Best Banana Bread Recipe
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Sep. 26, 2026
This is the best banana bread recipe to use up over-ripe bananas. In fact, I use six overripe bananas, butter, and brown sugar for a super moist banana bread with big banana flavor. I keep it simple, without many spices, to allow the banana flavor to shine.
In This Article
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Amy’s Notes
If you’re a banana bread fan, this recipe is 200% for you. I deliberately do not add spices to this simple recipe, as I wanted to let the banana flavor shine. The result is an extra moist banana bread that my family devours within 2 days.
- Six Overripe Bananas: Bring pure banana flavor by using super ripe bananas. The spottier, the better.
- Tender and Moist: This banana bread is delicious on day one, and it’s even more moist the next morning.
- Freezer Friendly: You can store cooled banana bread ahead of time airtight in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Just 9 Ingredients: This banana bread uses less than 10 ingredients and has very little hands-on time.
When chocolate is calling, try my double chocolate banana bread or the healthy banana bread with ricotta and chocolate instead. And if you’re a quick bread fan, browse all of our easy quick bread recipes.
Key Ingredients
- Six medium-sized, overly ripe bananas: The more brown spots, the better. It’s worth letting your bunch of bananas sit out until they are extra ripe.
- Two fresh large eggs: Do let them sit out long enough to reach room temperature.
- Real butter: Use butter that’s softened to moderate room temp. Don’t let the butter get so soft that it’s close to melty at all.
- Pure vanilla extract: Vanilla is a great assist to the bananas.
- A mixture of white and brown sugar: The white sugar keeps texture light, while brown sugar complements the ripe bananas.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour Options: You can substitute the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. For a heartier texture, use a 50/50 split of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
- Fat Substitutes: Replace the softened butter with melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil for an extra tender crumb and dairy-free option.
- Warm Spices: Though this recipe focuses on pure banana flavor, feel free to fold in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice into the dry ingredients for warm fall spices.
- Delicious Mix-Ins: Gently fold in up to 1 cup of your favorite add-ins before baking. Try semi-sweet chocolate chips, toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries, or shredded coconut.
- Muffin Conversion: Divide the batter evenly into a 12-cup lined muffin tin and bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffins comes out with a few tender crumbs attached.
Key Steps
- Mash 6 medium-sized, very overripe bananas.
- Use an electric mixer to mix together the wet ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients by hand.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold wet and dry ingredients, just until no flour streaks remain.
- Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out with a few tender crumbs attached.
- Wait until loaf is fully cooled before slicing! It’s worth the wait, as bread loses moisture through steam if sliced too soon.
Pro Tips for Perfect Banana Bread
- Use a lighter colored nonstick 9×5 loaf pan, if possible. The lighter color prevents edges from getting overly browned too quickly, and nonstick surfaces ensure that this moist banana bread will remove easily.
- Use a stand mixer (or electric hand mixer) to cream together the softened butter with the white/brown sugars. This part is not to be rushed; take the minutes necessary for butter/sugar mixture to achieve a fluffy and light consistency.
- When folding together the dry and wet ingredients, take care not to over-mix. Fold just until no dry flour streaks remain. Always keep in mind that over-mixing results in a coarser/dry texture, which we want to avoid.
- Once toothpick inserted into the center of your banana bread comes out almost clean with a few tender crumbs attached, the loaf is done. Don’t wait until toothpick is 100% clean, or you’ll risk over-baking.
- Allow your banana bread loaf to cool to room temp, or at least lukewarm before loosening from pan. Quick breads have a solid reputation of becoming more tender/moist the next morning.
How to Prep Ahead
Ripen & Mash Bananas: Mash your overripe bananas up to 2 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze mashed bananas in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen mashed bananas in the fridge overnight and drain any excess liquid before using.
Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a sealed bowl or food storage container up to 1 week ahead. Store at room temperature so it’s ready to go on baking day.
Prep the Eggs and Butter: Bring your eggs and butter to room temperature the night before or a few hours before baking to ensure smooth creaming and even mixing.
Bake Ahead & Store: This banana bread actually tastes even more moist and flavorful the next day! Bake the loaf completely, allow it to cool fully, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze for Later: Once your loaf has fully cooled, wrap it (whole or sliced) tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving. You can also slice the bread and warm it up in the oven or toaster for a few minutes just until warmed through.
Video: Watch Me Make this Recipe
Best Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temp but not at all melty
- ½ cup light brown sugar, very tightly packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 medium sized bananas, overly ripe, mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease a nonstick 9×5 loaf pan (light colored pan, if possible.) Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down sides and paddle as needed, 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and beat on medium-low speed just until combined. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract; continue beating just until mixture is incorporated. Remove bowl from stand mixer and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add flour mixture to bowl with banana mixture.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold dry and wet ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain, scraping down sides as needed. Do not over-mix, as doing so causes a drier/tougher texture.
- Scrape batter fully into greased loaf pan, gently evening out batter to the edges and corners of pan. Bake 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out with a few tender crumbs attached. Do not wait until toothpick is completely clean, or your loaf may become over-baked.
- Let finished loaf cool in pan at room temp overnight or until fully cooled. Gently loosen bread from edges of pan with thin knife, turn it out onto a cutting board, and slice to serve.
Equipment
Notes
- This recipe is pure and banana-focused, so I intentionally keep it simple. If you want fall spices, add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
- Add-in options: Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, raisins, or toasted chopped pecans/walnuts into the batter prior to baking.
- Six whole, medium-sized bananas is equivalent to about 4 cups of mashed bananas.
- If using frozen bananas, defrost them in a deep colander at room temperature prior to using in this recipe; all excess liquid should be drained. Bake time may need to be increased when using defrosted bananas vs. fresh bananas.
- This banana bread isn’t overly sweet, as it relies on overripe bananas to provide some of the sugar content – the more spotted they are, the better. If you prefer a sweeter bread, increase granulated sugar to 1/2 cup.
Nutrition (per serving)
Frequently Asked Questions
Be sure to use super fresh baking soda, as this is the most important aspect to a good rise in banana bread. It’s highly recommended to switch out your baking soda every 3 months.
It’s really important to measure dry/wet ingredients accurately. Aside from using a food scale, the scoop and level method is your best friend when it comes to baking.
As long as your kitchen is at moderate room temperature, banana bread is best kept wrapped airtight on the counter for a couple of days. It does not need to be chilled, unless you’re planning to keep it longer than that.
This banana bread recipe is ideal for freezing. Simply wrap it airtight and freeze 1-2 months. Let it come to room temperature the night before you want to serve it.
Absolutely. Be sure to defrost bananas and drain all excess moisture from them prior to using in the recipe.
We always use this method: insert toothpick into the thickest center of banana bread to check for doneness. Once toothpick comes out with just a few tender crumbs attached, it’s done.
More to Bake and Eat
- Apple Fritter Bread – the cinnamon sugar layers make this apple bread simply irresistible.
- Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe – every fall, this pumpkin bread must happen, as it’s hands-down everyone’s favorite fall quick bread.
- Strawberry Banana Bread – elevate your banana bread with fresh strawberries!
- One-Bowl Zucchini Carrot Bread – yes, it’s healthyish…and it’s unbelievably delicious. Even the teenagers devour this nutritious bread.