The Easiest Banana Bread Recipe

The easiest banana bread recipe I’ve ever made uses just one bowl, no mixer, and has a perfectly plush, soft texture using melted butter, Greek yogurt, and a bit of brown sugar. Add an extra sprinkle of sugar over top before baking for a caramelized crust!

If you like this quick, simple banana bread recipe, you should also check out my double chocolate banana bread, or if you or your kids love muffins I highly recommend my small batch one banana muffins and double chocolate banana muffins. I make them all so often it’s hard to pick a favorite!

What makes this the best easy banana bread recipe?

I’ve made a lot of banana bread in my time.  You probably have too.

If that’s true, then you know how surprisingly elusive a truly amazing banana bread can be. Sometimes they’re too sweet, or over-mixed and tough. Sometimes they’re heavy, or worse, greasy. Sometimes they have unmashed chunks of banana in the batter (gross). Sometimes they lack sufficient fat and have a nasty gummy texture. Sometimes they’re just plain bland.

A few years ago, I set out to create the ultimate, go-to, never-fail, easiest banana bread recipe out there. I’ve tested this recipe at least 30 times over the years, and continually tweaked until I finally created the perfect loaf of banana bread. It’s now one of the most popular recipes on my website!

Over time, I narrowed down a set of criteria that I believe make for the best banana bread recipe. Some of this comes down to taste, and some to science – which we all know are interrelated when it comes to baking!

Why this recipe works:

• it’s made in one bowl with no mixer needed – just a whisk or fork and a rubber spatula
• it uses a few simple ingredients that most people have on hand
• it’s customizable depending on the mix-ins you want to add;
• plenty of substitution options to fit what you have on hand;
• it’s quick to make – about 1 hour in total, including baking time!

What it tastes like:

• just sweet enough, but not overpowering;
• pure banana flavor, complemented by the hint of molasses in brown sugar;
• soft texture, but not gooey; well-structured, but not dense
• topped with a caramelized crust of turbinado sugar for crunch!
• incredible with a swipe of peanut butter, almond butter, or nutella over top

Ingredients

Banana bread is a humble quick bread. It’s supposed to be simple and easy, homey and comforting — and something you can make on a weeknight without ruining your kitchen or staying up all night.

So here are the simple ingredients we’ll use. Exact amounts are at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.

• overripe bananas – completely brown bananas are best, but very spotty ones work too.
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• baking soda
• salt
• all-purpose flour
• turbinado sugar or more granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)
• mix-ins like chocolate chips or chopped nuts (also optional)

Equipment Needed

• Large mixing bowl – as I’ve said, this is a one bowl recipe!
• Whisk (or fork) and rubber spatula
• Kitchen scale – I highly recommend weighing your ingredients for most accurate results, especially the flour! This is the primary way I bake these days as it is much more precise than using measuring cups (and there are fewer dishes to clean).
• Loaf pan – 9″x5″ or 8.5″x4.5″ both work, and metal or ceramic loaf pans will work equally well.

How to make an easy homemade banana bread

This is my masterpiece. My easiest and favorite banana bread recipe requires the following incredibly SIMPLE steps. See the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements!

1. Melt your butter in a large bowl in the microwave, and mash bananas (3 VERY ripe bananas) directly into the melted butter. Make sure they are super mashed and smooth; best way is to use a fork or whisk but a potato masher works too. You’ll want 1 and 1/2 cups (270-290g) of mashed bananas. I don’t generally measure it out but you can if you’re concerned!
2. Whisk in brown and white sugar, followed by eggs, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt, salt, and baking soda.
3. Stir flour into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until there are no pockets of dry ingredients remaining and everything is just incorporated.
4. Fold in any mix-ins, pour banana bread batter into a prepared loaf pan (either greased or parchment paper-lined), sprinkle with a tablespoon of turbinado sugar for a caramelized, crunchy top, and
5. Bake! This takes anywhere from 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your pan (smaller loaf pan = longer bake time). 10 minutes after it comes out, remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baker’s tips for best results:

• Use extremely overripe bananas and mash them REALLY thoroughly. I routinely use bananas that have gone completely brown because their flavor is at their sweetest and most concentrated. It makes for the best banana flavor in the final product. Mash the heck out of the bananas and get them as smooth as possible (NO LUMPS) for the best texture in your bread. This is much easier with very ripe bananas; I use a fork but you could also use a potato masher or even an immersion blender.

• Use a mixture of brown sugar and white sugar. Some recipes call for one or the other, but I find the flavor and texture to be best when you use half granulated (for sweetness) and half brown sugar (for moisture and softness).

• Use full fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for the best texture and flavor. Our bread needs this for a few reasons: (i) the acidic yogurt/sour cream reacts with the baking soda (a base) to produce the best rise; (ii) the slight sourness offsets the sweetness of the bananas, producing superior flavor; (iii) it yields the softest final product and allows us to cut back a bit on the butter.

• Stir the flour in only until JUST combined. Over-mixing will develop too much gluten and yield a tough bread. Just stir until there are no longer pockets of flour, then stop. Preferably, stir with a fork or a spatula so you have maximum control.

• Sprinkle sugar on top of the batter before baking. Ideally, use turbinado or raw sugar, but regular granulated works too. You only need about a tablespoon. This yields a shattering, crispy crust on the top as the sugar caramelizes during baking, and it makes a good banana bread into an excellent banana bread.

Additions and Substitutions

• Chocolate chip banana bread or banana nut bread: feel free to add up to 3/4 cup (128g) chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter (and sprinkle a few on top) before baking, or swirl in some peanut butter or Nutella!
• Make into muffins: this recipe will make 12 muffins; line muffin tin with parchment liners and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 12-14 more minutes. If you want more banana muffin recipe ideas, check out my small batch banana muffins or double chocolate banana muffins.
• Replace the butter: you can use olive oil, avocado oil, another neutral oil, or melted coconut oil instead
• Replace the Greek yogurt: use sour cream, a thick Greek-style plant based yogurt, or 1/4 cup (56g) additional melted butter.
• Make it gluten-free: replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe with an equal weight (188g) of gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1.
• Make it vegan or egg-free: use flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 tbsp water) or a commercial egg replacer, plant-based Greek-style yogurt, and either melted coconut oil, olive oil, or vegan butter.

Storage

Banana bread will keep:

• at room temperature, well-wrapped in aluminum foil or in an airtight container, for about 3 days. Or individually wrap slices in plastic wrap to take on the go. 
• in the refrigerator for up to a week
• in the freezer, well-wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2 hours before serving. I also like to wrap individual slices in foil and keep them in a freezer bag. Simply unwrap and microwave for 30 seconds – breakfast or dessert anytime!

More Banana Recipes

• Double Chocolate Banana Bread
• Small Batch One Banana Muffins
• Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
• Baked Banana Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze

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