Classic Banana Bread Recipe

My go to classic banana bread recipe takes 15 minutes to prep, is easily customizable, and is perfectly moist and fluffy without being too gummy!

Sometimes I need a break from baking cakes so I bake bread. My Gingerbread Loaf is great around the Holidays, Carrot Cake Loaf is perfect in the Spring and White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf is great any time of year. 

However, nothing beats banana bread. Banana bread is a classic and although I already have a delicious Banana Bread with Streusel on the blog, I had specific goals for this classic banana bread recipe. 

The Details:

I have goals for all my ‘base’ recipes. They’re the foundation to pretty much all my baking and it makes it so much easier to experiment with different flavors and textures and combinations if you have a reliable base.

• First, banana bread has to be moist but not gummy. I’ve tested some “5 star” recipes out there and they were too gummy for my taste.
• Second, I wanted it tall and beautiful. My previous banana bread recipe, which was my favorite in terms of flavor and texture, it was just kind of short and stout. Nothing wrong with that but I just envisioned a tall beautiful, round topped banana bread. 
• Easy to make and easy to customize – just a bowl and whisk needed and the option to add a cup of chocolate chips or pecans, 2 tsp of chai spice, or a cinnamon streusel, etc. 

Ingredients & Substutions

• Bananas: Bananas add a lot of moisture to recipes so it’s important to use the proper amount. I used 3 large ripe bananas, which equaled about 400 grams or about 1 ¾ cup when they’re fully mashed.
  • This might also be 4 medium sized bananas. If I’m a little short of 400g, I just add a little water to make up the difference, that’s why it’s best to use a digital scale when baking. 
• Eggs: make sure to use large, room temperature eggs. If you’re in a pinch, just warm them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
• Sugar: Bananas are sweet, but we still need sugar to give the banana bread the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Fat: I use oil instead of butter because I love the texture oil gives my banana bread. It makes it softer and more moist and we’re not looking for a buttery flavor here anyway. 
• Liquid: You can use either sour cream or unsweetened yogurt in this recipe. I used unsweetened greek yogurt to feel semi-healthier when I’m eating this for breakfast or giving some to my kids, lol. 
• Flour: I just used all-purpose flour in my banana bread because it’s what everyone usually has on hand!
  •  I suggest using a digital scale anytime you measure flour. Over measuring flour is the most common baking mistake and can vastly alter your end results. 
• Baking Powder: I prefer baking powder over baking soda because some readers have notified me that they’re unable to find baking soda. And since covid, I haven’t really found baking soda as readily available either. 
• Lemon zest: this is totally optional but omg I don’t why love the light lemon flavor in my banana bread. If you’re unsure about, start with a little less!
• Cinnamon Sugar: I always add a little cinnamon to the batter but now I also add a little cinnamon sugar to the top of the batter. It’s totally optional (maybe not part of your January diet lol) but it’s sooo good. It gives it a nice sweet, crispy top.

How to make this classic beauty

Banana bread is simple to make and uses ingredients most people already have at home. The prep time is 15 minutes and the hardest part is being patient while it bakes and cools a bit! 

1. Mash your bananas and mix it with lemon zest and lemon juice, until it looks pureed, not chunky.
2. In a separate bowl you combine the rest of your wet ingredients until they are smooth
3. Add in the bananas, mixing until it’s well combined.
4. Fold in your dry ingredients and transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan.
5. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top and bake it for about an hour. You want the top to no longer be wet, bounce back when you press on it and a toothpick will come out with a few moist crumbs but not any batter.

Customizing Banana Bread

The possibilities seem endless when adding flavors to banana bread. 
Some fun ideas are:

• A fun swirl using salted caramel, caramelized white chocolate ganache, chocolate ganache, peanut butter, cookie butter, Nutella, or cinnamon sugar. You would need about ½ cup total and to add it in, put half the batter in your bread pan, swirl in ¼ cup, add the other half of the batter, and swirl in the rest.
• You can also add in about a cup of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.

I do have some other variations like my chocolate banana bread, zucchini banana bread, pumpkin banana bread or you could top it with this brown butter glaze. & I know this isn’t a bread variation but if you’re just looking to use up rise bananas, I also have muffins and brownies!

Storing

You can keep your bread on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you won’t eat it in time, you can freeze individual slices with plastic wrap or place them all together in an airtight container.

It can freeze for 2-3 months. To serve, thaw your bread at room temperature or microwave it on low power (defrost setting) for 30 seconds.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below, I’m happy to answer!

If you make my favorite banana bread I would love it if you left me 5-star rating or a review.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B