Homemade Banana Bread Recipe (Video)

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, with 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 in this recipe.

How to Make It Moist

The trick to ensuring 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 goods 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.

Make-Ahead and Storage

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.

chef notes + tips

• You can just use oil, or just use milk, or a combination of both like I did in this recipe.   Feel free to 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 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

More Amazing Bread Recipes

• Bagels
• Brioche
• Sourdough
• Pita
• Naan

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

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Homemade Banana Bread Recipe (Video)

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5 from 33 votes

Learn how easy it is to make the most delicious homemade banana bread recipe that is light, fluffy, and nothing short of delicious.

Servings: 16

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

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 9×5 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 198°.
• Remove from the oven and set on a rack and cool 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 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 122mgPotassium: 364mgFiber: 3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 103IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Chef Billy Parisi