Easy Banana Bread Recipe

Banana Bread is probably the only reason I haven’t thrown out my overripe bananas in like three years. You know those sad brown bananas sitting on your counter that everyone ignores? Yeah, those are basically gold for this recipe.

I’ve been making this banana bread recipe since—honestly, I can’t even remember when I started. Maybe during lockdown when literally everyone and their grandma was baking banana bread? Or maybe my aunt gave me the recipe years ago? The details are fuzzy, but what I DO remember is burning the first loaf so badly that my smoke alarm went off and my neighbor knocked on my door asking if I was okay.​

Now? I’ve got this down to a science. Well, sort of. Sometimes I still forget to check it at 55 minutes and panic at 70, but that’s life.

Why This Banana Bread Recipe Actually Works :

Look, I’ve tried probably 15 different banana bread recipes from Pinterest, random blogs, and even that one my coworker swore by (it was dry as cardboard, no offense Karen). This one is different because it’s MOIST. Like, actually moist, not just “moist for banana bread” which usually means still kinda dry.

The secret? Sour cream. And melted butter. And not overmixing the batter like I used to do with my hand mixer on high speed for five minutes straight. What was I thinking back then?

This is the kind of banana bread recipe easy enough that I can make it half-asleep on Sunday morning, which I’ve done more times than I’m proud to admit.​

What You Need for the Best Banana Bread :

The Banana Situation:

• 3-4 super ripe bananas (I mean BROWN, not just spotty—the uglier the better)
• If they’re not ripe enough, stick them in a paper bag for a day or throw them in the freezer and thaw them later​

Real talk: I once tried making this with regular yellow bananas because I was impatient. Disaster. Complete disaster. The bread came out bland and weirdly sticky. Don’t be like me—wait for those bananas to look absolutely disgusting.​

The Rest of the Stuff:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I use whatever butter I have, salted works too if you reduce the added salt)
• ¾ cup brown sugar (or regular white sugar, both work fine)
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup sour cream (Greek yogurt works in a pinch—tried it once when I ran out)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the good stuff if you have it, but honestly the cheap bottle is fine)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder, learned that the hard way)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but highly recommended)
• ½ cup chocolate chips or walnuts if you’re into that (I usually do chocolate chips because my kids refuse nuts)

Pro tip: Don’t buy those tiny bags of walnuts from the fancy section. Way overpriced. Get them from the bulk bins if your store has them.​

How to Make Banana Bread :

1. Preheat and Prep

Set your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with butter or spray. I line mine with parchment paper because I’m lazy and hate scrubbing baked-on banana bits.​​

2. Mash Those Bananas

Peel your sad brown bananas and dump them in a large bowl. Mash them with a fork until they’re mostly smooth. Some chunks are fine—adds character. This should give you about 1 to 1¼ cups of mashed banana.​​

3. Mix Wet Ingredients

Add the melted butter to your mashed bananas and stir it around. Then add brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix everything together with a whisk or spoon until it’s combined and kinda smooth. It’ll look a little lumpy and that’s totally normal.

Here’s where most people mess up (including past me): Don’t whip this forever trying to make it perfect. Just stir until it’s mixed. We’re not making a cake here.​

4. Add Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.​

THIS IS IMPORTANT: Fold everything together gently with a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix just until you don’t see dry flour anymore. The batter will look thick and kinda weird. Do NOT overmix or you’ll end up with tough, dense banana bread.​

I usually stop mixing when there are still a few tiny streaks of flour visible. They’ll incorporate during baking.

5. Add Mix-ins

If you’re doing chocolate chips or nuts, fold them in now. I add about ½ cup but honestly I usually eyeball it and dump in however much looks good.

6. Bake This Thing

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes. The top should be deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.​​

Set a timer for 55 minutes and CHECK IT. Then add more time if needed. My oven runs hot so mine is usually done at 58 minutes, but I’ve made this at friends’ houses where it took 70 minutes. Ovens are weird.​

7. Cool It Down

Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Or don’t wait and eat it warm with butter because self-control is overrated.​

Why Your Banana Bread Might Be Dry :

Okay, so if you’ve made banana bread recipe moist versions before and they came out dry, here’s what probably happened:

You overmixed the batter. Seriously, this is the #1 mistake. Mix just until combined and then STOP.​

Your bananas weren’t ripe enough. Those bananas need to be almost black and mushy. The riper they are, the more moisture and sweetness they add.​

You baked it too long. Start checking at 55 minutes. Every oven is different and overbaking will dry it out.​

You didn’t measure flour correctly. If you pack the flour into the measuring cup, you’ll end up with too much flour. Spoon it in lightly and level it off.

Adding sour cream (or Greek yogurt) helps a TON with moisture. Trust me on this one.​​

Banana Bread Variations Nobody Asked For But I’m Telling You Anyway :

Banana Bread Muffins

Use this same recipe but divide it into a 12-cup muffin tin. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes. Perfect for grab-and-go breakfasts. My kids actually eat these, which is basically a miracle.​

Banana Bread Recipe Chocolate Chip

Add ½ to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. Sometimes I add mini chocolate chips because they distribute more evenly. Also I may or may not eat a handful before they make it into the batter.

Banana Bread Recipe Healthy(ish)

Swap half the flour for whole wheat flour, use honey instead of sugar, and add some ground flax seeds. It’s not exactly health food but it makes me feel better about eating three slices for breakfast.​

Banana Bread Cookies

Okay this is gonna sound weird but hear me out—scoop this batter onto a baking sheet like cookies and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350°F. They’re soft and chewy and kinda amazing. Found this out by accident when I didn’t have a clean loaf pan.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips :

This banana bread keeps on the counter wrapped in plastic wrap or foil for 3-4 days. It actually gets MORE moist after a day. Weird but true.​

You can freeze the whole loaf (wrapped tightly) for up to 3 months. Or slice it first and freeze individual slices so you can toast them straight from the freezer for breakfast. Game changer.

My Honest Opinion on This Banana Bread Recipe Easy Version :

This is way better than anything you’ll buy at a coffee shop. And cheaper. A loaf costs maybe $3 to make if you’re using ingredients you already have and free overripe bananas that were gonna get tossed anyway.​

Is it fancy? Nope. Will it change your life? Probably not. But it’s GOOD and it’s easy and it makes your house smell incredible while it’s baking. Plus you get to feel accomplished even if the rest of your day is a mess.​

My mom makes this now and claims she invented it. I don’t have the heart to tell her I got it from the internet and several failed attempts.

Anyway, that’s my banana bread recipe. Let me know if you try it! Seriously, leave a comment because I need validation that other people also burn things occasionally and still end up with edible food.

Happy baking! (and may your bananas always be perfectly overripe when you need them)