Best Banana Bread Recipe is so easy to make and super soft and moist! The very best way to use up overripe bananas this bread is tender and packed full of flavor!
Since I have already shared with you my family's favorite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread it was time to give you my very best classic recipe as well! If you love all things banana, then make up these Banana Nut Muffins too, one bowl, so easy, so GOOD!
What Is The Best Banana Bread Recipe?
To make the very best banana bread that comes out super moist, it is important to start out with those ugly, overripe bananas! In the picture below you can see the bananas that I used for this recipe post. These bananas are just ripe enough to work with. They need to be a dark yellow with lots of browning. You can use bananas that are even darker than this! The riper the bananas, the more moist your bread will be and the more banana flavor it will have!
How Do You Keep Banana Bread Moist?
The best way to keep banana bread moist for days is to wrap it tightly! Once your bread is baked and cooled, I recommend wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. Then, take a second step and store it in a large zip top freezer bag or a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Stored this way on the counter, your bread will last up to 3 days. If you'd like, you can store it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
How to Make Banana Bread:
This recipe makes one loaf of banana bread. The first step is to preheat your oven and prepare a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.
- Next, take a large bowl as seen below and whisk together your dry ingredients. This will include the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl melt your butter in the microwave, then add in the bananas and mash until mostly smooth.
- Add your eggs and vanilla to your mashed banana mixer and use your fork to combine everything really well, until you no longer see any streaks of eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until combined. Don't overmix.
- Now, you are ready to pour your batter into your prepared pan and bake!
**NOTE: You can also mash your bananas with the melted butter in your stand mixer if preferred.
Can you Freeze Banana Bread?
Yes! If you'd like to freeze this then allow it to cool completely at room temperature on a plate or wire rack once it comes out of the oven. Once cool, wrap the bread in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil. Freeze the bread for up to 2 months for best results.
To thaw the bread, remove from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature, covered on the counter. This will take about 24 hours.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Best Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Stick (½ Cup) Butter
- 3 Large Ripe Bananas
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside.
- Add the stick of butter to a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until melted.
- Add the bananas to the same bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg to the bowl and use the same fork to mash and stir until no yellow streaks of egg remain.
- In a second large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
I’ve tried so many banana bread recipes and I’m so glad I found this one! I’ve made it about 6 or 7 times now and it always comes out perfect. Thanks!!
Really great recipe & makes a fantastic banana bread but the cooking time listed was way off. At 350 degrees, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get even close to being cooked sufficiently in the centre - put foil on top around the hour mark so that it didn’t get burnt on top. Tasted great and the kids love absolutely loved it!
This has been my go-to banana bread recipe for a long time now. The recipe by itself is a 5* and what my rating is based on.
I decided that I would experiment with this next loaf by replacing the 1 cup of sugar with: 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of sugar as well as adding 72% dark chocolate chips. It came out amazing. It proves how this recipe is a great foundation if you decide to build on it.
Perfect quick and easy and so delicious definitely five stars
Perfect, but I butter and sugar my pans so that there is a sweet crunch on the bottom and sides. I do it with most of my sweet breads.
Mine needs some personal tweaking otherwise I'd give it a 5, but this is a very recipe! I think I'll cut back on the sugar next time because 1 cup is too much. It overwhelmed the other flavors, minus the butter, but can I say I appreciate how buttery it tasted? The whole thing is great and I will definitely be making again. Thank you for sharing!
Hello, tried it twice and it was a hit.
Question: can this batter be prepared ahead of time? Like a day before baking?
Thanks
I've tried many recipes for banana bread and this one is really the best. Most recipes ask for so much oil but this one calls for butter which makes this bread taste so delicious.
Comes out awesome every time.
This banana bread is quick and easy! Oh yes and more importantly it is delicious!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
BEST banana bread ever!
My only addition was a little cinnamon and some walnuts.
Next time for the icing I will do 4 Tablespoons butter and 3/4 c. powdered sugar, as it wasn't enough icing for my 3 loaves of bread.
Again, this was AMAZING!!! It will forever be my go-to banana bread recipe. THANK YOU
Oh no forgot the sugar lol I remembered chocolate chips though! The kids love it thankfully. They're asking for more!
This is the BEST banana bread I've eaten in a long time. Moist and tasty. My family, guests and co-workers all loved it.
It has the potential to be really good but the center didn't bake completely. If I put it in any longer it would burn the crust. Can I set the oven lower and cook longer? If so what would you suggest?
You can try cooking longer at a lower temp. Or, you can loosely cover in foil so that the crust won't get too dark. Hope that helps!
Perfect Banana bread recipe!!! Only thing I do differently is I sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of the bread before baking, then a little bit more halfway through baking. But I don’t think most people would like this because I’m obsessed with sugar and anything sweet lol! Thank you so much for posting this!!!
This was fabulous and moist! I added one extra banana as mine seemed small and it is so delicious. I’ve tried soooo many recipes but this one wins the race!
This is my go to banana bread recipe. It’s so delicious! Reminds me of the banana bread I’d eat when I was a kid.
My first time baking banana 🍌 bread, I overbaked the first loaf and burnt the edges so I had to trim it up.
I also substituted brown sugar for white, I think it changed the color a little farm fresh 🥚 eggs and on my second loaf reduced the time to 30 min, it's a new oven. The second loaf came out pretty nice 🙂
This was my favorite banana bread recipe for years and then I lost it. I finally found it again! So so happy to have come across it - my friends in bread club are going to LOVE it.
I only have 5 small bananas. Can you tell me how many cups do 3 large bananas make?