Banana Bread: the best recipe for a moist delicious quick bread

Banana bread is a delicious, hearty sweet bread that's loved for its rich buttery, banana flavor and moist, tender texture. It's a classic American recipe that's super easy to make.

Banana bread is a type of quick bread and is less sweet than the banana cake. You can customize banana bread however you like. Make a vegan version, add chocolate or nuts to it, whip up a keto banana bread, or swirl in some nut butter. You can make healthy banana bread or turn your recipe into a more dessert-like treat.

Whatever you choose, make sure you use ultra-ripe bananas – they'll give your bread the best-ever banana flavor.

Banana Bread Ingredients

The secret to delicious banana bread with a rich banana flavor is to use very ripe bananas. The skins should be brown or mostly brown rather than yellow. The darker the better.

You'll need two to three medium to large-sized bananas to make banana bread.

For the rest of the batter, you'll also need some sugar (or sweetener of your choice), flour, egg, butter, and baking soda.

How to Mash Bananas

Use a fork to mash the bananas. Continue mashing them until the bananas are smooth and lump-free – this will yield the best banana bread.

How to Make Banana Bread

Making banana bread from scratch is so easy, even baking novices will be able to whip up a delicious loaf without any trouble. Start by smashing your ripe bananas until they're smooth.

Add in the melted butter and stir until smooth. Mix in the baking soda, and salt followed by the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sift in the flour and mix the batter until just combined.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan greased with cooking spray, then bake it for 50 minutes at 350F. Take the banana bread out of the oven and leave it to cool for several minutes in the pan.

Remove the bread from the pan and set it on a rack to cool completely before slicing and enjoying.

Best Banana Bread Variations

To make vegan-friendly banana bread, swap oil for butter and use applesauce, extra bananas, or flax eggs instead of a chicken egg.

For healthier banana bread, use whole wheat or almond flour, and reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or swap it out for your preferred sweetener.

Add nuts and seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, shaved almonds, walnuts, or pecans to make your banana bread healthier and more delicious.

For nuttier banana bread, use nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter.

Want to try chocolate banana bread? Add some chocolate chips to your banana bread for a sweet treat.

For a decadent recipe, fill banana bread with cream cheese.

Tips for Making Moist Banana Bread

The riper the bananas, the more intense the banana flavor will be.

Use less sugar if you prefer less sweet banana bread. Use more sugar if you prefer sweet banana bread.

For extra moist banana bread, use brown sugar instead of white sugar.

Use room temperature ingredients to make your banana bread – the dough will come together more easily.

Your banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and crumb-free.

For a nuttier flavor, brown the butter before adding it to your batter.

If your bread is browning too quickly, tent some foil over the pan.

You can use frozen bananas for your banana bread.

How to Store Banana Bread

Tightly wrap your banana bread in cling film and store it at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

Of course! Wrap your banana bread in cling film and freeze it for 3 to 4 months.

When you're ready to enjoy it, let it thaw out overnight.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

Smash the bananas until smooth and lump-free.

Mix in melted butter.

Stir in the baking soda and salt.

Mix in the sugar.

Beat the egg.

Add in the vanilla.

Sift in the flour.

Stir to combine.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.

Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and leave it to cool for several minutes.

Take the banana bread out of the pan and set it on a rack to cool completely.

Slice.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use a 4×8-inch loaf pan to make your banana bread.