipes over the years, and when I baked and originally published this recipe many years ago, I never looked back.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Recipe Too
- Mega banana flavor
- Not overly sweet, so banana flavor shines
- Dense, but still quite tender & soft
- Buttery & stays moist for days (tastes best on day 2, just like peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread)
- Straightforward, simple recipe
- Freezes wonderfully
- Excellent plain or with nuts or chocolate chips—or a swipe of cinnamon butter
How to Mash Bananas
Did you know you can use your electric mixer to mash bananas? Break or slice the spotty bananas into large pieces and place in the bowl of your stand mixer—or use a regular mixing bowl and your hand mixer. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed as the bananas break down into mashed banana. Transfer the bananas to another bowl and use the mixing bowl for the butter and sugar. (No need to clean it—some mashed banana remnants is fine.)
I do this when I mash bananas for banana muffins and banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies too.
Other Banana Bread Ingredients
- Butter: Use softened butter for a soft texture and irresistible butter flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Use all brown sugar in this recipe. In the headnotes for this chocolate chip cookies recipe, I explain that brown sugar yields soft and moist cookies. Well, brown sugar works that same magic in banana bread, too. It also adds wonderful flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs supply cakes, cupcakes, breads, doughs, and cookies their stability and structure, as well as a tender texture. You’ll need 2 large eggs for this.
- Sour Cream or Yogurt: Sour cream or yogurt adds even more moisture to this banana bread. (You can use the 2 interchangeably in most baking recipes.)
For banana nut bread, add 3/4 cup of chopped nuts to the banana bread batter; I like using either pecans or walnuts. If you’re nuts for nuts (LOL), you’ll enjoy the toasty slight crunch nestled inside the soft crumbs. If you’re not a nut person, feel free to leave them out or replace with chocolate chips. For a whole wheat version, try my whole wheat banana bread. Or for a chocolate version, try my double chocolate banana bread.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with 1 and 1/2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
Can I Turn This Into a Banana Bundt Cake?
I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Freeze banana bread using these instructions to preserve its fresh flavor and texture for months:
- Cool baked banana bread completely.
- Tightly wrap the loaf or slices (individually or grouped) in 2–3 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
- Place wrapped banana bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or reusable container.
- Date the bag and freeze for up to 3–4 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped in the refrigerator or at room temperature. All methods work like a charm!
I like to freeze the quick bread in slices because slices thaw much quicker than a whole loaf.
Overall, this is an easy recipe for classic banana bread. The batter takes about 10 minutes to throw together, the bread stays moist for days, and nothing beats the smell of fresh banana bread in the oven. (Except for, maybe, zucchini bread or pumpkin bread… try those next!)
Other Favorite Banana Recipes:
- Banana Cake & Banana Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Banana Cream Pie & Banoffee Pie
- Banana Muffins or Healthier Chocolate Banana Muffins & Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
- Baked Banana Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
My Favorite Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its super-moist and buttery texture, banana and brown sugar flavors, soft crumb, and 1,000+ reviews, this is a delicious AND undeniably popular banana bread recipe. You need 4 large ripe bananas. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 ripe bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 3/4 cup (90g) chopped pecans or walnuts, or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the yogurt, vanilla, and mashed bananas until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the nuts/chocolate chips, if using. The batter should be thick.
- Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil halfway through, to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Remove the bread from the pan and cool it directly on the rack until ready to slice and serve.
- Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Update in 2025: With enough reader feedback stating the bread can often be too moist and dense, and therefore not bake properly, my team and I retested the bread multiple times over the past 2 years; we slightly reduced the amount of mashed bananas from 2 cups to 1 and 1/2 cups.
- Butter: If needed, you can use salted butter in this recipe with no other changes needed. I’ve also successfully reduced the butter down to 6 Tablespoons (85g) with no issue (just as tasty).
- Brown Sugar: This is not an overly sweet quick bread. If you want a sweeter banana bread, increase to 1 cup (200g) brown sugar. Feel free to replace some or all of the brown sugar with regular white granulated sugar.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: This banana bread also tastes fantastic with cream cheese frosting on top! To make it, beat 4 ounces (112g) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (60g) of softened unsalted butter together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup (120g) of confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until combined. Spread on cooled loaf.
- Banana Bread Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make 15 banana bread muffins. Spoon the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan (fill each to the top with batter) and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the banana bread muffins is about 21–23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my quick & easy banana muffins.
- Brown Sugar: Feel free to substitute the same amount of regular white granulated sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners.
- No Sour Cream or Yogurt? Feel free to use 1/3 cup mashed banana (in addition to what is called for in the recipe), unsweetened applesauce, or even canned pumpkin puree.
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
- Chocolate Chips: I love this bread with chocolate chips, too. Feel free to add 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips. No need to leave out the nuts if you add the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips and nuts are both optional.
