Very Best Banana Bread Recipe

Are you on the hunt for the perfect banana bread recipe? Look no further — this is the one you’ve been searching for! Tender with a crisp crust, it’s absolutely phenomenal fresh out of the oven, and equally delicious when toasted up for breakfast the next day. You may be surprised to see an unusual ingredient in the recipe: lemon juice. Don’t worry, it doesn’t give the bread a lemony flavor. Like sour cream or buttermilk, the acidity in the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise and give it a beautiful golden color, toasty flavor, and light, fluffy texture.

My family loves this banana bread plain, but you can easily add nuts or chocolate chips to give it some extra oomph. If you’re looking for more variations — because you can never have too many banana bread recipes! — I’ve got you covered with an array of options, including marbled, a chocolate, chai-spiced, whole wheat, and coconut-pecan banana breads. With so many delicious options, you’re sure to find a favorite!

For a really moist, banana-y banana bread, use very ripe bananas. The bananas should at least be dark yellow with plenty of brown spots, and it’s okay if the skin has turned completely brown.

Best Banana Bread Recipe (extra Moist And Soft!)

If you have overripe bananas and you’re not ready to bake, don’t let them go to waste – freeze them! I typically freeze them in bags of 2 or 3, as when mashed, they usually come out to about 1 cup (which is what most banana bread recipes call for). Simply peel the bananas and put them in an airtight container or freezer bag; when ready to use, thaw them in the bag and then mash.

In the bowl of an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

Melt In Your Mouth Sour Cream Banana Bread • Love From The Oven

Banana bread is best served fresh out of the oven, but it will keep for a few days, wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap, or place it in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @.

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.Put those ripe bananas to use in this moist, delicious banana bread and you'll learn why it's the most popular recipe on Simply Recipes.

The Best Sour Cream Banana Bread • Freutcake

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.

Easy Moist Banana Bread Recipe

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!

World's Best Banana Bread

All these years later, we were curious to know more about who Mrs. Hockmeyer is, and how Heidi got her recipe in the first place. You can read all about it in this story.

This recipe calls for an 8x4-inch loaf pan, which produces a tall loaf. The recipe will also work in an 8 1/2x4 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 9x5-inch pan will yield an especially short but still delicious bread; bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

This recipe calls for an 8x4-inch loaf pan. If you are baking in an 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch pan, bake for 47 to 57 minutes. If baking in a 9x5-inch pan, bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Note that the larger pan size will produce a flatter loaf.

Moist Banana Bread Recipe (video)

The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are overripe. 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.

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.

I Tested Our 5 Most Popular Banana Bread Recipes And There Was One Clear Winner

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.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.

Ba's Best Banana Bread Recipe

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.

Super Moist Chocolate Chip 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