Today, I’m sharing my favorite easy banana bread recipe—a timeless classic that’s been a hit both at home and in my café. Let it fill your kitchen with irresistible aroma and bring comfort to every bite. It’s a quick and easy banana recipe your whole family will love!
Type of Cuisine:
American
Prep Time: 15 minutes.
Cook Time: 1 hour
How Many Servings?
8-10 servings
This easy banana bread recipe is the ultimate cozy classic—quick to make, irresistibly moist, and full of comforting banana flavor. It’s a crowd favorite at my café and a must-have in my own kitchen. Whether you’re craving a warm breakfast, a thoughtful homemade gift, or just a quick and easy banana recipe to use up ripe bananas, this loaf delivers every time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & fuss-free: No mixer or fancy tools required—just one bowl and a spoon.
- Cafe-tested favorite: It’s the most requested item at my café and always sells out first.
- Family-approved: Even my husband, a tough critic, reaches for a slice every morning.
- Holiday-perfect: Makes a thoughtful, homemade gift your loved ones will adore.
- Customizable: Easily add nuts and chocolate chips, or swap in gluten-free flour.
Easy Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Rich and creamy, unsalted butter contributes a luxurious texture and buttery flavor to the banana bread.
- Sugar: Sweetness abounds with sugar, creating a delightful balance to the banana’s natural sugars.
- Large Eggs: Eggs bring moisture and structure to the bread, ensuring a soft and fluffy texture.
- Plain Flour: The foundation of the bread, plain flour provides structure without overpowering the banana flavor.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor, balancing the sweetness and adding depth.
- Vanilla Extract: Fragrant and sweet, vanilla extract imparts a warm aroma and enhances the banana’s natural sweetness.
- Baking Soda: The leavening agent that helps the bread rise, ensuring a light and airy texture.
- Cinnamon: Warm and aromatic, cinnamon complements the banana, adding a cozy and spiced note.
- Mashed Bananas (About 2 Ripe Bananas): Ripe bananas bring natural sweetness and moisture, infusing the bread with irresistible banana flavor.
- Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds moisture and a subtle tanginess, elevating the bread’s overall tenderness.
- Chopped Walnuts: Nutty and crunchy walnuts provide a delightful contrast in texture and a hint of earthy flavor.
This easy banana bread recipe combines these ingredients to create a perfect harmony of flavors and textures—a moist, sweet, and nutty delight that makes every bite a comforting treat.
Tips for the Best Banana Bread
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Use overripe bananas: The browner and spottier, the better! They’re naturally sweeter and pack the most flavor. Avoid bananas with black, moldy spots.
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Freeze ripe bananas for later: Don’t toss those soft bananas—peel them, place them in a Ziplock bag, and freeze them for future banana bread cravings.
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Frozen with peel? No problem: If you freeze bananas whole with the peel on, just run them under warm water and peel with a knife when you’re ready to use them.
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No mixer needed: This is a no-fuss recipe. A simple bowl and spoon are all you need—no stand mixer is required!
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Keep an eye on the bake time: Oven temperatures can vary, so start checking your banana bread around the 35–40 minute mark. Factors like your oven, the material and size of your loaf pan (metal, glass, ceramic), and the moisture in your bananas can all affect how quickly it bakes. If the top is browning too fast, lightly tent it with foil.
What Can You Add to Banana Bread?
Banana bread is incredibly flexible—you can mix in whatever flavors or textures you love! Here are some tasty add-in ideas:
- Chocolate chips – for a dessert-style twist
- Blueberries or raspberries – add tartness and moisture
- Zucchini – sneak in extra veggies without compromising taste
- Raisins or dried fruit – adds chewiness and natural sweetness
- Chopped walnuts or pecans – my go-to for crunch and flavor
- Cinnamon or nutmeg – a cozy spice upgrade
This recipe also includes yogurt, which gives the loaf a slight tang and extra moisture. Don’t have yogurt? No problem—you can swap it with sour cream for a similar effect.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
Don’t have ripe bananas on hand? Here are two fast and effective methods to get them banana-bread-ready:
- The Paper Bag Method (24–48 hours): Place bananas in a brown paper bag and fold it shut. This traps the ethylene gas that bananas naturally release, speeding up ripening. Add an apple or a ripe banana to the bag to boost the process even more.
