This easy banana bread recipe transforms overripe bananas into a bakery-style loaf that's perfectly tender with an irresistibly soft, almost cake-like crumb. Whether you're an experienced baker or brand new, you'll love how this classic quickbread recipe creates a super moist crumb that tastes better than your local bakery or café!
Jump to:
- Why You Can Trust This Recipe
- Why You'll Love This Easy Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Ingredients
- How to Make Banana Bread
- Secrets to Bakery-Style Moist Banana Bread
- Substitutions
- Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes For Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Variations and Mix-ins
- Equipment For Making Banana Bread
- How to Store Banana Bread
- FAQ
- Troubleshooting Banana Bread
- Banana Bread vs Banana Cake
- More Banana Bread Recipes & Quickbreads
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
Why You Can Trust This Recipe
I grew up in Arkansas in a family and community of incredible Southern bakers, so really good banana bread has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I've also tested and eaten lots of banana bread recipes, working as a private chef. But none has ever stacked up to this one. It's adapted from a very popular banana bread cake we baked daily at a fine dining restaurant where I was the assistant pastry chef. And it really is hands down the best banana bread recipe I've ever made or eaten!
At the restaurant, we served thick slices cut in half to form triangles, lightly toasted them in the oven with a scoop of homemade salted caramel ice cream anchoring them while standing upright with a deep-fried, sugared plantain garnish (SO good!). All these years later, it's still my go-to recipe with its perfect tender crumb and rich, ultra-fragrant banana flavor.
This easy banana bread recipe creates an irresistibly tender loaf using buttermilk (or my quick buttermilk substitute) and perfectly overripe bananas. With a few simple techniques and essential ingredients, you'll create a supremely moist, flavorful banana bread that's somewhere between banana cake and classic banana bread. And it rivals any bakery at a fraction of the cost!
If you enjoy this banana bread recipe, you might also try my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or this Banana Nut Bread with Pistachios and Pecans!
Why You'll Love This Easy Banana Bread
- It's super quick and easy to make
- It's an easy one-bowl banana bread recipe if you don't have a mixer (see below)
- Creates a moist, tender loaf that stays fresh for days
- Uses simple basic pantry ingredients
- You can adjust the amount of sugar you use (I've even tested it for you!)
- Perfect way to use up overripe bananas you might otherwise throw away
- It's a budget-friendly dessert
- Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert
- It's full of intense natural banana flavor
- Its texture is between banana bread and banana cake
- Tastes even better the next day
- Easy Meal-prep dessert recipe (it freezes really well!)
- Easy baking recipe for kids to make
Banana Bread Ingredients
This easy banana bread recipe uses basic pantry staples and can be customized with nuts, chocolate chips, or left gloriously plain - perfect for busy families who want fuss-free homemade treats!! And you likely have everything needed in your kitchen right now - including those overripe bananas getting darker by the day on your counter.
- Flour: Use high-quality all-purpose flour for consistent results
- Baking soda: Reacts with buttermilk for perfectly risen loaves
- Salt: Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is preferred for consistent measuring, but any salt will work (be sure to adjust the quantity if using sea salt or table salt)
- Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature (for better control of salt content)
- Sugar: Regular granulated or fine raw cane sugar
- Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract: Use quality extract or make your own
- Buttermilk (or homemade buttermilk substitute) creates tenderness and activates the leavening agent (baking soda).* Learn how to make your own below or in the recipe card notes
- Very ripe bananas: Should be deep brown or black for best flavor, or at least very speckled bananas
- Optional mix-ins: Nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, fresh or frozen fruit
Find the complete measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Banana Bread
Looking for ways to use those brown bananas on your counter? This quick bread recipe combines intense, delicious banana flavor with a tender crumb that's a step above the average banana bread. It takes just minutes to mix up, and it's even quicker if you're using a scale!
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C and prepare your loaf pans; set aside.
Step 2. Whisk together the dry ingredients thoroughly; set aside
Step 3. Cream butter and sugar together until well combined. Then, add the vanilla to the eggs. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, mixing just about 5 seconds between each addition, or until no yellow streaks remain. *This helps avoid overmixing the batter!
