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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Thanks~ I love this recipe! and it worked well with round baking pan ~ <3
baking time: about 60 min (with walnuts & raisins)
My bread collapsed in the middle – any idea why? I’ve made this bread and a couple others from the site in the past without this issue…
Thanks!
Sorry you had a problem with it! When bread collapses in the middle, typically that means it’s underbaked. You may want to check your oven temperature to see if it’s accurate. Here are some tips for how to do that.
Hey Jenn! I don’t have lemon or lemon juice. Will it ruin the recipe leaving this out? Should I substitute something else instead? LMK!
Hi Kristina, the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise. You can make it without it, but the bread may be a little flatter. Other readers commented they didn’t have lemon juice and used orange juice or apple cider vinegar successfully. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Hi, love all your recipes. Was wondering if I could substitute mangoes instead of bananas to make a mango bread
Hi AJ, glad you like the recipes! I honestly don’t know how mango would work here; it may work, but it’s hard to say for sure without trying it myself. For the most predictable results, you may want to stick with a quick bread recipe intended for mangoes.
I only have salted butter on hand. Can I leave out the salt in the recipe to make it work?
Sure – While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I love this recipe so much with some added choco chips and walnuts. The best!! Today, I have perfectly ripe bananas but no lemon. Can you recommend a substitute for the fresh lemon juice? I have lemon juice in a bottle, apple cider vinegar and white vinegar. Thank you!
Glad you liked this! Lemon juice in a bottle should be fine. 🙂
This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever baked in my life!!!! So tasty! I’m having to use some serious self control to not eat the entire loaf in one go! I looked around at some other recipes and they all seemed so basic in comparison! The lemon juice and vanilla extract really make it that extra bit special! Wondering though if it’s possible to use this recipe but with self raising flour (Instead of plain) but without adding the baking soda/powder? So hard to get flour with the current situation and I’m running low of plain, but have plenty of self raising if that can be used instead!
Glad you like this Els! This is best with all-purpose flour, but I know that it’s hard to come by right now! Self-rising flour will works in recipes using about 1/2 teaspoon (and up to 1 teaspoon) baking powder per cup of flour, so if you feel comfortable doing the math, feel free to give it a try.
Love the banana bread! A big hit with my family and friends. I just had one question – What is the best way to store the cake? I usually leave it outside for a week in a tight container but as it approaches a week I start to notice mold. Should I be keeping it in the fridge?
Glad you like it! You’re storing it correctly — I store it on a plate on the counter and cover it with foil. It only keeps nicely for 3 – 4 days so that’s why you’re seeing mold after a week. It may last slightly longer if stored in the fridge; just bring it to room temperature before eating.
This banana bread is fabulous. I just made it this morning. I did add about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips for a little kick on a Friday. I added three whole bananas. and the batter seemed a bit more wet than I was expecting. Cooked it on a convection setting at 350 for 45 minutes. However it was very moist and wet. I end up cooking it for a total of an hour and a half before it was actually ready. Besides that it turned out great.
This banana bread is SO good! The texture and flavor are exactly what I was looking for (with the addition of some chopped bittersweet chocolate)! One question, your recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder. The other recipes I have used before call only for baking soda, so I am wondering what the addition of baking powder does to the bread? I did notice that my bread rose right to the top of my loaf pan, but did not “dome” above the pan. Would it get more rise if I left out the baking powder or would that mess up the bread? Thank you for such reliable recipes!! I enjoy your site 🙂
Hi Marybeth, Glad you liked this! The reason the banana bread doesn’t dome is that it’s more cake-like than bread. If you really want that dome, I’d add 1/4 cup more flour. Keep in mind it will make the texture a bit drier. I would not omit the baking soda as it would significantly impact the recipe. Hope that helps!
Hi Marybeth, Glad you liked this! The reason the banana bread doesn’t dome is that it’s more cake-like than bread. If you really want that dome, I’d add 1/4 cup more flour. Keep in mind it will make the texture a bit drier. I would not omit the baking soda as it would significantly impact the recipe. Hope that helps!
The aroma was wonderful and the texture was perfect, but the bread just lacked what I enjoy in banana bread…nutmeg, cinnamon, and nuts!