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 recipe! I used an electric oven and it was ready in 50 minutes. Do you happen to have the nutrition facts? How many grams of sugar are their in a slice or loaf?
Glad you enjoyed them! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Hi Sally,
I don’t have a 9″ loaf pan. It says it’s a 2lb one.
I have measured it and it measures around 8″ by 3 1/2 “.
Would I be able to make this Banana recipe in this loaf pan
Hi Hope, for a smaller pan like yours, we’d recommend only filling the pan 2/3 way full and then using the leftover batter for a few muffins on the side. Bake time for the loaf may be on the shorter side, but keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
This is my go to recipe for banana bread! Always a success! So moist and so delicious! Absolutely love it!
Omg! I’ve made hundreds of banana cakes, banana bread & banana pancakes , to say nothing of the muffins, but this recipe really is a winner! Thank you, I love getting a “Sally” in my emails!
I’ve tried this recipe before and really loved it! So tasty, cripsy on the outside and soft and moist inside. Wonder if I could double the recipe?
Any tips for making this gluten free and dairy free?
Hi Sally, I love your recipes and have tried many — they are fail proof. Is this possible to make in a Bundt pan?
Thank you.
Hi Esther! We’d recommend using this banana cake batter for a Bundt instead (see recipe notes for bundt cake instructions). Let us know if you give it a try!
I followed the recipe exactly and used a bundt pan. It came out great. Baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Soft crumb and moist, as described. So, so good.
Thank you Sally for sharing your recipes!
I made your banana nut bread last weekend, everybody loved it!!
Is there a reason for using a metal loaf pan? Mine is glass.
Metal or glass is great. I do not recommend ceramic because it takes awhile for the batter to heat properly, extending the bake time and even over-cooking the exterior before the center can cook.
This is the absolute best! Can I use my stoneware pan?
Hi Staci! We recommend using metal as the bread will take longer to bake in stoneware.
This is the banana bread recipe I’ve been searching for my whole life! It’s moist, tender, and cake like, with the tradition crust that’s so yummy about banana bread. Not dense or crumbly. Perfect!
I have made this recipe several times and it is perfect! Full of flavor and individual slices freeze well. Thank you Sally!
I am a pretty accomplished cook – but first time I made this bread it was raw on the bottom third even though pick came out clean. Next time cooked longer and covered top with foil at end to keep from getting too dark. Baked about 70 minutes – even still the bottom half inch was doughy. Followed recipe to the T both times. What am I missing – just cook longer??
Were the mashed bananas mashed into a thin liquid or was the mashed banana more chunky and thick? That’s what you want– a chunkier, thick mashed banana rather than thin liquid. Because when they are mashed up too much, it’s adding too much thin liquid to the batter and the banana bread will not bake properly. Your bread may have needed more time or try mashing up the banana a bit less. I hope this helps!
I had the exact same issue! Perhaps it was the banana consistency. I wondered if I over mixed it also.
I whip my old bananas up in my ninja and put in ziploc freezer bags, label and date them
I’ve tried a lot of banana bread recipes and this one is by far my favorite! I love the texture and the touch of cinnamon adds the perfect amount of spice. Be careful with this because it’s highly addictive.
This is the 4th Sally recipe I have tried. I really wanted to love this one. I followed the instructions exactly. First, it smells wonderful as it bakes. However, there is too much batter for the 9×5 pan. Took 70 minutes to bake and the outside of the bread is overcooked and the inside is slightly undercooked, even covering it 30 minutes into the bake. Again, I want to love this, but have to pass. The Taste of Home banana bread was a home run for me.
Just went into comments section to see if I’m the only one!
But I have just realized, that i’ve put 500g of flour, but now I believe that stated 250g is total of 2cups? Please let me know, i need to have perfect banana bread, will do another one tommorrow lol
Hi Joana, “2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour” mean that 2 cups is a total of 250g, and this is a common understanding. If it’s not, then the recipe should say: “2 cups (1 cup = 125g) all-purpose flour”. I agree, however, that a cup which holds only 125g of flour must be terribly small! My 250ml glass holds about 160g of flour. I really wonder how big is Sally’s cup in ml?
The best banana bread I have made, we couldn’t even wait for it to cool off, thank you Sally for this recipe
Also didn’t have butter at home so I used ghee (clarified butter) it worked just as good as regular butter
I have made this recipe several times now. It is a family favorite. It always comes out perfectly. Thank you!
Lovely recipe. Doing a repeat today. Everyone loved it the first time. Thanks for sharing
Not sure what I did wrong. Great taste but very rubbery texture and the loaf of banana bread just looks “sad”. Any suggestions?
