This classic banana bread bakes up soft, sweet, and extra moist—just the way banana bread should be. It’s tender, full of flavor, and always a hit for breakfast or a quick snack.
If you love banana recipes, you’ll also want to try this hummingbird cake.
Banana bread is the kind of cozy, classic bake that’s impossible to resist. It’s soft, tender, and perfectly sweet with just the right amount of banana flavor. Honestly, I could eat it warm from the oven with nothing on it at all. When I was testing this recipe, I didn’t just sneak a bite; I pretty much polished off the whole loaf. It’s that good.
Why This Banana Bread Never Lasts Long
- Quick to make, quicker to disappear. It takes just 10 minutes to mix up the batter, and once it’s out of the oven, good luck keeping it around. My family devours this recipe!
- Moist, soft, and totally irresistible. The texture is so tender and fluffy, I catch myself slicing off “just one more piece” all day long.
- Balanced sweetness. Sweet enough to enjoy on its own, but not so sweet that you couldn’t slather on some honey butter or a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Easy to customize. Toss in chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even a swirl of peanut butter. The options are endless and every version gets gobbled up.
Key Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this bread are probably already in your pantry. Here’s a quick look at some of the ingredients you’ll need. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients.
- 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.
- Milk: You could also use soy milk or almond milk.
- Sugar: I used regular sugar, but you could also use light brown sugar if you wanted to add a touch of caramel flavor.
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).
- Mash the bananas. Using either a potato masher or a fork (the potato masher is usually easier), peel and mash the bananas.
- Combine the wet ingredients. 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.
- Add sugar. When every has been combined, add the sugar and continue beating until it’s well incorporated.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with your wet ingredients. 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.
Helpful Tips
- Use very ripe bananas. The darker and spottier, the better. Ripe bananas add more flavor and moisture. I like to freeze overripe ones for later. Just thaw them first before mashing.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until you don’t see any more streaks of flour. Overmixing can make the bread dense or tough.
- Check it at 55 minutes. Every oven is different, so start testing with a toothpick around the 55-minute mark. If it comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs), it’s done. If not, give it a few more minutes and check again.
Mix-In Ideas
- Chocolate chips – Milk, dark, or mini chips all melt beautifully into the batter.
- Chopped nuts – Walnuts and pecans add the perfect crunch.
- Peanut butter chips – For a fun twist with a little salty-sweet balance.
- Shredded coconut – Adds texture and a hint of tropical flavor.
- Blueberries – Fresh or frozen work great. Just toss them in a little flour first so they don’t sink.
- Swirl in Nutella or peanut butter – Drop spoonfuls on top of the batter and swirl with a knife before baking.
How to Store Banana Bread
This recipe will stay moist for days when stored properly. 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 store it at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days.
Can I Freeze It?
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. Allow the bread to cool completely, then wrap it 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 Ways to Make Banana Bread
Print
Moist Banana Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 302
- Sugar: 23.7g
- Sodium: 259mg
- Fat: 14.4g
- Carbohydrates: 41.3g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 3.6g
- Cholesterol: 43mg
Made tonight with whole wheat flour and it turned out perfect and tasted great
Yes Mona! That’s amazing, thank you so much!
I’ve made this recipe at least 6 times already for both home and work. Each time I get, “I love this Banana Bread” or “Girl, you put your foot in that” or “When are you baking again?” It’s a great recipe. We make this all the time in The Bahamas.
That’s wonderful Rosenell, thank you so much for sharing!
Absolutely amazing!
Simple recipe and tasted beautiful!
I made it muffin style and it’s super moist, just perfect!
Thank you so much Esther!
I love ur recipies !!
Thank you so much!
Moist, ready in 55 mins, yum
Awesome! Thank you Anna!
Best banana bread recipe! I used gluten-free all purpose flour and sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil. Very moist and delicious.
Yeees Marilynn! So happy this worked with a gluten-free all-purpose flour!
Es una receta maravillosa…simplemente deliciosa.
Gracias por compartirla
Muchas Gracias!
Fantastic recipe and it is so easy to make.Thank you for sharing😃
That’s amazing Esther! Thank you so much for sharing!
This recipe was amazing – I didn’t change a thing, it was so moist and delicious. Perfect!!!!!
Wonderful Julie! Thank you so much!
Most delicious. I added walnuts. Will ONLY make this one from now on. Thank you 😉
That is the best comment I have read today! Thank you!
Thank you! Love the easy instructions! I added about a half a cup of buttermilk and about 1/2 cup of crushed pecans to mine and topped it with some white chocolate chips!! Can’t wait to see how it turns out! Smells incredible already. Thank you for your recipienthe proportions were perfect!
Amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Family and I are obsessed with this banana bread, especially with choc chips added!
That’s so wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!!
It was delicious!!
Thank you Aide, I really appreciate the feedback!
Absolutely wonderful, thank you so much for this glorious recipe! I had to replace a few ingredients, but it still turned out moist and delicious!
I am wheat and lactose intolerant, so I used Spelt flour + oat milk. I also replaced the oil with greek (oat) yogurt and sugar with honey. Now I can also serve it to my picky toddler for dinner and not feel guilty ;))
Thank you for sharing your adjustents Rita! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
real moist, love it
So wonderful! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
The best! I used almond milk and whole wheat flour and still delicious!!
Wonderful!! Thank you so much Eri, and thanks for sharing your substitutions!
This recipe is the BOMB!!! Easy to do, turned out perfectly and tasted sooooo good!
Woohoo!! Thank you Amber!!
Amazing!
Thank you Rachel!
I used your recipe this morning and it was amazing! Tasted just like the banana bread at cafes and it was so easy to make. Thank you!
Yes!! That’s amazing Michelle, thank you so much!
I made this and it was the best banana bread i ve ever tried…my family loved it so much thank you for the recipe😊😊
Yes yes yes! Thank you so much Teckler!
Excellent Recipe! I make banana bread often and my Family agrees this recipe is so much better than the previous recipe I was using. Super Moist!
Amazing! Thank you so much Joyce!
I never leave comments, but I have tried many recipes over the past 35 years and this is my new favourite. My family loves it. I used the blog tip and went half white and half brown sugar. It was fantastic and very moist. I will definitely be making this again. It has gone in my family recipe book.
Thanks very much.
Wow wow wow! Thank you so much, this makes my day!