- Can I Turn This Into Banana Bundt Cake? There isn’t enough batter. I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Great banana bread recipe! I made it with frozen bananas as well as super ripped ones. It came out very moist and delicious. The next day, the flavour was more pronounced and nuanced. I did bake this bread in a butter greased Pyrex glass 9 by 5 inches. It was a complet success!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’ve made this banana bread multiple times now with my 2 year old. It’s a wild ride but the recipe is simple enough and bread usually comes out amazing. I had one bad bread I think from using baking powder instead of baking soda but it really could be anything bc I am always trying to keep the tiny hands under control and get distracted . Just want to say thanks for the recipe! We have another one in the oven. We enjoy it throughout the week and makes the easiest breakfast for my kiddo. He loves it 🙂
This is my go-to banana bread recipe now! It is always a crowd favorite and so many people have asked me for the recipe. Perfect amount of moisture — the sour cream goes a long way (and sometimes I sub greek yogurt which works just as well)
This was easy to make and so delicious!!
I am new at baking bread, will try the recipe over the weekend. Hope all goes well.
Hello! There used to be a version of this recipe on the blog that was made with cocoa powder, which was my absolute favourite recipe in the world – in fact I made it last weekend! I had it saved in my bookmarks, but when I click on it now, it takes me to this recipe and I can’t find the other one anywhere. Has this been taken off and is there any way for me to perhaps get the recipe via email? Thank you!! x
Hi Reka, I do not have a recipe for chocolate banana bread. (I’ve never published one!) Are you thinking about a different website or perhaps a muffin recipe? Here are my chocolate banana muffins.
What butter brand fo you use in this one ?
Hi Susie, we don’t have a favorite brand of butter. Any stick of unsalted should work!
Hi – I’ve tried and used many of your recipes over the years, and love them! This is the first time I’m looking at your Banana Bread recipe. I’ve made banana bread with other go-to recipes and was surprised to find that yours does not have any baking powder – only baking soda. Is there a reason you do not use it in this recipe? Does the bread still rise?
Thanks very much!
Hi Aly, thank you for asking! I do not use baking powder in this bread batter, you’re correct. 1 teaspoon of baking soda is plenty. I found that adding some baking powder is really fine, but adding too much gives the bread more of a cakey texture. Less banana bread and more like banana cake. So, stick with the recipe above.
I made ½ batch so 1 loaf. I use blender method. all wet ingredients in blender all dry ingredients in mixing bowl. blend wet then add it to dry. gently fold together. proceed as normal.
The recipe as given yields 1 loaf. How did 1/2 a batch which I assume is 1/2 of all ingredients yield 1 loaf also? How did you have enough ingredients to fill the loaf pan 1/2 way?
I followed recipe exactly and bread came out perfect.
Just a suggestion to other bakers that you shouldn’t use all of the batter for the 9×5 inch loaf. Fill the pan halfway to two-thirds full, and use the rest for muffins or a smaller loaf. My bread has been in the oven for 1h20min so far. The center is still not baked through, and the middle of the loaf is too high. I used the correct size pan, oven temperature, ingredient measurements, etc.
Trust your judgment when you think there’s too much batter in your pan! I didn’t, and now I regret it.
I just made this recipe and I never use a loaf pan to cook anything in a loaf pan. I find it dries out cakes,breads, meatloaves. I used a Bundt pan and it came out perfect. I did loosely cover it at the 30 minute mark like it said and decided to check it in 15 minutes and I’m glad I did because it was done. I would have ruined it had I not taken it out and checked it. I can’t imagine having to cook it as long as you have and it’s still not done in the middle. It sounds like it won’t be edible.
Like a previous commenter said, this will take much longer than an hour to bake if you follow the recipe and directions! Mine is still not done and it’s been in for well over an hour and a half. I’m upping the oven temp to see if that helps, because at this point it’s just browning the outside with a raw inside.
Side note: I highly recommend putting brown sugar on top of the loaf for the last 20ish minutes that you bake it. Whenever I do this people love it!
Wish I’d read this first! Pan looked way too full. Cooked mine for way longer than suggested, knife finally came out clear, but after cooling and cutting there was a visible line of undercooked batter at the bottom. Such a waste. The search for the perfect banana bread continues..
Can I melt the butter so I can incorporate everything by hand with out needing a stand mixer? Would this alter the texture?
Hi Susan, Creaming the butter and sugar is key to the soft texture. You can certainly mix it by hand if necessary, but it will take quite a bit of arm muscle! Particularly when it comes to properly creaming the butter and sugars. We find a sturdy wooden spoon works best. You may want to try these banana muffins that are made with melted butter instead.
Thank you! I will try the other recipe!
Great recipe and very easy to make! Also a little too easy to eat.
This was so great. Skipped the chopped nuts. It’s dangerous to be alone with this 🙂
Can I use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour in this recipe?
