This ultra moist banana bread recipe calls for a handful of ingredients to make a warm & comforting loaf of bread that is perfectly crunchy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside. This homemade banana bread is incredibly easy to make, yet has a divine taste and texture to instantly brighten your day.
How to make Ultra Moist Banana Bread
After many years of baking, homemade banana bread still remains to be one of my favorite things to bake with its melt-in-your-mouth texture as well as its sweet & comforting taste.
The complementary texture of the soft and tender bread and the crunchy crust is the highlight of this moist banana bread recipe. It is truly the perfect way to use up overripe bananas, as its natural sweetness accentuates its rich flavor.
This easy banana bread recipe calls for simple ingredients and only takes a few minutes to prepare, and the aromas of freshly baked banana bread that fill up your house are truly heaven-sent.
What do I need to make Ultra Moist Banana Bread?
Making banana bread is delightfully simple and calls for only a handful of ingredients to make. Here is a list of ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: softened at room temperature.
- White + brown sugar: to be mixed with the butter to create a light, fluffy mixture.
- Eggs: at room temperature.
- Overripe bananas: that are very soft in texture with brown or speckled skin. This is the key to this recipe in making your bread extra moist and flavorful.
- All-purpose flour, baking soda + salt: for the dry ingredients.
- Vanilla extract: to heighten the aromatics.
- Optional add-ins: such as chopped nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips to your preference.
And that’s it! The best part about this easy banana bread recipe is that it calls for ingredients that are commonly found in your pantry, which explains its notable renaissance during the pandemic.
Tips and tricks on perfecting your banana bread
It’s not an understatement that this moist banana loaf is one of my favorite things to bake in my kitchen. Here are a few essential tips to help you make the best homemade banana bread on your first try:
- Prepare the oven and pan before anything else. The leavening components of banana bread – baking soda and baking powder – are activated as soon as they are moist, so it is important to pour the batter into the pan and to the oven as soon as the mixture is complete.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients separately and thoroughly. Separating each mixture ensures an even mixture as well and at the same time avoids over-mixing.
- Mix them together gently in the final process, until just combined. Don’t worry about lumps in the batter so long as they are moistened, as they will bake out in the oven.
- Do not overmix. Overmixing the batter will develop air pockets as it bakes and result in a tough and hard texture. Be sure when you are mixing together the wet and dry ingredients, to mix until they are just combined. I recommend using a silicone spatula for this final process.
Additional tips and tricks:
- Use room-temperature eggs and butter. Softened butter (not melted) will ease the creaming process, and ensuring the egg is at room temperature will help disperse more evenly into the batter, giving these cookies a lighter texture. Take both these ingredients out of the fridge about 30 minutes before use.
- Do not over-bake. Although 55 minutes at 350 is usually a golden time in my oven, everyone’s ovens and pans are different and can require different baking times.
- The best way to check if your bread is done is to insert a toothpick into the center of your bread, pull out, and then see if any wet batter remains on the toothpick.
- In this case, return to the oven and test again in a few minutes. The bread is done when the toothpick returns with no more than a few crumbs sticking to it.
- I recommend writing down the baking time as it will make your future sessions a lot easier!
- Use add-ins as desired. Additional toppings such as nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips can be added after the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Be sure to fold everything together gently when mixing these components.
How to quickly ripen bananas
Using 4 medium-sized bananas work the best for this particular recipe, and the riper they are, the better! This is a perfect way to use those overripe bananas that you’ve been neglecting over time and transform them into heavenly goodness.
If you’re in a rush with no overripe bananas in hand, use the following techniques to achieve the desired ripeness:
- Place them in a brown paper bag and close loosely. Let Ethylene work its magic!
- Prepare unpeeled bananas (works best when they are not overly green) on a baking sheet and place them in an oven set to 300°F – checking frequently until the peels become shiny and black.
- Poke around the banana peel with a sharp knife or fork, and place them in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let cool and check for the desired softness, microwaving for an additional 30 seconds, and continuing if necessary until the preferred ripeness is obtained.
To add to the delightful texture, I like to add some chopped walnuts into the mix, and into the oven to create a heavenly loaf of homemade banana bread.
I hope this moist banana bread recipe brightens up your day, and please do leave me a comment below or send me a message on Instagram if you have any questions! Enjoy and stay safe everyone!
Other Dessert recipes you may like:
- 3-Ingredient Matcha Ice Cream
- Strawberry Sando (Japanese Fruit Sandwich)
- Vanilla Madeleines
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Churro Waffles
- Strawberry Cream Puffs
Ultra Moist Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) dark brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 (about 1 1/3 cup) medium ripe bananas mashed
- 1 3/4 cups (224g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup additional add-ins (optional) chopped nuts, dried fruits, or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and lightly grease your loaf pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle or a whisk, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the mashed bananas and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Fold in any add-ins as desired with a rubber spatula.
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
♥ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a 5-star rating or leave a comment below to share your experience, or tag @cookerru on Instagram to showcase your creations!
24 comments
This is the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried! I made it yesterday for the family and was gone within a few minutes of baking! It comes out moist and yummy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. SOOOO good! I definitely will make again, and again!
So happy you enjoyed it Maggie! ♡
Amazing recipe! Thanks Cookerru!
My pleasure Jennifer!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’m excited to try this
May I ask if this is with salted or unsalted butter?
Thank you!
Hi Natalie, this recipe calls for unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter, I would recommend cutting the amount of salt to 1/4 tsp instead. I hope that helps!
Seriously the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made! So moist and soft, I added chocolate chips into the mix as well. I found the tips to use softened butter (not melted) and really over ripe bananas are super important to get the moist texture!
Amazing!! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe Sunny!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! Do you recommend using 4 medium sized bananas or large sized bananas?
I would recommend 4 medium, or 3 large!
Awesome advise on preparing.
Made on Nov 2nd.2020 in my new Oven!
Aroma lovely! Yummy.
Texture moist & yummy.
Added walnuts, briwn sugar to walnuts & cinnamon.
Thankyou for your recipe & blog.
Cheri
Hi Cheri! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
very moist. watch your cooking time as suggested
Glad you enjoyed it Dee!
Muss ich unbedingt nach backen, Danke für die Gramm Angaben!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Gern geschehen! 🙂
Easy and fail proof!
So happy you enjoyed it Seung! 🙂
Tried this recipe instead of my regular banana bread recipe today, turns out this one is much better! It’s moist, perfect sweetness, crispy outside everything just so good. Your tips are very helpful too. Will be my go to banana recipe from now on thank you!!
Amazing!! The pleasure is all mine Sabrina! 🙂
The BEST banana bread I have EVER made, hands down!!
I have been using a Betty Crocker recipe for years and wanted to try something different. I am so glad I found this one.
Thank you for this recipe!
This was awesome!! I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and chopped pecans. Had to cook it for the full 65min. We kept it in the fridge and heated it up in the microwave with a couple of slabs of butter. So yummy!! Thank You!!!
This is my second time making it. I Double the recipe to make two loaves. Added 2 extra bananas cause mine seemed small
and maybe a 1/4 extra brown sugar. This is the best banana bread.
I’ve doubled the recipe and now tripled it. Everyone wants this banana bread. Gotta use super ripe bananas. This should be sold in Bakery. Best EVER.