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 agree with others- don’t use the bottom rack. Put it in the middle. Bottom is too dark on the bottom rack. Other than that it’s pretty good.
Hello! How high do we fill the pans? 1/2, 2/3?
Hi Sabrina, you can use all of the batter to fill your 9×5-inch pan.
How would I make this recipe gluten free?
Hi Tee, we haven’t tested a gluten free version of this bread, but let us know if you do.
I used gluten free flour and it turned out great!!
For Gluten Free I use King Arthurs Measure For Measure Gluten Free Flour. No other changes needed.
Great recipe, bread was moist. Next time, I’ll cook it on the middle rack instead of the bottom third because the bottom of the bread came out too dark. Tenting it did keep the top from getting overdone.
can shortening be used in place of butter ?
Hi Marie, that should be fine.
Hi
Please put oven temperature with you banana bread recipe. I assume it is 350but it should be added to the recipe. Thanks
Hi Linda, Step 1: Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). We hope you enjoy the bread!
Would I be able to make this in a 9″x13″ pan? What about in mini loaf pans (each one is about 2.5″x4.25″)? I wasn’t sure how either would impact the temperature and time.
Hi Kathryn, yes, you can definitely make these in mini loaf pans. Same temperature, but bake time will vary so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. For a 9×13, we’d recommend following this banana cake recipe instead.
Ah man, so good!
I whipped this up on a whim and replaced the sugar with a sugar alternative: the loaf is moist, richly flavoured and super more-ish. It won’t last the two days recommended for flavours to develop:)
My go to banana bread recipe
What is the serving size?
Hi Mariam, this recipe yields 1, 9×5-inch loaf. Exact serving size depends on how large/small you slice the bread.
Baked it today-I mixed the butter with sugar first, then placed it along with all the wet ingredients in the machine, and combined all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then put them in with the rest. I used the quick setting and it turned out great; would recommend 🙂
Can I freeze the muffins also?
Hi Nicole, absolutely. Baked muffins freeze well for up to 3 months.
Great recipe, would it be possible to make it in a bread machine?
Hi JS, we’re glad you enjoyed it! We haven’t tested it in a bread machine, but let us know if you try anything.
Ive made quite a few of your recipes but for me this one was disappointing. I found the bread to be very dense. I even baked it an extra 15 minutes because it was not coming out clean. End result while a decent flavor, I felt was way too dense and just tasted underdone than buttery. I even weighed my ingredients because 4 bananas can vary depending on size. In the end I won’t be using this recipe again. You win some you lose some.
I don’t want to be that guy but there’s a lot of swaps because of what has available to me. I knew I could get in the ballpark and the results were good in my opinion. dense (but cooked well), moist and sweet. I subbed out the sour cream and brown sugar for a 250ml can of condensed coconut milk (which has coconut cream in it), about 2 tablespoons of molasses, and a tablespoon of vinegar (you get sugar, some fat, acid and the brown sugar flavor all from those things). I also swapped butter with shortening because i was trying to use it up and added nutmeg and cardamom because i didn’t have cinnamon. As long as you know what you are subbing and what it does to the dessert, things can work out!
The best banana bread I’ve ever made. The only one I’ll ever make. I got wild and added 1 tablespoon of bourbon. I don’t know if it made any difference. It just sounded fancy to say bourbon walnut banana bread lol! Thank you for this perfect recipe.
From the hubby who’s also the cook (we’re seniors), this recipe is outstanding. I followed it closely this past Saturday. I have two silicon muffin pans which yielded 18 instead of 15 (as they’re slightly smaller). They turned out fabulous. Thanks you for using grams. Made it an exact science. Again, kudos for an excellent recipe.
My Sister in Law found this recipe and shared with me. It is my go to now! Perfect
I was going to make banana bread, but wanted to try something a little different. So glad I found this recipe! It came out way better than I thought. I couldn’t wait to try it! The marbling makes it look so nice. I used dark chocolate to make the ganache and it came out great. I will definitely make this again when I have over ripe bananas to use up. I always trust Sally’s recipes, I have tried many different recipes from this site and they all come out amazing.
This is pinned. My favorite recipe for banana bread and I’ve tried tons.
I made this recipe twice. First one toothpick did not go all the way to the bottom & the bottom was not cooked. Second one, had longer toothpicks, took it out when toothpick was clean & it fell & was undercooked. Could be my oven as the temperature is low by about 25 degrees, according to oven thermostat. I will try another recipe for banana loaf.
Hi Judy, if your oven isn’t calibrated correctly and is 25 degrees low, then that is the reason for this bread being underbaked. I recommend getting an oven thermometer and then increasing the oven temperature until the oven thermometer displays the temperature the recipe calls for.
I absolutely love each and every one of Sally’s baking recipes. I hope to make them all one day! This banana bread is great. I am pairing it with a simple American buttercream, but with a bit of greek yogurt mixed in for additional tang (similar to cream cheese frosting)
Made this recipe today, waiting for it to cool off now. My house smells delicious.
Love this recipe, I actually love all your recipes, delicious and most importantly most of them are easy to make. I used mini chocolate chips instead of nuts.
Excellent results! Smells so good when it’s baking. I added ground flax, next time I’ll maybe use 1/2 whole wheat flour? What do u think?
Hi Sharon, here is our whole wheat banana bread recipe instead!
I just popped the banana bread in the oven. I may have made a mistake as I decided to “wing it” with the addition of Heath Bar bits. As I was putting it in the oven, I realized that the moistness of the bread may make the Heath bits sort of soggy and soft. I was more focused on whether the flavor would work that I forgot about the texture. 🙁 I was planning on giving it as a gift for my neighbor who is taking care of my cat for the week but now I’m not sure. What do you think? I’ve actually never baked with the bits before.
Hi Angelique, we haven’t tried Heath bits in this particular recipe, but they are intended for baking so we imagine they should work just fine. Hope the bread is a hit!
Great recipe, do you know calories per slice?
Hi Dan, so glad you enjoy this bread! 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
Would I be able to swap the AP flour for almond flour?
Hi Meghan, It would take quite a bit of recipe testing to ensure good results using almond flour. It has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour and isn’t always a 1:1 swap. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for almond flour.
Hi, I wanted to try making banana bread for the first time, and found this recipe online. Its so good, I am going to “put it on speedial” like some others mentioned. I want to make it as mini loafs in a mini loaf pan I have that contains 8 mini loaf molds. Any tips on baking instructions for mini loafs (instead of muffins or a regular large loaf)?
Hi Jay, you can certainly make these as mini loaves. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but same temperature. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Great banana bread, dense but not dry and I only used 3 very ripe bananas! I increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp, and used 1 cup dark brown sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch more salt. Do not overbake as it continues to cook a bit after you remove it from the oven. Follow the directions for rack level for baking this. Used a rounded 1/3 cup of full fat sour cream. Husband loved it. (I think people are over baking this or over mixing the batter or using too much flour causing a dry bread)