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
This came out really dense for me. I’m not really sure what would cause that but I don’t like that texture at all. Any thoughts as to what could cause that?
Hi Jeff, 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 over-mix the batter, too, as that can cause the bread to bake up squat and dense. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
I loved this recipe so much!! It was so moist and the flavour was to die for. My favorite recipe for banana bread ever. I’ll be making this again very soon as the one I made is already gone in less then a day…
Hi! My family absolutely loved how this turned out! However, most of them are diabetic. Is there any way to leave the sugar out? Can I use a lower amount or would it change the outcome too much?
Hi Audrey, we wouldn’t recommend leaving it out entirely, but you could reduce the amount for a less-sweet banana bread. We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. 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 sugar substitutes or sugar-free diets. Thank you for trying this recipe!
I’m about to make this recipe. I noticed the previous comment asked if sugar may be removed or if a substitute can be used. I would recommend using the Lakanto Classic Monkfruit (may be purchased on Amazon but available in some grocery stores). This substitute is a low-glycemic product. I use it as a substitute to my morning coffee. I have also used it or with a half real sugar and half monkfruit and works pretty well. I recall using the monk fruit to bake a pumpkin pie and used regular sugar for another; my family said the substitute was just as good! To the prior comment/person: Don’t be afraid to experiment, but please make sure the product is the Lakanto CLASSIC monk fruit product (red & white packaging). Hope this helps. : )
I’m looking to try a Cuban twist for the bananas in this recipe. Specifically platanos maduros. I’m thinking of frying the sweet plantains (crispy edges, soft inside), cooling completely then adding per your recipe. Any tips or suggestions outside of this?
Sally! Try no butter; no eggs! Sub in 3/4 c Ernest Rapeneau champagne and 3/4 c olive oil. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of Cream of tartar and some nutmeg!
My husband needs a heart healthy diet, but he loves banana bread. I used the changes Sally suggested (6 tbsp of butter, applesauce rather than sour cream). I also used whole wheat flour. Not completely like the original but it was really good and my husband loved it.
With the banana bread, can I use frozen bananas.
Yes you can, Molly. See the section above called “Can I Use Frozen Bananas?” for details.
This is a great recipe. I really like the check-boxes to follow along. It is a great tool to teach my granddaughters to follow a recipe!
I have loved every recipe of Sally’s I’ve made. Was diagnosed with celiac disease recently so I’m trying to make some favourites with flour alternatives! I made this with 220 grams of cassava flour and it turned out SO well. Gluten-free made easy!
Cannot wait to make! Do you toast the nuts first?
Hi Suji, we usually don’t, but you certainly can toast the walnuts before adding them to the batter if you wish! Hope you enjoy the bread.
Could I perhaps leave out the yogurt/cream cheese?
Hi Miche, we don’t recommend leaving out the yogurt/sour cream. You could substitute 1/3 cup mashed banana (in addition to the 2 cups), unsweetened applesauce, or even canned pumpkin puree in its place if needed.
Great recipe! I’ve made this many times now and I’ve even made it into muffins. My only suggestion is a bit of cinnamon to enhance the sweetness. I use about 1/2 tbs.
This is hands-down the most amazing banana bread I have ever had! I’ll never use my old hand-me-down recipe again! I reduced the sugar to 1/4 C and it was perfect- I prefer a subtly sweet bread. So, so good! Thank you Sally!!!
question
can I add Raisins and Cranberries to the batter?
Definitely. We would add up to 3/4 cup add-ins total.
Not overly sweet, but perfection none the less!
This banana bread was a major hit. I had a lot of trouble not serving it while it was cooling in the pan.
The entire house smelled heavenly, and my husband kept looking for excuses to go into the kitchen.
When we finally cut into the bread, it didn’t last.
In fact, I cut half of it to take to work, and that half went as quickly as I clocked in!
I left the third part of the loaf in the house, and I am more than sure it will be gone by the time I get home.
I will DEFINATELY be making this again!
