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You all have made this moist banana bread recipe hundreds of times – and for good reason! It’s buttery, super moist, and full of flavor thanks to ripe bananas, a touch of spice, and my go-to trio: butter, oil, and sour cream. Total 5-star favorite!
Love loaf recipes? Don’t miss my pumpkin bread recipe, famous coconut loaf, and the best monkey bread loaf!
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This super moist banana bread is the best way to use them up. I tested lots of combos, and the magic mix is butter, oil, and sour cream – hello rich, tender perfection!
Slather a warm slice with butter and thank me later. It’s perfect for brunch, gifting, or just treating yourself.
And if you love banana desserts, try my baked banana donuts, blueberry banana muffins, and banana pudding pie.
Banana Bread Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour – Stabilizes and holds the bread together. I use King Arthur flour for this recipe, but you can also use whole-wheat flour.
Granulated Sugar – This recipe is not too sweet, but you can use less sugar. It will change the flavor of the bread, though.
Very Ripe Bananas -These add flavor and create moist banana bread. The banana peel should be very brown and ripe. The riper the banana, the sweeter it is.
Melted Butter – Use unsalted butter for this bread. Butter adds a lot of flavor and moistness to the bread.
Sour Cream – Adds moisture without thinning your batter like a liquid would.
Canola Oil – Adds moisture to the recipe. You can also use vegetable, sunflower, or coconut oil. Remember, these tiny changes do affect the original recipe.
Eggs – Creates structure and stability. Use large organic eggs when making this bread.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Salt – These spices flavor banana bread. Use ground spices for the recipe.
Vanilla Extract – Enhances flavors and adds subtle vanilla flavor. Use pure vanilla extract.
How to Make Moist Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 325°F and prep your loaf pan. I like to butter it and line it with parchment for easy removal (and no sticking!).
Mash your bananas—they should be super brown and spotty for the best flavor. Not ripe yet? Pop them in the oven at 300°F for 15 minutes to speed things up!
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Whip the sugar and eggs together on medium for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and oil while mixing on low.
Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla—mix just until combined.
Fold in the dry ingredients gently. Don’t overmix!
Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Check the center—if it’s not done, bake in 10-minute intervals until fully set (up to 1 hour 30 min).
How to Mash Bananas
- Peel and place ripe bananas in a mixing bowl or stand mixer.
- Use a fork or a potato masher to smash the bananas until they are smooth.
- You can also use an electric mixer to mash the bananas quickly.
What Loaf Pan Should You Use
I’ve made this in ceramic, glass, and metal—they all work!
- Ceramic: Even bake + gorgeous finish (I love my Emile Henry pan!)
- Glass: Great for beginners—you can see when it’s done
- Metal: Quick, even browning and easy to handle
Using a smaller 8×4 pan? Just fill it ¾ full or split into two loaves!
Frequently Asked Questions
Bananas should be very ripe and have a dark brown peel. You don’t want to buy fresh bananas from the grocery store for this recipe, but rather, let them sit on the counter and develop brown, even black, spots.
As bananas ripen, their starches break down into sugar. This breakdown makes them perfect for baking and increases their antioxidant levels. The mushy texture also makes them malleable (ideal for mixing) and provides the loaf with that desirable soft mouthfeel.
Preheat the oven to 300° and place bananas in a lined pan. When the oven’s ready, put the bananas in and regularly check until their skin turns brown. This process mimics the natural one, turning starches to sugar, and is the quickest option other than resting. If you plan ahead and have a few more days, you can place bananas in a brown paper bag to ripen quicker.
Yes, you can use frozen bananas for this recipe. First, thaw them at room temperature and drain any excess liquid.
Recipe Tips & Variations
With Walnuts: If you prefer nuts in your banana bread, fold 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts at the end.
Chocolate Chips: Add 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips to the batter at the end to make chocolate chip banana bread. Give it a light stir.
Caramel Sauce: Drizzle homemade caramel sauce over the top.
