How to Make Banana Bread
Updated: Mar. 13, 2018We're bananas about this easy-to-make treat. Follow our helpful guide to making a rich, homemade banana bread.
Learning to make banana bread from scratch should be on every home baker’s to-do list. On top of being moist, flavorful and delicious, the recipe is the best way to use up bananas that have gotten too mushy to pack for lunch. A single loaf is easy to make and even easier to plate up for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Banana bread is a quick bread, which, simply put, means it takes little fuss to make. Unlike yeast breads, quick breads skip steps like proofing or kneading. All you have to do is make a simple batter and bake immediately. Score one for the busy baker!
How to Make Banana Bread
Ingredients:
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Additional walnuts, semisweet chocolate chips or coarse sugar, optional
Supplies
Large mixing bowl
Handheld mixer (and/or) whisk
9×5-in loaf pan
Wire cooling rack
Step 1: Mash the bananas
Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the peel from your banana and mash the fruit. We like to use a potato masher for this step, but a fork works just fine. (This easy task is great for getting little ones involved.) Use a hand mixer if you prefer your banana bread to be lump-free.
Test Kitchen Tip: Bananas are ripe enough for banana bread when they have turned lightly speckled or brown. but I’ve used them even when the peels are dark brown or black. You can freeze overripe bananas (just chuck them unpeeled into the freezer) and save them for a later craving.
Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients
Start by beating butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until blended and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the smashed bananas and sour cream.
Test Kitchen Tip: For this recipe, it’s best to make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. They’ll achieve better volume and texture.
Step 3: Whisk together dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
Step 4: Stir it all together
Add your dry mix into the wet mix. Stir it until the batter has just moistened. If you’d like to add a little crunch, fold in 1/2 cup of walnuts.
Step 5: Bake
Transfer the mix into a greased 9×5-in. loaf pan. If you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle the top with additional walnuts. Then bake the bread for just about an hour. Start checking after 50 minutes. The edges of the bread will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan when the bread is done. Test by piercing with a toothpick or sharp knife; it should come out clean.
Test Kitchen Tip: Top of the loaf getting dark early in the baking? Cover with a piece of foil, which will prevent the top from burning before your bread is cooked.
Step 6: Cool your jets
Right now, your kitchen smells heavenly, and you’re probably ready to inhale the bread. But you should let it cool completely before digging in! Cutting into a warm loaf can make the texture soggy.
Let your loaf cool in its pan for 10 minutes before tipping it onto a wire rack to cool.
Hooked on b-bread?
This basic banana bread can be customized in several ways. Dried fruit can amp up the flavor, as in this cranberry-studded recipe. Or take a sweet route by adding chocolate chips. Swap out small amounts of oat flour in the recipe for a warmer flavor, or stir in different types of nuts or seeds for more crunch.
