Banana Bread
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Say hello to your new favorite banana bread recipe! With its tender crumb, rich flavor, and irresistibly crisp crust, it’s simply the best!
Are you on the hunt for the perfect banana bread recipe? Look no further—this is the one! With a tender crumb and a crisp crust, it’s absolutely phenomenal fresh out of the oven and just as delicious toasted up for breakfast the next day. You might be surprised by an unexpected ingredient: lemon juice. While it doesn’t make the bread taste lemony, it actually enhances the banana flavor. The acidity also works with the baking soda to help the bread rise, giving it a beautiful golden color, toasty flavor, and light, fluffy texture.
My family loves this banana bread plain, but you can easily add nuts or chocolate chips if you like. And if you’re craving variety, I’ve got plenty of options, including marbled banana bread, chocolate banana bread, whole wheat banana bread, and chai-spiced banana bread. After all, you can never have too many banana bread recipes!
Table of Contents
“Best banana bread ever! And I have tried a lot of different recipes. I think the secret is the lemon juice!”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the bread.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Act as leavening agents to help the banana bread rise and become fluffy.
- Butter: Adds richness, moisture, and flavor to the bread, and helps create a tender crumb.
- Sugar: Sweetens the bread and contributes to the golden-brown crust when baked.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, add structure, and contribute to the bread’s rise and fluffiness.
- Mashed very ripe bananas: The star ingredient that provides moisture, sweetness, and distinct banana flavor to the bread. For a really moist, banana-forward bread, use very ripe bananas. The bananas should at least be dark yellow with plenty of brown spots, and it’s okay if the skin has turned completely brown. (See the FAQs below for tips on how to speed up ripening.)
- Lemon juice: Enhances the banana flavor and reacts with the baking soda to aid in leavening and browning.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the banana bread, adding depth and warmth.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Beat well after each addition.
Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Banana bread should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. If properly stored, it will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days. If you’re not planning to eat it within that time frame, freeze for longer storage. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap, or place it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. Crisp up individual slices in the toaster for a fresh-baked effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re in a hurry to ripen bananas for baking, there are a couple of methods you can try:
24-Hour Method: Place the bananas (still attached at the stem) in a loosely sealed brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter. Check them after 24 hours to see if they’ve ripened to your liking.
Quick Oven Ripening: If you need ripe bananas even faster, you can use your oven. Place the bananas, still in their peels, on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any leakage. Bake them at a low temperature of 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they develop a deep brown color. This method helps break down the starches in the bananas quickly, resulting in a softer texture and sweeter flavor.
Absolutely! If you have overripe bananas and you’re not ready to bake, don’t let them go to waste. I typically freeze them in bags of 2 or 3, as mashed, they typically yield about 1 cup, which is what most banana recipes call for. Simply peel the bananas, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, thaw them in the bag and then mash.
Banana Bread Video Tutorial
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Banana Bread
Say hello to your new favorite banana bread recipe! With its tender crumb, rich flavor, and irresistibly crisp crust, it’s simply the best!
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 large bananas
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5-inch metal loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that's okay.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 208
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 394 mg
- Cholesterol: 51 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Best banana bread recipe I’ve ever used! I mixed the baking soda and baking powder with the wet ingredients (sounds like baking heresy but recommended by King Arthur Flour for a better rise), and added a generous half cup of toasted walnuts to the batter. I also scattered a handful of nuts on top of the batter.
My new favorite. Loved it!
I’am not a fan of baking , but I was in the mood for Banana Bread because I had over riped bananas. this was not only easy but delicious! I used coconut oil instead of butter and only 1/2 cup sugar and it came out excellent. I did add walnuts. YUM
The best ever and so easy to make. It makes me look like a winning baker!
I chuckled when you said this is your daughter’s favorite recipe. I have a family member that has to eat more simple tasting foods and this recipe won the prize. It is perfect texture and not too wet of a bread. It is very flavorful but not exotic….just plain and simply delicious. It is very good sliced and toasted or put on the griddle with butter. Kids will love it but the adults will too.
Hi I had several over ripe bananas in my freezer (just throw them in with the peel on, they look nasty but don’t take long to thaw and peel). This recipe is delish; for fun I subbed out the butter for coconut oil; and used about 1/4 cup of coconut sugar instead of regular white sugar. Also blitzed some regular oats in my blender and subbed in 3/4 for flour. The end result was lovely, likely a bit more dense due to my changes but still really moist and flavourful. I toasted some walnuts and had them on the side. Don’t get me wrong I love butter, just like to swap some with coconut oil if I think it will work, and it did! Thank you!
Thank you! Another brilliant recipe! So easy to follow with amazing results…I don’t think this loaf will last long!!
Can you use bottle lemon juice instead of fresh? Thanks!!!
Yes, that will work 🙂
what about lemon essential oil? i want to make this but dont have fresh lemon on hand
Hi Kim, I don’t know much about cooking with essential oils, so I’m really not sure– I’m sorry!
My family loves these!! My loaf pan was 9 x 6 so I decided to make muffins instead…baked for exactly 18 minutes…made 17 muffins….will make again soon!
Fantastic. I made this last week and actually ate it in the delivery room right after my baby was born. So delicious and comforting! It’s perfect as is, but I also added chocolate chips to part of the loaf as an extra treat. Yum. Will definitely make it again. Thank you!
What a nice post-delivery snack :). Congratulations on your new arrival!
I am using the same pan in a new oven, but in order to get the inside cooked through, the outside is getting a bit too brown. Should I try a lower temp for a few minutes longer? (I don’t have an oven thermometer). Many thanks Jenn!
Hi Abbie, You could try a slightly lower oven temp and extending the baking time by a few minutes, or you could keep the bread covered for part of the baking time so it doesn’t brown too much before it’s fully baked.
Outstanding!
Double recipe (made gifts and gave away)
Substituted 1/2 Oats, all Coconut Oil
No Sugar
Sprinkled Fresh Cranberries in the middle of batter with a sprinkling of brown sugar
Very Yummy!
Thanks for the tips! I love oats in banana bread, and the coconut oil is a brilliant idea. Also with the sweet banana cutting back or no sugar is an excellent idea.