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The perfect Banana Bread stands alone: Soft with some chew, moist, and full of bright banana flavor. It needs no mix-ins or toppings and it’s perfect any day of the week, any time of day. This is the recipe you’ve been searching for, the last Banana Bread recipe you’ll ever need.
A good Banana Bread is worth its weight in gold. It’s a great make-ahead-and-freeze brunch idea, the perfect gift to show you care, and an all-around fantastic snack.
Things go wrong if your banana bread is too dry (not enough bananas), lacking flavor (not enough bananas), or dense (not enough bananas). The solution? More bananas!
This recipe uses 5 large bananas, about 2 ½ cups of mashed banana, and that’s exactly where you need to be. Don’t settle for less. And if you’re bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can fix that in the oven (details below).
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Butter: Refrigerated butter generally softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature. To soften butter in the microwave, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger. Still too firm? Cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
- Bananas: Use fully-ripe or slightly overripe bananas (brown spots mean naturally sweet!). See Recipe FAQs for tips on how to ripen bananas in your oven. If you’re short on mashed bananas, add unsweetened applesauce to reach 2 ½ cups.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with butter or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla and bananas. Add flour mixture in 3 batches and beat until just incorporated (do not overmix).
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after until done (mine usually takes 60 minutes). Cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 (2-pound) loaf, enough for 8 thick, hearty slices.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The Banana Bread loaf can be wrapped in parchment or foil and placed in a zip-top plastic bag and frozen up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Slather your slice: It’s delicious plain, but my ideal Banana Bread slice is served warm with a pat of butter. If that’s not your jam, try covering your Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting, Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, Tahini, Sunflower Seed Butter, or Cashew Butter.
Recipe FAQs
You can ripen bananas in a 300-degree oven: Arrange unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet, then bake until banana skins are completely black all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, scoop banana pulp from peel, and mash.
Chocolate chips or walnuts are classic pairings, but you can also try dried fruit or toasted coconut.
If you’re short on mashed bananas, add unsweetened applesauce to reach 2 ½ cups. I’ve tested this! It works.
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Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter softened (see note 1)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 5 large, see note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with butter or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla and bananas. Add flour mixture in 3 batches and beat until just incorporated (do not overmix).
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after until done (mine usually takes 60 minutes). Cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Notes
- Butter: Refrigerated butter generally softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature. To soften butter in the microwave, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger. Still too firm? Cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
- Bananas: Use fully-ripe or slightly overripe bananas (brown spots mean naturally sweet!). See Recipe FAQs for tips on how to ripen bananas in your oven. If you’re short on mashed bananas, add unsweetened applesauce to reach 2 ½ cups.
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 (2-pound) loaf, enough for 8 thick, hearty slices.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The Banana Bread loaf can be wrapped in parchment or foil and placed in a zip-top plastic bag and frozen up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
It sounds delicious and I’d like to try it but shouldn’t the butter be unsalted if you add 1/4 tsp of salt?
Thank you
Hi June, it doesn’t matter for this recipe, use what you have on hand! (I personally don’t worry about salted vs. unsalted unless there is some specific reason). Please write back with any more questions, or let me know how they turned out! Enjoy! – Meggan
The bread came out delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. It was moist and flavorful. I will certainly make it again.
Hi Lucy, I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! Take care! – Meggan