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
We love this recipe, I’ve made it in the loaf form and have recently started making them as muffins because my 4yo loves muffins. He recently had the smart idea to add blueberries (frozen) and they are awesome!
Looking forward to making this tomorrow morning…but my grandson is allergic to cinnamon…any thoughts for substitutions?
Hi Angela, a few of our readers have substituted with nutmeg for family members with an allergy to cinnamon. Let us know if you give it a try!
Question… do you think you could substitute the Sour Cream with sourdough discard?
Thanks!
Jacque
Hi Jacque, we haven’t tested this recipe using sourdough discard, but let us know if you do any experimenting.
I can confirm that the sourdough discard is absolutely a great substitution! I made 20 mini loaves with banana and 2 giant loaves of banana and leftover pumpkin to finish a can used for pumpkin rolls. THANK YOU for using grams, so much easier to scale recipes up and down… it’s the only way I bake now and your recipes are an absolute treasure trove! I take French pastry classes every now and then to learn something new – the Chef recommended your site as a good resource for recipes. I told her, “Yes ma’am! I utilize her site A LOT!” 😀 !
Can you reduce these sugar without impacting the texture? Say 1/2 cup?
Hi Kathleen, sugar does more than sweeten the loaf. It helps keep it moist and tender, though I’m sure reducing to 1/2 cup would be just fine.
Wow!!!! Okay, this was so SO good! I have a recipe from my great grandma that I usually use and it’s so divine because the muffins are moist. This is the closest thing I’ve found to that recipe. It is truly such a moist banana bread! I am making a second load tomorrow for guests and will add nuts this time. Thank you for this recipe!
This is easily the best banana bread recipe I have tried (I have tried many). Simple and perfect every time. The only yogurt I had today was vanilla (I usually have plain on hand) so I opted for sour cream, but I am wondering if the vanilla would have worked.
I often add a pinch of nutmeg, especially in the fall.
It’s a really great recipe!
Jenni – I always use a vanilla flavored yogurt; it works the same, but possibly add just an additional burst of vanilla – but not overpowering. I figure it gives the vanilla extract an added boost. I rarely use sour cream, it has to be a recipe specific in order for me to purchase sour cream. I don’t use regular milk either, as I don’t drink that, but use evaporated milk instead – full strength. I also bake with gluten free flour, be it Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 or King Arthur’s 1 to 1.
Everything turns out just fabulous!!
Happy Baking!!
Hey. The recipe calls for yogurt or sour cream, what type of yogurt can I use? I have fage 0% fat in the fridge – would this be ok?
Thanks!
Hi Rachel, full fat plain or Greek yogurt is typically best, but that will work in a pinch. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Followed this recipe as written and it is the best I’ve ever had!! I’ve just thrown my second batch into the oven and happened to read your suggestion of topping it with cream cheese frosting and I am about to make some to top with! Do your recommend refrigeration once the frosting is applied or is it possible to keep at room temperature? Thank you for the recipe and suggestions!
Hi Tricia, it should be fine at room temperature for up to one day with the frosting, but longer than that and we’d recommend storing in the refrigerator. So glad you enjoyed the bread!
This is my favorite banana muffin recipe. It makes 12 large muffins. I substitute olive oil/canola oil mix for the 1/2 cup of butter and vanilla Greek yogurt for the plain yogurt. I think the olive/canola oil mix produces a moist muffin. I’ve used butter and the muffins were dry.
This has become my go-to BB recipe. I toss the butter, eggs, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and bananas into the blender and wizz it all up, then pour that onto the flour/baking soda, and fold. So easy! My coworkers are big fans mm:)
Hot dang, this is GOOD. I was 50g shy of the amount of bananas so I used pumpkin for the remainder. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool but the texture was WORTH IT.
Thanks for trying this recipe, Emily! So glad it was a hit for you!
I was wondering how I can prevent my banana bread from being so dark on sides and top
Hi Jamie, are you using an especially dark pan? That could be the culprit for overly dark sides. If you notice the top getting too dark, be sure to tent the bread with foil to prevent from burning. Hope this helps!
I *love* this recipe, it’s my family’s favorite and in frequent rotation in my house. This time I find myself needing to actually make two loaves – do you have any experience baking 2 loaves at the same time? Should I stagger them and do them one at a time, or is it possible to do them together (which would be a great time saver)? Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, we’re so glad to hear that! For best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. This helps prevent over or under mixing. However, you could bake them both at the same time as long as there is enough room for them to be on the same rack without touching. You’ll want to rotate the pans throughout bake time, too. Hope this helps!