Step 4. With the mixer on medium speed, incorporate the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk mixture.
Step 4. Fold in mashed bananas and any optional mix-ins.
Step 5. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs clinging to it.
HINT: If you don't have a handheld or stand mixer, you can easily turn this into a one-bowl banana bread recipe by creaming the butter and sugar together using a whisk. It takes a little extra effort (and arm strength💪), but cleanup is a breeze!
Find detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
Secrets to Bakery-Style Moist Banana Bread
After years of making and perfecting this recipe in a professional kitchen and at home, I've discovered these game-changing tips that make the difference between good and really exceptional banana bread:
Below are 5 tips and techniques that make this banana bread better than most. It's tender, light, moist, and easy to make. Avoid dense, dry, and flavorless banana bread with these tips for a foolproof banana bread recipe:
Tip 1. Use completely black or very overripe bananas. It's the number one requirement for making the best banana bread. It adds maximum natural sweetness and the best flavor - when bananas ripen, their starches convert to sugar, intensifying both taste and moisture.
Professional bakers know that just-ripe yellow bananas simply won't create that intense, sweet floral banana flavor we're after. I prefer to wait until my bananas are completely black, resembling the color of vanilla beans or leather, before using them, but darkly spotted bananas also work really well.
*Never use bananas if they have mold anywhere on them.
Tip 2. Temperature matters. Room-temperature ingredients create a smoother, more evenly mixed batter and bake up correctly when they hit the oven. Set eggs, butter, and buttermilk out 1 hour before baking.
Tip 3. Whisk the dry ingredients really well (flour, baking soda, salt, and any spices like cinnamon or homemade pumpkin pie spice) thoroughly together before adding any liquid. This crucial step ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout, allowing your banana bread to rise properly and uniformly. Proper distribution of leavening agents is key to achieving that perfect bakery-style texture.
Tip 4: Use Buttermilk or my easy buttermilk substitute. It's essential for making the best homemade banana bread - its acidity tenderizes the gluten and reacts with the baking soda for proper rise while adding a delicious tangy flavor.
Tip 5: Avoid overmixing the batter to achieve super moist banana bread. Stop the mixer as soon as the last of the flour and buttermilk are added, then switch to a rubber spatula. Gently fold in mashed bananas and any mix-ins. Overmixing activates too much gluten in the flour, resulting in dense bread instead of a light, cake-like texture.
No Ripe Bananas? Fast-Track Them in the Oven
If your bananas aren't ripe enough yet, you can speed up the process. Place them unpeeled on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 15 to 25 minutes, until the peels turn completely black. Let them cool before peeling and mashing.
They won't taste as sweet as bananas ripened naturally over several days on the counter, since it softens the fruit without fully completing the sugar conversion that happens with time. But it gets you soft, mashable bananas in under half an hour.
The classic paper bag method (sealed for 1 to 3 days, sped up with an apple or avocado added to the bag with it) works too, but it's a slower process.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk can be replaced with a faux buttermilk (aka sour milk), which is made by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and adding whole milk to reach the total amount of buttermilk called for in the recipe
- All-purpose flour can be substituted with 00 Italian flour with at least 11% protein (see below)
- Butter can be replaced with margarine or oil for a dairy-free version
- Sugar can be reduced from 1 ½ cups total to 1 cup without any change in consistency or deliciousness - and it's still plenty sweet. I haven't tested it with even less sugar, but when I do, I'll update this post!
Using 00 Flour Instead of All-Purpose
These days, 00 flour (with 11-11.5% protein) is actually what I reach for most when I make this banana bread at home in Italy. It has less protein than most American all-purpose flour, so it produces an even more tender, delicate crumb (much the same way cake flour does) without changing any of the recipe amounts. Use it cup for cup in place of all-purpose.
When I travel back to the States, I still pack a few bags of King Arthur all-purpose flour in my suitcase, for things like homemade potato buns. But for this banana bread, Italian 00 flour is my go-to.
Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes For Banana Bread
Depending on what you've got in your pantry/fridge, you can make an easy buttermilk substitute 3 different ways :
For quick buttermilk (aka sour milk), add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice OR vinegar to your measuring cup, then fill with whole milk to reach the amount called for. Stir and let stand 10 minutes before using.
Or make traditional buttermilk by shaking very cold heavy cream in a chilled Mason jar until butter forms, then strain - the liquid is homemade buttermilk. Freeze any extra for future baking projects.
Banana Bread Variations and Mix-ins
One of the best things about this versatile banana bread recipe is how easily it can be customized. Here are my tested favorite variations, all using the same reliable base recipe:
Banana Bread Mix-in Options
- Chocolate Chips: Fold in your favorite chocolate chips for a simple twist, or try my fully tested Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with a specific ratio and dark chocolate chunks.
- Fresh Fruit: Add chopped blueberries for a fruity twist, or try my easy Strawberry Banana Bread.
- Toasted Nuts: Fold in your favorite toasted nuts for extra crunch, or try my Pistachio Pecan Banana Bread for a specific tested combination.
- Citrus Zest: For bright flavor, add finely grated lemon, orange, or lime zest
- Coffee Boost: For deeper flavor, add ½ to 1 teaspoon coffee extract or espresso powder
- Cinnamon Banana Bread: Add up to 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon for cinnamon banana bread
- Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread: Add pumpkin pie spice for a Fall twist using my Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread recipe with toasted pumpkin seed crunch.
- Almond Joy Banana Bread: Fold in 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips and top with 1 cup of dehydrated toasted coconut chips
How to Serve Banana Bread
Serve banana bread warm or at room temperature. It's delicious plain or spread with butter, sweetened cream cheese, or nut butter. It makes an excellent breakfast, snack, or dessert.
If you really want to go all out, toast the banana bread in the oven until golden brown on both sides, top with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream and a deep-fried sugared plantain, just like we used to serve it at the restaurant - you can thank me later!
- Banana Bread French Toast: Slice 1-4 day-old banana bread into 1-inch thick pieces and use in place of regular bread in your favorite French toast recipe
- Fruit Sauce Topping: Serve with a drizzle of Homemade Strawberry Coulis or quick 10-Minute Wild Berry Sauce
Pro Tip: When adding mix-ins, gently fold them into the batter at the very end to prevent overmixing. For nuts, toasting them first brings out their natural oils and enhances the flavor of your banana bread.
Banana Bread Muffins (Banana Cake Muffins)
You can bake this exact batter as muffins, which is great when you need portions! And because this recipe sits right between banana bread and banana cake, they bake up tender and cake-like with a flat, cupcake-style top rather than a tall, domed one.
Instructions:
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or butter it liberally, fill each cup about two-thirds full, and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan set over a wire rack, then remove them to the rack to finish cooling. Bake any remaining batter in a separate lined muffin tin.
They're perfectly delicious as is, but if you want to get fancy and go more of the banana cake route, you can frost them. Complementary frosting flavors include a lightly sweetened vanilla bean whipped cream or silky smooth salted caramel, chocolate, or strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream.
Looking for a classic domed muffin instead? My oil-based Banana Walnut Muffins bake up tall with that traditional bakery muffin top. Recipe coming soon!
Equipment For Making Banana Bread
- Two 8x4-inch loaf pans (best recommendation)
- OR 8.5x4.5-inch (works with adjusted baking time)
- OR 9x5-inch (produces a shorter, wider loaf, works with adjusted baking time)
- Large mixing bowl
- Handheld Electric Mixer or Stand Mixer (or use a Whisk and a lot of arm strength💪 to hand cream the butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy)
- Scale or Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Parchment paper (optional but helpful to ensure banana bread doesn't stick to the loaf pan)
How to Store Banana Bread
Room temperature: Store banana bread at room temperature, tightly wrapped or in an airtight container, for up to 4 days in the cooler months and up to 3 days in the warmer months.
