Moist Banana Bread Recipe (The Best & So Easy)
This moist banana bread recipe has been a fan-favorite on Divas Can Cook for many years! It’s so soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and has the BEST crumb texture and banana flavor.
If you’ve got a few ripe and spotty bananas on the counter right now, make this banana bread asap!
Why You’ll Love This Moist Banana Bread Recipe
I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to perfect my banana bread recipes. And as much as we love banana bread in this house, it’s a well-loved challenge.
But y’all…..this banana bread recipe just might be the closest to perfection as I’m gonna get and it’s freakin incredible! Here’s what to expect:
- Super moist, yet soft texture (never soggy, gummy or heavy)
- Real, bold banana flavor
- Easy, beginner-friendly recipe made from simple staple ingredients
- Coveted buttery, slightly crunchy edges
- Gets even better over the next few days (if you can resist eating it all)
Watch me make this easy banana bread from start to finish!
Come into my kitchen and see how I make this banana bread step-by-step! I’ll show you exactly how to get that moist, yet fluffy crumb texture.
Here’s what you’ll need
INGREDIENTS
- large, extra-ripe bananas
- lemon juice
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar, packed
- unsalted butter, softened
- large eggs, room temperature
- Buttermilk, warmed slightly
- vanilla extract
How to make the best moist banana bread recipe
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Grease and lightly flour a loaf pan. (I greased with butter-flavored shortening)
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas until creamy and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.
- In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer..
- Beat in the eggs until combined.
- Fold in the mashed bananas.
- Add in the vanilla extract and buttermilk.
- Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- STIR GENTLY AND JUST UNTIL THE FLOUR IS INCORPORATED. DO NOT OVERSTIR.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake on the center rack for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Total time may vary. Check on the bread at the 1-hour mark. A Toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and the bread should be golden around the edges.
- Brush the top of the bread with butter if desired when it comes out of the oven.
- Let the bread cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and enjoy! (Flavors will intensify the next day)
Mo’s Test Kitchen Tips
Over the years of making this moist banana bread recipe, here are a few helpful tips I want to pass along to you.
Use the right bananas. You want to use bananas that still have a fair amount of yellow on them, but are slightly spotty. I used to think the blacker the better, but I’ve noticed that if the bananas are too black, it can leave a fermented taste. Bananas that are yellow with many black/brown spots give a natural sweet taste and wonderful banana flavor.
Don’t overmix. Once you combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, stir just until the flour is incorporated. Overmixing causes the bread to be dry. The batter will and should be a bit lumpy.
Make a day-ahead if possible. This moist banana bread recipe tastes best the next day, once it has had time to sit. For the best flavor, make it a day or two ahead of when you want to serve it.
How to store banana bread
This moist banana bread recipe will stay perfectly moist for days, making it ideal for meal prep, gift-giving, lunchboxes, or a morning coffee snack for the week. Here’s how to store it.
Freezer: Slice and wrap each piece in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Place them in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw and reheat as needed!
Room Temperature: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
Refrigerator: This moist banana bread recipe will last about a week in the fridge; bring it to room temperature before serving.
What to do with those banana peels
I love it when I can find ways to use up parts of food I’d normally trash, like citrus peels and banana peels.
I LOVE to chop up my banana peels and bury them in my garden. My garden plants love the extra potassium and vitamin C!
Fun Add-ins
Looking for ways to change up this moist banana bread recipe? Here are a few delicious add-ins!
Nuts – Walnuts or pecans pair well with banana bread. Try toasting them for extra crunch or even using candied nuts.
Chocolate chips – Banana and chocolate make a delicious combination. Stir a few chocolate chips into the batter or sprinkle them on top of the batter.
Berries- blueberries, pineapples, and strawberries add a fruity twist while complementing the flavor of bananas.
Want more banana bread flavor? Check these out!
Common Banana Bread Questions/FAQs
Can I add other spices to this moist banana bread recipe? Yes, you can add cloves, nutmeg, or a bit of ginger.
Can I make banana muffins from this recipe? Sure can!
Can I add sour cream or Greek yogurt to this recipe? This recipe uses buttermilk for moisture, so extra moisture isn’t needed. If you really want to add it, then decrease the buttermilk by half and replace it with the other half with yogurt or sour cream.
Get the Recipe:
Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large extra ripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½-¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- melted butter for brushing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and lightly flour a 9×5 loaf pan. (I greased with butter-flavored shortening)
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas until creamy and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.3 large extra ripe bananas, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer..½ cup white sugar, ½-¾ cup light brown sugar, packed, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Beat in the eggs until combined.2 large eggs
- Fold in the mashed bananas.
- Add in the vanilla extract and buttermilk.1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup buttermilk
- Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- STIR GENTLY AND JUST UNTIL THE FLOUR IS INCORPORATED. DO NOT OVERSTIR. (sorry, for yelling)
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake on the center rack for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Total time may vary. Check on the bread at the 1-hour mark. A Toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and the bread should be golden around the edges.
- Brush the top of the bread with melted butter if desired when it comes out of the oven.melted butter for brushing (optional)
- Let the bread cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and enjoy! (Flavors will intensify the next day)
Video
Notes
- I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar packed, since my bananas were pretty ripe and sweet.
- It is super important that you do not over-stir the batter, or it will turn out dry and tough. Stir just very gently and just until the flour is incorporated.
- Taste even better the next day!! Banana flavor is much stronger.
- Cooking times can vary. Check on the bread after an hour or a little before.
- Add 1/2 cup of walnuts or chocolate chips if desired.
This recipe is a HIT in my house. It’s so easy to follow and delicious. My husband absolutely loves it — it’s his favorite treat, and he always goes back for seconds! This desert is now on repeat.
For those of you asking whether or not you can “sub” heavy cream, regular milk, coconut milk, etc for the buttermilk- you CANNOT- that is UNLESS you add a few extra teaspoons of lemon juice (or one teaspoon, possibly a little less, of white vinegar if that’s all you have on hand- google the lemon juice to vinegar ratio if doing so). This should be added IN ADDITION to the lemon juice the recipe already calls for. Why? Because buttermilk is ACIDIC. You need the acid that’s in the buttermilk to react with the baking soda in the recipe for it to create air bubbles and cause the bread to rise. Baking powder is also helpful in the rising process but baking powder reacts with the heat of the oven to do the same thing. They both work together (reacting at different times in the baking process) to create the even rise you need for a successful loaf of banana bread! You can use sour cream instead of buttermilk in a bind because it also contains acid- I usually thin mine with a dash of milk or heavy cream and then a squirt of extra lemon juice in the bananas and it comes out the same! That’s pretty much the only substitution that works and allows you to achieve consistent results! Also subbing out or omitting ingredients from a recipe will ultimately completely alter the outcome. After all, baking is an exact science. so don’t say “oh I omitted the sugar, oh I used stevia instead, oh I added this and took away that, yada yada” and then go on to say that the recipe “didn’t turn out” like you’d hoped….that’s because you didn’t follow the recipe lol. She took the time to perfect it and share it with all of us, not so we can try and see how many ingredients we can change and expect the same outcome lol. a recipe should be followed to a T, and even then there will always be human error. Monique, your recipe has been a family staple in my house for several years now and I’ll never stop making it. Thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us!! I hope this review is helpful for those looking for answers to a lot of the questions I’ve repeatedly seen in the comments section! I’m an avid baker and I still make mistakes, but if you learn the science behind the ingredients you’re using- mistakes happen far less frequently;)
Xoxo- Kate
Hi there,
I love making this bread! I was wondering if I made this recipe and put it into muffin pans how long I would have to bake for?