My go-to banana bread recipe since 2013, and it’s the BEST!! This recipe makes two moistest and most flavorful breads with simple ingredients and just a wooden spoon! The only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need!!
Read on for my secret to the best banana bread.
First, a quick disclaimer. I’m guilty of claiming some of my recipes the best of the best. I do realize that it’s quite subjective. But I promise you, I don’t take this term lightly.
This banana bread recipe has been my go-to since 2013! And yes, I tried other recipes too, but I always come back to this one. I wouldn’t be lying if I said I make this quick bread recipe almost weekly and it never lasts more than 3 days!
And more than 3 dozens of readers confirm my claim! (Just scroll through the comments…)
What makes this the Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Extra-moist, not too dense, but not fluffy either, this quick bread is truly the best!
Here’re 3 reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- basic ingredients – sugar, butter, flour, eggs, baking soda and bananas, obvi.
- no mixer required – just grab a large bowl and wooden spoon!
- totally customizable – add whatever add-ins you’d like, chocolate chips, nuts, anything!
The secret to Moist Banana Bread
So, the secret to the moistest bread is frozen bananas!
You may have heard that super ripe bananas are key, and that’s definitely true.
However, over the years, I found that frozen over-ripe bananas turn a good banana bread into i-can’t-stop-eating-it kind!
Why?
Because when thawed, bananas get super mushy and liquid-y. And all that juices are gold! Don’t throw out the liquid, it makes the bread moist and flavorful.
The Best Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Frozen bananas – are key in this recipe for moistest and most flavorful banana bread. Be sure to freeze ripe or over-ripe bananas. You’ll need about 3.5-4 cups of mashed bananas. Do NOT discard juices from thawed banana, use everything to make the batter.
- Sugar – Use granulated sugar. I don’t recommend reducing the sugar amount any further for proper texture.
- Flour – Use unbleached all-purpose flour for the best texture.
- Baking powder – is the main leavening agent for a tall and fluffy bread
- Baking soda – is added for browning the bread. Without it, the bread comes out pale.
- Add-ins – Feel free to add chopped pecans or walnuts, or even chocolate chips.
How to prepare bananas for the Best Banana Bread
When you get nice and ripe bananas with lots of dark spots all over, put them in the freezer. (And yes, black bananas are totally ok to use!)
Ideally, you’d want to peel the bananas before freezing. Call it lazy, but I never do that!
Instead, I just stick a cluster of ripe bananas, peels and all, straight into the freezer.
How to thaw frozen bananas:
- Run hot tap water over the frozen bananas in a sink for 1-2 minutes.
- Peel the skin when it softens and place the peeled bananas in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave until bananas are completely thawed, about 3 minutes.
Sounds like a lot of work? Nah, it’s not really that bad, and for that amazing banana bread, you won’t even mind it!
If you already mashed your bananas before freezing (kuddos to you!), you’ll need about 4 cups of mashed bananas.
How to make the Best Banana Bread
Ok, now that the bananas are ready, let’s get baking!
- Make the batter: mash the bananas, add sugar, butter and vanilla extract, and then stir in eggs. Lastly, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Optional, add chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
- Bake: divide the batter into 2 greased bread pans. I use glass bread pans, but any bread pan would work. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
Tip
Use a very large bowl to make the batter. I use a 4qt bowl (the largest bowl of this set).
Tip
To check the doneness, insert a long wooden skewer or a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done!
You can also make this recipe into muffins too!
And if you’d rather make half a batch (just 1 loaf, or 12 muffins), follow my banana muffin recipe instead. It’s the same recipe, but for a half batch.
How to store Banana Bread
Does banana bread need to be refrigerated?
Technically, you don’t have to refrigerate banana breads.
- Cover the bread and keep it on the counter for 1-2 days.
However, I always put them in the fridge. Mostly to keep them out of sight, or they’ll be gone in matter of hours.
Tip
To keep the banana bread moist, make sure to cover it with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container.
To serve, I microwave a slice for 30 seconds or so, and it’ll taste like fresh out of oven!
Can you freeze banana bread?
This bread also freezes well.
- Wrap the cooled bread well in plastic and put it in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw, transfer the bread into the fridge overnight.
Moist Banana Bread FAQs
About 2 medium bananas make 1 cup of mashed bananas.
Banana bread can last up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Bananas are ready for making a banana bread when they start to soften and small black dots start to appear.
Hope you’ll try this recipe soon. And please snap a photo and share it on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me @shineshka, so I can see it too!
Thank you!!
Watch Video: How to make Moist Banana Bread
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Best Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 8 frozen medium-to-large bananas Note 1
- 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1- 1 ½ cups (120-180g) 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 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.
- Keep the banana bread in the bread pan, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
This post was originally published on February 13th, 2013 and it was last updated on May 4th, 2020.
Tay says
So first time I made this it was so amazing. I added cashews and freeze-dried strawberries. Best banana bread I’ve ever had!
Question – I now only have one bread pan, so I followed the muffin recipe. Do I still bake the loaf at 350 for 60 minutes? That might seem like a silly question but I’m new to the baking and have no clue what I’m doing.
Shinee says
Hi, Tay! So happy you tried and loved the recipe!!! You’ll need to bake the muffins for about 23 minutes at 350°F.
Jillie Bean says
Her question was about making a loaf at half batch… follow these baking directions 350 for ~60 mins.
Joyce says
I have made numerous loaves of banana bread in my 65 years, using a handful of trusted recipes. I came upon this recipe, mainly because I had several frozen bananas. Made recipe as is except added some pumpkin pie spice (1/2 -1 tsp). It is wonderful! I may reduced the sugar a bit next time, as the very ripe bananas are naturally sweet, however that is just personal preference. Thank you!
