Easy Recipe for Banana Bread

You know that moment when you spot those overripe bananas sitting on your counter, their peels freckled with dark spots, practically begging to be transformed into something delicious? Well, get ready to meet your new favorite banana bread recipe – one that’s going to make your kitchen smell like heaven and have everyone asking for seconds (and the recipe!).

After countless batches and taste tests, this recipe has proven to be consistently delicious and reliable. It’s the perfect way to use up those overripe bananas while creating something that’ll have your whole family wandering into the kitchen, following the sweet and inviting scent of banana bread baking.

This Super Moist Banana Bread is Perfection

This isn’t just any banana bread – it’s the kind that stays perfectly moist for days (if it lasts that long!), with a golden-brown crust and a tender, pillowy center packed with intense banana flavor in every bite. The best part? You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now, and you don’t need any fancy equipment or baking skills to nail it. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your baking journey, this foolproof recipe will become your go-to.

The Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

• Salted Butter. Using butter for our quick bread adds moisture, richness, and tenderness to our loaf.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness (along with our bananas) to our loaf, as well as helps make our loaf moist and tender.
• Large Eggs. Eggs act as a binding agent for our ingredients, help our bread rise, and contributes to the bread’s structure and texture.
• Milk. The natural sugars and fat in milk help make our loaf extra moist, tender, and rich. We use 2% dairy milk, but whole milk would also work well.
• Overripe Banana (Bananas that are Spotty / Turning Brown). We’re using those bananas that have been sitting on your counter a little TOO long to eat on their own. When your bananas are covered all over in brown spots and smell very fragrant, that is the perfect banana for this recipe! You can also use bananas that have turned almost completely brown (they’ll have an extra banana-y flavor).
• Vanilla Extract. Adds a hint of vanilla flavor, but primarily acts as a flavor enhancer for our bake. Vanilla can also help to balance out the sweetness in baked goods, helping create the perfect loaf.
• Baking Soda AND Baking Powder. We’re using a combination of baking soda and baking powder as our leavening agents in this recipe to create the perfect rise and texture in our banana bread.
• Salt. Used to enhance the other flavors in our bake.
• All-Purpose Flour. Not only is this the type of flour you most likely have in your pantry, it also happens to have the perfect range of gluten in it to create quick breads with the perfect structure, tenderness, and light crumb! It’s the ideal flour for banana bread.

All ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post along with full instructions for this recipe.

How to Make Super Moist Banana Bread

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and/or line a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Homemade Banana Bread Recipe Variations

Add mix-ins! You can add ¾ Cup of your favorite mix-in to this recipe. Chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and chopped pecans are all delicious choices.

Use some whole wheat flour. If desired, replace ½ Cup of the all-purpose flour with ½ Cup of whole wheat flour (I do this often to get more whole grains into my bakes).

Replace the milk with Greek yogurt or sour cream. For ultra moist banana bread, swap out the milk 1-for-1 with either plain (or vanilla) Greek yogurt or sour cream.

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

There are several reliable methods to speed up the ripening process for bananas so you can make banana bread sooner.

The Warm Spot Method (takes 2-5 days)

If you have a bit of time before you want to bake with your bananas, simply place the bananas in a warm spot, such as by a sunny window or on top of your fridge, to naturally help speed up the ripening process. Depending on how green your bananas are, this could take anywhere from 2 days to 5 days. Check daily until the bananas reach your desired ripeness.

Pro tip: When you have extra ripe bananas but aren’t ready to bake, peel and freeze them. They’ll be perfect for banana bread whenever you’re ready to use them!

The Paper Bag Method (takes 24-48 hours)

If you know you want to bake with your bananas in a could of days, place the bananas you want to ripen in a paper bag with an apple or an already ripe banana and loosely fold the top closed. The ethylene gas produced from the fruit will concentrate and circulate throughout the bake to speed up ripening. Check daily until your bananas reach your desired ripeness.

The Oven Method (takes 15-30 minutes)

If you’re really wanting to bake with your bananas today, use the oven method. To do so, preheat your oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil. Place unpeeled bananas onto the lined baking sheet and bake until the skins are black and soft to the touch (this will take 15-30 minutes depending on initial ripeness). Let the bananas cool and then scoop or squeeze out the bananas from the peel to use in your recipe.

Note: Bananas that are ‘ripened’ in the oven won’t be quite as sweet as naturally ripened bananas, but they’ll work well for baking.

The Microwave Method (takes 30 seconds – 1 minute)

I only recommend using this method in a pinch. While it will help your bananas to get softer and easier to mash, this method doesn’t allow the natural sugars in the banana to develop, so you won’t end up with as sweet of a banana as you would with other methods.

To use the microwave method, prick your banana peels with a fork several times, place on a microwave safe plate, and microwave the bananas in 30-second intervals until your desired softness is reached.

Keeping the Best Ever Banana Bread Fresh

Store fully cooled banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. It’s best to store it in a cool, dry place (avoiding direct sunlight). To help it retain it’s moisture, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or tinfoil before placing it into the airtight container. If you live in a humid climate, adding a paper towel into your container to absorb excess moisture can be helpful.

Storing banana bread in the fridge tends to dry out the bread, making storage at room temperature a better option for this recipe.

Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

Yes! You can freeze banana bread for up to 3 months. To do so, ensure the banana bread is completely cooled and then wrap the loaf in plastic wrap. Add a layer of tinfoil over the plastic wrap, label it with the name of the recipe and date made. If desired, you can also place the double wrapped loaf into a freezer-safe zip top bag as well and squeeze out all of the air before sealing it (this is optional). Place the wrapped loaf in your freezer to enjoy at a later date.

When ready to enjoy, unwrap and thaw your frozen banana bread at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

If desired, you can also freeze single slices for easy grab-and-go! To do so, slice your cooled loaf and place the slices on a baking sheet (ensuring they’re not touching) to do a quick “flash freeze”. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour until the slices are solid. Then either individually wrap each slice with plastic wrap or separate them with parchment paper before placing them into a labeled freezer safe zip top bag.

When ready to enjoy, you can do a quick thaw by microwaving unwrapped, individual slices for 20-30 seconds.

How Long Does Banana Bread Last?

Banana bread will last 4-5 days when stored properly at room temperature, or up to 3 months when frozen properly. See detailed notes above for how to store your banana bread.