Refrigerator: Store banana bread for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in sustainable cling film or in an airtight container.
Freezer: Freeze wrapped in sustainable cling film then wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 3 months. For best results, slice before freezing and thaw individual portions as needed - it tastes just like the day you baked it
Thawing: For whole banana loaves, thaw overnight in the fridge or for 2 hours at room temperature. Individual frozen slices can easily be thawed at room temperature in 30 minutes.
FAQ
Dry banana bread can easily be transformed into several delicious treats! Make French toast, brush warm slices with melted butter, use it in bread pudding, or create a trifle with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. For everyday enjoyment, simply toast and spread with honey butter or cream cheese to add moisture back into each slice.
Dense banana bread usually happens because of overmixing the batter or using too much flour. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until they're incorporated - a few small lumps are fine. Also, make sure to measure flour correctly using the spoon and level method rather than scooping directly from the bag.
Yes! Frozen bananas work perfectly in banana bread. I always keep portioned amounts of mashed frozen bananas in the freezer that can quickly be thawed and added to the banana bread batter. If working with whole frozen bananas, let them thaw completely, then drain off any excess liquid before mashing. The natural sugars concentrate during freezing, which can actually result in more flavorful bread.
Store cooled banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap it tightly in wax paper, then sustainable cling film, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Individual slices can be frozen between layers of parchment paper for easy thawing.
A sunken center usually means the bread is undercooked or there's too much leavening agent. Make sure to test the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven - it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Also double-check that you're using the correct amount of baking soda (using too much can cause it to rise too much too fast, and then collapse in on itself).
Yes, you can reduce the sugar by ½ cup (100g) without significantly affecting the texture. Very ripe bananas add natural sweetness, so you may not miss the extra sugar. However, keep in mind that sugar contributes to moisture and tenderness, so reducing it too much can affect the final texture.
While both work well, I prefer butter for its rich flavor and also because in this particular recipe, it's impossibly moist anyway, so there is no need for oil. While oil can make slightly moister bread in other recipes, butter creates better flavor and a more tender crumb. If using oil, choose a neutral-flavored one like vegetable, canola, avocado oil, or grape seed oil.
Yes, but you'll need to adjust the amount. Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder to replace every ½ teaspoon of baking soda called for in the recipe. However, baking soda helps brown the bread better, so your color may be lighter if using baking powder.
A bitter taste usually means too much baking soda was used. Measure carefully - you only need 1 teaspoon per 1-2 cups of flour. Also make sure your baking soda is fresh and distributed evenly throughout the dry ingredients. With this recipe, you'll never have bitter banana banana bread!
If you're short on bananas, you can substitute the missing amount with unsweetened applesauce or mashed avocado to maintain moisture. For every ½ cup of mashed banana needed, use ½ cup of applesauce or mashed avocado.
Undercooked centers usually happen when the oven temperature is too high (causing the outside to cook faster than the inside), the pan is too small, or the batter contains too much moisture (adding too much fresh or frozen fruit for instance). Use an oven thermometer to verify temperature and make sure you're using a the right size loaf pan the recipe calls for.
A properly baked banana bread should be golden brown on the outside and light yellow with brown speckles to light caramel colored on the inside (see photos above for reference). The color comes from the bananas and sugar caramelizing during baking. If it's really yellow inside, it likely needs more time in the oven.
Don't throw out that dry or over-baked banana bread! There are several delicious ways to salvage it. My favorite rescue method is to transform it into French toast - the custard mixture helps restore moisture while creating a whole new breakfast treat. You can also warm slices and brush them with melted butter, use them as a base for bread pudding, or cube the bread to make a trifle layered with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. For a quick fix, simply toast a slice and spread it generously with honey butter or cream cheese
The best bananas to use for making banana bread run the spectrum from deeply speckled bananas with some yellow, but mostly brown color all the way to completely black/brown (my preferred banana ripeness). See the photos above so you don't have to guess! The science behind this is simple: as bananas ripen, their starches convert to natural sugars, dramatically intensifying both the flavor and aroma. You'll be rewarded with an incredibly fragrant, naturally sweet banana bread with that perfect moist texture. Just be sure to use the bananas before any mold appears - while we want them very (overly) ripe, they should still be food-safe.