My family loves this recipe!
I tried your banana bread recipe and it taste so good. I followed everything except the loaf pan coz I used a 7*4 pan with the same baking temperature & time and it turns out dry for me. what baking temp & time would you like to recommend for a 7*4 pan? much appreciated
Hi Bula, we don’t recommend using a pan that size as the bread will not bake through properly. You could split the batter between your pan and also a few muffins instead (maybe three or four muffins). Bake time will be a little shorter, use a toothpick to test for doneness. Dry bread can also be caused by too much flour in the dough (make sure to spoon and level or use a kitchen scale to measure).
We found it wasn’t sweet enough so the addition of more sugar would have been good and we tasted the baking soda which we weren’t a fan of. Had to turn down the oven to 330° and then 320° to get the inside the bake without the outside burning and the recipe authors idea of covering the top with foil halfway through baking worked. It definitely helped make sure that bread didn’t burn. Overall not sure I’d make it again but if I did, I’d add more sugar forsure, maybe even swap for granulated sugar.
I only have 3 large bananas. Can I make the recipe as is with just 3 bananas?
Hi Debbie! We would measure them out and add some pumpkin puree, yogurt or even applesauce to get to the full two cups. Or, try our banana muffins recipe that calls for 1 and 1/2 cups banana.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but my partner asked be to make some banana bread, and I love a lot of other recipes from this site and I thought I’d give this one a try. My only question before I try is how long should I bake it if I only have a 8.5 in by 4.5 in bread pan instead of a 9 in by 5 in?
Hi Jonathan, we don’t recommend using a pan that size as the bread may not bake through properly. You could split the batter between your pan and also a few muffins instead (maybe three or four muffins). Bake time will be a little shorter.
Good but not sweet enough. I used over ripe bananas so it had a good flavor but just seemed like it was missing something. Maybe white sugar next time? I even added mini choc chips and walnuts.
Delicious! Will make again
I opted to make these into muffins, and added peanut butter chips. Absolutely DIVINE! My new go to Banana Bread recipe, so easy, and so tasty.
I really enjoyed it so much! Perfect with a cup of coffee! Thank you
Trying it as oversized muffin – curious how long to bake?
Yum! Use the bake time and temperature (including the initial burst of high temperature) as in our Jumbo Blueberry Muffins. This should yield about 5-6 jumbo muffins. Enjoy!
Question: Will this recipe work in an 8×8 pan? Perhaps baking for less time, to offset the larger surface area of batter?
Hi Kim, this would be best baked in a 9-inch square pan instead of an 8-inch square pan. The bake time will be a little shorter, yes. I’m unsure of the exact time though. Same oven temperature.
I’ve made this recipe at least three times and it always turns out delicious! Last night I substituted the brown sugar for Splenda brown sugar and it tasted great. My diabetic father was very happy!
This recipe is delicious! I love every recipe from Sally’s that I have tried. But all of them, this one included, underestimates the prep time. This would take 10 minutes to prep if you had a prep cook who had everything ready for you. This takes more like 30-35 minutes to get it in the oven if you are gathering, measuring and mashing bananas.
It smells terrific as it’s cooking and tastes so good.
Very similar to my go-to banana bread recipe, I was curious how it would compare. The difference is that my recipe uses 1 c white sugar and doesn’t have the yogurt… and I think I prefer my recipe without the yogurt, surprisingly! I know it adds moisture, but it is still plenty moist without. And it seems like it gives the bread a gummier texture?? Anyhow, still a solid recipe overall. I’ll just stick to my recipe when it comes to classic Banana Bread!
I seem to be having a problem with this loaf flattening out while it’s cooling down. Any suggestions?
Hi Laurie, A quick bread that sinks in the middle as it cools is often under-baked. If you try it again, a minute or two longer in the oven should help. If you notice the edges of the loaf baking before the center, you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from over browning.
Thank you ! Delicious!
I follow a lot of your recipes!
Never disappoint!