- The Oven Method (15–20 minutes): Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15–20 minutes, until the skins are black. Let them cool, then peel and mash—perfect for banana bread.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat & Prep
Cream Butter, Sugar & Add Wet Ingredients
Mix the Dry and Banana Mixtures
Combine and Finish the Batter
Bake the Banana Bread
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Since every oven is different, check for doneness around the 35 –40 minute mark.
Serve & Enjoy
Relish this homemade Banana Bread recipe – a harmonious blend of ripe bananas, vanilla, and cinnamon in a moist, fluffy loaf. It’s easy to make, smells divine, and tastes even better. Whether for breakfast, a snack, or a sweet gift, it will impress.
Type of Cuisine:
American
Prep Time: 15 minutes.
Cook Time: 1 hour
How Many Servings?
8-10 servings
Ingredients:
| ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature | |
| ½ cup sugar | |
| 2 large eggs | |
| 1 ½ cup unbleached plain flour | |
| 1 teaspoon salt | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda | |
| 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon | |
| 1 cup mashed banana (two bananas) | |
| ½ cup yogurt or sour cream | |
| 1 cup chopped walnut |
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While it heats, prepare and measure all your ingredients. Having everything ready to go makes the process quick, easy, and mess-free!
Soften the butter, then whisk it with the sugar for 2–3 minutes until light and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk again until fully combined and creamy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the unbleached flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. In another bowl, mash the ripe bananas and mix in the yogurt (or sour cream) until smooth. Set both mixtures aside as they’ll soon be folded into the batter.
Add the banana-yogurt mixture to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Stir until well combined. Gradually fold in the dry flour mixture until the batter comes together smoothly—don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into a well-buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Since every oven is different, check for doneness around the 35 –40 minute mark.
To check doneness, insert a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, your banana bread is ready! Let it cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
How To Store Banana Bread?
Nutrition Information
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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BettyJust made this. It does not take one hour. Not even close. I checked on it at 45 min (at 350 degrees as the recipe instructed), Even at 45 min, it was overcooked, dry & like rubber.
30-35 min would have been sufficient.-
Rana Madanat
Hi Betty,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe and for your honest feedback! I’m sorry to hear the banana bread turned out dry for you—that’s never fun. I’ve made this recipe many times with great results, but ovens and bakeware can vary quite a bit. I recently updated the recipe to include a baking time range and added tips to help avoid overbaking. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience—it helps make the recipe better for everyone!Warmly,
Rana
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Gerianne Kohut
Hi – I would like very much to make this Banana Bread Reicipe, but I am unclear on the wording for how much butter should be used. To make one bread, the recipe calls for “1 cup 1 stick of unsalted butter room temperature.” I know that 1 stick of butter equals a half cup, so does your wording mean 2 sticks, (which is one cup), PLUS another stick, which is a half cup? Please help! Thank you!
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Rana Madanat
Hi Gerianne, thank you so much for pointing that out! You’re absolutely right—1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup, so the correct amount should read: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature. I’ve updated the recipe to make it clearer. I hope you enjoy baking the banana bread—it’s a favorite in our kitchen!
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Gerianne Kohut
Hi Rana –
Thank you so much for replying so soon, as I am planning to make this bread tomorrow! 🙂 Thank you for updating the butter measurement for baking one banana bread. On the recipe, I noticed that if I click on “2x” to double it, or “3x” to triple it, all of the ingredients update accordingly, except for the butter. I thought you may want to know about this. Thank you, again! 🙂
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I’d love to hear about your baking adventures with this recipe. Did you make any tweaks? How did it turn out? Drop a comment below, and let’s make our baking community even richer with shared experiences and tips. Remember, every baker adds a unique touch to their loaf – what will yours be? Happy baking!