4 Ripe Banana Bread Recipe

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 ripe bananas.

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.

Healthy Banana Bread With Dates And Walnuts

One reader, Tricia, says: “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!!!”

I’ve tried dozens of banana bread recipes over the years, and when I baked and originally published this recipe back in 2013, I never looked back.

This bread uses more mashed bananas than similar recipes. Add 2 whole cups (460g) of mashed banana, which is about 4 large bananas. More banana = more moisture and flavor in the finished loaf.

Banana Banana Bread

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.)

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.

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 2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.

Ingredient Banana Bread · The Typical Mom

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.

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!)

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.

Banana Walnut Bread

Sally McKenney is a professional food photographer, cookbook author, and baker. Her kitchen-tested recipes and thorough step-by-step tutorials give readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally has been featured onThis quick and easy banana bread recipe made with 4 bananas and oil is moist and delicious. Only one bowl required, no mixer needed and less than 10 minutes prep!This is one of the best ways to use overripe bananas.

Because of all that ripe goodness this loaf is packed with so much flavor; so much so that I like to call it banana banana bread. And that’s why even though this recipe is completely dairy-free you won’t even be able to tell!

How do you make banana bread moist? You do so by using lots of ripe bananas and oil or butter. I prefer banana bread with oil.

Classic Banana Bread Recipe

This is a banana bread recipe without nuts because I hate nuts in baked goods! Yuck. But feel free to add them if that’s your thing.

The amount of sugar in this recipe is perfect in my opinion because it gets plenty of its sweetness from all the bananas, but if you prefer it more on the sweeter side increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.

There’s just a touch of cinnamon. You can add more or omit it completely depending on your personal preference. I absolutely love cinnamon so it’s never an option for me to leave it out.

My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe actually yields a tender and moist banana bread because compared to other recipes this one has more wet ingredients that don’t include milk or water which stretches the batter thin and there’s also less flour.

You’ll notice that in the instructions it says to cover the loaf loosely with foil. This is because the crust for this bread gets very dark very quickly. Loosely covering it with foil at the 30 minute mark ensures that the crust doesn’t burn.

Often times I find that when you don’t use the foil the crust will be dark brown way before the bread is done baking therefore naturally causing you to pull the bread out of the oven before it’s done. And then you usually end up with a crust that’s fully baked or burnt and a middle that is mostly raw.

Banana Bread Recipe (extra Moist)

Besides the salt, vanilla, and spices, bananas are the main contributor of flavor in a banana loaf. So if you want your loaf to come out great every time, use overripe bananas.

Ripening bananas in the oven – Place the unpeeled bananas spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 – 20 minutes until black or dark brown on the outside and soft to the touch. Allow them to cool before using.

Ripening bananas in the microwave – Using a fork, poke straight through the banana peel multiple times on all sides to allow the heat to easily penetrate then microwave for 30 seconds at a time, checking each time for doneness. This can take up to a couple of minutes depending on how green the bananas were to begin with. The bananas are done when they have the soft texture of a ripe banana. Cool before using.

The Most Delicious Banana Bread Recipe

Ripening bananas in a paper bag – Place the bananas in a loosely closed paper bag to help trap the ethylene gas (that is responsible for ripening) to help speed up the process. Check the bag once a day and remove the bananas when they have reached your desired ripeness.

Store it in an airtight container, food-safe resealable bag, cover with foil, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

How long does banana bread last? If stored correctly it should last for 2 – 3 days at room temperature and up to 1 week in the fridge.

Fabulous Farm Living: Deliciously Moist Banana Bread

Wrap tightly in foil, plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag. You can also wrap tightly and place in a freezer bag for maximum protection.

For those times when you only have 2 bananas try my 2 banana bread recipe and my 3 banana bread recipe for when you have 3 bananas!

© Beat Bake Eat. All images & content are copyright protected. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without written consent from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.Put those ripe bananas to use in the best banana bread recipe ever. Moist and delicious, it's easy to make—one bowl, no need for a mixer!

Almond Butter Banana Bread

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

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.

Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread

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.

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!

Ingredient Chocolate Oat Banana Bread

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