The unexpected ingredient you need to use when baking? It’s sour cream! Like Greek yogurt or buttermilk, sour cream adds moisture, richness and tang. In sour cream banana bread, this not-so-secret ingredient also enhances the warm caramel notes of ripe bananas. The flavors meld together into a treat that’s irresistible with a pat of good butter.
Ingredients for Sour Cream Banana Bread
- Butter: Use softened butter for this recipe.
- Sugar: The sugar helps our banana bread form a golden-brown crust.
- Eggs: Like butter, eggs should be room temp for baking. Otherwise, cold eggs may seize up the other ingredients, causing lumps.
- Bananas: You want the absolute ripest bananas for this recipe, with at least a couple of brown spots on the peel.
- Sour cream: Choose a full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
- Vanilla: Look carefully at the label when shopping to be sure it’s real vanilla extract.
- All-purpose flour: If you’re anything like us, there’s a half-full bag of all-purpose flour in your pantry. It’s the most common, versatile type of flour.
- Leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder work together to create a fluffy banana bread.
- Cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon creates a warm, cozy flavor.
Directions
Step 1: Mix wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract until blended.
Editor’s Tip: It may seem like a lot of time, but you’ll need to cream the butter and sugar for five to seven minutes. By the end, the mixture should look pale and fluffy.
Step 2: Combine with dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and, if desired, the cinnamon.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
Step 3: Bake the banana bread
Transfer to a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake the loaf until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool the loaf at room temperature in its pan for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temp.
Recipe Variations
- Add your fave mix-ins: Once the batter is mixed, fold in a handful of chocolate chips, toasted nuts, dried fruit or other mix-ins. Take some inspo from our best banana bread recipes.
- Decorate with a sweet topping: From a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar to a quick vanilla glaze, a sweet topping makes this loaf extra special. Or, play up the tanginess of this sour cream banana bread recipe and whip up a cream cheese frosting.
- Bake mini loaves: If you want to share the love, bake a bunch of mini loaves to gift to friends and family. This recipe can be baked in three 5-3/4 x 3-inch mini loaf pans.
How to Store Sour Cream Banana Bread
First, let the banana bread cool completely to room temperature. Then wrap the loaf or transfer the bread (or slices) to an airtight container. It can last at room temp for up to three days.
Sour Cream Banana Bread Tips
Can I substitute buttermilk or Greek yogurt for sour cream?
Yes, use buttermilk or Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream. Greek yogurt can be a direct measure-for-measure ingredient substitute, but buttermilk is more finicky. To use buttermilk in this sour cream banana bread recipe, omit the 1/2 cup of sour cream and use 2/3 cup of buttermilk and take away about 3 scant tablespoons of mashed bananas.
How can I quickly ripen bananas?
Luckily, there’s no need to hold off on baking this banana bread because your bananas aren’t ripe yet. There are a few different ways to ripen bananas quickly. If you need them ripened today, we recommend baking them in a 250° oven on a baking sheet until the skins turn brown and the flesh is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Or, use the microwave! Poke holes all over your bananas, place them on a microwave-safe plate and nuke them until they reach the desired level of softness. Do this in 30-second bursts.
