I’ve been making this banana bread with frozen bananas since 2013 and can confidently say it’s the best version you’ll ever taste! Soft, moist, and sweet, it comes together with simple ingredients and is so easy to make.
Why you’ll love this banana bread recipe
There are endless banana bread recipes out there, but this frozen banana bread recipe is one I come back to over and over again. My family loves it, too, and never lets it last longer than 3 days!
- Simple ingredients – You only need ten ingredients, and I’m willing to bet you already have them all on hand. No fancy tools needed!
- Moist and flavorful – Everyone who tried this recipe raves about how moist and flavorful this banana bread is! The BEST for sure!
- Foolproof recipe – This recipe is forgiving and foolproof; it works every time!
- Makes 2 loaves – One to enjoy now and one to freeze or gift. This bread freezes well!
I’ll share all my tips and tricks for achieving an ultra-moist banana bread recipe with ease. You’ll never need another recipe again! Take it from readers who have given this recipe a five-star rating with dozens of reviews.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This is now my go-to banana bread recipe. Everyone I have shared the Bread with loves it! It’s moist and just the right amount of sweetness! Love it!” ~Jana
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This has been my go-to banana bread recipe for years now. My husband begs for it and it’s a crowd-pleaser with the rest of my family as well. My husband likes to add a little strawberry cream cheese on top after warming it up. It’s perfect every time!” ~Kaylen
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Pin ItKey Ingredient Notes
- Frozen bananas are my secret to the moistest, most flavorful banana bread! You’ll need about 3.5 to 4 cups of mashed bananas, which is about 8 medium to large whole bananas. Do NOT discard the juices; we’ll use everything to make the batter.
- Sugar – Use granulated sugar over other types of sugar to sweeten the batter. Also, I don’t recommend reducing the sugar amount, or the texture of the bread will change.
- Vanilla extract adds rich vanilla flavor throughout the bread and enhances the rest of the ingredients. I almost always have homemade vanilla extract on hand, but storebought is fine. Just make sure to use pure vanilla, not the imitation stuff!
- Eggs add structure and help the bread hold its shape.
- Flour – Unbleached all-purpose flour forms the base of the batter. I haven’t tested any other types of flour for this recipe and can’t guarantee your results if you do.
- Baking powder is the main leavening agent, creating a tall, fluffy loaf.
- Baking soda – I include this to help create a beautiful golden color. Without it, the bread turns out pale.
- Optional mix-ins – Feel free to add chopped pecans, walnuts, or even chocolate chips.
How to make banana bread with frozen bananas
Before you begin, preheat the oven to 350°F. And grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set them aside.
1. Thaw the bananas
- Run hot tap water over the frozen bananas in the sink for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the peels and place the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave until the bananas are completely thawed. This typically takes 5-8 minutes!
- Mash the thawed bananas in a large mixing bowl. I usually use a wooden spoon, but a potato masher works well, too. You want them to be mostly smooth, but it’s okay if there are a few small lumps.
The perfect bowl
Use a very large bowl to make the batter. This 4-quart bowl is the perfect size!
2. Prepare the batter
- Add the sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- Mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix again to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Fold in any mix-ins, if using.
3. Bake
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Bake until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This takes about an hour!
- Cool in the pan completely.
Tips for Success
- Use ripe bananas. Make sure your bananas are nice and soft with spots all over or even black. The riper they are, the sweeter your bread will taste.
- Avoid overmixing. Be careful to combine the ingredients just until they’re smooth and no lumps remain. Continuing to mix will result in dense, tough bread.
- Keep an eye on the oven! The exact baking time will vary. So, keep a close watch on your bread and remove it as soon as it’s golden and cooked.
- Cool completely. I know it’s hard to wait, but trust me! If you slice into your moist banana bread recipe too soon, it will crumble and fall apart.
Make-Ahead Tip
Mash the bananas before freezing. These souper cube freezer trays are perfect for it! Then, all you have to do is microwave the fruit before using it!
Storing Tips
- To store, wrap leftover banana bread tightly with plastic wrap. Or, transfer it to an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 1-2 days. However, I much prefer to store it in the refrigerator.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled bread with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve, thaw frozen bread in the fridge overnight. Then, enjoy cold or microwave individual slices for 30 seconds. They’ll taste like they came fresh out of the oven!
FAQs
Yes! Follow the recipe, preparing the batter as usual. Then, divide it between two greased muffin pans and bake, adjusting the time as needed. Or, if you’d rather make a half-batch (one muffin pan), follow my banana muffin recipe instead.
Yes, frozen bananas must be thawed to properly mix the batter.
Roughly two medium-sized bananas equal one cup when mashed.
