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
I see you are not using baking powder in this recipe. Is that correct or am I missing something? I’m so use to using BP with AP flour so I’m just checking because I’m making it today. .
PS..I LOVE YOUR RECIPES AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD GREAT SUCCESS!
Hi Marcie, thank you for asking! We do not use baking powder in this bread batter, you’re correct. 1 teaspoon of baking soda is plenty. We 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.
Very good banana bread. I did have a couple problems though which were my fault. It didn’t have a nice dome, it came out flat. It rose clear to the top of the pan and went over the edge of the pan and the edges got dark and crunchy. I did cover with foil at the 30 min mark but it still got dark. So I think where I messed up is instead of measuring out 2 cups of bananas I just used 4 large ones. I had to bake it an extra 25 min past the 65 min recommend time. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly so I’m blaming it on too much banana haha. But it’s delicious and a keeper and next time I’ll measure the bananas lol Thank you!
Hello can you suggest an alternative to eggs?
Hi Janet, We haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes, so can’t give any advice. Let us know if you try any! Here are all of our egg free baking recipes if you are interested in browsing there.
I would probably add more sugar next time. Mine turned out a bit dry and didn’t have much flavor/wasn’t sweet enough.
Can I make this in my pampered chef stoneware bread pan? If so, do I need to make any modifications? Thank you!
Hi Karen, we can’t see why not. The baking time may vary, so keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I baked mine in a stoneware bread pan & bake time was unaffected.
This is a healthy as well as delicious recipe. It calls for less sugar and more banana than most. I also like the brown sugar and subtle cinnamon flavorings.
I can’t wait to try these muffins , can I use fat free greek yogurt?
Yes!
I want recipes without flour
Hi Tina, you can find all of our gluten-free recipes (without all-purpose flour) here.
There. are several fabulous Gluten Free flours available. I have 3 grandchildren and a daughter who must avoid gluten. I actually use GF now for all my baking. Cup 4 Cup is my go to but there are others out there. You can actually order on Amazon
You might try coconut flour. Not sure if you would use it one to one however in this type of recipe. I have not enough experience yet to know, but found out so far that it expands because it absorbs the liquids in a recipe, when i first used it recently to make cookies with. As for this recipe we are commenting on, I have made it twice so far with 1 cup brown rice flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour and it turns out great, using 3 large bananas instead of four, with all other ingredients the same.
If you’re okay with GF flour I made this with a cup for cup Bob Red Mill and it came out great!
Has anyone ever tried using browned butter instead of regular butter? Ive been replacing it recently in my baked goods. Tempted to try…
That sounds amazing, I don’t think you could go wrong! Maybe just wait for it to cool?
Loved this recipe! First time baking banana bread and turned out perfect
I would like to know if I can use extra large eggs in this recipe or any other because my husband bought two dozen. Extra large eggs and I would like to use them up. Thanks
Hi Sandy, sure can!
Yum! Yum! Yum! After 30 years of baking banana bread, I have FINALLY found my GO TO recipe. So flavorful and just absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
I finally tried this recipe and it was so good! I found it very forgiving as I mashed the bananas and then added other ingredients, and I didn’t use an electric mixer. It still turned out very delicious and with a great texture. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can i make small loafs with this recipe?
Hi Teri, absolutely! Bake time will depend on the size of your smaller pans. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I was just wondering if I can use homemade oat flour instead of all purpose? And would it be the same amount? Thanks!
Hi Kylie, We haven’t tested this recipe with oat flour, but expect a more dense texture.
This is my families favorite banana bread, with the addition of 1 cup of chocolate chips. If I wanted to do a peanut butter variation, could I just replace all the butter with peanut butter?
Hi Julia, we’re so glad your family loves this recipe! It would take a bit of recipe testing to successfully add peanut butter to the batter (it’s not a 1:1 swap with butter, unfortunately). How about spreading peanut butter on top or even using peanut butter chips in place of chocolate chips?
I live at an altitude of 7,500 ft, is there anything I should do differently for high altitude? Thank you so much!
Hi Leah, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This was the most amazing banana bread!! Smelled absolutely divine when cooking and was delicious with a knob of butter and cup of tea.
An amazing recipe for anyone who loves banana bread. Ok, yeah, I am not one of those people, but I’m repeatedly told that by my family who DO love banana bread and who pester me to make this recipe at least twice a month, so I’m thinking it’s true. It’s an easy enough mix and bake. Worked perfectly fine with natural sweeteners (I swap out the brown sugar for 1 cup of allulose + 1 tbs of molasses), if you want them. Basically… everything I’ve come to expect from this awesome website.
