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
Do you use light brown ir dark brown sugar?
Hi Michelle, you can use either in this recipe. We typically use light brown sugar here. Enjoy!
Hi Michelle, you can use either.
This is the best banana bread recipe I have made. It’s true that the next day is even better!
This is my go to recipe for perfect banana bread. I always make sure I only fill my pan 2/3 full and use excess to make a few muffins or a mini loaf. I never have to worry about the sides burning before the middle is done.
How long do you cook the mini loaves?
I hate banana bread, but I have made this now a few times and sent it into work with my wife and it get rave reviews. I include both pecans and chocolate chips.
I made these into muffins and added candies pecans and cranberries and also added orange zest and walnuts.
Delicious!! Everything you make is so so very good ❤️
I loved it. The second time I did it, I realized that I don’t have enough all purpose flour and used 75g all purpose, 100g whole wheat flour and 75g oat flour and it worked out great 🙂 Actually the one with mix of flour tasted better for us. Great recipe
Made this today! Omgosh, I froze 2 loaves and hubby and I ate almost the whole 3rd loaf. I doubled the recipe and was able to make 3 loads. Added walnuts and choc chips. Used light sour cream… turned out amazing. Ty for this recipe….now how long will those other 2 last in the freezer??? Not long I bet!
Hi Lori, we’re glad you enjoyed it! Frozen loaves will last in the freezer for 3-4 months. See post for more details about freezing.
This recipe was incredible!! I added black cherry yogurt and blueberries. Topped with candied pecans. Superb!!
I was wondering if you have any instructions for making the bread, or any breads in small loaf pans. Obviously the same ingredients,(I think) but need baking times
Hi Patti, 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.
Lovely… I used self raising flour however my loaf didn’t get the best rise. Should I not have substituted?
Hi Lucy, we don’t suggest using self raising flour for this banana bread unless you test different amounts. The bread won’t rise properly with a 1:1 switch.
I made this using wt measurement. Regular yogurt, and walnuts. Plus exra walnuts on the top.. It turns out great for both AP flour, or King Arthurs Measure for Measure gluten free flour.. No other changes needed for GF. I have to admit, I had my doubts about the yogurt. But it turned out really good !!
Hi, can I sub with bread flour instead? It’s all I have
Hi Zusy, we don’t recommend bread flour, it would yield a dense and chewy banana bread. It’s best to stick with all purpose for banana bread!
Hi Sally, I will be trying this banana bread, it sounds delicious and I am not happy with the recipe I have been using. My problem is at I only have a 9 x 5 corning ware loaf pan. (Its many years old!) I also have two usa bakeware metal loaf pans 8 1/2 x 4. Are any of those pans good to bake the bread?
Hi Susan, this will be a bit too much batter for an 8.5×4-inch pan, but you can use it if you wish and use the leftover batter for a few muffins on the side. Or you can use your 9×5-inch pan, knowing that the bake time may vary. Either way, keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. We hope you enjoy it!
What changes, if any might be needed, if any, IF I use 1cup AP flour & 1C white or Golden whole wheat flour ?
Hi GMJ, the bread will be denser/heavier if you use a combination of whole wheat + AP flour, or you might enjoy our whole wheat banana bread recipe instead.
I just baked the most beautiful banana bread of my life!!! It is 10 pm so I will have to taste it in the morning. It smells so wonderful in my home, I don’t know how we will sleep.
Thanks for a great recipe!
BTW-I only had some strawberry Greek yogurt and I tasted the batter (not advised, I know) and you can’t detect it.
Thanks, again.
Hi Sally, I’ll be making this when the bananas are ripe enough for the 9mth old (ok, her dad will prob eat more) I look after. Could I sub unsweetened apple sauce for the sugar, as she’s not getting any sugar in her diet? Many thx
Hi Cathy, we don’t recommend it in this recipe, but these healthier whole wheat banana muffins may fit better with what you’re looking for. They don’t have any refined sugar. Let us know if you try them!
I love this recipe! I tried a few others that did not work out as well as this one. My own touch was to add a teeny tiny pinch of nutmeg.
Best recipe ever. Moist and flavorful.
My banana bread is in the oven as I type this, and it’s truly a family favourite that has been made many, many times since I first came across this recipe about a year or so ago . The only change I make is to omit the nuts, simply because my family doesn’t care for them. This is a really great, moist and flavorful banana bread! So glad I found it!
I can’t afford to use butter for baking. How can I substitute vegetable oil in your bread recipes? What amount etc.
Hi Connie, in place of the butter here, you could try solid coconut oil. You need a fat that is solid at room temperature so that it can be creamed together with the sugar, so vegetable oil will not work here.
Hi! I was wondering if I could use greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt?
Hi Adri, absolutely—same amount.
Making this as soon as my ingredients come to room temp. Does this make only one loaf of bread? I want to make one with walnuts and one without.
Hi Serendipity, yes, this recipe yields 1 9×5-inch loaf of bread. Enjoy!
I made it and it’s great, my family loved it! Next one I’m making with walnuts.
Great banana bread. Came together really easily. I’ve made it both with the yogurt and the sour cream and I like it both ways. This was a big hit in my household!
Sally, help! I am an avid baker and have followed you/made your recipes for over ten years, but my loaf came out gummy and dense on the bottom. I baked it for about 70 minutes.. when I took it out of the pan (after cooking on a wire rack for 60 minutes), I noticed condensation inside of the pan. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, but I’d love your input! The bread is divine and will be devoured regardless LOL. Thank you!!!!
Hi Liz, Do you think you over-mashed the bananas? You’ll want to make sure they are still the consistency of, say, a chunky applesauce and not liquid and thin at all. If they’re mashed down too much into almost a liquid, there won’t be enough flour to soak it all up. If you try this recipe again, you can reduce the banana and/or mash them up a little less. Hope this helps.
I’ve used this recipe multiple times now and it makes great banana bread. Consistent crowd pleaser! Just brought it to a special client yesterday and shared with my team on the job too. Everybody loved it. Thank you!
PS I do sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over the top just before baking, it’s just my little touch to make it “my own”. It also makes the bread “glisten” just a little.
I noticed the another poster mentioned the bread being too dense and I used to have that problem too. I believe mine was caused by letting the bananas get TOO overripe, like completely brown all over. I freeze them, and now that I don’t let them get so brown, my bread turns out better. Hope that might help someone else too.
I love this recipe because it wasn’t too sweet. I also appreciated it all the tips And substitution options
Loved this recipe. Just wondering how I can prevent a tiny bit of stogginess at the bottom of the loaf. Thanks
Hi Sally
I’ve made the banana bread a few times
My issue is the top never gets really brown
Should I skip the foil half way through?
Hi Jess, yes you can do that!
Made rwice already so good
Thank you Sally for another great recipe! Im very new in baking but I always follow through ur recipe, its good
The banana bread was awesome. And easy instructions second time baking anything. Tried the pizza dough it was a success first time ever baking anything. Thank you. My knew hobby.