An absolutely great recipe, thank you.
I wanted to say that every time I needed a new recipe I would typically Google it. Except these days I come straight to your website because 1.) it’s usually one of the first hits on Google anyway and 2.) I have never found a bad recipe in your site. My Pinterest is also filled with your recipes so when I searched there for inspiration you were also coming up . I finally just started coming straight to your site to search for recipes and you’ve never failed to deliver! So I just want to say thank you. I know thousands of hours have gone into the recipes here and I, along with many others I’m sure, appreciate your time, expertise, knowledge, tips and tricks that ensure we’re able to produce amazing dishes every time. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Carissa!
Agreed. My very first cheesecake as well as many others came from this site. I’ve never had anything come out any less than superb
We love your basic pizza dough recipe, always turns out amazing. I add a good pinch of nutmeg and a good dash of hot sauce. Both if these enhance the other flavours of the dough without tasting them, especially the wonderful yeast smell.
We loved the recipe with kids, the banana bread came out just perfect! Thank you
Perfect every time!
Important not to keep it in the oven for too long- I take mine out after 55minutes.
Loved this one. Cake came out fluffy definitely on my list of fave banana bread. I added chia seeds, raisins, cashews and peanuts amounting to the 100g and I loved it. Thanks
I have made this recipe so many times and it always turns out so delicious. The key is weighing the ingredients. I have found I can use up to four bananas and also use less flour than the cup measurement. Thanks for including the weights!
I made the bread twice and both times the bread was on the dry side. Any suggestions on what i should do differently
Hi Hash, a dry banana bread is usually caused by over-baking or too much flour in the batter. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. Thanks for giving it a try!
Why do you have to put the pan on a wire rack (vs any heat-safe surface)? That threw me off and I misread it and removed the loaf right away to cool directly on the wire rack. Oops!
Hi Deb, we recommend using a cooling rack so air can circulate underneath the baked good and help it cool evenly and without ending up soggy.
This recipe nearly filled my 9×5 pan, it’s currently in the oven, I put a sheet pan underneath incase it over flows!
Do I really have to wait for a whole hour+ before serving? Is it dangerous to serve it sooner?
Hi Faith, we recommend cooling the loaf completely so it slices neatly, but you are welcome to serve it warm if you prefer.
This is for sure one of the best BB recipes I’ve tried. I recommend this to everyone who asks about my banana bread, it’s really easy to make and gets rid of overripe bananas in the kitchen! My biggest tips: DO NOT OVERMIX! and use some sort of electric mixer for the sugar/butter part. It needs to be very well combined, if not then be prepared to use extra elbow grease. Also, I’ve swapped yogurt for sour cream and it tastes completely the same, it’s a great substitute because it just helps with keeping the bread moist.
Recipe did not rise?
Hi Yabda, is your baking soda fresh? We find it starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months, even if it’s not technically expired. Be careful not to overmix the batter, too, as that can cause the bread to bake up squat and dense. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
I loved your recipe, but can I put it in muffins muffins tray? So I can it bit by bit.
Hi Cristy, absolutely. See recipe notes for muffin details.
Hi Sally, I love this recipe, it is my go to banana bread recipe. I love how moist it is with the extra bananas and sour cream/yoghurt compared to ever other banana bread recipe.
I have a large loaf pan, it is big enough to do a double batch in one pan, however I always get stuck on my cook times as being larger it obviously takes much longer to cook through. Even with a toothpick I often end up with a pocket of raw batter in the centre. Any tips in figuring out the total cook time for a double batch? Or should I just continue making them until I find the sweet spot?
Hi Matt, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! We have never tried baking this bread in a larger loaf pan, but we suspect the added volume of batter will make it difficult to bake through properly. You may have better luck baking in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, if you have one available to you. Thanks again for making and trusting this recipe!
Recipe was great! But what happens if I don’t have a cooling rack, I could of sworn I did but now the bread is in the oven and it’s late to run to the store a distance away!
This is absolutely the best recipe. I use vanilla bean paste and add a tad extra. I also use vanilla honey yogurt and it’s the bomb
Devlicious, thank you!