This moist banana bread recipe is golden brown on the outside and sweet and fluffy on the inside.
It’s just what you need for a mid-morning snack.
Plus, it’s the perfect recipe for when you have bananas that are just a little too ripe.
In fact, the riper they are, the better your banana bread will turn out.
Spread some butter on top, pour a cup of coffee, and you’ll have the perfect weekend treat.
Pin This RecipeIngredients
If you have the bananas ready, the rest of this recipe is pantry staples. Here’s everything you need to create this mouth-watering banana bread:
- Butter. Butter adds flavor, moisture, and overall richness to the bread.
- Sugar. Regular granulated sugar is fine. It adds a sweet touch.
- Eggs. The eggs hold everything together and add moisture. They also help with the leavening process.
- Vanilla extract. It’s hard to beat the rich warmth vanilla extra provides.
- Lemon juice. Lemon juice will slightly acidulate the batter.
- Flour. All-purpose is fine.
- Baking soda and baking powder. These will help the bread rise.
- Salt. Salt is always an excellent flavor enhancer.
- Sour cream. Here’s the secret ingredient for ensuring the bread is as moist as possible.
- Chopped walnuts. Toast them first for extra flavor.
- Ripe bananas. If you have overripe bananas, those will work even better.
Other Banana Bread Ingredients
Besides those things listed above, here are a few other things you can add to banana bread to make it taste great:
- Chocolate chips/chunks
- Raisins
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices
- Dates
- Almond extract
- Berries
- Brown sugar
How to Make Moist Banana Bread
You won’t believe how heavenly this recipe will make your house smell! And check out how easily this banana bread comes together.
The hardest part is patiently waiting for the bread to cool.
1. Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Then, add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well, and then set aside.
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. When it comes together, pour into the butter mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Add the bananas. Using a fork (or potato masher), mash the ripe bananas. Then, fold in sour cream, walnuts, and bananas into the bread batter.
5. Bake. Pour mixture into a greased 9×5 loaf pan, and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool. Take the bread out of the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the pan, and allow the bread to cool completely. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
Here are more ways to make your banana bread even better:
- Measure properly. Don’t pack your measuring cup because you might end up with too much. Use a spoon to place your dry ingredients into the measuring cup. Then, use the back of a knife to level it.
- Get a little nutty. Walnuts’ hint of bitterness provides a nice balance to the bread’s sweetness. However, any nuts you like will suffice. Feeling chocolatey? Try adding some chocolate chips with all those nuts.
- Mash the bananas thoroughly. You can use a fork, potato masher, or hand mixer. This is particularly important for those who don’t like munching on slimy and mushy banana bits.
- Check on the bread early. The recipe calls for 60 minutes of cooking time, but check it as early as 55 minutes in. You’ll know it’s done when you see some moist bread sticking to your tester toothpick.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients with a spatula. Fold them very gently for extra tender bread.
- Remove the bread from the pan quickly. You can give the bread about 10 minutes to cool. But after that, you need to get it out of that hot pan. If you leave it in too long, the bottom will become soggy.
For even more tips and tricks, check out this recipe for Paula Deen’s banana bread. If anyone knows how to do it right, it’s her.
Best Bananas for Banana Bread
When it comes to banana bread, the blacker the peel, the better.
These mushy bananas give off a much sweeter flavor. Previously frozen ripe bananas work great as well.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Frozen bananas are an excellent choice for making banana bread. Once thawed, they mash more easily and add extra moisture to the batter.
Simply thaw your frozen bananas at room temperature. If you need to speed up the process, place them (wrapped or in bags) in a bowl of warm water.
You can use them as soon as they’re soft enough to mash.
Can I Freeze Overripe Bananas?
You can absolutely freeze overripe bananas. They’re the perfect choice for banana bread, so definitely freeze them when you can.
Here’s how:
- Place them (peel and all) in a freezer-safe bag.
- Press as much air out of the bag as possible.
- Seal the bag.
- Freeze the bananas for up to 3 months.
See the above section for tips on thawing them out.
How to Store Banana Bread
Even when you follow all the recipe tips mentioned above, banana bread tends to dry out when storing it overnight.
Here are some storage tips to keep your banana bread moist and delicious.
To Store: Wrap slices in plastic and pop them in an airtight container. Wrap whole loaves in plastic and foil. Keep leftovers at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: To freeze, make sure that the bread is completely cooled first. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Banana Bread FAQs
In case your banana bread doesn’t turn out the way you wanted, here are some things to check for.
How Do You Make Banana Bread More Moist?
There are a few reasons for dry bread.
Make sure that you always use overripe bananas. Not only are overripe bananas sweeter, but they have a higher moisture content to keep your bread moist.
It’s also important that you never overmix your batter. Overmixing creates a dense and drier texture.
Why Did My Banana Bread Sink in The Middle?
It likely wasn’t cooked all the way through when you took it out of the oven.
While it may have looked done on the outside, it needs at least 50 minutes to cook.
Remember to check the center of the loaf with a toothpick or sharp knife. It should come out clean (or with a few little crumbs).
If it comes out wet with batter it needs longer.
If the top is browning and it’s not fully baked, loosely cover the pan with foil and bake in 5-minute intervals until it’s ready.
Why Didn’t My Banana Bread Rise?
If your baking soda is expired, it won’t have the right chemical reaction in the oven.
Another culprit for unrisen bread is that you overmixed your dough.
Always stir until the ingredients are just combined, and then stop. It’s okay if the dough is a little lumpy.
How to Ripen Bananas
There are a couple of easy ways to ripen green bananas.
