Homemade Banana Bread

If you're looking for a bakery worthy banana bread made entirely from scratch... then look no further! This banana bread is SO tender and SO moist and is incredibly easy to make. It's made with 8 simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand and it's the perfect way to use up any overripe bananas that may be sitting on your counter.

* This post was updated with new pictures (for the gazillionth time!) 🙂

Banana bread is one of my all time favorite desserts! It's easy to make, (relatively) healthy, and a great way to deal with overly ripe bananas sitting on your counter (an issue I know ALL too well). When I was a kid, I was OBSESSED with the banana bread from Starbucks - so when I tell you this is identical, I mean it!

banana bread ingredients

There are so many features in this recipe that make this banana bread truly incredible and one of them is the fact that it uses super simple ingredients. To make this bread, you'll need flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and (the star of the show) bananas! They come together into a bakery worthy, perfectly moist loaf that keeps for DAYS.

what type of bananas should you use for banana bread?

The best way to put it? The closer the bananas are to going bad, the better! It sounds strange, but banana bread is best made with SUPER ripe bananas that have a healthy amount of black speckles on the skin.

You can still use under ripe bananas just as long as they're not green. I use medium ripe bananas all the time... because I crave banana bread all the time, and I'd go bananas if I had to wait for them to ripen lol. But that being said, extra ripe bananas with lots of black speckles add more sweetness, flavor, and moisture to your banana bread which is why they're ideal. They also impact the browning on your banana bread - so if you want a deep brown color, you'll need the extra ripe bananas!

Also, if you want a quick way to ripen bananas, you can read about some tricks in my chocolate chip banana bread post!

how many bananas should you use for banana bread?

When it comes to how many bananas to use, you'll need about 3 to 4 medium size bananas - but it's important to actually MEASURE the amount of mashed bananas! Depending on the size of the bananas, you may get more mashed bananas out of one versus another. So to ensure you always have the same amount going into your bread, make sure to measure the mashed bananas either with a cup or by weight before adding them into the batter.

best pan for banana bread

Typically, any sort of loaf cake or loaf bread is best baked in a heavy duty, light colored metal pan. If you can, I would avoid using ceramic or glass bakeware because they do take quite a bit of time to heat through, so you won't get that classic banana bread crust. That's not to say you can't use them - they still work in a pinch, but metal is definitely the better choice and a more efficient pan!

Whatever you do, avoid dark colored and lightweight / thin metal loaf pans. They may be cheaper and nicer on the wallet, but they soak up a ton of heat. As a result, they typically will burn the edges of your bread before the center has a chance to bake through.

And a final note on pan selection: make sure you grab a true 9x5" baking pan and NOT an 8.5x4.5" pan. The 8.5" pan is too small and can cause the banana bread to overflow or underbake / sink in the center.

how to make banana bread

I said this banana bread comes together quite easily... and I mean it! As always, you can find the full recipe towards the bottom of this post. But let's take quick look at the steps involved in making this bread:

Bananas: Start by prepping the bananas. Use a fork to mash the bananas until well mushed. A few small banana pieces are OK, but try your best to get it as finely mashed as possible.

Butter and sugar: Next, the butter and sugar are creamed together in a bowl until you no longer see any sugar granules and you have a pale mixture. You can do this by hand or with a mixer - whatever's easier for you!

Eggs and vanilla: The eggs and vanilla are then whisked into the butter mixture, followed by the mashed bananas from earlier. It will look a bit separated once you add the bananas, but that's normal!

Dry ingredients: Finally, the dry ingredients are folded into the wet ingredients to finish up the batter. It's very important to not overmix the batter after adding in the flour because it can cause the bread to bake up dense and dry!

Bake: Finally, the batter is poured into the loaf pan and baked until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

how to bake banana bread

After pouring the banana bread batter into the pan, you can bake it right away or do a little extra step for a perfect bakery worthy top! You may have already seen this trick plastered all over social media, but if you haven't, it essentially involves adding a line of fat down the center of the batter to encourage the loaf to crack right where the fat is.

By adding the fat down the center, you're basically telling the bread "Hey, separate here!" Without this, loaves can create this crack at random. This is really just an appearance thing and doesn't impact the loaf itself - so it's totally optional!

When it comes to how long you should bake banana bread, you're looking for 2 main signs that indicate it's ready to come out of the oven:

1. The surface of the bread should be a rich dark caramel color. Again, the color of the loaf will be impacted by the ripeness of the bananas. Less ripe bananas will produce a lighter colored loaf while more ripe bananas will produce a darker one. You're basically looking for the surface to be evenly browned with slightly darker edges.
2. More importantly, a skewer inserted into the loaf should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. The loaf may look perfectly browned, but this is the real test to make sure it's baked through. If the loaf is perfectly browned but the center still needs time to bake, loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil to slow the browning and allow the center to cook through!

how to get moist banana bread

Banana bread is really not a difficult recipe to master, but there are a few keys to keep in mind to help ensure the bread bakes up perfectly moist (but not too moist!):

1. Bananas: I already mentioned this, but it really is important! To ensure you have consistent results, always measure the bananas after mashing them. Using too little banana will dry out the loaf and using too much will make it too moist. If you finish mashing the bananas but you're just a little short and don't want to peel another banana, you can make up the different with a few spoons of unsweetened apple sauce.
2. Flour: It's always best to measure flour by weight (if you have a food scale) to ensure you have the exact right amount. But if you are using cups, don't scoop your measuring cup into your bag of flour or this can pack in more weight. Instead, use a spoon to lightly fluff up the flour then spoon it into your measuring cup.
3. Mixing: After the wet and dry ingredients are combined, it's important to be careful not to overmix the batter or the banana bread will end up dense and dry. Overmixing overworks the gluten in the flour which will result in a tougher loaf. You'll also shred through the bubbles that have started forming thanks to the baking soda which will prevent the loaf from rising properly.
4. Baking and cooling: Keep an eye on the banana bread once the bake time gets close to finishing to ensure it doesn't overbake and dry out. This is quite a forgiving loaf and will still be moist if slightly overbaked, but it's still important to watch it. Let the loaf cool for a few minutes in the pan then pull it out to allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. You can serve the banana bread warm or room temperature if you prefer.
5. Storage: Avoid slicing the loaf until you plan on actually serving that slice. The less air the center of the bread is exposed to, the longer it'll stay moist! It's the same idea when storing the bread - the more protected it is from air, the better. Once the loaf is fully cooled, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag and seal well. This banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature or around 1 week in the fridge. If the loaf has firmed up in the fridge, set it out at room temperature for a few minutes to allow it to soften back up. You can also warm slices of banana bread in your oven before enjoying!
6. Freezing banana bread: Banana bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it's cooled completely, wrap the banana bread tightly with plastic wrap then wrap a layer of aluminum foil on top to protect it from freezer burn. Thaw completely before enjoying.

while you're here, check out these other recipes!

• Banana Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Double Chocolate Banana Bread
• Banana Sheet Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
• Carrot Bread

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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