Best Banana Bread Recipe Simply Recipes

This easy banana bread is moist and delicious—and just happens to be gluten-free. With this simple recipe and your favorite gluten-free flour on hand, no one will know the difference.

I’ve been gluten-free for over 15 years. When I’m craving something, I don’t want a version of it that tastes “good for being gluten-free.” I want it to be as good as the real thing, and this banana bread delivers! It’s soft and moist and has a straightforward banana flavor that’s enhanced only by a touch of vanilla.

Gluten is an elastic protein found in wheat (and barley and rye) that gives structure and a satisfying chewiness. Without it, gluten-free baked goods have the potential to be dense, crumbly, and disappointing even if the flavor is on point. But they don’t have to be!

Laced With Love: Banana Bread Bites

With the right recipe, you can end up with a final product that is just as good or, dare I say, even better than the gluten-filled version. The best candidates for easy gluten-free transformation are recipes that don’t rely on the structure and chewiness that gluten provides.

Banana bread is a perfect example. It gets its moistness from the mashed bananas, structure from the egg, and chewiness from the melted butter—the flour contributes less than 50 percent of what it takes to make this loaf!

Not to mention, one of the pitfalls of making gluten-filled baked goods is over-mixing the batter. This develops the gluten and results in an unpleasant toughness. With our gluten-free batter, this is a non-issue.

Moist Banana Bread Recipe

These days, there are many brands that offer awesome all-purpose gluten-free blends. My current favorite is King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. I also love Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour (note that it contains milk) and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

One-to-one gluten-fre flours should work as an equal replacement for standard flour, but it’s always a good idea to double check the fine print on your gluten free flour to make sure you don’t need to mix in additional ingredients like xanthan gum.

If you’re looking for a classic banana bread, this is it. But, if you want to jazz it up, the sky’s the limit!

Super Moist Banana Bread

It's best to store banana bread covered on your countertop. It should last up to 5 or 6 days that way, but it's best within the first 3 to 4 days. It is still perfectly edible after day 4, but it might start to dry out.

Make sure you’re using soft, overripe bananas that are anywhere from freckly to completely brown all over. When mashing, I like to leave some lumps in, similar to chunky applesauce.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Steps To Make Lighter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread has been the most popular recipe on Simply Recipes for over 10 years. Thousands of people make it every day. Why?

Because it really is the best banana bread recipe, period. You can mix everything in one bowl, you can vary the amount of sugar or bananas. And the secret to its great flavor? Melted butter.

The beauty of this banana bread recipe is you don't need a fancy mixer! A mixing bowl, a fork to whisk the eggs, and a sturdy spoon to mix the batter are all you need. The sugar amount is flexible. The original recipe called for a cup of white sugar, but most people, including me, do just fine with 3/4 cup, and many are happy with 1/2 cup.

Classic Banana Bread

You can toss in a cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips if you want, or put the batter into muffin tins and make banana nut muffins instead. You can even go a step further and make chocolate banana bread.

I was given this banana bread recipe years ago from my friend Heidi H, who, many years before, had begged the recipe from a ski buddy’s mother—Mrs. Hockmeyer. Thanks Heidi!

This recipe calls for an 8- x 4-inch loaf pan, which produces a tall loaf. The recipe will also work in an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, producing a slightly shorter bread. Since the pan is a bit larger, the bake time is shorter: 47 to 57 minutes. A 9- x 5-inch pan will yield an especially short but still delicious bread; bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

Easy Peasy Banana Bread

This recipe calls for an 8- x 4-inch loaf pan. If you are baking in an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch pan, bake for 47 to 57 minutes. If baking in a 9- x 5-inch pan, bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Note that the larger pan size will produce a flatter loaf.

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The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

BREAD RECIPES

Best Banana Bread Recipe Simply Recipes