Nutella: Swirl Nutella in the banana bread.
Chocolate Ganache: Pour a chocolate ganache over the top.
Gluten-Free: Try Bob’s Red Mills Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Healthier Flour: King Arthur, Whole Wheat Traditional Flour
How to Store
Keep banana bread in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days.
To Freeze:
Let it cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic and store in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze whole, halved, or sliced for up to 3 months!
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this recipe, try any of these:
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Classic Banana Cake
- The Best Pumpkin Pancakes
- Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Have fun baking, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment and review below!
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Super Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 bananas , very ripe and mashed
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – 325°F
- Mash – Using a fork mash the ripe bananas in a bowl.
- Combine Dry Ingredients – In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- Whip Sugar and Eggs – Then, using the whip attachment, combine the sugar and eggs in a stand alone mixer and mix on medium for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add Oil and Butter – Turn the mixer to low and very slowly add in the oil and melted butter. Should take about 1 minute to add these in, slowly whipping to incorporate.
- Add Bananas, Sour Cream and Vanilla – Mix on low for another minute.
- Fold in the Dry Ingredients – Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet. Do this just until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not beat or over mix.
- Prepare – Cut a piece of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of a 9×5 loaf pan. Butter the pan, then place the parchment paper over the top. Butter the parchment paper and all sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 1 hour, then check the center. If it’s still jiggly or not fully set, continue baking in 10-minute intervals until the center is fully cooked and no longer sinks. Total bake time can vary between 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on your oven.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My new favourite recipe… Just made 8 loaves for gifts at work ( one for us ). My family said it’s the best one I’ve ever made !!
I love hearing this May!!
Amazing recipe that my husband and dad are requesting weekly and such a perfect, detailed technique. Whipping sugar and eggs for a full 5 minutes and slowly incorporating the oil/butter so as not to deflate the fluffy whipped mixture is brilliant! I found this recipe by searching specifically for a banana bread recipe that included sour cream, oil, and butter and was so excited to read that this was your “go-to trio.” I knew you knew what was up, and I was not disappointed–in fact, I learned so much from your detailed method!! Your go-to trio and methodology yielded a perfect combination of softness from the oil (even days later), flavor from the butter, and moisture/rise/richness/balance from the sour cream.
The flavor slapped too! Adjustments for my tastes: Reduced sugar by 1/4 cup (1/2 cup white sugar + 1/4 cup brown sugar) and doubled the cinnamon. Used 3/4 cup chocolate chips as recommended in the suggested additions, and it was the perfect amount so thank you!
One question: what position oven rack do you bake at? Center rack or lower third?
This is very similar to Sunbreak Cafe’s super moist banana bread. I took it out of the oven when it still had a teeny bit longer to cook. Very moist! I don’t do seed oils so I used avocado oil and a liberal 2T sour cream. I will make this many times! I followed the directions on mixing carefully and I think that was key.
I have been baking for many years. My Aunt’s banana bread recipe was always a family favorite, but I thought your recipe sounded interesting. I have made it and shared it with several people. My family and friends love this bread! I am making it today, but I’m going to try muffins and see what happens. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I love this! Let me know how the muffins work out!
Made two loaves..one for freezer for later use.
Very moist. Husband missed walnuts.
Delicious..will make again.
I made this recipe yesterday. Turned out fantastic. Great tasting. Excellent moisture. Baked in a dark non-stick loaf pan, but, still lined with parchment paper. Baked for 1 hour. Used vegetable oil, vanilla yogurt instead of canola oil and sour cream.
I made your banana bread for the residents I live with at a independent housing unit in Perrysburg, Ohio. This is the best and I mean the best banana bread recipe I have ever made.
It is super moist and so delicious. The people here when I make it says it is the best banana bread ever. I always make 2 loaves and it is gone so fast at Bingo time. You have a good recipe and will bake it when needed. Thanks so much for giving out this recipe.
Thank you so much, Carol! Thank you for making for the people in the housing unit, that makes me so happy!!