Banana Bread
This quick and easy banana bread recipe is simple to make, tastes amazing, and is a delicious treat. Made with simple ingredients, this recipe is always a crowd favorite. And it’s worlds better than any store-bought banana bread you’ll get!
Ingredients
- 2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted. You can also use oil for this recipe; avocado oil, vegetable oil, or any other natural oil can be used. But personally, I find banana bread tastes much better when made with butter.
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Grease and flour, or line with parchment, a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas and the butter. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Add the baking soda and salt, give it a quick stir, then add the flour. You should have a wet and slightly lumpy batter. Mix the batter just long enough to be sure there aren’t any clumps of flour or baking soda left; it doesn’t need to be a smooth batter or even very well mixed.
- If you want to make banana nut bread, or chocolate chip banana bread(or a combination of both!), add those now and fold to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and tap gently on the counter to even out the top.
- Place it in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Banana bread is best enjoyed warm, topped with lots of butter!
Notes
Banana bread can be stored at room temperature, either in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. You can also store banana bread in the fridge, which will extend the shelf life of banana bread by a couple of days. In the refrigerator, banana bread will last 5-7 days.
Banana bread freezes well, too! And can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can freeze whole loaves of banana bread or individual slices of banana bread, either by wrapping them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Or by placing them in a freezer bag. When you are ready to eat your frozen banana bread, simply take it out of the freezer and let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours or in the fridge overnight. Wrap bread in foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 250 degrees or until it is warmed through.
I have learned over the years that while banana bread seems to be one of the most forgiving recipes in the world, the baking time can be a little tricky. Ovens do vary, and sometimes the bread can take longer to bake, and sometimes less. If you are making this recipe for the first time, I would recommend baking for 40 minutes to start and going from there.
If the center of your bread isn't done yet, but you feel the top is getting too dark, you can set a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the bread to help keep the top from getting darker while it finishes cooking.
My family can never agree on whether we should add nuts or chocolates to our banana bread, and most of the time, I end up leaving both out. But feel free to add nuts, chocolate chips, both, or any of your other favorite banana bread mix-ins to this recipe!
If you have larger chunks of banana in your bread, this can lead to brown spots or dark spots in your bread, but don't worry, it's nothing to worry about, and your bread will still taste amazing!
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 276mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 433IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!