For this classic bakery-style banana bread recipe (and most recipes), you'll need 2 ½ to 3 medium sized bananas (1 cup total mashed bananas) to make banana bread. If you're a little short on bananas you can add mashed avocado or applesauce to equal the full cup.
For perfectly baked banana bread, use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature - it should register 200-206°F when inserted into the center. This takes the guesswork out of determining doneness, especially since quick breads can be tricky to test with just a toothpick. Small loaves can finish baking in 45 minutes, while larger loaves can take up to 70 minutes to bake.
Banana bread lasts up to 4 days at room temperature tightly wrapped and up to 1 week in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months in the freezer. Check out more details in the Storage section above. During hotter summer months, I don't like to let the bread go past 3 days at room temperature.
Yes, I do it all the time! You can bake banana bread batter in an 8 or 9-inch round or square cake pan (start checking around 35-40 minutes), a bundt pan, or as muffins (20-25 minutes, see the Serving section above). You can also bake them in disposable aluminum baking pans of all shapes and sizes. Just be sure to use a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of it to check for doneness. I prefer to bake in natural uncoated aluminum pans, but you can also use glass or ceramic baking dishes as well. Watch the bake time closely since pan shape and depth change how quickly it cooks through.
Banana bread is really best thought of as a treat, not a health food. It's made with white flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, so it belongs in the same category as cake or dessert bread. That said, it does use whole, ripe bananas, which means natural sweetness and real fruit in every slice, and you can lighten it up a bit by cutting some of the sugar without sacrificing the moist crumb (see the Substitutions section above).
Banana bread is technically a quick bread, since it uses baking soda instead of yeast, but the texture and sweetness put it much closer to dessert like cake than a savory loaf. That's exactly why people eat it any time of day - breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert with a scoop of ice cream on top. We eat it as a dessert not for breakfast!
Yes! If you're looking for a 2 banana bread recipe, this recipe calls for about 1 cup of mashed banana (roughly 2 ½ to 3 medium bananas), so with only two, you'll be a little short. Top off the difference with mashed avocado or unsweetened applesauce to reach the full cup - see the substitution note above for the exact ratio.
Yes, you can swap brown sugar in for some or all of the granulated sugar at a 1:1 ratio. Brown sugar adds a touch more moisture and a deeper, caramel-like flavor, so the crumb will be slightly denser and richer than the classic version.
Yes. If you don't have a stand or handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together by hand with a whisk in one bowl, then continue with the rest of the recipe as written. It takes a bit more arm strength, but cleanup is much easier.
Troubleshooting Banana Bread
Even experienced bakers sometimes run into issues. Here's how to solve the most common banana bread problems:
- Bananas sinking to the bottom: Your batter is too thin. Try using less liquid or adding extra flour one tablespoon at a time to thicken as needed
- Not browning evenly: Rotate the pan halfway through baking and ensure your oven rack is in the center position
- Browning too fast/too much: Check your oven temperature to ensure it's the correct temperature. If your oven runs hot, lower the temperature 5-10 degrees, bake on the middle rack, and use glass or uncoated aluminum baking pans for the most even bake (I avoid non-stick baking pans to limit PFAS exposure and because they tend to produce darker, overly browned baked goods).
- Accidentally had the oven temperature too high: If you accidentally had the temp turned up too high, cover the banana bread with aluminum foil, open the oven door for 1 minute or so to reduce the temperature quickly, and continue baking.
- Pan preparation: Line pan with parchment with overhang for easy removal. Grease exposed sides well.
- Testing doneness: Insert toothpick in center AND near edges - both should come clean with a few moist crumbs.
Remember: banana bread continues cooking slightly as it cools, so remove it from the oven when a few moist crumbs still cling to your toothpick for perfect doneness.
