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This is the Best Banana Bread Recipe in the entire world – I promise! It’s my mom’s recipe for banana bread and I’ve been making and eating this my entire life. This moist banana bread recipe is soft and fluffy with perfect banana flavor – you’re going to LOVE it.
I make a lot of banana bread. Every single banana bread recipe or banana muffin on this site has been based off of one recipe: my Mom’s. It’s one of those recipes I’ve eaten my whole life.
I have to say, I think it’s the best banana bread recipe, ever. This is a banana bread recipe that never fails – using overripe bananas with brown spots and a combination of baking soda and sour milk (or buttermilk) you get a super fluffy perfectly risen banana bread with a crack right down the center. It’s moist and full of banana flavor in every bite!
Essential Ingredients for Moist Banana Bread
- You need to use overripe bananas for this. They should be nice and brown spotted – my mom calls them tired bananas.
- You can use either salted or unsalted butter that’s been softened. If using salted butter you just need to adjust the amount of added salt (1/4 teaspoon less).
- Granulated sugar goes into the bread AND my mom uses it on the pan – one of her secret tips!
- One of my mom’s secrets is to sugar the pan. This is similar to “flouring” the pan (where you grease it with butter or shortening and then dust it with flour) but instead of using flour we use sugar. This creates a flavorful crunch on the outside.
The Sour Milk Banana Bread Secret
My mom’s original recipe called for Sour Milk. Basically, sour milk is the same thing as buttermilk. Back when this recipe was written, I’m figuring that milk went sour more than it does now, but if you don’t have sour milk sitting around, don’t worry. You can use 7 tablespoons of buttermilk or you can make your own. I use a combination of milk and vinegar. The acid helps activate the baking soda for a moist and fluffy bread recipe. Some banana bread recipes use sour cream – mine uses sour milk instead.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Expert Tips
- Did you know you can freeze bananas? Whenever my ripe bananas get too much so, I just throw them in the freezer (peels and all). Then I defrost them on the counter to make banana bread or cake whenever I want.
- Do not use cooking spray if you’re sugaring the pan (grease it with butter or shortening).
- I don’t normally use vanilla but you can add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if you want.
- You can use 3 mini loaf pans, make 12 muffins, or use an 8×4-inch loaf pan with a few muffins. I usually use a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- You know banana bread is done when it is dark golden on the top and there will be that nice long crack running through the center and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs from the center of the crack.
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium tired bananas brown spotted
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar plus more for the pan
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened (plus more for the pan)
- 2 large eggs
- 7 tablespoons (103ml) milk (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x5x3” loaf pan with butter and coat it with sugar. (You do this like you would grease and flour a pan. Grease it first, then add about 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan and move the pan side to side until the bottom and sides are coated with sugar. Do NOT substitute cooking spray for the butter. You can skip the sugaring and just use cooking spray, if you wish.)
- Mash bananas in a small bowl with a potato masher or fork and set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer in a large bowl. Add bananas and eggs to the butter mixture and mix until somewhat combined (mixture will be chunky).
- Add the flour mixture, milk, and vinegar to the banana mixture and mix until combined (mixture will be slightly lumpy). Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. The edges will be a dark brown and there will be a nice crack down the center.
- Cool completely before removing loaf from pan, but you can cut slices from the pan after it’s cooled for about 15-20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- If you have buttermilk, use that in place of milk and omit vinegar.
- You can use lemon juice in place of the vinegar.
- Nondairy milk may be substituted.
- Salted butter: reduce added salt to 1/4 teaspoon
- Gluten-Free 1:1 AP Flour – use equal parts
- Whole Wheat Flour: use 1 cup each whole wheat and AP flour
- Oil: substitute 1/2 cup vegetable oil for the butter
- Pan: Use an 8×4-inch loaf pan and make just 1-2 muffins along side or use 3 mini loaf pans.
- Add-ins: add up to 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
Recipe Nutrition
How to make the BEST Banana Bread Recipe Step-by-Step
- Grease the pan with shortening or butter and then sugar it (like you would grease and flour a pan).
- I use a large bowl and a hand mixer for this – you’ll need to cream the softened butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients. You could also use a stand mixer.
- Mash your bananas with a potato masher or a fork.
- I also like to whisk my dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients.
Variations
- You can use buttermilk, if you have it, or simply use vinegar or lemon juice and any milk you want. The bread needs the acidity to activate the baking soda, so don’t omit!
- Non-dairy milk will work just as well as regular.
- Add 1 cup walnuts or pecans for banana nut bread or 1 cup chocolate chips for chocolate chip banana bread.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter but my mom always uses salted. If you’re using salted butter, reduce salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Oil: You can substitute vegetable oil, but make sure to use the salt in the recipe in that case (oil doesn’t have salt in it).
- Flour: substitute half whole wheat flour (so 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose) if you want. Make gluten free banana bread using 1:1 All-purpose gluten-free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill teal bag).
- Sugar: You can use a combination white sugar and brown sugar or all brown sugar if you prefer.
- Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter for extra flavor.
- Top this with cream cheese frosting – cream cheese goes so great with my banana bread recipe.
FAQs
If your bananas aren’t brown enough, you can ripen them in the oven. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 15–20 minutes until the skins are completely black. Let them cool, then scoop out the soft, sweetened fruit.
Dry banana bread is usually the result of over-measuring the flour or over-baking the loaf. Always use the “spoon and level” method for flour rather than scooping directly from the bag. To ensure a moist crumb, look for a recipe that uses a combination of butter for flavor and oil (or applesauce) for lasting moisture.
Yes! Frozen bananas are actually better for baking because the freezing process breaks down the cell walls, making them extra soft. Thaw them in a bowl first; do not discard the liquid that accumulates, as that is full of concentrated banana flavor and moisture.
A sunken center usually happens if the bread is under-baked or if the leavening agents (baking soda/powder) are expired. It can also happen if you use too many bananas; while it’s tempting to add extra, too much moisture will weigh down the structure, causing it to collapse as it cools.
Store your loaf at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. For even better results, place a paper towel in the container with the bread to absorb excess moisture and prevent the crust from getting soggy. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days on the counter or 3 months in the freezer.
On average, 1 cup of mashed bananas requires 3 medium-sized bananas. If your recipe calls for a specific measurement rather than a count, always measure the mash to ensure the ratios of your batter stay consistent.
Hi Dorothy: This banana bread is fantastic. I buttered and sugared the pan as your mother does. Wow! It’s crunchy on the outside. This was very easy to make. I made sure everything was room temperature. I put the vinegar in with the milk while I got everything else ready. I weighed the flour and sugar and used a tsp. of vanilla. I’m going to make your cinnamon swirl bread tomorrow. It sounds and looks good. Thanks so much for another great recipe! Kathy
Absolutely THE BEST !!! I added english walnuts and highly recommend the Sugar pan dusting in place of flour.
The recepie is perfect!!!
Hi Deborah, so glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment.
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