Forget about your typical, dense banana breads. This bread is moist, light, and full of banana flavor. The best I’ve ever tasted.
I’m always cautious when I say ‘the best dessert ever’, because what tastes like the best to me, might not taste like the best to you. But trust me, that this bread won’t disappoint you. It is flavorful and banana-y. It is moist, fluffy and light. Not dense at all.
The best or not the best – this bread is good.
Let’s go over some of the ingredients:
- Bananas – the riper, the moister, the better. I measure mashed banana in cups rather than by the number of bananas. This is because one mashed bananas can yield anywhere between a third to a half cup. This makes a difference in a recipe with 3-4 bananas. Don’t puree the bananas, it will make them too watery. Mash them with a fork until there are no big chunks left and the batter is smooth.
- Butter – banana bread or almost any bread goes well with oil due to their naturally dense consistency. Oil makes them fluffy and moist. Some recipes use melted butter, but the bread won’t be as fluffy as with oil. The melted butter is more for taste in this case. The third option (after oil and melted butter) is softened butter, used with the creaming method. This method makes a delicate crumb and the result tastes amazing, so this is what I use for this recipe.
- Sugar – There is 3/4 cup sugar in the recipe and 2 tablespoons of honey. While some recipes use a double this amount, I find it sweet enough just like this, since the bananas add natural sweetness as well. The honey adds taste and goes well with bananas, but you can omit it if you like.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , optional
- A pinch of ground or grated whole nutmeg , optional
- 1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) sour cream
- 3/4 cup (80 g) walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
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In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set it aside.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add honey and beat for one more minute. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl occasionally. On medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract and beat. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Add the yogurt and beat until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly or fold by hand just until combined. Do not overmix – the less you mix, the lighter the bread will be. Fold in the nuts.
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Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn it out from the pan and let it cool completely.
Recipe Notes
-Store the bread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
-The bread can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw it on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
58 Comments
Joel A.
January 16, 2014 at 4:01 amLooks Yummy. This is one of my best loved sweets. I also love chocolates, so I’ll add chocolate chips in the recipe. 🙂
Shiran
January 16, 2014 at 8:51 amIt is yummy! I had so many failures with banana breads in the past, and this one is a winner 🙂 Definitely add chocolate chips! 2/3-3/4 cup would be perfect 🙂 Let me know how it turned out!
Geetha
January 21, 2014 at 7:27 amI tried your recipe on Sunday. I made large muffins instead of a loaf….it’s really fluffy and light. I used the honey and dark brown sugar with yougurt. Two days later and the muffins are is still so light and fluffy. Great recipe! Thank you.
Shiran
January 21, 2014 at 9:37 amI’m so happy you liked it Geetha! I made them in muffin form once, and they were still moist after 5 days! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Vanessa
April 28, 2014 at 8:23 pmI followed your recipe exactly (except swapped margarine for butter) and it came out AMAZING! My boyfriend and I loved it and couldn’t believe how fluffy it was.
Thank you Shiran!
Shiran
April 28, 2014 at 9:57 pmThank you Vanessa! That makes me happy 🙂 The bread is super fluffy and moist and keeps well for a few days! Thank you for sharing 🙂
M
May 1, 2014 at 7:53 amCan the yogurt be substituted with the exact same amount of buttermilk instead? Thank u for sharing!
Shiran
May 1, 2014 at 11:38 amYes, it can, and for the exact same amount. I got the best results with yogurt (I experimented with both of them), but if you don’t have yogurt, buttermilk will also give you good results and a delicious cake 🙂
Jess
June 4, 2014 at 5:16 pmWhat kind of yogurt did you use? Just plain, unflavored yogurt? Greek?
Shiran
June 4, 2014 at 6:38 pmHi Jess! You can use either Greek or regular yogurt – plain or vanilla. I use plain yogurt 🙂
Giovanna
August 12, 2014 at 1:36 pmCan I avoid honey and replace it with something else or do you reccomend to use it?
