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A freshly baked loaf of banana bread, partially sliced, served on a rustic wooden cutting board.

Classic Moist Banana Bread

This easy-to-follow recipe yields a delightfully moist and flavorful banana bread, perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert. It's the ultimate way to use up those overripe bananas!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 300
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional, for extra flavor)
Wet Ingredients
  • 3 ripe bananas large, very ripe and mashed (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Mix-ins
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Equipment

  • 9x5 inch loaf pan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Spatula or Wooden Spoon
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Fork
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or line with parchment paper leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using). Set aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients
  1. In a separate medium mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas thoroughly with a fork until mostly smooth but with a few small lumps remaining.
  2. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
  3. Add the granulated sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract to the banana mixture. Mix well until combined.
Mix Dry and Wet
  1. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  2. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few streaks of flour are okay. Overmixing can lead to a tough banana bread.
  3. If using, gently fold in the chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.
  2. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs attached.
  3. If the top starts to brown too quickly, loosely tent it with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
Cool
  1. Once baked, remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Carefully run a knife around the edges, then lift the banana bread out of the pan using the parchment paper overhangs (if used) or invert onto the wire rack.
  3. Allow the banana bread to cool completely on the wire rack before slicing and serving. This ensures it sets properly and is less crumbly.

Notes

The riper your bananas are (dark brown spots or almost black skin), the sweeter and more flavorful your banana bread will be. Store leftover banana bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Banana bread freezes beautifully! Wrap individual slices or the whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. For a richer flavor, you can use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, or a mix of both.