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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Hi, Jenn!
Went to Costco and of course have 3 pounds of bananas😃! I’m going to freeze some for future banana bread. Question—do I freeze them with the lemon juice so they don’t brown? And, second question, assuming I do not include the lemon juice, after thawing the bananas, do I drain the liquid/juice from the bananas before adding to the recipe?
Hi Terri, I’ve never frozen mine with lemon juice. They do brown a bit but don’t impact the color of the bread. And yes, after thawing, I drain off excess liquid from the bananas before incorporating into the batter. 🙂
Mine came out a little uncooked in the middle- the middle also sunk once cooled. I made no adjustments. What did I do wrong?
Hi Leslie, It sounds like the bread was under-baked. I would leave it in a bit longer next time. You may also want to check your oven temperature to be sure it’s accurate.
Could I add nuts and if so will that alter the other ingredients?
Thank you!
Yes, you can add nuts with no other modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Amazing! Best I’ve ever made
I made this into (6) individual loaves and lessened the cooking time by about 9 minutes (my pan was a dark pan so I reduced the oven temp by 10 degrees). Although I feel I could’ve taken them out even sooner, as I think they were a tad overcooked. But flavor was great. I did add cinnamon to the batter and choc chips to a few and walnuts to a few. You do NOT notice the lemon at all for those that are concerned about the taste.
You don’t taste the lemon at all…I love lemon though!
This is the best recipe I’ve made! Very light…made muffins..chopped walnuts and mini chocolate…less sugar.
I’ve stopped my search for banana bread recipes. Will be using this one in future. So easy, quick and delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Great reviews so I printed this for when I happen to have over ripe-bananas, but I don’t keep lemons in. (Nor yogurt or sour cream and I bake on a whim). Do you know if those little plastic lemon shaped juices would work to get the acidity?. Or 2 tablespoons milk with a teaspoon of cream of tartar maybe?
I suspect that bottled lemon juice would work.
I used the lemon juice from one of those little plastic lemons and it worked great. Fantastic recipe!
I made this the only change I made is I added choped walnuts, it’s amazing.
Hi Jen! Loved this recipe and bragged to a friend how simple, light and delish it was. She’s having a brunch on Sunday and asked if I’d make it for her, and of course I said “yes”.
I’d like to dress it up a tad, to make it a bit more special, by sprinkling the top with a little course turbinado or sanding sugar. Your thoughts? Do I need to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe? Originally I followed the recipe as written, and it was just the right amount of sweetness as written.
Hi Marcie, I think that sounds wonderful! I don’t think you’ll need more than 1 to 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar, which won’t alter the sweetness much. I’d probably leave it as is.
Thanks SO much for getting back to me(and so quickly!). I’m very appreciative.
I’m just about to begin baking and will report back, if you like.
Take care. : )
I made this bananna bread just yesterday and even tho I kind of screwed up it still came out just amazing. recipe only makes 1 loaf and believe me I should have made at least 2 loaves as this didn’t last very long.
This is the best recipe for banana bread! It is the first time my bread has turned out this well. A definite keeper!