The Best Banana Bread Recipe Ever

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Ingredients You Need To Make Banana Bread

The Best Banana Bread Recipe
  • OverRipe bananas: Youll want your bananas ripe enough for the best results, look for the brown spotty bananas. . Freckled bananas = banana bread time!
  • Brown sugar: Dark or light brown both work well, Ive made it with both. I love the flavor brown sugar adds to the bread!
  • Rum: I recommend a dark rum or spiced rum when baking for greater flavor. Nothing super fancy, I always use Captain Morgan Rum.
  • Butter: A little unsalted butter is used in the recipe and some for greasing the pan.
  • Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds extra moisture to ensure the bread stays soft and tender. You can sub with milk too but buttermilk is always best!
  • Oil: Vegetable oil is what I recommend, but you can also sub with melted coconut oil if youd prefer. The oil add richness and moisture to the banana bread.
  • Eggs: The eggs help to bind ingredients as well as helping to make it rise! Youll need 2 room temperature eggs for this banana bread.
  • Dry Ingredients: flour, baking soda, granulated sugar, salt, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon.

Banana Bread Variations & Add Ins

This super easy, crazy moist, one bowl banana bread recipe is just so versatile.

Here’s a few of my favourite variations to the classic version:

  • Turn the banana bread into a chocolate chip banana bread by adding your favourite chocolate chips or baking bits!
  • Add a handful of walnuts for an old fashioned banana and walnut bread.
  • Sift a little cinnamon into the mixture along with the flour and bi-carbonate of soda – the flavours of cinnamon and banana are simply heavenly.
  • Swirl through some Nutella for a yummy Nutella banana loaf! And perfect for all the chocoholics out there.
  • Drizzle caramel sauceover the banana bread once it’s cooled.
  • Add your favourite protein powder along with the flour for a protein banana loaf.
  • Spread cream cheese icing over the top of the cooled loaf for a decadent treat.
  • For a gluten-free banana bread, try this recipe.

How To Mash Bananas

Did you know you can use your electric mixer to mash bananas? Break or slice the spotty bananas into large pieces and place in the bowl of your stand mixer or use a regular mixing bowl and your hand mixer. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed as the bananas break down into mashed banana. Transfer the bananas to another bowl and use the mixing bowl for the banana bread ingredients.

I do this when I mash bananas for banana muffins, too.

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How To Make This Healthy Banana Bread Into Muffins

If youd like you can use this banana bread recipe and make muffins. Heres how to do it:

  • Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or use muffin liners. To be safe, I always spray the inside of the liners too.
  • Prepare the batter as directed, then divide evenly between liners.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until tester comes out clean.
  • What Is It About 2020 That Made This Banana Bread So Popular

    The Best Banana Bread Ever!

    What is it about 2020 that made this bread so popular? I think that the pandemic has a lot to do with it. Think about it – how many times have you purchased bananas and had those last two of the bunch that became overripe? A LOT! Well, at least for me.

    When I eat bananas, I like them to be JUST turning yellow. I don’t like them when they’re too sweet. That’s why I love making this recipe because it allows me to use bananas that I would never eat otherwise.

    Anyway, I think that banana bread became so popular for this reason – no one wanted to waste food in 2020. When the supermarkets were bare in certain places and food became a bit scarce and the future was unpredictable, I think that a mental shift occurred.

    The things that we took for granted became things that we appreciated the most. Things like seeing flour yeast for the first time in weeks after a long shortage were awesome! But also the more important things like signing into work after so many people had been laid off or a hug from your loved ones.. the things we take for granted easily became the most valuable.

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    How To Freeze Banana Bread

    Follow these steps to freeze banana bread and preserve its fresh flavor and texture for months:

  • Cool the baked banana bread completely.
  • Tightly wrap the loaf or bread slices in aluminum foil or plastic wrap .
  • Place the wrapped bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or a reusable container.
  • Date the bag and freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
  • Love Sweet Breads Try These Popular Bread Recipes:

    We love sweetbreads because they are easy to make and are such a treat, especially when you top them with Honey Butter! Dont miss these reader favorites:

    If you make this recipe, Id love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

    This banana bread recipe was first published in 2009 one of the very first recipes on our blog! It has been a reader and family favorite ever since.

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    What To Do With Lots Of Ripe Bananas

    If you come home with a bunch of ripe bananas that you dont know what to do with, look below for some delicious recipes that use ripe or even overripe bananas.

    Banana bread, banana muffins, cookies, and even bars are all possibilities! If youre still stuck, simply freeze them and come back to them later!

