Robyn StoneBest Banana Bread Recipe – Moist, tender and so delicious, this recipe is so easy to make and truly makes the best banana bread every time.
This recipe makes a version of one that I remember my Grandmother making routinely. It is a great way of using bananas that have slipped a bit past their prime and makes a delicious snack, dessert or breakfast! It’s not only delicious – it’s such an easy banana bread recipe to make too!
Easy Banana Bread Recipe
My Grandmother wasted nothing. Even something as simple as a few over-ripe bananas, with a few other ingredients, turns into this delicious banana bread recipe.
While I always loved hers, I’ve updated it just a bit to deepen the flavor while using less butter and sugar than called for in her original recipe.
What is Banana Bread?
Banana bread is a “quick” bread made of very ripe bananas, sugar, butter, eggs, flour, vanilla, and a leavener. Since it is a quick bread, it uses baking soda rather than a yeast to help the bread rise as it cooks. Once the batter is mixed together, it is ready to bake immediately.
How to Make Banana Bread
There are a few tricks to making the best banana bread recipe possible. Here are a few tips:
- Bananas – You’ll want to make sure that you are using over ripe bananas as the first step. The bananas should have darker specks covering the banana peeling letting you know that the banana is over ripe and perfect to use in this recipe.
- Sugar – We love to use brown sugar in ours. The molasses in the brown sugar deepens the flavor and makes it even more delicious! If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use granulated sugar as well.
- Mixing – Grandmother mixed her batter together by hand with a fork or a whisk. I tend to grab the hand held mixer to make mine more than she did. You can mix it either way. Just make sure that you do not overmix you batter as it can make your bread a bit dry.
Preparing the Batter:
- Prep. Begin by preheating your oven and preparing your baking pan. To prepare your pan, you can either spray the inside of the pan well with a baking spray such as Baker’s Joy or you can rub with butter and then lightly dust with all-purpose flour. Make sure to shake out any excess flour.
- Mix. As I mentioned earlier, you can mix by hand or use an electric mixer based on your preference. Mix together the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Then, remove the bananas from their peelings and mix until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg to make sure well blended into the batter. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract and any nuts or additions that you are adding to the recipe. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, turn out onto a board for slicing or a wire rack to cool completely before covering.
Favorite Add-Ins
- Pecans – my family’s recipe calls for chopped toasted pecans. I highly recommend them, but you can absolutely not include.
- Chocolate chips – stir chocolate chips into your batter for a delicious addition.
- Raisins – raisins also make a delicious addition.
Can You Freeze Banana Bread?
Yes! This recipe will keep on the counter under a cake dome for 3 to 5 days; however, you can freeze banana bread. You can either freeze an entire loaf of bread or individual slices.
Freezer Instructions
To freeze, allow the baked bread to cool completely, wrap well and then place into a freezer safe zip top bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To serve, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw. You can also remove from the freezer and reheat in the toast for a few minutes for toasted slices.
Here’s my Banana Bread Recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 over-ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped roasted pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with baking spray or coat with butter and dust with all-purpose flour, being sure to shake out any excess flour. Set aside.
- Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add bananas and beat until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each egg.
- Add flour and mix until smooth. Add baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Stir in nuts, if using. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle, about 1 hour.
Video
Nutrition Information
You may also enjoy my chocolate banana bread if you are looking for even more chocolate.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
This recipe is quite easy. However, it does not offer instructions regarding what to do after the bread is done. Do I remove the bread immediately and let it cool or do I allow it to sit a few minutes before removing it to a cooling rack? I will remove it immediately to a cooling rack. I hope this works.. 🙂
Here are the tips I give in the post, McMillan. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, turn out onto a board for slicing or a wire rack to cool completely before covering. Hope you enjoy!
My question about banana bread is always the same: How much banana as in cups or ounces by weight? If they were all the same size it would be easy. But…bananas vary in size a lot.
In this recipe, how much banana as measured in a measuring cup?
Thanks much,
Karol
Can this recipe be made substituting Splenda for the brown sugar? I was asked to make a sugar-free Banana Bread for someone and am looking for a good recipe !! Thanks
You can substitute Splenda for the brown sugar. I would suggest using the Splenda brown sugar blend and use half the amount of Splenda for the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Love this recipe. I add raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and any other nuts I have. Delicious. Thank you.
I made this yesterday and it is the best Banana Bread I have ever made. It was very moist, I think because of so many bananas. I also put the cup of pecans in it
Thanks, Gail. I love it with the pecans in it, too.
I keep trying different banana bread recipes trying to replicate my grand aunt’s fabulous banana bread from my childhood. This is the closest one yet. I will stick to this one. Thank you!
Belle, this recipe is my Grandmother’s with just a few tweaks I made. Don’t you wish all those great recipes our grandmothers, aunts, and mothers made when we were young were all written down?
This is a great recipe! After making your chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream recipes for Thanksgiving, I am back for more, and you have become my go-to for ‘procrastibaking’:). I added chocolate chips, cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of cardamom.
Thanks, Dana. I hope you find many more recipes you love. xo
Hi! I am very excited to try out this recipe today. However, I only have unsalted butter. How much salt would you recommend I add in order to compensate for the butter being unsalted rather than salted? Thank you!!
I haven’t made this with unsalted butter, Madison, but you would usually add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to every 1/2 cup of unsalted butter when substituting for salted butter in a recipe. Hope this helps!
Can this be made without eggs? (Allergy!)
To make the banana bread an egg-free recipe, I’ve used 2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of 2 large eggs in the recipe. You will note that you may have to bake the bread just a few minutes more. Be sure to check with the skewer for doneness.
I have 2 larger bananas that are perfect to make banana bread. Is that enough banana? I’m always unsure about how much banana to put in a recipe as bananas can be different sizes.
Wendy, I’m not sure if 2 large bananas will be enough for this recipe. Look at the video that is shown inside the recipe. It shows the size of bananas I used and can see the amount after they are mashed.
Made this tonight, it’s in the oven! I can tell it’s going to be a good one! Love brown sugar in my banana bread and not skimping on the bananas will make it moist! I added cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of maple extract with the vanilla extract and I always double the vanilla in all my recipes. Then I added a sprinkling of nuts and brown sugar on top! My apartment is starting to smell so good!
Hope you enjoy the banana bread, Samantha. xo
I didn’t add nuts and I didn’t make any alterations. By far the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten. The brown sugar almost gave it a caramelly taste. So, so good!!!
Thank you, Erma. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. xo
Can I use the same recipe to make Banana nut muffins? Any changes?
My Southern Banana Bread Muffins Recipe uses this same recipe but with baking time adjustments. You would just need to add the nuts to the recipe, Tammy.
I added pecans to the mixture & it would have to be the best banana bread I have had. So easy to make & it is so yummy. 👍👍
Thank you, Margaret. I love this banana bread with pecans. xo
Love it thank you for the receipt 😘
I have made this twice now and it really is delicious and sooooo easy! Thanks for another great recipe x
Thanks, Karon!
I made this yesterday It was so moist and spongy and super delicious! So it didn’t even last a day.Thank you for this wonderful recipe !