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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!
And if you like to see it before you bake it, I made a quick video showing exactly how this loaf comes together. It’s in the recipe card below!
Love loaf recipes? Don’t miss my pumpkin bread recipe, famous coconut loaf, moist lemon loaf cake, and the best monkey bread loaf!
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I tried this and let me tell u it turned out so amazing!! I didn’t even use a stand alone mixer for sugar and eggs. I just put the bananas in a Blender and then hand mixed everything and it all worked fine! Thank u for this yummy recipe. It is now my go to!
5-Star Banana Bread You’ll Make on Repeat
Got brown, spotty bananas on the counter? 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 Ingredients
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. You’ll need 3 medium bananas, about 1 1/2 cups mashed. 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. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt works too.
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.
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 and 30 minutes). A toothpick should come out clean, and if you have an instant-read thermometer, the center should register about 200°F.
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, and they all work!
- Ceramic: Even bake + gorgeous finish (I love my Emile Henry ruffled pan and the Emile Henry Classic pan. Worth every penny, and they last forever!
- Glass: Great for beginners since 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!
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! Thaw slices at room temperature, or warm them in the toaster for that fresh-baked feeling.
FAQs
You’ll need 3 medium, very ripe bananas for this recipe. That’s about 1 1/2 cups (or 350 grams) of mashed banana. If your bananas are on the small side, use 4. A little extra banana never hurt anyone!
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 gives the loaf a 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.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The center should be fully set, not jiggly. For total peace of mind, an instant-read thermometer should read about 200°F in the middle of the loaf. Ovens vary, so trust these cues over the clock!
A sunken center almost always means the loaf came out of the oven too soon. The middle is the last part to bake, so if it’s underdone, it collapses as it cools. Keep baking in 10-minute intervals until the center is fully set, and resist opening the oven door during the first hour.
You can! Divide the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F, checking around the 20-minute mark. Or try my blueberry banana muffins, which are tested, perfected, and full of juicy berries.
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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 and Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut a piece of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of a 9×5 loaf pan. Butter the pan, place the parchment over the top, then butter the parchment and all sides of the pan.
- 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.
- 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. A toothpick should come out clean, and the center of the loaf should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Total bake time can vary between 1 hour and 1 hour 30minutes, depending on your oven.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted, but salted is fine too just dont add the extra salt
I have made this recipe 3 times now and it has turned out great every time! Thank you!!
Love to hear that Helen!
Hands down the most delicious and moist banana bread I’ve ever made. This will be my go-to recipe from here on out. Thank you for sharing!
The most perfect moist banana bread! Was really yummy. Seemed too sweet or too much vanilla? I couldn’t really taste the banana, cinnamon or nutmeg? I’ll use this recipe again but will definitely change up the recipe a bit.
What if I don’t have sour cream
Greek yogurt or buttermilk would work
Super moist and yummy!! This is my favorite banana bread recipe I’ve ever found!
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that!
Is there a way to keep my banana nut bread from splitting?
are the whipped eggs & sugar meant to reach ribbon stage?
I omitted the nutmeg and baked it in a Bundt pan to avoid overcooking ends while center gets done.
Best ever.
Laura
Very good