Shinee says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Joyce!
Meaghan says
Is it possible to add a measurement for the bananas? I have made the recipe twice. The first time was perfect. Yesterday it was mushy. Im sure there was too much bananas or liquid from the bananas.
Shinee says
Hi, Meaghan. It’s about 3.5-4 cups of mashed bananas.
Van says
If I only have 4 bananas, should I cut the recipe in half?
Sierra Magdaleno says
I cut my recipe in half and it came out wonderful! I tried the muffins before and they were dreadful. I don’t know what I did wrong but they were just not good. The loaf was exquisite!! My GO TO banana bread recipe!
Shinee says
Yes.
Roxy says
This banana bread is quick and easy also very yummy. Another tip for moist banana bread is only stir until combined over stirring causes the loaf to be dry. Just something I’ve learned making banana bread over the years
Shinee says
Hi, Roxy! Great tip!! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Nichole Johnson says
This is one of the best banana bread recipes we’ve ever had. My 12 yo daughter does all the baking which is gluten free and we simply substituted outrageous baking mix 1:1 for flour. She also added dark chocolate chips and pecans to the top. She did one full loaf at 55 mins and mini loafs at 20 mins
Question – can you please give the measurements for what 8-9 banana’s and liquids are? Either volume or weight? Everything else is so precise but this is left to interpretation.
I freeze my bananas on a cookie sheet without the peel, then store them in a gallon ziplock bag. When I defrost them sometimes it’s hard to determine how many are in the bag.
Having and actually measurement for the banana would make it more consistent.
Thanks! Great recipe!!
Shinee says
Hi, Nichole. I’m so happy you love this recipe!! Thank you for your feedback. I’ll have to weigh the bananas next time, but it’s 3.5-4 cups of mashed bananas.
Sharon says
Has anyone tried this recipe using the mini loaf pans?
Shinee says
Hi, Sharon. Yes, you can bake in mini loaf pans. Start checking at 30 minute mark.
Joan Miller says
This is absolutely the best banana bread recipe EVER and my ‘go to’ recipe!! I add mini chocolate chips and pecans. When I made a loaf for my neighbor, he said it was stupendous! He’s even started giving me his ripe bananas because he knows if he gives me his bananas, he gets bread. Since it makes two loves, my husband and I keep one!
Shinee says
Yay, what a fabulous exchange, Joan!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
V says
Yummy! Made this exactly by the recipe – added walnuts and dark chocolate chips – and it is delicious. Good job Shinee!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you loved it, V! Thank you for your feedback.
Gail says
I’ve made banana bread before but it has been years so I was unsure about the proportions. This recipe was closest to the one I remember and wow; absolutely delicious! I used about 6 bananas because they were very big, I used 1 cup of sugar because I let my bananas completely ripen (almost rotten) before I freeze them. I find that I get to use a lot let sugar. I also used a little more that 1/4 cup butter. Everything else I kept the same and it turned out exactly as I wanted it! Your recipe was an excellent guide!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you were happy with your final result. Thank you for your feedback, Gail!!!
Corrine says
Was one of the better recipes I’ve found! Will definetly be using again!
Shinee says
So happy you loved it. Thanks for your feedback, Corrine!
Julie says
I’m very happy with this recipe! I made muffins with it. I was happy that it made enough to split into two batches. I wanted to make chocolate chip banana muffins and banana nut muffins. I split the batter and then added the different fillings. They both came out perfect! I did add a 1/4 tsp cinnamon to the banana nut. I also used salted butter instead of unsalted, and did not add the salt the recipe called for. Those are the only changes. I will be keeping this for future use for sure! Thanks!
Shinee says
So happy you tried and loved this recipe, Julie! Thank you for your feedback!
Kay says
Can I make this in a bunt pan
Shinee says
Hi, Kay! I’ve never tried this in a bundt pan, but I don’t see why you couldn’t.
Grady Ingram says
🔥 📛 👩🚒
Shirley says
As a beginner baker I need all the tips. Thank you!
Marina says
This recipe is now my go-to too 🙂 I’ve made it with a couple of different nuts and I have to recommend you try *hazelnuts*! I also add dark chocolate chips and the combination of the sweet banana bread + crunchy nutty hazelnuts + slightly bitter dark chocolate is divine.
Great recipe!
Shinee says
Hi, Marina. So happy you loved the recipe! OMG, hazelnuts sounds amazing! I’ll try with that next time. Thanks for sharing your feedback and recommendation!
Mary says
This is the best Banana nut bread.I followed the directions except I replaced part of sugar with erythriol (zero calorie, great taste). The loaves rose beautifully, super moist. Will make again!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved the recipe, Mary!! Thank you for your feedback!
Rebecca says
Instead of using all purpose and Baking powder, can I just use self rising flour?
Shinee says
Hi, Rebecca. I haven’t tested this recipe with self-rising flour. I’d think it would. Let me know if you give it a try.
Magda says
Shinee, this sounds like a super easy but delicious recipe! I am just a bit confused and need your help. Do you use baking soda or baking powder? And if it is baking soda, what’s the acidic ingredient that activates it? Thanks!
Shinee says
Hi, Magda. I actually started adding baking powder along with baking soda. I totally forgot to update my recipe card. Thank you for asking! So the reason, we’re adding baking soda is mostly for color, it encourages browning.
Lisa says
Most delicious banana bread ever!!!!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you like it as much as we do!! Thank you, Lisa, for your feedback!