Banana Bread Recipe
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This homemade banana bread recipe is light, fluffy, and incredibly delicious. I prep it in just 15 minutes using baking staples, crunchy walnuts, and ripe bananas to create a tender and moist banana bread that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee.
You can’t beat homemade bread fresh from the oven, whether it is served alongside main dishes or enjoyed on its own. I personally love making one or two loaves every time I host dinner at my place and saving one for the week. My favorites that pair well with almost any meal are my sourdough bread and my garlic bread recipe.
Banana Bread
As a chef, I love sharing that the banana bread we bake today is actually a fairly modern recipe. It became popular in the United States in the early 20th century, when baking powder and baking soda were widely used and bananas were easier to find year round. Home cooks started looking for smart ways to use overripe bananas, and by the 1930s, banana bread recipes were showing up in American cookbooks.
There is nothing like homemade bread, and if you happen to have a few bananas on hand, banana bread should be on your baking list. It is often debated how ripe bananas need to be for banana bread, and these days it is commonly made with bananas that have started to turn brown. My personal take is that the bananas should be ripe and fragrant, but they do not need to be fully brown to make a great loaf.
With that being said, the more brown the bananas are, the stronger and sweeter the banana flavor will be in the bread. I usually look for bananas that are bright yellow with a few brown spots, which works perfectly for this recipe along with simple baking staples like flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
What I love most is how easy it is to customize to your taste, I add walnuts for a bit of crunch, but pecans or chocolate chips work just as well. I prep the batter in about 15 minutes and bake it for just over an hour. The recipe is easy to follow with the instructions below, and you can also watch my video where I walk through each step and share how I make my banana bread moist and fluffy, just the way me and my family enjoys it.
Ingredients and substitutions
Butter – I use unsalted butter for richness and moisture in the bread. You can swap it with salted butter and reduce the added salt slightly.
Granulated sugar – This adds sweetness and brown sugar is the closest substitute you can use.
Eggs – I simply use room temperature large eggs.
Vanilla extract – I add vanilla for warmth and balance in the flavor. Vanilla bean paste works as the closest substitute.
Vegetable oil – Oil keeps the bread soft and moist for days. Canola oil or melted coconut oil are good alternatives.
Whole milk – You can use half and half , yogurt or any full fat dairy milk.
Ripe bananas – Bananas are the star and provide natural sweetness and moisture. Extra ripe bananas work best and there is no real substitute here.
Baking soda – This helps the bread rise and brown properly.
Baking powder – I use this for extra lift alongside baking soda.
Ground cinnamon – Cinnamon adds warmth to the bread. Nutmeg is the closest substitute but use less.
All purpose flour – You can substitute with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend or almond flour if you want.
Salt – I use sea salt but Kosher salt works the same way.
Walnuts – I add walnuts for crunch and texture.
How to Make Banana Bread from Scratch
Mix the ingredients: First thing I do is whisk the melted butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fully combined.
Add the eggs: Next, I add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated.
Add the liquids: I pour the vanilla, oil, and milk into the batter and whisk until is fully mixed in.
Add the bananas: I add the mashed bananas to the bowl and whisk until combined.
Add the dry leavening: I add the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and whisk until everything is mixed together.
Add the flour: I whisk in the flour and salt.
Add the walnuts: I fold the walnuts into the batter, then divide it between two greased 9×5 loaf pans.
Bake the bread: I top the batter with a light mixture of walnuts and brown sugar, then bake at 350° for 80 to 90 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean in the center or the internal temperature reaches 197° to 198°.
Cool and serve: I let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
chef tip + notes
I see this happen often with baked goods: They stay in the oven a little too long and dry out fast. After making this banana bread recipe many times, I recommend baking it until the center reaches about 197° to 198°. I pull it out right at that point and let it rest in the pan as it cools. The bread finishes setting on its own and stays soft and moist inside, which is exactly how we like it and I know you will too.
- Make banana muffins: You can easily turn this recipe into 24 banana muffins if you prefer. I bake them for 25 to 28 minutes until the centers are fully baked.
- Use ripe bananas: I choose bananas that are soft and fragrant because they add better flavor and moisture to the bread. Slightly spotted bananas work perfectly for this recipe.
- Mix carefully: I stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears to keep the loaf soft. Too much mixing can make the bread dense.
- Rest before slicing: I let the bread cool in the pan for about 20 minutes so it sets properly. This makes slicing easier and cleaner.
- Toast the walnuts: I toast the walnuts lightly before adding them when I want extra flavor.
- Use two pans: I divide the batter between two loaf pans so the bread bakes through more consistently. This helps avoid an underbaked center.
Serving Suggestions
I love keeping it simple by spreading a generous layer of softened homemade honey butter on a slice and enjoying it with a cup of coffee cortadito.
My daughter likes to take it a step further and adds cream cheese frosting or chocolate whipped cream. I never mind because I usually have homemade versions waiting in the fridge, and it makes snack time a little more fun for her.
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.
More Amazing Bread Recipes
Video
Banana Bread Recipe
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 80-90 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.
Excellent Banana bread. Guess it depends on oven. For me 55 minutes was enough.
Appreciate you giving it a try!
The Banana Bread is awesome. I sprinkled crushed Almonds on top for mine. Man oh man Thanks Billy this recipe is FLAWLESS. !!!!!
Fantastic! Thank you!
Hi chef. For some reason, bananas come in various sizes.
Approximately how many cups would your 8 bananas be? Thanx.
Believe it or not, it still won’t matter all that much in the end.
On this snowy, sleet, and rainy Sunday morning, I figured this was the perfect thing to make! Having to use up my bananas before I leave for vacation this week, this will satisfy my kids when they stop by to check on my house! ♥️🍌🍌
I love your banana bread recipe. It reminds me of my mom’s recipe.
Thanks Chef!
My pleasure!
This is the only banana bread recipe I will ever use or need. Thank you!
Fantastic! Thank you for trying it!
My bananas weren’t ripe so I roasted them on a parchment lined sheet pan at 300 degrees for 30 minutes and then let them cool before mashing. Perfect! The recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, and I can’t wait to pull them from the oven! Thanks Chef!!
My pleasure. Thank you for giving it a try!
Delicious, it’s the only banana bread recipe I use, and everyone loves it,
.
However, I do use the time in the video 85 – 90 minutes + food thermometer Temp 197/198.
The written directions in the recipe indicates 50-55 minutes.
Don’t forget the honey butter. Its yummy
Thanks for the note. Fixed it!
Hi Chef
Thank you for the recipe. I have made it several times and it is delicious. This last time rather than watch the video I followed the written recipe and came accross this error in the description:
Bake at 350° for 80-90
Thank you for your lovely recipes.
Erica
Spectacular recipe! Easy to follow, and the final product was light, fluffy and delicious. I substituted yogurt for the milk, and it worked out perfectly! Ended up with an extra loaf, but the more the merrier!
Thanks, Chef!
Thanks for giving it a shot!
Geeeeezzzz!!! I’ve been making banana bread for years, but this recipe is by far the BEST EVER!!! My husband loves it❤️
My diet, not so much🤪
Thank you for giving it a try!