Mom's Classic Banana Bread recipe is simply the best! Sweet, moist, and full of buttery banana flavor, it's perfect for breakfast, lunch, or any time you need a sweet little pick-me-up!
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What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
The rich, familiar scent of baking banana bread, with its tendrils of vanilla and walnut, is like a time machine. I inhale and I am transported back to my mother's kitchen, sitting on my knees at our yellow formica table, eating a slice of fresh, warm banana bread with a glass of cold milk.
Mom's banana bread recipe is simply the best. If you're here in search of a classic banana bread recipe just like your mom or grandma used to make, this is probably it.
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- bananas: Use overripe bananas. It will take about 2 large or 4 small bananas to make a loaf of banana bread. (If you can't wait for your bananas to ripen, read below about how to ripen bananas quickly.) Prep the bananas by mashing them with a fork. DO NOT puree them!
- sugar: Mom's recipe calls for equal amounts of brown and white sugar; however, you can use all white or all brown sugar.
- butter: Use real butter if possible. Using margarine or other butter substitutes can make the loaf too oily.
- sour cream: Use full-fat sour cream. You can substitute applesauce for half of the sour cream with good results.
- walnuts: (optional) You can substitute in your favorite nuts, or leave them out entirely. Mom used to make this loaf often with filberts (i.e.,hazelnuts) when I was young. The nuts should be chopped somewhere between medium and fine.
- lemon juice & zest: The lemon is optional, but we like the subtle lift it gives to this loaf.
How to Make this Recipe
This recipe is simple and easy to make. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes to mix up, and about an hour to bake.
Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick coating, or grease with butter.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Either sift or whisk them together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter first, and then add the sugars and cream them all together.
Add the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla, and lemon juice and mix to combine.
With mixer on low, add half of the sour cream and half of the mashed bananas.
From this point on, mix everything by hand. (Hand-mixing is one of the secrets to tender, moist banana bread.)
Using a spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Do not do it the other way around.)
Fold in the remaining sour cream, walnuts, lemon zest, and bananas.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven (350°F | 177°C) for 55-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
If, toward the end of baking, your loaf looks like it's getting a little brown on top, just throw a loose piece of aluminum foil over the top for the last 10 minutes or so. (This is usually only necessary if you use exclusively brown sugar.)
Cool loaf for 10 minutes before removing from pan, and then allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Expert Tips & FAQs
Tips for Moist Banana Bread
- Never use a blender to make banana bread (or any other quick bread). Banana bread can be made with a stand mixer, an electric hand-mixer, or even a hand whisk (if you've got the arm strength to cream butter by hand). However, I have experimented with - and DO NOT recommend - using a blender to mix the batter. (Doing so will make the bread ridiculously dense and heavy.)
- Use very ripe bananas for this recipe. Overripe bananas have a higher sugar content and more intense banana flavor, making them the perfect choice for baking. Bananas used for bread should soft, with a peel heavily spotted brown.
- Mash the bananas with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Do not puree them! You want the texture of the bananas to be slightly "chunky."
- Add the ingredients in Order. You are basically making a cake, and the order you do things matters.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet - not the other way around. Believe it or not, this matters. Adding the wet ingredients to the dry can result in pockets of flour and clumpy, inconsistent mixing.
- Mix in the dry ingredients by hand.
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can result in extra gluten development, which can make your quick bread gummy and unpleasantly chewy.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Baking
If you don't have over-ripe bananas sitting out on your counter, there are a few easy ways to speed up the process.
Warm Spaces (24-48 hours)
Place bananas in warm areas such as near a heater or above your refrigerator. Bananas are ready to use when brown spots begin to form on the peel.
Paper Bag (24 hours)
Place bananas in a paper bag. If they are in a bunch, do not separate them. You can add an apple to the bag to speed up the process. (Both apples and bananas emit ethylene gas which causes ripening.)
Oven (20 minutes)
Place bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 250˚F | 121˚C for 15 to 20 minutes. The heat brings out the bananas' sugars. Bananas are ready when the peels become shiny and black. They may also be a bit "weepy." This is not a problem.
Note that this method will not work on very green bananas.
Microwave (1-2 minutes)
Pierce the peel of the banana a number of times to allow air to escape, and to avoid having a banana blowout in your microwave.
Microwave the banana on high for 30 seconds at a time. Cool enough to safely check for doneness between each round in the microwave. If not, microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue this process until desired ripeness is obtained.
It depends on who's home when it comes out of the oven!
Seriously, banana bread stays moist and holds its flavor for some time, making it a perfect choice for gift-giving during the holidays, or whenever you need a little something to cheer someone's day.
To maximize the shelf life, wrap banana bread tightly with foil or cling film to prevent it from drying out. If you are going to freeze it, add an extra layer with a resealable freezer bag.
• Counter: 2-3 days.
• Refrigerator: About a week.
• Freezer: If properly frozen, banana bread will last for over a year; however, it is best eaten in the first 3-4 months, as it may develop freezer burnt if kept longer.
One of the most reliable ways to be sure that your banana bread has finished baking is to use a digital food thermometer.
When your banana bread is done baking, the center should measure 200-205°F | 93-96°C. No portion of your banana bread should read less than 200°F.
More Quick Bread Recipes
We love quick breads because they are dependable, easy to make, and always welcome!
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Mom's Classic Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest this is optional, but I like it
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 4 medium bananas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C.Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick coating or grease with butter.
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- With mixer on low, add half of the sour cream and half of the mashed bananas.
From this point on, mix everything by hand.
- Using a spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Do not do it the other way around.)
- Fold in the remaining sour cream, walnuts, lemon zest, and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F | 177°C for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool loaf for 10 minutes before removing from pan, and then allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for this recipe. Ripe bananas have a higher sugar content and more intense banana flavor, making them the perfect choice for baking. Bananas used for bread should soft, with a peel heavily spotted brown.
- Mash the bananas with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Do not puree them! You want the texture of the bananas to be slightly "chunky."
- Add the ingredients in Order. You are basically making a cake, and the order you do things matters.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet - not the other way around. Believe it or not, this matters. Adding the wet ingredients to the dry can result in pockets of flour and clumpy, inconsistent mixing.
- Mix in the dry ingredients by hand.
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can result in extra gluten development, which can make your quick bread gummy and unpleasantly chewy.
• Refrigerator: About a week.
• Freezer: If properly frozen, banana bread will last for over a year; however, it is best eaten in the first 3-4 months, as it may develop freezer burnt if kept longer.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Originally published May 2, 2013.
Marie Davis Brian says
I have used a similar recipe for banana bread. I think the key ingredient is the sour cream.
Renée ♥ says
I would tend to agree. I really love what the lemon does for it too.