The Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe: A Deliciously Simple Treat
The ultimate banana bread with a tender crumb, crispy sugar crust, and intense banana flavor. Made with pantry staples and overripe bananas for the perfect breakfast or snack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (10 slices) 1x
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 very ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
- 1¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup (60g) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Mash bananas: In large bowl, mash bananas with fork until smooth with some small lumps.
- Mix wet ingredients: Whisk in melted butter, then sugars, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
- Add dry ingredients: Sift in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold gently until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in nuts if using.
- Bake: Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 55-65 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Banana tip: Freeze overripe bananas in peel until needed, then thaw at room temperature
- For moister bread: Substitute ¼ cup sugar with ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- Storage: Wrapped tightly at room temp for 3 days or freeze for 3 months
- Variations: Add ½ cup chocolate chips or 1 tsp orange zest
- Don’t overmix – this prevents tough texture
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