Made this for the first time yesterday. Very pleased with the results, and will bake this again, with a few changes in the method of doing so; I learned a few things along the way. I’ve been baking banana breads for many moons, and there was one in particular that was a favorite. Then, over time, the recipe didn’t work for me any more, and it became apparent that I needed a new recipe. Found your site & recipe & decided to give it a try. Didn’t change anything, except for cutting the cinnamon down by 1/2; I’ve never seen cinnamon used in any banana bread recipe before. Next time, I will use the full amount.
You mention adjusting the oven rack to the lower third position in the oven; after baking your bread, it “dawned” on me why, as my breads always had a “line” that appeared not quite completely baked on the bottom of the loaf. Next time: lower the rack and bake it longer, perhaps for 70 minutes. The foil on top of the loaf was a great suggestion, which I will do again, as well as mashing the bananas with a hand mixer. In fact, I used the hand mixer all the way through the recipe. (Yes, I have a “Kitchen Aid ” mixer, but using the hand mixer gave me more “control” over the batter.
This recipe is fabulous, and a keeper as well. Thank You for posting this.
Sandra W. 9/ 23/ 2022
Have been looking for a really good, classic Banana Bread Recipe. This is it! My husband has Celiac so I substituted the all purpose flour for King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour blend and it came out AMAZING! Definitely a keeper.
Can I freeze the bread?
You bet! See recipe notes for details.
Hi! Can I use half the bananas and keep the quantities of the other ingredients? Thank you!
Hi Julia! No, the bread would be dry without the moisture from half of the bananas.
Greetings from Sweden!
I just baked my very first banana bread and have tasted a tiny slice, so far so good!
The recipe was easy to follow but I had to google some of the mesures and ingrediences since they are different from the ones we have in Sweden. Next time, I will wait to use the foile until it start to get too dark, otherwise it looks a bit undercooked.
What kind of toppings do you use on the bread, or do you eat it plain? Read somewhere that peanut butter can be tasteful. Any other option?
Thank you for a nice recipe! I was in New York in April and is kind of addicted to American style bakery since then…
Regards,
Hi Emma, we’re so glad you loved this banana bread! Banana bread can be enjoyed plain, but a little bit of butter, honey butter, or peanut butter (as you mention) is also delicious on a slice. Or if you’re looking for something extra special, the frosting from this carrot cake loaf would be delicious on top as well!
Used blueberry yogurt, unsweetened, with six bananas and chocholate chips. Excellent recipe.
The bread was moist but I would add some regular sugar because it tasted pretty bland even after I added chocolate chips and walnuts.
Great recipe, have to make 2, one’s not enough.
To Rebecca P: get High
Altitude flour, Kroger, Safeway has it,
delicious as always! my banana bread had awesome flavour but it was more chewy and less crumbly, is this a result of over mixing?
Hi Kitty, Chewy bread can definitely be from over mixing, but if it seems to be dry and chewy, the issue may be from the top being over-baked. Tenting with foil earlier would help with that. Thank you so much for giving this banana bread recipe a try!
I’ve made this recipe successfully several times and it’s delicious! However, one time I followed the instructions to put the foil on after baking for 30 mins – I definitely do not recommend doing this as the bread came out completely undercooked even after leaving in oven for way longer than 75 mins (had to throw the bread out). If the top is browning too quickly, just rent with foil for last 15 mins of baking or so. Otherwise recipe is great!
This recipe hands down beats all other. Delish!
Anyone know how I could add oatmeal to this?
You can replace some of the flour with oats. Use quick cooking type as the texture will be better. You might have to adjust liquid amount.
Again an other successful recipe! Our family has adopted your web site for all good baking things. You are now part of my family for goodies. I have purchased two of your cookbooks. When more come out I will put it on my birthday/Christmas list of things I would love to have. Perhaps one day you’ll make old fashion apple fritters. Here in Canada, there are no place that makes home made fritters. There was a large company here that baked the old way until they went to frozen product across Canada. Thanks again. Sandra, Sarnia Ontario Canada
Sally, I’ve made several recipes from your website with much success but this Banana bread hasn’t worked out well for me, even after several tries. After it is baked the lower part of the bread is a mush, like the batter has too much liquid. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. What can I be doing wrong?
Hi Kanthi, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. If the bottom of the bread is not baked through, it sounds like it simply needs more time in the oven. If you find the top of the bread is browning too quickly, you can lightly tent the pan with foil to help prevent the top from burning while allowing the rest of the bread to continue baking through. Be sure to properly measure all your ingredients as well to ensure the batter is the right consistency. Hope these tips are helpful for next time!
I am having the same problem! It comes out dense and rubbery. Today was my second attempt. I left it in the oven for an hour and twenty minutes. It still sank after coming out of the oven even though it’s baked through.
Check your oven temp as it might need to be recalibrated.
Are you using the exact measurements?
Are your baking leavenings outdated?
Any suggestions for baking time adjustments to make mini muffins?
Hi Meghan for mini muffins, we recommend following our banana muffins recipe and bake for 12-14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C). We hope they’re a hit!