Favorite Banana Bread

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Banana bread recipes are so wonderfully convenient to use up browning bananas on your counter. Everyone has their favorite banana bread recipe. Some recipes add spice, some recipes are lighter in texture while some breads bake up denser. It comes down to personal preference, and this is mine!

Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread

• Dense but soft and tender
• Strong banana flavor
• Buttery texture and moist
• Can be made in one bowl

Don’t Have Brown Bananas?

Maybe you’re in the mood for banana bread but don’t have overripe bananas. There’s a shortcut for that! Lay your bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. The bananas will be perfectly soft, brown, and ready to mash.

Tip: Mash bananas in a bowl with a hand-held mixer or use two forks.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Unsalted butter — for flavor and texture (make sure it’s softened to room temperature)

Light or dark brown sugar — brown sugar helps to retain moisture and adds a depth of caramel flavor (you can substitute granulated sugar)

Baking powder & baking soda — for lift

Salt & vanilla extract — for flavor

Overripe bananas — for flavor and moisture (mash with forks or a hand-held mixer) it’s okay to leave some banana pieces to bite into!

Eggs — to help bind ingredients and give structure

Honey — for a subtle nutty/earthy sweetness

Milk — to help bind ingredients and create a denser texture (substitute non-dairy milk)

All-purpose flour — adds structure

Chopped walnuts — gives a nutty, crunchy texture (substitute chopped pecans or add both chopped walnuts and pecans)

Baking Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I like using this loaf pan because it has handles which makes it easier to take out of the oven!

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add brown sugar and cream together on high speed for 2 minutes. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until smooth.

In the bowl, add the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, eggs, honey, and milk, and then mix together until smooth. The mixture will look runny and slightly lumpy, especially if you left some banana pieces.

Fold in flour with a spatula but don’t mix all the way, (the image above on the left). Stir in the walnuts and mix until there are no more pockets of flour (image on the right).

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 20 minutes, then cover the top with tinfoil to prevent the edges from browning. Bake for 20 more minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 325℉ and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes or more, before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.

Serving & Storing

Serve warm or cold! You can warm up a slice in the microwave or toaster oven, add a slice of butter or eat with your tea.

The bread stays moist for 3 days at room temperature when wrapped with tinfoil or in an airtight container.

RECIPE CARD