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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I haven’t made this yet but I like the fact that you put the cup amount in not just the amount of bananas. I take my ripe bananas and blend them together and freeze them in 1 and 2 cup freezer bags. That way I don’t have frozen bananas laying everywhere in my freezer with no date on them as to how long they have been sitting there.
Good idea about freezing the bananas!
Banana bread is my favorite quick bread to make. Thank you for my new favorite recipe! The lemon juice does make a significant difference. I no longer have a metal loaf pan but do have a Le Creuset loaf pan with ceramic coating. Should I change temp or bake time for this pan? Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I think the bake time and temp would be the same. So glad you like the recipe!
Thank you for a great recipe. I’m baking in an 8×8 at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes. My guess is you won’t see this before I opo it in 😉 but are there any changes you would make to that? Thanks much!
Nicolette
Hi Nicolette, Sorry if I’m responding too late– my guess is that you’ve already baked this. My suggestion for temp and bake time would be a bit different, though. I’d stick to the 350 degrees in the recipe and suspect it would take about 35 minutes.
Also, do we need to sift the flour? I always do it but am never if we are always supposed to do that for all recipes 🙂 Can i refrigerate the batter and bake it the next day or two days’ time? TQ!
Hi Mariyah, Flour no longer needs to be sifted so that’s one less thing you have to do :). However, the batter does need to be baked right after mixing or it won’t rise properly. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I love this recipe so much! I usually don’t have lemon on hand. Would it alter the bread much without it? What other substitutes could I use?
Also, how long can we keep a banana peeled and refridgerated? If it is soft, browned and soupy is it still good?
Thank you! -Mariyah
Hi Mariyah, the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to help the bread rise. You can make it without it, but the bread may be a little flatter/heavier. Some other readers that didn’t have lemon juice mentioned they used orange juice or apple cider vinegar with success. And, yes, the banana is fine to use. Enjoy!
I would like to make this in cupcake portions. How long shouldn’t I bake for?
Hi Kathleen, if it’s a standard-sized cupcake/muffin pan, I’d start checking them at about 18 minutes.
Thank you so much! Turned out beautifully! Couldn’t eat just one!
Absolutely love this recipe. Made it exactly as written. My daughters (8 and 10) can easily follow the recipe and do everything on their own. They make it and one likes it just as is, the other takes half and adds some chocolate chips into it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Great recipe. It came out a tad dry for me. I followed the steps exactly except used 2/3 of the sugar. The sweetness was perfect. Baked for 45 mins. Any pointers would be appreciated 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Raghida, this bread is typically quite moist. Perhaps it was a tiny bit overbaked. I’d try removing it from oven 2 – 3 minutes earlier next time.
Sugar is considered a wet ingredient (because it melts into a liquid). That may account for the dry texture.
This was super delicious and easy!! I didn’t have enough all purpose flour, so I used self-rising instead (Gold Medal brand) and just left out the baking powder and the salt. Turned out perfect! Thank goodness I found a way to use up some of that flour!
Oh my this is good! So beautifully moist. I added half a cup each of semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to mine and it tastes great. I also reduced the sugar to 1/3 of the recipe because of the chocolate, but I was possibly overcautious– I don’t like banana bread to be overly sweet but it could stand to be a little sweeter than I made this time. I’ll use more sugar next time. And there’ll definitely be a next time!