Shiran
August 12, 2014 at 5:50 pmHi Giovanna 🙂 The honey adds a nice taste to the bread but you can omit it if you like. If you like sweet breads you can substitute it with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, otherwise just leave it out. This bread is so delicious and moist, you’re gonna love it!
priscilla
September 16, 2014 at 3:57 pmhi shiran, I tried your recipe today but the banana bread came out incredibly wet and not fluffy at all. I followed your recipe to a T so I’m wondering if there was something I did wrong? I had to leave it in the oven for way longer than 1 hour because the loaf didn’t bake all the way through either.
Shiran
September 16, 2014 at 4:27 pmHi Priscilla, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. Although the bread is moist and fluffy, it shouldn’t be wet at all. If you followed the recipe precisely, it’s hard for me to tell what exactly went wrong, but, if your cake took way longer than an hour to bake (that’s too long), I’m thinking that maybe your oven temperature was way off. Did you open your oven door many times? It can cause a big drop in temperature. If the temperature is too low (or too high), it can easily ruin a cake. If you have any more questions, please let me know and I’ll be happy to help.
priscilla
September 16, 2014 at 4:09 pmalso, my banana bread sunk when I left it to cool. is that supposed to happen?
I did make a couple of changes to your recipe: i used a larger loaf pan because that was what I had, and added an extra 1/2 cup of bananas. could that be why my banana bread didn’t turn out as expected?
thanks
Shiran
September 16, 2014 at 4:39 pmBananas add moisture to the cake, so in addition to the yogurt, 1/2 cup is too much. Bananas also make a heavy batter, and it affects how much the cake rises – which might explain why it sank in the middle. Using a different pan can also ruin a cake, but I don’t think it was the main issue here. You can try this recipe again as is – trust me, it tastes delightful and is full of banana flavor.
Priscilla
September 17, 2014 at 12:29 amhi shiran, thanks for getting back to me. Nope, I didn’t open the oven door so I’m surprised as to why the banana bread didn’t bake all the way through either. Perhaps I shouldn’t have added the extra banana! I’ll definitely try the recipe again, as I’ve been looking for a banana bread that isn’t dense.
thank you for your help!
Priscilla
September 17, 2014 at 12:31 amalso, could I mix everything by hand if I choose not to use a mixer?
Shiran
September 17, 2014 at 5:32 pmYou’re welcome Priscilla 🙂 As for your other question, for the best results, I recommend following the recipe as is. Using a mixer helps creating little air bubbles while creaming together butter and sugar, which will eventually make the cake lighter. So, If you’re looking for a banana bread that isn’t dense, I would recommend using a mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, whisk the butter and sugar together by hand, for at least 3 minutes until it’s fluffy and creamy. Hope this helps!
priscilla
September 18, 2014 at 5:18 amhi shiran, the reason why i asked if i could mix it by hand is because the mixer i use is one of those older models which don’t come with a paddle attachment. (i live away from home so don’t have ready access to all my usual baking applicances) i’m planning on trying your recipe again tonight, fingers crossed it works this time! (:
Shiran
September 18, 2014 at 5:48 amGood luck 🙂 Don’t worry, just whisk the ingredients by hand using a whisk, if you have one. Also, once you add the flour, mix as little as possible just until the ingredients are combined. I’m sure it will turn out delicious!
priscilla
September 17, 2014 at 2:33 pmhi again shiran, do you reckon i could mix everything by hand if i chose not to use a mixer?
thanks!
Yummymummy
September 20, 2014 at 11:12 amReally the best banana cake ever, thanks for mashing info! I substituted buttermilk and added a small handful of chocolate chips. Marvellous!
Shiran
September 20, 2014 at 3:52 pmI’m glad you like it! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Ro
October 9, 2014 at 10:04 pmHi, looking forward to trying this recipe! Can I substitute olive oil for the softened butter?