- How to ripen bananas in a few days. Place bananas in a paper bag, and fold the top down. The gasses trapped inside help the bananas ripen faster.
- How to ripen bananas right now. Pop them in the oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
More Banana Recipes You’ll Love
Bisquick Banana Bread Recipe
Dairy-Free Banana Bread (Easy Recipe)
Banana Bread Muffins
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
I haven’t had banana bread in so long. This looks amazing!
My husband said this is the best banana bread heβs ever eaten! (And he is picky!) I did substitute the flour for gluten free flour and it still turned out perfect!
This is the way my mom made it. Love it with a big glass of cold milk. :). π
this sounds good. thank you
Thanks for the recipe! The bread is in my oven right now & my house smells divine!
I make it with very ripe bananas too but I always thought it was the sour cream that was the secret ingredient.
I find if you freeze over ripe bannas; the thaw them overnight they really make better banana bread .
I look forward to trying this this tip. Thanks, Wayne.
This recipe turned out delicious. I did substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream because I didnβt have any. Delicious!
Just made this and it’s very yummy! Thanks. Also, I appreciate the tips you give within the recipe – how to save it, problems you might have and how to solve them.
This is the best banana bread I have ever found. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect and really moist. Instructions are really well said too.
Aww come on I have to wait for a weekend to eat it! Sorry, too delish to wait I’m making it during the week so there! LOL
I love this recipe.
I was out of sour cream and traded it with cream cheese.
Gave it a sweet crispy crusty. Mmmmm.
I was told cinnamon lowers your A1C so I added cinnamon.
π
Yes and it adds a great flavor to the bread. I add cinnamon to a lot of my baking and cooking recipes.
I made this recipe and spread it atop some walnut brownie mix! Made for an amazing chocolate banana nut dessert
I made this recipe this weekend and good lawd this is going to be my new go to recipe replacing my Ma Maw’s recipe.
Nice!
I made this recipe and I have to say it is the best so far. It was delightful and I tried a few on this site. I added a teaspoon of almond extract and replaced the mayo with vanilla yogurt because I ran out and this is a keeper. Thank you!!
Thank you for this recipe. This banana bread is delicious. I’ve never been fond of banana bread. I had two very ripe bananas. I found your recipe and thought I would give it a try. I now love banana bread! Other recipes are either too dry or too moist. Thank you again for the recipe.
I have made this bread (I do muffins) several times and I have not found a recipe I like better!
Most definitely delicious!
Hello!! I simply love this recipe!! I tried others, but this one is absolutely this best!! So delicious!! I have several family members who request it all the time! So I have made it at least thirty times since finding it in September of 2020!! And itβs super easy! I have even found cake boxes for it! Thank You so much π Have a blessed 2024!
Hi Nadine, I’m so happy everyone loves it! I have made a lot of banana bread recipes, but this one is definitely my favorite. π
I have tried many banana bread recipes, and this stands out by far! It is so moist and tasty. The directions are easy to follow. My husband liked the crispiness of the top and the ends with the lovely crunch. This is now my go-to recipe! Thank you!
Hi Baker Mama! I’m so happy to hear you liked it. This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes as well. π
Thank you first of all π I made this bread and it was absolutely amazing! Just got done making another loaf and I substituted walnuts for pecans (toasted) and added choc chips! Iβm sure it will be amazing also π
Hi Karen! So happy you like the recipe. It’s one I come back to again and again. Love your swaps and the addition of chocolate chips. I’ll have to do the same the next time I make it!
made it yesterday – added an egg (caused it to rise too much) but the flavor and moist texture was PHENOMENAL! May double the batch and bake two loaves and use excess for muffins and keep the “addition” and plan for “bonus banana treats”!!
Hi Rebecca. So glad you liked the recipe. I always double the batch! I make one with walnuts and one with chocolate chips. Let me know how the muffins comes out π
Just made it and it is absolutely delicious!
Hi Heather! So glad you like it!!
I’ve tried countless versions of banana bread, and this one is my favorite w/ the additions I made (imo). I used the recipe to the T, as I just happened to have only 2 bananas, then I added 2-3 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice (touch over on the nutmeg and allspice). It turned out so perfect. The added spice is perfect amount and doesnt overpower it. The maple makes a little glaze on the outside that I havent had before and was wonderfully crisp all around but perfectly moist on the inside; not too dense and not mushy. Some recipes have too much bananas and just become way too dense and almost the same consistency as mashed overripe banana fortified with undercooked scrambled eggs (like when it calls for 4 bananas?!?) that I do not enjoy. I dont think you’d want to use 2 small bananas though, might become a bit too bready. I highly recommend you try this!
Wow! Lots of great tweaks! Thanks for sharing.
Where are the quantities of the ingredients.
Hi, Norman! You can scroll down to the “recipe card” at the bottom. Everything is summarized there, including the quantities of the ingredients. π
This was amazing!
very moist and sooo delicious! I will be keeping this recipe and making it all the time! There is nothing like a piece of banna bread with cream cheese on it with your morning coffee or tea.
I agree 100%, Cindy!
Kim, this banana bread recipe was delicious, turned out perfect. I used pecans for the nuts. It was great to have all the tips. In the past making the bread I had some failures: sunken centers, doughy center, overcooked crust. Prior to using your recipe, I tried using chocolate chips and they sunk to the bottom, what a mess, do you have any tips?
Thank you very much for this great recipe.
Jim
Hi, Jim!
So glad you enjoyed this banana bread. Did you try coating your chocolate chips in a bit of flour before mixing them in with the batter? Typically, the flour will help keep the chocolate chips in place instead of sinking to the bottom. π