Easy Banana Bread
A moist, one-bowl banana bread made with melted butter and very ripe bananas. Just 10 minutes of mixing, with a golden, crackly top.
11% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 1 hr
- Resting
- 1 hr
- Serves
- 10
- Calories
- 265
- Protein
- 4 g
- Per serving
- $0.40
Why this recipe works
Banana bread is the best use for bananas that are too brown to eat. It's a one-bowl quick bread, with no mixer and no yeast. The mistakes that make it gummy in the middle are easy to avoid, and they're covered in the steps below.
- Very ripe, heavily speckled bananas are sweeter and more fragrant, so the loaf needs less sugar and tastes more of banana.
- Melted butter and brown sugar keep the crumb moist and give the top a caramelized crust.
- Folding the flour in only until it disappears avoids the tough, dense loaf that overmixing causes.
Ingredients
You will need
- 9x5-inch metal loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Fork or potato masher
- Wire rack
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Grease the loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
Mix the wet ingredients
Mash the bananas in a large bowl until mostly smooth. Whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Fold in the dry ingredients
Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and cinnamon over the batter and stir them in, then fold in the flour just until no dry streaks remain. A few lumps are fine.
Bake
Pour into the pan and bake until deep golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. If the top browns too fast, tent it with foil after 40 minutes. The center should read 200°F.
Cool
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack for at least 50 minutes before slicing.
Cook's notes
- If your bananas aren't ripe yet, bake them in their peels at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes until black and soft, then cool before mashing.
- A gummy streak in the middle means the loaf was underbaked or sliced too warm. Check the center with a thermometer and let it cool fully.
- Stir in ¾ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips with the flour if you like.
Nutrition per serving
265 calories
$0.40 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 6% of calories | 4 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 60% of calories | 40 g |
| Fat | 34% of calories | 10 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | |
| Sodium | 280 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
Can you make banana bread with only 2 bananas?
Yes. Use 2 large bananas and make up the missing moisture with ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt. The loaf will be a little less banana-forward.
Why is my banana bread dense or gummy?
Overmixing the flour, underbaking, or slicing it before it cools. Fold the flour in gently, bake until the center reaches 200°F, and let it cool before cutting.
How ripe should bananas be for banana bread?
Very ripe: heavily speckled with brown or mostly black peels, and soft. They're sweeter and mash easily.
