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
First time making it. Your recipe came up first, so I went with that. Went the whole hog and threw in coconut and pecans. I’ll update you on taste. If it tastes as good as it looks.
Easy and delicious banana bread….my family loved it.ingredients r simple but result was outstanding.
I have made this recipe on 3 occasions and love it! I’ve never made banana bread before bit this is easy enough. I made the first one with walnuts and it was delicious!
Was getting ready to make this recipe and I realized I do not have vanilla extract. Can it be omitted or is there something I could substitute?
Hi Tallie, you can leave it out in a pinch.
I don’t like the taste of vanilla so always leave it out. It’ll be fine. Personally I think it’s better lol.
Perfect texture! Super moist! But personally I think it needs the 1C brown sugar. That’s the only reason I’ve given 4 stars. Would defo make again with 1C brown sugar and then it will be 5 stars !
Added walnuts and 100g milk choc chips.
I made this yesterday and added chopped walnuts. I baked it in stoneware in 4 small loaves. It came out perfectly and it is delicious! My new favorite banana bread recipe
The bread was delicious and very moist. All the tips very useful. And loved the cook mode option on screen!
The best banana bread i have made till now. Thanks
I love this recipe and made it 4x now and this is by far my favourite recipe!
But yesterday, it seems I did something wrong, my banana bread did not rise. What could be the problem?
Hi Jane, A squat loaf can be caused by over-mixing, old baking soda, or too much flour in the batter. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
By far the best banana bread I have made. Love it. I like that I can use sour cream instead of yogurt.
Forgot to add, I made this in a buttered aluminum bundt pan no problem, and when saving it to Pinterest, I realized I’d saved a banana bundt cake by Dorie Greenspan a while back. Comparing the two recipes just really shows how superior this one is – for the same (or smaller) amount of banana, Dorie uses OVER DOUBLE the sugar and butter, 3x the yogurt, and 50% more flour – no wonder the banana flavor shines through so much better in this one!
I tried this banana bread base with the cinnamon swirl in the middle, it came out DELICIOUS! I loved it!
I’ve tried so many banana bread recipe, this is the best one hands down. I’ve made this 4 times since finding it a couple months ago.
I’ve added walnuts to each loaf, and the latest had mini chocolate chips added too.
It is so so so good
Delicious. My family loved it. Thank you
Amazing results with this recipe. House smells lovely. Thank you
How would i double the recipe ? What would you change for it?
Hi Tish, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
The best banana bread recipe. Loved it.
This recipe is the best so far! So moist and not too sweet, I add pecans and golden raisins, my family went Bananas over it! Thanks for sharing!
My favorite go-to banana bread recipe!! I switch the flour to Bob’s Red Mill Cup for Cup GF flour, since my son and I are gluten free. I don’t change anything else and it’s perfect! Thank you!
I would not follow the part about turning the oven to 425,then turning down,my muffins were burnt
I have many this recipe many many times over the years. By far, the best banana bread recipe I have ever made. Full of banana flavor and stays moist. I actually buy bananas and let them get brown so I can make this recipe…Thank you Sally for this great recipe!
This Banana Bread recipe is exactly like the one I have! It’s Delicious! I always add Coconut to mine… and if your Bananas aren’t ripe enough you can put the Bananas on a tray and bake them for 45 or so minutes at 325 degrees! It makes the bananas sweeter, and nice and soft, they will turn black but that’s how you want them!
I loved this recipe much
Your recipe is the best one yet! And I’ve tried others. I made three loaves and I didn’t put tin foil over them. The tops were golden and crunchy and the bread was super moist. I added chopped walnuts to mine. I froze one loaf for another day. I will refer back to your recipe in the future because it is a keeper!!
Love this banana bread recipe! Made it with sour cream and love the texture and flavor! A hit with whole family!
This is Alton Browns recipe isnt it? or well its identical anyway, but is spectacular! Make it all the time!
Finally, I have a banana bread recipe. That’s working for me. I’m at the cooling stage now but I will try to send a message when I’m completely done. The true test is the taste test. Thank you so much for putting so much time and effort into this recipe. I really do appreciate it. Thank you.
The best banana cake I made.I love it so much.
Can I make this with out eggs ? We just ran out of eggs and it would be great if I didn’t have to run to the store. Is there something I can substitute for eggs ? Thanks
Hi Beth, we haven’t tested it with any egg substitutes, so we’re unsure what might work best/how it will impact the bread. If you decide to do any experimenting, please do let us know how it goes.
You say “Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position … Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much …” Yeah, except that in a gas oven, the heat is on the bottom.
Hi B K! We find the same rule applies to gas ovens, but all ovens are different, so find what works best for yours 🙂
I am going to make this banana bread and was wondering if there is any other flour I can use, and can I cut back on the amount of sugar?
Hi Lois, We don’t recommend another type of flour here but you may enjoy our whole wheat banana bread. That recipe also has a bit less sugar.
I just made this with 1 cup bobs keto flour and 1 cup trader joes gluten free flour. For the sugar, I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup king arthur baking sugar alternative. Wow!!! Normally my banana bread is dry cause of the flour subs but this is next level amazing! I’m bookmarking this one as my forever banana bread recipe. Thank you Sally!!
I made the banana bread recipe a few days ago. Added pecans and a little chopped chocolate. Absolutely delicious! Sally’s recipes are always a hit.