The Best Banana Bread Recipe
on Apr 15, 2013, Updated Jul 05, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Best Banana Bread is sweet, moist, and perfect every time. This is my go-to recipe when I’m in the mood for a sweet quick bread.
There are a million banana bread recipes, just like there are a million chocolate chip cookie recipes. Most people have a “go-to” recipe for these kind of classic kitchen favorites. And for those of us who don’t have a “go-to” we end up trying and trying recipes until we find the magical one that is everything we’ve ever looked for. Look no further, because this banana bread recipe will be the one you make over and over again.
This recipe is exactly what you expect from banana bread and it turns out perfect every time. Sweet, moist, delicious banana goodness… what more could we ask for?! Banana Zucchini Bread, Perfect Pumpkin Bread and Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread are also great recipes when I need some sweet bread in my life.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist and Flavorful: This recipe creates a banana bread that is incredibly moist and packed with rich banana flavor, making it a delicious treat for any time of day.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with common pantry staples, this recipe doesn’t require any special ingredients, making it easy to whip up whenever you have ripe bananas on hand.
- Freezer-Friendly: The banana bread freezes well, so you can make a batch ahead of time and enjoy it later. It’s perfect for meal prepping or having a quick snack ready at any time.
Ingredients
- Ripe Bananas
- Butter
- Eggs
- Plain Yogurt
- Vanilla
- All-Purpose Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make the Best Banana Bread
Step #1. Preheat the oven and grease a loaf pan.
Step #3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Don’t overmix – it’s okay if it still has a few lumps.
Step #2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.
Step #4. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan onto cooling rack.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve made this multiple times with switching out the all-purpose flour for 100% whole wheat flour and the results have been great. It’s a great option!
Insert a toothpick in center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the center of the loaf is done. Don’t under bake, a gummy middle in bread is not good.
Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1/2 hour before serving. Removing if from the pan after 10 minutes helps the bottom to not get too soggy from the steam.
Expert Tips
- If you have bananas that are ready for banana bread but no time to bake, you can freeze them for later. When you have time to bake, thaw them and use them as called for in your favorite recipes.
- The best bananas for banana bread are the ones that have turned very brown. They have the most natural sweetness and will give your bread the beset banana flavor.
- Make sure you are spooning your flour into your measuring cup and not scooping with the measuring cup. You’ll end up with too much flour and dense banana bread.
- Greek yogurt in this banana bread is the secret ingredient that packs a huge punch. The yogurt helps to keep the bread super moist. If you don’t have Greek yogurt you can easily substitute with sour cream.
More Quick Bread Recipes to Consider
Pumpkin
40 Fall Pumpkin Recipes
Homemade Bread
Soda Bread
Quick Bread Recipes
Brown Bread
Quick Bread Recipes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
One Bowl Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 very large ripe bananas, mashed well
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or pastry blender.
- Stir in the the butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Don’t over mix. The batter should be thick and a little chunky
- Scrape the batter into the greased pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1/2 before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is actually really flexible! You can use whole wheat flour instead of the white (or half and half), you can use sour cream instead of the yogurt, and I have even had great luck making “flax eggs” instead of using real eggs for this recipe (mix 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 2.5 tablespoons water PER egg you need, stir and let it rest for 5 minutes before using). You can also sub oil for the butter. Use what you have on hand and what’s easiest for you.
- You can also add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter or 1 cup of chocolate chips if you’d like.
- You can reduce the sugar in this recipe to 1/2 cup if you like a less sweet banana bread.
- Really brown bananas are the best for banana bread. You can easily freeze them if you don’t have time to bake.
I baked your orange cranberry bread recipe and loved it so I scouted around your website to see if you have a banana bread recipe and boy is this one awesome too!! My husband loves mini muffins coz it’s so easy to pop into the mouth so I made them in a mini muffin pan. He popped 10 within 30 mins of it out of the oven!! This recipe makes about 45 mini muffins for about 13mins if anyone is interested! I know this recipe is a keeper!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
Hi, I would like to make muffins, how long would you cook them please? Thank you.
Around 25 minutes give or take, you’ll want the muffins to spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center to come out clean.
The best
Hi Can someone explain how much butter is used for the recipe? It just says 6T…. Thanks
A capital ‘T’ means Tablespoon. A small ‘t’ in recipes means teaspoon.
Ok…I will agree….this is a great recipe! Super moist!!!! Didn’t have 3 very large ripe bananas but I had 4 very medium overly- ripe ones. It tasted just perfect. I wanted to throw in pecans as you suggested to Katie, but alas, he doesn’t like nuts in his breads. Oh…wait….he doesn’t like banana bread either….in went the nuts! I love the taste of walnuts in my banana bread….pecans stepped it up to another level! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
I made your banana bread yesterday with my 2 grandbabies ages 3&4. It was just wonderful . Thank you so much. I will be posting it on face book for everyone to enjoy
Thank you for posting this recipe . I love banana bread . Can this be frozen ?
It can! I thaw it in the fridge overnight to eat with eggs in the morning. Quick and easy 🙂 Enjoy!
you weren’t kidding, this banana bread is the best! I love that it is just a simple, no frills recipe. I couldn’t wait for it to cool before snarfing down 2 pieces, so good! I think next time I’m going to throw some nuts in! Thanks!
So glad you liked it Katie! I totally agree, no nonsense and perfect every time. I loooove pecans in it 🙂
What if I don’t have plain yogurt?
Vanilla yogurt and sour cream both work instead!
Your banana bread looks so delicious, I love the look of the texture of it – yum!
Wahoo! Thank you! I can’t wait to get baking. Thinking I’ll need to try this first.