Learn how easy it is to make the most delicious homemade banana bread recipe that is light, fluffy, and nothing short of delicious.
We are huge bread fans in our house, especially when it’s homemade. If you love baking bread then you have to check out my pretzels recipe or my dinner rolls.
Banana Bread
There is nothing like homemade bread, and if you happen to have quite a few bananas on hand then banana bread should be on your baking list. There is no firm date on when it was created but it’s said to be created in Southeast Asia quite a long time ago, i.e. 77 a.d. It is very easy to make and can definitely be made with just a whisk and a bowl, no need for a stand mixer.
How Ripe do the Bananas Need to Be?
It is debatable how ripe bananas need to be to make banana bread. It seems nowadays that it is made with leftover bananas that have begun to go brown. My personal take is that the bananas definitely need to be ripe, but they do not have to be brown.
With that being said, the browner they become, the more intense in flavor the banana will be, and ultimately your bread. I usually look for bananas to be bright yellow with a few brown spots on them for me to use them in this recipe.
How to Make It Moist
The trick to ensure that your banana bread is moist lies in a few different factors being:
- Fat – You have to have plenty of fat such as butter or oil in banana bread for it to be moist, this is the most important factor.
- Cooking Time – Often times people overcook baked good and they immediately dry out. I believe if you cook it just to 197° to 198° internally and pulling it out and letting it sit until cool is the perfect recipe for success.
- Over Mixing – Do not over mix this, you want some of those small chunks of ingredients in the batter before baking it.
How to Make Banana Bread from Scratch
Follow these simple instructions for making this amazing banana bread recipe:
In a large bowl completely whisk together the melted butter and sugar until combined.
Next, add in 1 egg at a time until they are completely mixed in.
Pour in the vanilla, oil, and milk into the batter and whisk until mixed in.
Add in the mashed bananas and whisk until combined.
Now, add in the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon until they are mixed together.
Whisk in the flour and salt just until combined.
Fold in the walnuts into the batter and evenly divide it between two 9×5 greased loaf pans.
Top off with a little mixture of walnuts and brown sugar and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center, or until it reaches 197° to 198°.
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Variations
There are a few different things you can do to alter the flavor and overall texture of this recipe to make it work for your needs.
- Pecans – Simply swap out the walnuts for pecans in this recipe.
- Gluten-Free Flour – Exchange the current amount of all-purpose flour for 1 to 1 gluten-free flour.
- Almond Flour – Swap out the all-purpose flour for the same amount of almond flour.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
Make-Ahead: You can make this banana bread recipe up to 1 day ahead of time.
How to Store: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or covered and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until soft.
You can just use oil, or just use milk, or a combination of both like I did in this recipe. You can also swap out the milk for full-fat yogurt.
You can easily make 24 muffins using this recipe if you prefer banana muffins instead. Bake them for 25-28 minutes.
In addition to the walnuts in this recipe, you can also add in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
More Amazing Bread Recipes
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Video
Homemade Banana Bread Recipe (Video)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks melted unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 8 mashed bananas
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl whisk together the butter and sugar until completely mixed.
- Next, add in 1 egg at a time until mixed in.
- Pour in the vanilla, oil, and milk until combined and then pour in the bananas and mix them in.
- Now, whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon until completely mixed together.
- Whisk in the flour and salt until combined and then fold in the walnuts using a rubber spatula.
- Divide the batter between 2 9x5 loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.
- This part is optional but mix together ¼ cup of packed light brown sugar with ¼ cup of roughly chopped walnuts and evenly sprinkle it over the top of the bread.
- Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until browned and cooked in the center. If you press a toothpick in the center it should come out relatively clean. In addition, it will have an internal temperature of 197° for 198°.
- Remove from the oven and set on a rack and cook for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 day ahead of time.
- How to Store: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or covered and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until soft.
- You can just use oil, or just use milk, or a combination of both like I did in this recipe. You can also swap out the milk for full-fat yogurt.
- You can easily make 24 muffins using this recipe if you prefer banana muffins instead. Bake them for 25-28 minutes.
- In addition to the walnuts in this recipe, you can also add in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Linda says
Thanks so much for the recipe. How much butter do you put in..Sometimes a stick of butter is 1 cup and the small sticks are 1/2 cup cutter. Please tell me how much cups of butter. Thanks – my bananas are getting too ripe.
Thanks so much, Linda
Chef Billy Parisi says
1/2 cup sticks
Wanda Ostlie says
Love this recipe. I have looked for a great one for years. When I saw 8 bananas and the butter I knew it would be good.
Nancy James says
This is the best banana bread ever. So moist and flavorful. I’ll never use another recipe for banana bread!
Tim Young says
I like to add mini chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and crushed pineapple ( in place if one banana) and give as Holiday gifts. It looks like Fruitcake but taste like a banana split!!
I also like to serve with Crème Anglaise. Kind of a reverse Banana Split.
Merce Hess says
Hi Billy this banana bread recipe looks like a winner. Is there any way of substituting honey/stevia for all that sugar?
Chef Billy Parisi says
Possibly, but that’s just not my area of expertise to offer substitution amounts, sorry.
Vanessa says
How many grams of butter equals 2 sticks.
I live in the U.K. and we only get blocks of 250g or more.
Chef Billy Parisi says
113g per stick
Hope Schwartz says
Just made banana nut chocolate chip muffins with my 12-year old daughter following Billy’s recipe.. SO GOOD! Cooking is not my “thing” but my daughter loves to bake, she was able to do this pretty much on her own and they are absolutely delicious. Way better than anything in the store. Thank you Chef Billy!! Five Stars – Yum
Patricia Lasagne says
Made this Banana bread with my 3 grandsons tonight….
What a fabulous recipe! Truly best ever
They had the leftover smothered pork chops for lunch!!
We are enjoying your recipes 👨🍳
Michael Fletcher says
The recipe says 50-55 minutes and the idea says 85-90 minutes. Which is more correct. Dont want to over cook when I need to check internal temp and dont want to over stick it to check
Chef Billy Parisi says
it’s 50-55
Valya of Valya’s Taste of Home says
Banana bread with homemade espresso is my kind of breakfast. Your bread look amazing!
Rehab says
Wow!! It’s incredible, I loved this recipe, it’s amazing, wow! I can’t say another words just thank you thank you chef Billy! You offer us what is delicious, healthy and beneficial to us.❤
Chef Billy Parisi says
I use butter so much and so fast I’ve never had to worry about it!