More Banana Recipes
Watch Video: The BEST Banana Bread
Best Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 8 frozen medium-to-large bananas Note 1
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1- 1 ½ cups (120-180 g) chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Peel and thaw frozen bananas in a microwave. Reserve all the juices and everything.
- Prepare two 9×5-inch bread pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large (4qt) bowl, mash the thawed bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth.
- Add sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything until combined.
- Then add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine.
- Optional, add chopped pecans and/or other add-ins, like chocolate chips, dried fruits.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.
⭐️ Did you make this recipe?
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Video
Tips & Notes
– To store, wrap leftover banana bread tightly with plastic wrap. Or, transfer it to an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 1-2 days. However, I much prefer to store it in the refrigerator.
– To freeze, wrap the cooled bread with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
– To serve, thaw frozen bread in the fridge overnight. Then, enjoy cold or microwave individual slices for 30 seconds. They’ll taste like they came fresh out of the oven!
Nutrition
Delicious bread! My friends loved it as well. It is now going to become Christmas gifts 😊.
I was wondering though, can this be made with Almond flour? If so what measurement changes will there be. Thank you.
Hi, Linda. I’m so happy you tried and loved my banana bread recipe!! I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour. Since almond flour and all purpose flour are not interchangeable, it will take some significant adjustments.
I made this recipe, however, I made a few changes. I put 1/2 cup of walnut pieces and 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. When it was time to slice a piece, I realized that I had forgotten to put the sugar in the mixture. However, it turned out sweet enough with all of the overripened bananas on their own. Very tasty!
When you halved the banana bread recipe for muffins, you did not cut the baking soda and baking power by half. Does this not make a difference in the texture of the muffins?
Hi, Judith! Great question. Baking soda amount is reduced by 1/2 teaspoon in the muffin recipe, but baking powder amount stays the same.
“Banana Banana Bread”… that’s what the recipe I found years ago was titled…Lol …I’ve always thrown that extra banana that was getting too brown for my taste into the freezer….when there were 8 or 9 …Bread!! I know it sounds like it will be banana soup(8-9 bananas??!!)BUT it IS the best way to make banana bread.
I’m a purist…no nuts… ABSOLUTELY no choco chips…y’all can ruin an amazing loaf if you want to…
Moist? … beyond!! And freezes well too.
Thank you for bringing this recipe forward! I actually think I have a hoarded slice in the freezer for breakfast tomorrow!
Love your recipes, can’t wait to try on my husband and his family for my first time dinner🌞 your recipes are so simple and easy to follow Thank you will let you know how it went.
Aww, thank you for such a kind comment, Diana! Hope the dinner went well.
Hi why is there no oil or any kind of other fat in this recipe. The banana bread recipe that I’ve been using for a long time has oil as a fat and I’m sure you can also interchange it with butter. Is the fat not necessary? Please explain and thank you. I will make your bread
I’ve been using this recipe since you first posted it. It is the BEST I’ve tried!! For awhile I could not find the recipe, I was so sad.. glad I found it again!!
Yay, I’m so happy you found it!! Thank you so much for feedback, Meli!! Welcome back!
I only have 6 frozen bananas. Will that still be enough?
I recommend trying half the recipe with 4 bananas. Here’s the recipe for my banana muffins, but it’s basically half of my banana bread recipe. You can bake it in bread pan.
Recipe calls gor 1.5 tsp baking powder but not mentioned in video.? So did you omit deliberately?
Hi, Lorraine. Good catch! And thank you for asking. So, in my video, I used baking soda + cream of tartar, which is basically baking powder. I updated my recipe after I had shared my video. Hope this helps.
So, after you bake the bread, do you just leave them in the pans to cool completely, or do you take them out of the pan after a certain amount of time as you would with most bread recipes?
I doubled this recipe and used toasted walnuts and dark chocolate chips. I made half into 24 muffins and half into 2 generous loaves. I cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, doubled, by 1 cup total.
This is the best banana bread I have made or eaten! It will be my go-to from now on. I always freeze overripe bananas for months until I have to make bread out of them. This is the first recipe I haven’t had to guess how to adjust to use frozen bananas. Usually I have drain the bananas or eliminate the milk in a recipe. Loved this bread! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi, Tara! Thank you SO much for your feedback. I’m so glad you found my recipe and you loved it!
This is first time reader to your site. I’m going to make the frozen banana bread recipe tomorrow.
Can I defrost them the day before and skip the microwave warming step ?
Will it make a difference in the outcome of the bread?
Hi, Patti. Yes, absolutely. I’ve peeled frozen bananas under running hot water and put the peeled frozen bananas in a bowl and thawed them overnight in the fridge. Works like a charm!
Can I cut this recipe in half? No way I ever get 8 overripened bananas in this house!
I’d like to know the answer to this too!