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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Delicious! Easy to make, moist and full of flavor. I thought I had the perfect banana bread recipe but this one is by far the best recipe I ever had. Thank you, Jenn, for sharing your recipes. I also love your cooking book.
How many small loaves does this make???
Hi Matie, I haven’t made this in mini loaf pans but I would guesstimate that you could get 2 – 3 loaves out of it. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
I used a multi loaf mini pan (8 for 1) and got 8 decent sized mini loaves out of it.
This banana bread is easy and delicious. But, after 45 minutes my banana bread was not cooked all the way through. I left it in for an extra 5-10 minutes at 350. I love all of Jennifer’s recipes! So good!
Great recipe, I substituted egg whites for the eggs and used natural applesauce and 1/8 C canola oil for the butter.
I like to use very ripe bananas, the darker the better
Thanks.
Wow! I loved this banana bread. I wasn’t sure if I would since it was so simple. My other recipe uses a lot of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. But this was so delicious and easier to make. A slice warm from the oven with a little butter—amazing. It was really moist even though I overbaked it a little. Just made the top a little crispy, which I liked anyway
This is my go to recipe for banana bread. I even wrote it down in my notebook in case I wanna make it but no internet. I sub the regular sugar with brown sugar and it smells so good 10 mins into baking. I feel like it also add more moisture to the bread. But one thing I could of swear from copying the recipe down to my notebook, was that this recipe used to call for melted butter. I still use the melted butter cus it’s just easier without having to wait for it to soften.
I’m a new baker and this is the first banana bread recipe I’ve ever tried. It’s is now my go-to; I even baked a lot of loaves as giveaways last Christmas and got many compliments. I love chocolate so I usually add chocolate chips. Even my picky nephew loves it.
I loved the bread. I added chocolate chips and it seemed the inside was a bit wet after 49 or 50 minutes of cooking. Would adding the chocolate chips increase moisture?
I bought your book last year. I love it and think you could do a second one for just your baked goods. 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much.
Denise
Hi Denise, thanks for buying the cookbook and so glad to hear you like it! 🙂 The banana bread should bake for 60 to 70 minutes so it makes sense that after 49 or 50 minutes it was still not fully baked inside. Did you let it go for the full 60 to 70 minutes?
Jenn, the recipe says to cook for 40-45 minutes @ 350*. I love this recipe! Just thought it was my oven that caused the problem.
Jenn, this looks amazing & I can’t wait to try! could you clarify, above you state longer baking time than indicated on the recipe instructions. Which do you recommend?
Sorry for the confusion! It should bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Hope that clarifies. 🙂
After shovelling 2 driveways I felt I deserved a treat. I’ve been using the same banana loaf recipe since I left home for university-36 years ago. No more. This will be my new go-to. Added milk chocolate chips and made as muffins. For some reason these are particularly light and airy. Very very good. Nailed it again Jenn.
Hi Jenn,
Today I made your banana bread. One of my bananas was from the freezer and very wet so I reduced the lemon juice to one tablespoon and used powdered lemon for the other. Also I opted for two smaller metal pans as I only had glass pans in the larger size. I added pecans. It turned out perfectly. We both agreed that the lemon added a pleasant brightness to the recipe. Thank you for another hit!
Hello, I have made this delicious bread so many times and it’s always a hit. The only issue I have is that every single time I make it no matter what I adjust the edges are always slightly too crisp/almost burnt. What am I doing wrong? I have a fan oven so I have adjusted the temperature down to 160 degrees Celsius.
Hi Sadia, glad you like the bread. You may want to decrease the oven temp by just a few more degrees, or you could loosely cover the loaf pan for about the last 10 minutes of baking to keep the edges from browning more than you’d like. Hope that helps!