Super Moist & Easy Banana Bread Recipe

This easy banana bread recipe is one I’d make whenever there are a few overripe bananas sitting around in my pantry that need to be used. You only need a bowl and a whisk for the batter, and there’s no mixer involved.

If you have extra bananas to use, my Banana Walnut Muffins are worth making next. Keep reading because I’ll explain how ripe the bananas should be, why I measure the mashed banana rather than counting bananas, and how to keep the loaf from becoming dense.

Jump to:

• Video Instructions
• Try This Easy Banana Bread
• Why You’ll Love It
• Ingredients
• How to Make Easy Banana Bread
• Recipe Tips
• What Can You Serve With This?
• FAQs
• Recipe

Video Instructions

Try This Easy Banana Bread

If you usually make banana bread with only mashed bananas, this version is so worth trying, and has become my favorite way to make this recipe.

What I really like about this one is that the bananas aren’t all mashed into the batter. There are chopped banana pieces folded through it too, so you get more banana flavor and little soft pieces throughout the loaf.

I also like adding the halved banana and cinnamon sugar on top. They're optional, but they add a little extra sweetness and cinnamon to the top of the loaf.

Why You’ll Love It

• There’s plenty of banana in it: I don't want banana bread where you can barely taste the banana; then you may as well call it bread. This banana bread with banana chunks uses mashed bananas in the batter as well as chopped bananas folded through it.
• You only need a whisk: There's no creaming butter or getting out the stand mixer or electric hand mixer. I mix everything by hand, which also makes it easier to avoid overmixing the batter.
• It stays moist: Very ripe bananas and oil give this homemade banana bread plenty of moisture. It stays soft at room temperature for several days when stored properly, and no sour cream is needed.
• The topping is optional: I like the cinnamon sugar and banana on top, but you don't need them for the recipe to work. Leave them off when you want to keep things simple. Additionally, you can customize this by making it a banana nut bread; just add some walnuts. Chocolate chips work just as well!
• It freezes well: I like freezing it in individual slices. That way, I can take out exactly what I need instead of thawing the entire loaf.

Ingredients

• Very ripe bananas: I use bananas with lots of black spots, preferably ones that are almost completely brown. They're sweeter and softer at this stage. More importantly, measure out 1¾ cups of mashed banana rather than relying on a certain number of bananas because their sizes vary so much.
• Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar works. I like brown sugar here because it works well with the banana and cinnamon and adds sweetness without needing a huge amount.
• Vegetable or canola oil: Use a mild-flavored oil so it doesn't compete with the bananas. Oil also helps give this moist banana bread recipe its soft texture without needing to cream butter first.
• Chopped bananas: These are separate from the mashed bananas in the batter. Two medium ripe bananas are chopped and folded in at the end, leaving actual pieces of banana throughout the bread.

How to Make Easy Banana Bread

1. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and set aside. Then mash the bananas with a fork, and mix mashed bananas and sugar until combined. Then slowly add oil while whisking and stir just to combine.

2. Add eggs, and vanilla, and whisk just until incorporated.

3. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine.

4. Fold in banana chunks until evenly combined and transfer to a 9x5x3-inch (23x13x8cm) loaf pan and spread evenly.

5. Top with a halved banana and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. This is optional but highly recommended. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Recipe Tips

• Measure the mashed bananas rather than counting them. Bananas vary a lot in size, so three bananas one week might give you a completely different amount from three bananas the next.
• The bananas for the batter should be very ripe. I look for lots of black spots or bananas that are almost completely brown. The browner they get, the sweeter they become.
• If your bananas aren't ripe enough and you can't wait, add 1 tablespoon (15ml) maple syrup to a 1-cup (240ml) measuring cup, then fill the rest with mashed banana. This helps make up for some of the sweetness and moisture you'd get from very ripe bananas.
• Mix the batter by hand with a whisk. An electric mixer makes it much easier to overmix the flour and develop too much gluten, which can leave you with dense, rubbery banana bread.
• Once the dry ingredients go in, stop whisking as soon as they're combined. A few extra turns of the whisk aren't going to improve anything.
• Use a 9x5-inch (23x13cm) loaf pan. The full amount of batter is too much for an 8x4-inch pan and can overflow.
• If an 8x4-inch (20x10cm) pan is all you have, remove enough batter to make 2-3 muffins. Bake those separately for about 15-18 minutes.
• Start checking the loaf at 55 minutes rather than automatically leaving it in for the full 65.

What Can You Serve With This?

• Butter
• Peanut butter
• Honey
• Fresh berries
• Yogurt
• Coffee
• Tea
• Vanilla ice cream

FAQs

Recipe