Banana Bread vs Banana Cake
Is Banana Bread Really Bread or Cake?
While banana bread uses similar ingredients to cake, it's technically a "quick bread" because it relies on chemical leaveners (baking soda or baking powder) rather than yeast. The key differences?
Most banana bread recipes are denser than cake, use melted butter instead of creamed butter, and typically contain less sugar. This recipe strikes the perfect balance - it uses creamed butter so it's tender and moist like cake but has that satisfying texture you expect from a great banana bread.
More Banana Bread Recipes & Quickbreads
Here are a few of our favorite banana bread and pumpkin bread recipes to make.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Super Moist Classic Banana Bread (Bakery Style Recipe)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 (8x4-inch) Loaves
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This tender, cake-like banana bread recipe is adapted from my days working as an assistant pastry chef, where it was a customer favorite. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it's perfectly sweet and incredibly moist. An easy recipe that's beginner-friendly and kid-approved!
READER REQUEST: I tested this recipe with reduced sugar (using ½ cup/100g less) on 10/31/23 - for a reader who reached out to me on Instagram asking, "This will be my go-to recipe from now on! My family ate it all in an hour! Can the sugar be reduced so it's a little more wholesome?". I'm happy to say, that yes, it still delivers amazing flavor and texture!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (6g)
- 1 teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (4.5g)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g) *you may reduce the sugar by ½ cup (100g) if desired
- 3 large eggs, room temperature (150g)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (8g)
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (120g)*see recipe card notes for making buttermilk substitute
- 1 cup (8 ounces) mashed overly ripe bananas (2 ½ to 3 bananas) (300g)
*I use 00 flour when I'm in Italy, and the weight of different flours varies based on the humidity content and absorption potential of the flour you're working with. If using measuring cups, use the 'scoop and level' method to measure your flour.
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C and prep the baking pans. Generously butter two loaf pans (or spray with non-stick cooking spray). Add about ½ cup of flour to one pan and turn the pan while tapping to coat the surface. Tap out the excess flour into the second loaf pan and repeat. Tap both pans well to remove excess flour; set aside.
- Blend the dry ingredients. Whisk the dry ingredients together well to ensure everything is evenly distributed; set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment), cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Crack 3 eggs into a small prep bowl and add the vanilla. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add eggs one at a time waiting about 5 seconds in between each addition blending just until the eggs are incorporated. The addition of all three eggs should take no longer than 15 seconds to incorporate. Turn off the mixer.
- Incorporate the flour mixture & buttermilk. With the mixer running on low speed, incorporate the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk mixture just until mostly combined ending with buttermilk. Turn off the mixer.
- Fold in the bananas. Gently fold in the mashed bananas using a rubber spatula until everything is just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
- Bake the banana bread. Place the loaf pans onto a baking tray and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs when poked directly into the middle of each loaf. Remove from oven, allow the banana bread to cool for 15 minutes in the loaf pans, then gently remove the loaves and place them right-side-up onto a cooling rack to finish cooling to room temperature. When loaves have completely cooled, you may slice and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Check doneness at 45 minutes. Gently press the top - if it's springy, test the center with toothpick. When the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, the banana bread is done. Baking time varies by oven (40-70 minutes).
- No buttermilk? Make a substitute: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a measuring cup, and fill it with whole milk to reach the amount needed; stir. Rest 10 minutes before using. Or see the main post for the other way to make traditional homemade buttermilk from scratch.
- Storage: Wrap completely cooled bread well, store at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 1 week. Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
Check out all the best tips and techniques in the main post including step-by-step recipe photos.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Cakes + Tortes
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
Food Safety
- Wash hands and surfaces often
- Use fresh eggs and milk/buttermilk and other ingredients
- Don't leave batter sitting out at room temperature
- Never consume raw egg products
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Robin Schluterman says
This was some of the most moist banana bread I have made. Love your site. Keep up the good work!!!!
Kelly says
Robin, I'm so happy you tried it out and enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words about the site😊. I'm working daily to improve everything for my readers❤️.