Ro
Shiran
October 10, 2014 at 5:52 pmFor a perfect fluffy texture, butter will be the best option 🙂 You can try substitute this with oil (such as canola), but the result will be different both in taste and texture. Olive oil has a dominant flavor, and since I haven’t tried using it for this recipe, I can’t recommend it.
Liron
October 19, 2014 at 6:09 amWow!l what a delicious banana bread. I count myself as a very good cook and bake quite a lot, I was looking for the ultimate banana bread recipe – that will be light and airy but also moist and tasty and this one is just spot on! Thanks Shiran, I will definitely try a few more of your recipes
Shiran
October 20, 2014 at 4:25 amThat’s so sweet of you Liron, thank you! You’ve made my day 🙂
Lynn
October 28, 2014 at 4:12 amhi, I do not have mixer with paddle attachment. I have whisk attachment and dough hook only. Do you have laternative suggestion to beat up butter and sugars ? thanks
Shiran
October 28, 2014 at 5:53 amHi Lynn 🙂 You can cream butter and sugar using the whisk attachment, but since it incorporates air into the batter, whisk on medium speed just until it’s pale and fluffy, then add the eggs and beat on slow just until incorporated. You can then fold in the dry ingredients slowly by hand, using a silicone spatula, just until combined.
lynn
October 29, 2014 at 8:35 amHi Shiran, I will try that. Wish me luck 🙂
lynn
October 29, 2014 at 8:44 amBtw, I wish to tell you how happy I am when I saw that all your recipes come with metric.. I have hard time checking/converting from cups to g/ml 🙂
In Singapore, we use metric.
Thanks for taking the trouble to do that 🙂
Shiran
October 29, 2014 at 12:59 pmIt’s my pleasure Lynn! If it helps you, then it makes happy 🙂 Good Luck!
Amanda
January 4, 2015 at 4:59 pmhi! I was wondering if this recipe might work sweetening with applesauce as I’ve seen some other recipes do? I really like the idea of a light and fluffy banana bread.
Shiran
January 5, 2015 at 10:44 amHi Amanda! As far as I know, the applesauce in some banana breads is usually a substitution for the fat (oil or butter), and not the sugar. Did you see any specific recipe where it replaces the sugar? The reason this bread is so fluffy and perfect is because of the combination of ingredients, and the butter is necessary in there – both the texture and taste will be different if you replace it.
Jennifer
May 5, 2015 at 2:21 pmI didn’t have any plain yogurt in the house, so substituted unsweetened apple sauce to make muffins. They are delicious. a bit more dense than the yogurt recipe is, but I would do it again on purpose!
Do you have nutrition info for this recipe?
Shiran
May 6, 2015 at 4:51 amHi Jennifer! The yogurt gives a really nice texture to the bread, but it would be interesting to try it with applesauce! You can copy and paste the ingredients to this calculator to get nutrition info.
Cathy
May 18, 2015 at 10:29 pmHi! Can i totally skip the cinnamon? Thanks!
Shiran
May 19, 2015 at 12:54 pmHi Cathy 🙂 The flavor of the cinnamon is very subtle, so don’t worry about it! Still, you can omit it if you like.
Cathy
June 1, 2015 at 3:38 amMade this the other day and it is now my favorite banana bread recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Shiran
June 1, 2015 at 11:18 amSo glad to hear that, Cathy! Thank you so much 🙂
Negin
September 18, 2015 at 9:50 pmI had many many failure in making banana bread. All of them were too moist or too heavy and last time decided to give it up and never try making anymore… But today I just followed this recipie and it was amazing. is was moist enough, but at the same time very light and fluffy, it was sweet enough and my husband loved it. Thank you so much for this amazing recipie
Shiran
September 19, 2015 at 5:42 amI know what you mean! I had many failures until I made this recipe that just worked! Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Negin! 🙂
Jess
December 22, 2015 at 12:39 pmHi Shiran, This recipe is great! However, I was only able to get the light and fluffiness the first time I made this. I can’t remember what I did differently the following times. I am using an egg beater that doesn’t really have a low speed option and mainly is on med high. I beat everything as instructed and stopped beating after incorporating the banana and vanilla. Then, I just used a spatula to fold in the rest and not mix as much. Is the error in the mixer? Also, would it help to fluff it up if I put Baking Powder? The taste is good, it’s just not crumby at all it’s more compact and moist looking. I can send you a picture if that helps. I usually only use one cup of banana as well.