Hi Fran, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
I was in the mood to bake this weekend and decided on banana bread. It turned out great! It was my first time making banana bread. Thank you for equipping me to have so many “firsts” in baking.
This banana nut bread is most awesome and I’ll be making it from now on! I followed your recipe to a T and it came out amazing with perfect texture, moist and full of yummy banana flavor! It lasted a 2 whole days here between me and my husband, so next time I’m making a loaf for him and one for me hehe! Thank you so much for sharing and BTW Sally, I love your site and recipes.
I just finished trying out this recipe. I doubled the recipe but reduced the quantity of sugar. I used 1/2cup white sugar and 1/2cup honey instead of the brown sugar. I also didn’t have yoghurt available so I used buttermilk instead. I must say the bread came out so well and very delicious.
Thank you so much for this♥️
Awesome recipe! My favorite banana bread. Right now I’m living in a country with a sugar shortage. I can only get powdered sugar. I also have honey and maple syrup. Any suggestions please?
Hi Nicole, I’m so glad to read you enjoy this banana bread recipe. I have not tested this exact batter using any of the options you listed. How about this whole wheat banana bread recipe— it’s a little different, but it uses honey. And you can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat.
Thank you. Actually I ended up making this recipe and substituting half a cup of honey for sugar and it turned out really good.
I love this recipe and do it quite often!
I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup almond nuts. The banana bread is so moist and not so sweet. Thanks for this recipe. My family loved it!
Hello Sally. I am a huge fan of yours and banana bread is a favourite in our household and I have made them for friends and family and has received rave reviews. When asked for recipe, I say I follow Sallys baking addiction. I have been horrible at making cupcakes and then turned to your recipe for making muffins, and they turned out to be great. I did wholewheat banana chocolate chip and walnut cranberry muffins. A huge thank you to you who inspired me to bake more.
I would like to request if you may please provide an advice if I wanted to bake in large quantities of banana loaf. Lets say if I wanted to make 5 loafs of banana bread (9×5) pan size, Can I put the ingredients in one batch in the mixer , like if one batch calls for 4 bananas, should I multiply by 5. Will it be ok or what would be your best advice. Thanks a lot in advance for your time and advice. Much appreciated.
Hi Nisha, thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes! We always recommend making separate batches instead of multiplying. Large quantities of batter can lead to over or under – mixing and sometimes quantities of ingredients needed can get skewed with large batches as well. Hope this helps!
I’m not sure what happened but this came out “spongey” and chewey, not bread like at all. It also took forever to cook through. Maybe over mixing with my kitchenaid as I usually do not use it.
I had the same problem. The bottom never set up and I cooked it for way longer than it stated in the recipe trying to get it to set. I don’t know what happened. Maybe too much banana?
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!!
It’s so nice to make these when we have a few over-ripe bananas!
My entire family loves this recipe so much, and it’s such a nice snack.
I wanted to love this recipe, but it just didn’t turn out for us. There just wasn’t enough sweetness and the bottom of the loaf has a wetter texture than the center. I was not a fan of the crumb on this loaf either. I baked it in the bottom third of our oven at 350 degrees using convection bake. I’m wondering if it would do better divided into two smaller loaf pans or perhaps baked at 425 for 5 to 8 minutes and then lowered to 350 for the remainder. Any tips appreciated. Thank you for sharing
I’ve made this recipe now three times in as many weeks. My family can’t get enough! I also took it to my weekly gab session and it went like hotcakes! Tonight I’ve got the muffin version in the oven and am looking forward to easy breakfasts for the weekend. You are now my go-to baking blogger- after trying several of your recipes and having them all turn out great, I start with you any time I need a new recipe. Thank you! Such a life saver!!
I was just going to write, virtually the same thing!
My husband goes bananas for it. (Pun intended!)
He likes it sweeter, so I doubled the sugar after the first bread. It took much longer to bake. This could be my oven 🙁 or, possibly, the increase in sugar.). It is an amazing recipe!
This bread is just fantastic. I love that it is firm enough to pop a slice in the toaster (those crisp edges are divine) and cover it with a schmear of cream cheese without it falling apart. Well done, Sally!
Hi! Can I double this recipe to make 2 loaves?
Hi Kim, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. This ensures the ingredients are properly incorporated. Happy baking!
The banana bread was delicious!
So apparently I made this and scooped into two 9×5 bread pans …. stay tuned for my failure haha!! I’m at 35 minutes with all the directions just split into two different bread pans … might have some mini banana bread …
All went well it’s super light and fluffy and I added pecans 🙂 I went after 35 mins in 5 min increments until the interns temp was 190
The taste was there. Very good tasting. But the edges got more cooked, even though I followed the instructions completely. Next time I’ll bake for 50 minutes and hope it’s better.
Did you cover the loaf half way through? I’ve found that makes a huge difference for me.