    How To Make Banana Bread:

    Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe | Cupcake Jemma Channel

    This recipe makes one loaf of banana bread. The first step is to preheat your oven and prepare a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.

    • Next, take a large bowl as seen below and whisk together your dry ingredients. This will include the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
    • In a separate bowl melt your butter in the microwave, then add in the bananas and mash until mostly smooth.
    • Add your eggs and vanilla to your mashed banana mixer and use your fork to combine everything really well, until you no longer see any streaks of eggs.
    • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until combined. Don’t overmix.
    • Now, you are ready to pour your batter into your prepared pan and bake!

    **NOTE: You can also mash your bananas with the melted butter in your stand mixer if preferred.

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    How To Make Rum Banana Bread

  • Mash the bananas and heat them in a skillet on the stove with the rum, butter and brown sugar. Let simmer and then remove from heat to cool.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
  • Once the banana mixed has cooled enough, whisk it into the buttermilk mixture.
  • Fold in the dry ingredients.
  • Pour batter into prepared metal loaf pan and bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Bake time can very but it takes typically ~70-75 minutes.
  • This best ever banana bread really does have a perfectly moist texture and loaded with banana flavor.

    I love that its all made by hand and made with simple, everyday ingredients.

    Since the rum is the star of the show, I typically dont add any mix-ins to my banana bread but there are plenty of mix ins to take your banana bread to the next level!

    Mix in ideas: walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, or dried fruit. ~3/4 cup 1 cup should be plenty to add in.

    If you add in chocolate chips, make sure the banana mixture you cooked on the stove has cooled down so they dont melt in the batter.

    How To Serve This Easy Banana Nut Bread

    Serve the bread warm, at room temperature, or even straight from the refrigerator! Its a great option for breakfast or snack when paired with a mug of hot coffee or tea.

    The bread is delicious on its own, but you might also enjoy it with butter, cream cheese, almond butter or peanut butter. Add some yogurt or eggs and fresh fruit on the side for a perfect morning feast!

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    How Ripe Should Bananas Be For This Recipe For Banana Bread

    Okay, word on the street is that the more ripe the banana, the better. Like one expression I stumbled on said, A banana bread banana isnt yellow its black.

    I disagree. Ripe, yes. Spotted brown or streaks of black, definitely. Completely black, no. I dont enjoy the overripe smell, for one thing. This is a personal preference and smell might be your best bet for figuring out what you like. You want to use the bananas before they have that trace of smell your nose identifies as rotten. No thank you!

    Why Is This The Best Banana Bread

    Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe

    Let me explain why this is the last banana bread recipe youll ever need. First off, its outrageously moist . This recipe has butter as well as sour cream, which not only make it unbelievably soft, they also give great flavor, as opposed to a lot of banana bread recipes that are made with oil. Of course I use walnuts in this recipe, that you can omit if you must, but I urge you not to, at least the first time you make this recipe.

    BUT the real secret to this recipe on supreme moistness and banana flavor iswait for itSLICED BANANAS. You add some mashed and some thinly sliced. Is your mind blown yet?

    Adding the sliced bananas into the bread leaves little pockets of banana that you wouldnt normally have when its mashed. Not enough that it is mushy, that wouldnt be good just the exact perfect thing your banana bread has been missing all along. Im telling you, this is legit.

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    How Many Cups Is 1 Mashed Banana

    This can be tricky! If a recipe calls for 3 bananas, how much is that? We all know that measurements are important in baking, so the difference between a very small banana and a very large banana can be significant when baking a loaf of banana bread.

    My recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of mashed banana. One large banana yields about ½ cup mashed, so I used 3 large bananas for a total of about 1 ½ cups. If you’re working with small bananas, you’ll need at least 4 . Measuring is always the safest way to make sure that your banana bread turns out perfectly moist, sweet and delicious!

    Ripen Bananas In Minutes

    Obviously, perfectly overripe bananas are essential to the success of this quick bread. Ideally the bananas should have yellow skins with an even smattering of brown freckles. But we know that the urge for a fresh loaf of banana bread can be overwhelming at times, and you just can’t wait a day or two for the bananas to ripen on their own. So get ready for instant gratification: We have a trick for ripening bananas for use in baking recipes that takes almost no time at all. Simply bake unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven until soft, 15-20 minutes. Let cool, peel, and start baking.

    Ripened bananas, ready for baking

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    Can You Freeze Bananas

    You betcha! Just throw whole, unpeeled bananas directly in the freezer . The peels will turn black with time, but the fruit inside wont ripen any further once frozen.

    Bananas will keep in the freezer for up to six months. Simply defrost on the counter an hour before you want to start baking. You can also heat frozen bananas in the microwave, then peel them once thawed.

