Best Banana Bread Recipe

This is the best banana bread recipe ever! It is easy to make, moist and bursting with banana flavor! It's made in one bowl (no mixer required). You can add walnuts or chocolate chips for delicious variations! A great recipe to use overripe bananas!

 I'm a firm believer that everyone needs an amazing banana bread recipe in their repertoire! So today I'm sharing our family's favorite, go-to recipe for the best banana bread ever! It's buttery, moist, and loaded with banana flavor. Plus it's easy to make and most definitely the best way to use overripe bananas!

It took me many years and lots of testing and tweaking to finally arrive at this banana bread recipe and feel like I can truly claim that it is the best of the best. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients and a few minutes to make, and I promise you will LOVE it as much as we do!

The Best Banana Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions 

Let's take a minute to chat about the ingredients used in this best banana bread recipe, and possible substitutions. Remember, the quality of ingredients used in a recipe will determine the quality of the final product!

• Overripe Bananas. Buy some extra bananas and let them get extra brown just to make this recipe! If you use yellow/green bananas (which are seen in the photograph below, but are only for show, the mashed bananas were super brown and therefore not very photogenic), your bread will lack moisture and sweetness.  
• Butter. I always bake with salted butter, however unsalted butter works equally well in this banana bread recipe. You can substitute up to half of the butter (¼ cup) with canola oil or even applesauce if you would like. I tested all of these substitutions, but I found that using ½ cup melted butter makes the absolute best banana bread! For a dairy-free version use vegan butter (like Earth Balance), ghee or coconut oil (however coconut oil will leave the bread with a little coconut flavor)! 
• Granulated sugar. I use organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
• Brown Sugar. This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but if you want a little more molasses flavor you may use dark brown sugar instead! 
• All-purpose flour. For the best results I recommend using all-purpose flour. However bread flour also works well in this banana bread recipe. You could substitute up to ¾ cup of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour...but it will change the final product slightly. For a gluten-free version, use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free baking flour. 

Looking for a healthier banana bread recipe? Then try my beloved Paleo Banana Bread or this Double Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread! This healthy banana bread is so good! This classic pumpkin bread is another favorite quick bread of ours too!

How to make banana bread

This banana bread recipe is easy to make, but lets walk through the process step-by-step so that you all end up with perfect banana bread every single time! And don't forget to watch the video.

Mash the bananas

The very first step in this banana bread recipe is to mash the bananas.

Add the whole bananas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them!  I have had this potato masher for over a decade, and it's the only way I ever mash anything (bananas, potatoes, beans, etc). I love it! 

Combine wet ingredients

Next, mix the wet ingredients together. Be sure the butter is melted and the eggs are room temperature for the best results! 

To quickly make a cold egg room temperature, simply submerge the egg in warm water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes!

Add sugars

I always recommend adding sugar to the wet ingredients before adding the dry ingredients. Especially in recipes, like this easy banana bread, that are mixed by hand. 

Stir the mixture thoroughly until you are certain the sugar is dissolved and there are no lumps. 

Add dry ingredients

The next step in this banana bread recipe is adding the dry ingredients. You can mix them together in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet ingredients, however that just makes one more dish to clean! So I usually just add the dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir them a little bit on the surface before combining the two! 

Stir

Be sure to stir all the ingredients together until you are certain there are no clumps of dry ingredients hiding in the banana bread batter! (This can be tricky because the mashed banana sometimes looks like clumps of flour)! We have done a less-than-perfect job of this in the past (especially when my kids are helping) and end up with flour clumps in the final product - no bueno. 

Mix ins

If you want to add some mix-ins to this banana bread recipe, this is the place in the process when you would do that.  You can add up to 1 cup of the following:

• Chocolate Chips 
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Cinnamon chips
• White chocolate chips
• Blueberries
• Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.)
• Swirl of peanut butter or Nutella 

Pour batter into pan & bake!

Next pour your well-mixed batter into a greased loaf pan! Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Then pop the pan into the preheated oven and wait! 

Note: It's very important to grease your loaf pan well to ensure easy removal! I use a non-stick spray. However you can rub the sides with butter or shortening if desired! 

Cool

Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. This will ensure that the loaf doesn't tear or come apart when it's removed. 

To remove the banana bread from the pan, take a knife or a thin spatula and gently separate the bread from the sides of the loaf pan. Shake the pan to see if you have released the sides. 

Once the bread is released from the pan, turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling! 

To store/freeze

Store this moist banana bread in an airtight container or plastic bag to ensure it does not dry out. If you plan on eating the entire loaf in a day or two, feel free to store it at room temperature. If it will take longer, I recommend storing this best banana bread in the refrigerator.

I recommend freezing this banana bread in slices in an airtight container. That way you can pull out a slice at a time to enjoy.

Serving suggestions

Since this is absolutely the best banana bread ever, it stands on it's own beautifully and doesn't need anything extra to taste amazing! However, here are a few of our favorite toppings that we like to slather on our warm banana bread:

• Peanut butter or any other nut/seed butter. Try making this homemade peanut butter,  vanilla peanut butter or vanilla almond butter!
• Nutella
• Jam
• Slather it with this cinnamon honey butter!
• Butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar
• Drizzle of honey or maple syrup
• A dollop of homemade whipped cream.

FAQs about Banana Bread

If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

More of our favorite breakfast & banana recipes: 

We take breakfast seriously! Here are some of our most favorite breakfast recipes!

• Who doesn't love french toast?! Our recipe is the best ever!
• Try this healthy banana bread! It's delicious and no one can tell it's good for you!
• These are literally the best banana muffins you will ever make or eat! Seriously the best.
• This banana cake is better than Sara Lee and you have to make it asap!
• These cinnamon rolls are to die for! Plus they can be made ahead!
• I love a good quiche, like this crustless quiche or this quiche with a hash brown crust!
• Other egg dishes like this frittata and egg casserole (egg bake) are easy and healthy!
• If you love baked oatmeal try our pumpkin baked oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal, blueberry baked oatmeal, and everyone's favorite - peanut butter banana baked oatmeal. 
• These mocha chocolate scones and these cinnamon chip scones are some of my all-time favorites. 
• Everyone needs to try this BEST green smoothie recipe! And this strawberry banana smoothie and this chocolate peanut butter green smoothie!

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