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Calls for: 1 ripe banana How's this for a dish—all the joy of a banana split without the mess. Everything in my recipe fits into one pan of delectable brownie bars. —Connee Sheckler, Chestertown, Maryland
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Calls for: 2 ripe bananas Everyone digs in to monkey bread thanks to its pull-apart shape. We add banana slices and pecans to top this already scrumptious showpiece for a brunch or family gathering. —Donna Marie Ryan, Topsfield, Massachusetts
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Calls for: 2 ripe bananas I adapted a basic pound cake recipe from my great-aunt for this treat. It makes a moist cake that pops out of the pan perfectly. —Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey
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Calls for: 2 ripe bananas I use to buy name-brand breakfast cookies from the supermarket, but since I found this recipe I've enjoyed making my cookies more than buying them.—Linda Burciaga
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Calls for: 2 ripe bananas Banana and chocolate are such an irresistible combo that I make this quick dessert often. You can also top them with the butter and brown sugar mixture left over from coating the bananas, or sprinkle on a dash of sea salt. —Thomas Faglon, Somerset, New Jersey
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Calls for: 2 ripe bananas I came across this recipe in a local newspaper about 10 years ago, and I still make the bread on a regular basis. The recipe conveniently yields a number of mini loaves, making gift-giving easy. —Linda Wood, Roanoke, Virginia
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Calls for: 2-3 ripe bananas When we were first married, my husband was in the Navy. Stationed in Puerto Rico, we had banana trees growing in our yard, so I found ways to use dozens of ripe bananas at a time. I made these banana squares often. They freeze well and make a great snack to have on hand when friends drop in for coffee. —Susan Miller, Raleigh, North Carolina
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Calls for: 2-3 ripe bananas I am always looking to use up the brown bananas on my counter. My usual go-to was banana nut bread, but when my youngest developed an egg allergy I had to come up with something different. Since bananas and chocolate are so good together I decided to make these muffins. You would never be able to tell they are egg-free. —Danielle Siero, Farmington, Michigan
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas We keep bananas on hand, but with just two of us in the house they ripen faster than we can eat them. That makes them perfect for roasting and baking into this cheesecake with a nutty crust. —Patricia Harmon, Baden, Pennsylvania
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas I found this recipe more than five years ago and have been making it for family gatherings ever since. The coffee-flavored frosting complements the moist banana cake. —Kathy Hoffman, Topton, Pennsylvania
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas These muffins taste even better the next day, so to save time, I often make them the night before. They stay moist for days. —Stasha Wampler, Clinchport, Virginia
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas Summer isn’t summer without a banana split or two, and these fun bars bring that same delicious flavor in potluck-perfect form. —Jasey McBurnett, Rock Springs, Wyoming
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas This dessert is delicious and decadent, yet is chock-full of healthy fruit with a creamy lime dressing; the blueberries provide a lovely pop of color. —Laura Stricklin, Jackson, Mississippi
Orange Banana Nut Bread
Calls for: 3 ripe bananas I like this recipe because the orange juice gives the nut bread such a bright flavor and also makes it moist. —Barbara Roethlisberger, Shepherd, Michigan
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas This blueberry pancakes recipe is a favorite in our home. My kids don’t even realize how healthy it is! —Kelly Reinicke, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas I love this cast-iron banana bread because it cooks evenly every time. The end result is so moist and delicious! —Ashley Hudd, Holton, Michigan
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Calls for: 3 ripe bananas I bake something almost everyday—either in the morning before everyone's awake or in the evening. I whip up these tender muffins in no time and serve them with jam for breakfast or ice cream and chocolate syrup for dessert. —Stephanie Kienzle, North Miami Beach, Florida
Frosted Banana Bars
Calls for: 3 ripe bananas These bars are always a hit at potlucks in the small rural farming community where my husband and I live. I also like to provide them for coffee hour after church. They're so moist and delicious that wherever I take them, they don't last long. —Karen Dryak, Niobrara, Nebraska
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Calls for: 4 ripe bananas As a toddler, my son loved bananas, so we always had them in the house. We didn't always eat them all before they were too ripe, so we experimented beyond basic banana bread. That’s how we came up with Elvis bread! —Liz Somppi, Greenfield, Wisconsin
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Calls for: 4 ripe bananas When I make this ice cream, I mix and match bananas for their ripeness. Very ripe ones add more banana flavor. Less ripe ones have a fluffier texture. —Melissa Hansen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Calls for: 4 ripe bananas Bananas Foster is my husband's favorite dessert, and this is one of the easiest recipes I have found. Not only is it delicious, it's a great way to use those bananas that are a little too ripe to just peel and eat. —Rebecca Clark, Warrior, Alabama
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Calls for: 4 ripe bananas I didn’t see my son, Lance Corporal Eric Harris, for more than two years after he enlisted in the Marines after high school. And when I saw him arrive at the airport, I just grabbed hold of him and burst out crying. When we got home, the first thing he ate was two bowls of my easy banana pudding recipe. He’s a true southern boy! It’s a dessert, but you can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. —Stephanie Harris, Montpelier, Virginia
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