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Banana Bread

September 15, 2024

Our very favorite homemade banana bread recipe is rich, moist and bursting with rich banana flavor. You’ll need about 4 bananas, and (like all the best baked goods) lots of love and butter.

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homemade banana bread topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with sugar sitting on a cutting board with a knife
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Sweet and comforting, our classic banana bread recipe is truly moist and you won’t need anything special to make it. It’s the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket for when you notice that that bunch of bananas on your counter is looking pretty darn brown, because the more overripe your bananas are, the sweeter and more moist your banana loaf will be!

It’s also incredibly easy to make, so if you’re a novice baker, or you’ve got little kids who want to ‘help’ bake banana bread, this easy banana bread recipe is what you need. For more banana bread goodness, check out our round up of 10 Favorite Banana Bread Recipes, or for more easy, yummy breakfast ideas, try our Banana Pancakes, or Zucchini Bread Muffins.

flour, baking soda, salt, butter, brown sugar, eggs, bananas, sugar, mascarpone and maple syrup in bowls to make banana bread

Easy Banana Bread Ingredients

  • Bananas. Overripe or at least very-ripe bananas are a must, or you can also use frozen bananas that you’ve thawed. You’ll need about 4 or 5 bananas for the batter, and another banana for the (optional) topping.

  • Flour. Regular all-purpose flour is best here, though you could sub in a little whole wheat flour if you’re hoping to make the banana bread even healthier.

  • Baking soda. To get a lovely rise.

  • Salt. Never bake without salt!

  • Butter. Unsalted butter is usually best for baking. You’ll need your butter at room temperature, so be sure to take it out of the fridge about an hour (or more) before you start baking.

  • Brown sugar. We love how the sweet richness of brown sugar tastes in banana bread! We swear it helps dial up the banana flavor and keep the banana bread super moist.

  • Eggs. Of course! If you need egg-free, you could try an egg replacer, but the loaf may turn out a little on the dense side.

flour, baking soda and salt being whisked together in a mixing bowl
butter, brown sugar and eggs being mixed together in a stand mixer
flour, baking soda and salt being poured into the butter, brown sugar and egg mixture for banana bread
banana bread dough that has been mixed together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment

How To Make Banana Bread

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients with a whisk.

  2. Beat together the sugar, butter, eggs and bananas with a stand mixer (like a KitchenAid). You could definitely do this by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer, it’ll just take longer.

  3. Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Over-mixing will lead to a leaden loaf instead of the moist, lovely banana bread you want.

  4. Pour the banana bread batter into a loaf pan.

  5. Top with thinly sliced banana pieces and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Why? Because it looks nice and tastes so good! Extra banana flavor, folks!

  6. Bake!

banana bread dough being poured into a loaf pan that has been prepared with butter and flour
banana bread dough in a prepared loaf pan being topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with granulated sugar
maple syrup being poured into a bowl with mascarpone to make maple mascarpone for topping the best homemade banana bread
homemade banana bread topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with sugar in a loaf pan just out of the oven

Tips + How To Store Or Freeze Your Banana Bread

  • Adding a touch of spice might be nice, and you could play around with what you like! A little cinnamon or even a dash of ginger would be nice here. Start small — maybe ½ teaspoon.

  • Store leftover banana bread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

  • To freeze your banana bread, let it cool completely and then wrap the banana bread tightly in plastic wrap. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.

  • Try toasting leftover banana bread and topping them with a little butter and a sprinkle of salt. Best breakfast ever!

homemade banana bread topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with sugar in a loaf pan just out of the oven
a loaf of homemade banana bread topped with banana slices and granulated sugar being sliced with a knife

Why We Love This Recipe

Two words: Maple mascarpone. Frosting is great and all, and there is nothing—repeat, nothing—wrong with spreading some salted butter all over a hot-out-of-the-oven slice of banana bread. But, also, we beg you to consider mascarpone. This creamy Italian cream cheese-ish stuff is just the best. Stir in a bit of real maple syrup and just STOP already. It’s so good. It makes a silky, rich, tangy-sweet topper for thick slices of perfect banana bread. Plus, all you need to make it is:

  • Good-quality maple syrup

  • Mascarpone

slices of the best homemade banana bread on plates slathered with maple mascarpone and a drizzle of extra maple syrup
slices of the best homemade banana bread on plates slathered with maple mascarpone and a drizzle of extra maple syrup

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Banana Bread

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  1 hr 5 min
  • Calories:  518

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 ⅓ cups mashed overripe bananas, (about 4-5 bananas)
  • Thinly sliced ripe banana, (optional)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces mascarpone, (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for serving (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour.

    a loaf pan being prepared with butter and flour to bake homemade banana bread
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

    flour, baking soda and salt being whisked together in a mixing bowl
  3. Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and mashed bananas until incorporated. Pour in the flour mixture, and mix until just moistened.

    banana bread dough that has been mixed together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment
  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Top with thinly sliced banana pieces, if using and sprinkle evenly with the granulated sugar.

    banana bread dough in a prepared loaf pan being topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with granulated sugar
  5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60-65 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

    homemade banana bread topped with thinly sliced bananas and sprinkled with sugar in a loaf pan just out of the oven
  6. In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone and maple syrup.

    maple syrup being poured into a bowl with mascarpone to make maple mascarpone for topping the best homemade banana bread
  7. To serve, cut the bread into slices. Spread each slice with 2 tablespoons maple-mascarpone and drizzle with extra maple syrup.

    slices of the best homemade banana bread on plates slathered with maple mascarpone and a drizzle of extra maple syrup

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 518
  • Protein 7 g
  • Carbohydrates 85 g
  • Total Fat 17 g
  • Dietary Fiber 4 g
  • Cholesterol 102 mg
  • sodium 275 mg
  • Total Sugars 46 g

Banana Bread

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Sandi

    Any adjustments for high altitude? 4,500ft.

    I'm not sure about this, as I have never researched how to bake at high altitude. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

  • Katelyn

    How does the recipe change for making it muffins?

    Grease a muffin tin instead and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Will make about 12 muffins. Hope you enjoy Katelyn!

  • Taylor

    Hi! Can brown coconut sugar be substituted for brown sugar?

    Hi Taylor, you can! It will turn out a bit more dense than if using regular brown sugar so just keep that in mind. But it should just be a 1:1 ratio to swap it.

  • Kate

    This banana bread is delicious. I served it at a family dinner and everyone was raving about the maple marscapone. I will definitely be making this again.

    Thanks Kate, we are so glad you and your family loved it!

  • Jenn

    This banana bread is delicious. This band b read with the maple mascarpone is a whole other level of delicious!

    Thanks Jenn, we are so happy you loved it!