    Banana Bread With Sour Cream

    the best banana bread recipe EVER

    The moist Banana Bread recipe youve been searching for! I tested a ton of different recipes so you dont have to. The result is a bread that is super moist and perfectly fluffy. Its full of banana flavor without being too dense. Its my favorite banana nut bread! And its easy to make!Originally posted May 28, 2020.

    Charlotte was in the living room the other day and called me over with an accusing look on her face. Mom, was dad watching TV last night? And eating something? Because I thought I heard something, and there are crumbs on the couch. Um. Good sleuthing, Sherlock. This is what we do literally every night after you are in bed: eat snacks and watch TV.

    I have no idea how its taken her 9 years to figure this out! I told her that this is the kind of behavior she can look forward to indulging in when shes in her 30s. I didnt mention the mortgage and the job and the lawn to mow I didnt want to crush all her dreams of staying-up-late-eating-cookies-bliss.

    How was everyones Memorial Day weekend? Eric and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary! It was so fun, and you guys, we stayed at a place that wasnt our house! We ate in a restaurant that wasnt our kitchen! We had a full 30 hours away from our children! There is nothing like coming out of quarantine to make the sun shine brighter and food taste even more amazing. Maybe we should always shut ourselves in our houses for 2 months before a vacation. We would enjoy it more!

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    Can You Eat Banana Bread For Breakfast

    Heck ya! Of course, you can eat banana bread for breakfast. Its amazing sliced, toasted, and topped with peanut butter. You can also eat it as a snack or dessert. Anything goes!

    So the next time you are in the mood for some banana bread, give this recipe a try. You will be delighted to find how easy it is to make and how amazing it tastes. Enjoy and happy baking

    Watch How To Make Healthy Banana Bread

    • Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield:1 loaf 1x

    4.8 from 2422 reviews

    With this healthy banana bread recipe, youre only a few simple ingredients away from the best banana bread ever! Its made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can easily make this banana bread vegan or gluten freecheck the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf .

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    Tips For Making The Perfect Loaf:

    • Properly grease your pan: Brush with softened butter and sprinkle an even layer of flour around the pan.
    • Mix ins: If youd like to add in chocolate chips or any other mix ins that have the potential to melt, be sure the banana mixture you cooked on the stove has cooled so it doesnt melt the chocolate into the batter.
    • Dont over bake: Theres nothing worse than dry banana bread, right? I always bake my bread around 75 minutes at 325°F. Be sure to check with a toothpick to ensure its done.
    • Insert a toothpick into the middle and it should come out clean. Top will be brown in color. Hello best banana bread recipe ever!
    • Mashing the bananas: You can mash the bananas either with a fork and leave some chunks of bananas if thats your thing. Or you can use a mixer to make almost a banana puree for a smoother consistency.
    • Metal Loaf Pan 9×5 inch: Note a darker color metal loaf pan absorbs more heat and may result in a darker and thicker crust. Use a light colored aluminum loaf pan for a lighter more tender crust.
    • Bake time: Bake time can vary. In some ovens this bread takes a full 80 minutes, in others it takes ~75 minutes. I would check it around 70 minutes.

    How Do You Make Banana Bread:

    Best
  • First, you toss together your flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • Then you mash your bananas with a fork.
  • Mix the mashed bananas with your eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Pour the batter into a 9×5 pan and bake at 325F for about an hour.
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    What Is Banana Bread

    Banana bread is a moist, cake-like bread that is a made using ripe, mashed bananas. It is a quick bread which means the leavening agents in the batter are baking soda and baking powder, rather than yeast, which is used in regular bread recipes. No resting time is required, so it is ready to bake right away.

    Best Ever Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

    Delicious super moist healthy banana bread made with whole wheat flour, protein packed greek yogurt and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. Easy to make and perfect for brunch or snacking. Everyone loves this healthy banana bread recipe because it can easily be made into muffins, too!

    This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you. Please read my policy page.

    I originally shared my go-to, best ever healthy banana bread recipe about 5 years ago, and my message here still rings true:

    Baking is a productive therapy for some of us.We bake and cook because food is an expression and showing of our love.

    Seems silly, but creating a recipe from scratch, or even following the instructions for a recipe is putting in work to get to the final product. Often youre baking to delight others, to show your gratitude, or as a way to express your emotions and how much you care for the person receiving the treats.

    Its communication without words. Some bake nourishing bread and meals when youre sick, others comfort friends and family with prepared meals when theyre in their darkest moments. We even break bread when we meet new friends out for dinner we invite them into our homes to gather around a table and enjoy the nourishment and pleasure of food together.

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