Posted Apr 06, 2023, Updated Feb 13, 2024 I’m a firm believer that everyone needs an amazing banana bread recipe in their repertoire! So today I’m sharing our family’s favorite, go-to recipe for the best banana bread ever. It’s buttery, moist, and loaded with banana flavor. Plus it’s easy to make and most definitely the best way to use overripe bananas. It took me many years and lots of testing and tweaking to finally be able to say I created the best banana bread recipe ever. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients and a few minutes to make, and I promise you will love it as much as we do.
The Best Banana Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s take a minute to chat about the ingredients used in this best banana bread recipe, and possible substitutions.
Overripe Bananas. Buy some extra bananas and let them get extra brown just to make this recipe. If you use yellow/green bananas your bread will lack moisture and sweetness. If using frozen, overripe bananas, let them thaw to room temperature and mix them together (including any water that is released in thawing) before proceeding with the recipe. Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, ghee, coconut oil and vegan butter all work well in this recipe. You can substitute up to half of the butter (1/4 cup) with canola oil or applesauce if you would like. Granulated sugar. Use organic cane sugar or white sugar. Brown Sugar. This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but if you want a richer molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar. All-purpose flour. For the best results I recommend using all-purpose flour. However bread flour also works well in this banana bread recipe. You can substitute up to ¾ cup of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. For a gluten-free version, use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free baking flour.
Looking for a different banana bread recipe? Then try my beloved Paleo Banana Bread or this Double Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread. This healthy banana bread is so good. Or try pumpkin banana bread & peanut butter banana bread!
How to Make Banana Bread
This banana bread recipe is easy to make, but lets walk through the process step-by-step so that you all end up with perfect banana bread every single time! And don’t forget to watch the video. The very first step in this banana bread recipe is to mash the bananas. Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them. Next, add the wet ingredients to the mashed bananas. Be sure the butter is melted and the eggs are room temperature for the best results. To quickly make a cold egg room temperature, submerge it in warm water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Next, add the white and brown sugar and stir the mixture thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved and there are no lumps. The next step in this banana bread recipe is adding the dry ingredients. You can mix them together in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet ingredients, however that just makes one more dish to clean. So I just add the dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir them a little bit on the surface before combining. Stir until there are no lumps of unmixed dry ingredients.
Mix ins
If you want to add some mix-ins to this banana bread recipe, this is the place in the process when you would do that. You can add up to 1 cup of the following:
Chocolate Chips Walnuts Pecans Cinnamon chips White chocolate chips Blueberries Dried fruit (cranberries, rasins, etc.) Swirl of peanut butter or Nutella
Bake the Banana Bread
Next pour your well-mixed batter into a greased loaf pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Then pop the pan into the preheated oven and wait. Note: It’s very important to grease your loaf pan well to ensure easy removal. I use a non-stick spray. However you can rub the sides with butter or shortening if desired. Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. To remove the banana bread from the pan, take a knife or a thin spatula and gently separate the bread from the sides of the loaf pan. Shake the pan to see if you have released the sides. Once the bread is released from the pan, turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Serving suggestions
Since this is absolutely the best banana bread ever, it tastes amazing served plain. However, here are a few of our favorite toppings that we like to slather on our warm banana bread:
Peanut butter or any other nut/seed butter. Try making this homemade peanut butter, vanilla peanut butter or vanilla almond butter. Nutella Jam Slather it with this cinnamon honey butter Butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar Drizzle of honey or maple syrup A dollop of homemade whipped cream.
Store/Freeze
Store this moist banana bread in an airtight container or plastic bag to ensure it does not dry out. Store it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or, freeze the banana bread for up to 2 months. I suggest slicing it into individual slices, wrapping them with plastic wrap and storing them in an airtight container in the freezer. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
