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This classic Banana Bread recipe makes a super moist, soft, and sweet loaf. Tender and loaded with flavor, there’s a reason that it’s such a popular breakfast idea!
The Best Homemade Banana Bread
Banana Bread is one of the most comforting baked goods. It’s soft and sweet, with just a hint of banana flavor. Plus, with just 10 minutes of prep time, it’s also very easy to make (and very easy to make ahead of time!). It’s great as a grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or an addition to any weekend brunch spread.
This homemade quick bread is one recipe that I just can’t stop eating. Probably ate an entire loaf to myself when I was testing this recipe. The moist and tender consistency has me slicing pieces off all day long. Trust me when I say that this loaf will be gone before you know it.
What You’ll Need
Most of the ingredients for this bread are probably already in your pantry. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Mashed Bananas: Be sure to choose bananas that are quite ripe with some brown spots. They’ll be softer and sweeter!
- Oil: I used vegetable oil but you could also use olive oil.
- Butter: Unsalted
- Eggs
- Milk: You could also use soy milk or almond milk.
- Vanilla:
- Sugar: I used regular sugar, but you could also use light brown sugar if you wanted to add a touch of caramel flavor.
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
How to Make Banana Bread
Banana Bread is both simple and easy to make. Here’s everything you’ll need to do:
Prepare your equipment. Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9-inch loaf pan, setting aside once that’s done. Feel free to line it with parchment paper (this will help prevent the bread from sticking once it’s done baking).
Combine the wet ingredients. Using either a potato masher or a fork (the potato masher is usually easier), peel and mash the bananas. Once mashed, combine the mashed bananas with the oil, butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Then, beat everything together until it’s all thoroughly combined. When that’s done, add the sugar and continue beating until it’s well incorporated.
Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the batter. In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Afterward, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat just until it starts to combine (beating too much will cause the bread to be tough and chewy). To finish incorporating the flour, just continue to stir the mixture with a spatula.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean). Allow the bread to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Tips for Success
Although this banana bread is easy to make, getting the right consistency with any baked good can be challenging. Here are a few of my tips for making the best homemade banana bread:
- Use extra ripe bananas: The riper the bananas are, the better flavor your bread will have. When it comes to banana bread, I like to use overripe bananas. I will often pop overripe bananas in the freezer so that I can make banana bread later (just make sure to thaw them before trying to mash them!)
- Be careful when mixing the batter: This is definitely not a recipe that you want to overmix the batter (doing so will result in a tough and chewy bread). When combining the wet and dry ingredients, try to stop once everything is just combined.
- Set the timer at 55 minutes: Baking time can vary based on a lot of factors, so make sure that you test your loaf after 55 minutes. The easiest way to do this is by inserting a toothpick into the center. Once it comes out clean (you may have to do this two to three times between the 55 and 65 minutes), take it out of the oven to cool.
Choose Your Own Mixins
One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it’s so simple, but also easily customizable. There are so many ingredients that add flavor and texture to this classic bread. Here are a few of my favorite ingredients to add:
- Chopped Nuts: I love the way crunchy nuts add texture to this otherwise soft bread.
- Chocolate Chips: Rich chocolate pairs great with the lightly sweet flavor of bananas.
- Dried fruit: Raisins and craisins are great for adding both texture and sweetness.
How to Store LEftovers
Banana Bread is a great make-ahead breakfast or snack because it’s so easy to store. Plus, this recipe will stay moist for days when stored properly.
To store, first allow the bread to cool completely. I recommend placing the bread in an airtight storage bag or container so that it stays as moist as possible. You can then either store it at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days.
Can I freeze Banana Bread?
Yes, you can freeze banana bread! Whether you made it in advance or just couldn’t finish the loaf, this recipe will last for up to 2 months when frozen:
Just as described above, allow the bread to cool completely before storing. Wrap the cooled bread in one layer of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil. When you’re ready to serve it, just remove it from the freezer and place it on the counter. It should take about 24 hours to come to room temperature this way, so make sure you plan when you want to take it out ahead of time.
More Easy Quick Bread Recipes
If you like this recipe, here are a few other easy bread recipes that I think you’d like:
Print
Moist Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This classic Banana Bread is super moist, soft, and sweet. Tender and loaded with flavor, there’s a reason that it’s such a popular breakfast favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)
- ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (190g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F: Generously grease a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside. Line the pan with parchment paper if desired.
- Mash the bananas: peel and mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork.
- Combine the wet ingredients: Combine the bananas with the oil, butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat all the ingredients together until well combined. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat just until it starts to combine. Stir the mixture with a spatula to finish incorporating the flour.
- Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