Hate to say this.. but I have recently swapped this recipe for my grandma’s beloved banana bread recipe (which is very similar to yours but hers uses oil and white sugar). So it goes to show that butter and brown sugar really make this loaf special. Soooo tender. I just wanted to give this one a try because I love all your recipes. I have made this several times in the past month. I will be adding this into my recipe book. I top mine with turbinado sugar and chopped pecans.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Shelby. We’re thrilled you enjoyed this banana bread!
This recipe states 1/2 cup of butter, but also says one stick. Wondering which is correct as one stick is 1/4 cup? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, 1/2 cup of butter is 1 8-Tbsp stick. Butter can sometimes be sold in 1/4 cup 4-Tbsp smaller sticks though. You need 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) butter for this recipe.
I agree that it could use a little more sugar, mine was a little blah as well. Any suggestions?
hello sally! i have tried several recipes from yours and am going to bake this banana bread! however my baking tin is 7”x3.5”, should i reduce the total baking time to around 45 mins and cover the tin with foil at around 20 min? thanks
Hi Sharon, this will be a bit too much batter for that size pan. You can fill your loaf pan about 2/3 full, then use any leftover batter for some muffins. Bake time will be a bit less, but keep a close eye on it and cover with tin foil when the edges start to brown. Hope you love the banana bread!
thanks sally for your reply! yes the recipe yields 1 loaf of my pan size and 6 tiny muffins
i have swapped 80g of almond flour into it and the cake is now more crunchier and nutty, yet still moist and aromatic
love your recipes a lot!
This recipe always tastes great but I always have to add a lot longer than 60-65 minutes.
I normally have to add at least 30 minutes (in 10 minute increments) or more! Why is my timing so off?
Hi Vivian! Bake time will depend on the exact pan you’re using (is it a 9×5 or 8×5?, is it metal or glass?, etc.), the exact temperature of your oven (we always recommend using an in-oven thermometer for the most accurate reading!), how wet your bananas were, and so on. It’s always best to use baking times as a recommendation and keep an eye on your baked goods in the oven – for all recipes! We’re so glad you enjoy this banana bread recipe.
Hi Sally; sorry to bother you with this question. I just made this bread today and my roommate’s review is this. “Delicious, super delicious”. I cannot have bananas so I cannot give my opinion, but my question is this…The sides and bottom are just a tad to brown so my question is this…do I really need to put it in the lower third position… I did cover after 30 minutes and it did come out beautiful but like I said a tad too brown on sides and bottom. Thanks for any advice you can give me as I need to make 2 more loaves on Friday for a gift.
Hi Kathryn, we’re so glad this banana bread was a hit! You can certainly move the pan away from the heating element if the sides are browning too much. Is your pan particularly dark? That could also be contributing to the browning. Hope this helps!
Sally, Help! I froze 4 bananas last week(then went out of town). Yesterday, I defrosted them in the frig. Now feeling through the skins, they feel like “liquid consistency”. Can they be used for this recipe???
Hi Lesley! It sounds like your bananas may have taken on too much water during the defrosting process. You can certainly open them up and take a look — you’ll want a consistency similar to the photo in the post, and not too liquid-y.
Great recipe! I messed up by being impatient for my butter to come to room temp, so I tried to microwave it to soften. Oh Oh, it totally melted. Anyway I used the butter anyway with no apparent ill effects . I also added half cup of raisons and craisons. I used the sour cream and added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon as well as one half teaspoon of nutmeg. The bread baked well and tasted very delicious !!! My new go to recipe. Thanks so much !
Would the time and temp change similarly to muffins if I use mini loaf foil tins?
Hi Martha, the bake time will depend on the size of your pans (mini loaf pans vary widely in size). Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Best banana bread I’ve ever had. The recipe almost seemed too simple to be so good, but it really is. I made it exactly as written, no changes or substitutions. 10/10 would recommend!
So good!!!! Smells amazing ❤️
Like all of your recipes, this one is perfection! I was wondering if you could recommend a non-dairy substitute for the yogurt/sour cream. I use coconut oil instead of butter and it works really well. Thank you!
Hi Galia, we haven’t tested a completely dairy-free version of this bread. Some readers have had success with a dairy-free yogurt in other recipes. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
My banana bread came out great with high top. Had only two smaller bananas so I added one ripe chopped pear at the end of mixing as I wanted pear chunks. I love Sally’s recipes and have tried others with the great results. Made muffin mixture as per recipe but mixed some sour cherries instead of usual berries etc. The family loved them. Thank you Sally for sharing your recipes and knowledge of baking.
The taste of these muffins is great but when I made them they stuck to the muffin liners and a lot of butter leached out into the muffin tin!?! I am bewildered!? What went wrong?
Hi Amanda, the liners you use make a big difference – we always recommend using high quality grease-proof liners for best results. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!