Please help me! The first time I made this it was incredible! I would like to try to make it that way again.
Jess
Shiran
December 23, 2015 at 3:22 pmHi Jess! I know how frustrating these things can be! I’m not sure what went wrong for you but I’d try to help. Do you mean that you use a whisk rather than a paddle attachment? Is it a hand mixer? Because it does make a difference although other than that it seems like you know what you’re doing, and you did mention it was great the first time you made it. Why do you use just one cup of bananas by the way? Adding more helps in getting better texture and flavor.
ginny
January 5, 2016 at 12:02 amwhy is the bottom half of my banana bread darker than the top 1/2. i use mini pans and this time it was eggnog banana –
Shiran
January 5, 2016 at 7:56 amHi Ginny, can you please explain what you mean by using eggnog banana?
Hailey
March 11, 2016 at 10:26 pmThis is by far the very best banana bread I have ever made!!!!? It never lasts in my house for more than 2 days! I tried countless banana bread recipes that were dense and dry, but this is a very moist and delicious banana bread. I will never try another recipe! Thank you soon much!?
Shiran
March 12, 2016 at 12:43 pmThank you so much for your sweet comment, Hailey! 🙂 I’ve tried so many other recipe before this one, but this is my favorite!
Kim @ When Caterpillars Fly
April 30, 2016 at 12:48 amI happened across this recipe today because I was looking for a FLUFFY banana bread that I could use a 1to1 gluten free flour with. Ive tried my normal banana bread recipe with GF and it comes out way too dense. I knew I needed to find a way to lighten it up. This recipe did the trick! Even with GF flour, it was airy and springy. Saving this as my go-to recipe!
Shiran
May 1, 2016 at 5:19 amI’m so glad to hear that Kim! Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂
Ann
July 8, 2017 at 11:27 pmHi –
What type of yogurt can I use? I only have 0% fat.
Also, I find all bananas bread recipes have a nice crisp top but the next day, the top is sticky. I let the loaf cool completely before wrapping it. Perhaps this is just normal?
Shiran
July 9, 2017 at 4:09 amHi Ann, it is normal and it softens because of the moisture of the bananas. I don’t recommend using 0% fat, because the texture and flavor won’t be the same.
Ema
June 28, 2018 at 1:38 pmGreat recipe,banana bread came out sooo good!!!saving this recipe,thank you for sharing ?
Jane
February 11, 2019 at 12:06 pmI am confused! Your description says use oil for soft/fluffy bread yet your method has used butter. Am I missing something?
Amna
June 15, 2019 at 10:42 amI tried this recipe today and it is the BEST recipe i have ever tried. Super soft and just the right amount of moist. It is so good i made it twice in one day! Will definitely try your other recipes.
Dóri
April 1, 2020 at 11:08 amI usually make muesli bars from my over ripe bananas but I wanted a treat today. I’m really glad I’ve found this recipe! I used less time in the oven and it came out super soft and fluffy. I accidentally put in a bit too much nutmeg but it is still good, next time I’ll be more careful. The only thing I did was to decrease the sugar content to half, and put in just one tablespoon of honey. Still a bit too sweet for us (we don’t usually eat anything with sugar), but a good starting point, saving it for sure 🙂
Van
April 28, 2021 at 11:08 pmI have made so many banana bread recipes over the years and this one is by far my favourite and it comes out perfect every time.
I made this years ago in university and now I’m making it with my toddler!