Moist Banana Bread Recipe (No Mixer Needed)
“I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve tried other banana loaf recipes and none compare… I’ve even been asked for my recipe because it was SO moist.” Wendy
This super moist banana bread recipe has been one of our readers’ all-time favorites – consistently one of our top 3 recipes. It’s soft, tender, and packed with ripe banana flavor. Expect heavenly aroma, well-tested tips, and plenty of fans.
This is a great recipe for a basic classic banana bread. I have only two criteria for what I consider the “best” banana bread recipe: it must be super moist and have a big banana flavor.
I’ve made this recipe a LOT. Just pay attention to a few tips that I promise will get you to a REALLY great banana bread.
What to expect
- Researched, tested and reader-approved: our #1 most popular recipe of all time
- Incredibly soft, moist crumb with rich banana flavor
- Simple method – no mixer required
- Helpful tips, substitutions, variations, and freezing instructions included
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Bananas: Use overripe bananas that are turning brown and very soft – almost squishy. The riper, the sweeter (although not black to the point they are fermenting). One banana in the picture above is black because it was frozen – that’s ok.
- Sour cream – light or full-fat is fine. Or use plain or vanilla yogurt instead. This adds moisture to the banana bread.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour (or see variations below). Don’t use bread flour as it will make the banana loaf dense.
Substitutions
- Brown sugar: adds depth of flavor, but white sugar works too
- Yogurt or sour cream: swap with ½ cup extra mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce for a lighter option
- Butter: replace with an equal amount of coconut oil (loaf will have a light coconut flavor)
- Bananas: you can use frozen bananas instead – just thaw first and drain excess liquid before using
- Eggs: use flax eggs for a vegan-friendly version
Variations
There are lots of simple ways to change up this banana bread depending on your taste or what you have on hand.
- Flavor: Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg – just a hint so it doesn’t overpower the banana flavor
- Added Nutrition: Swap half the flour with whole wheat (all whole wheat will be too dense), or replace 1 tablespoon of flour with flaxseed for extra nutrition
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (check package directions)
- Sweetness: Adjust sugar to taste – add a little more if your bananas aren’t very sweet
- Add-ins: Stir in chocolate chips for chocolate banana bread, or toasted walnuts/pecans for banana nut bread; toffee bits also work well
- Fruit: Mix in raisins, dried cranberries, or blueberries tossed in flour (to help prevent sinking)
- Toppings: Spread with cream cheese frosting, 3-minute chocolate buttercream icing, orange glaze, or Nutella.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips for a perfect banana bread
- Overripe bananas are key for sweetness. If they are not ripe, we show you two ways to ripen them in the recipe notes.
- Measure your flour properly! This is very important. Too much flour will make the banana bread dry. Too little will make it too wet. See recipe.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Lightly incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Don’t over mix or the banana bread will become dense.
- Don’t overbake. Overbaked banana bread will be dry. I tend to underbake it a bit because I like it super moist.
- Easy clean up: Line your loaf pan with parchment paper before adding the batter. I find the best way is to crush parchment into a ball, then smooth it into the pan. This will make it stay in the pan instead of popping out.
How to serve banana bread
Serve your banana bread for breakfast, brunch, snack, tea time, or dessert.
My sister loves it toasted with butter. I have to admit it’s pretty good. Plain – with or without butter – is great too. And a bit of peach marmalade!
For a sweet ending to a meal, serve it with this easy 4-ingredient tropical fruit salad.
Recipe FAQs
Use very ripe bananas, don’t overbake, and store tightly wrapped once cooled. Adding sour cream or buttermilk also helps lock in moisture.
For the best results, weigh your flour on a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, use the scoop-and-swipe method: spoon flour into a measuring cup and level it off. Too much flour can make banana bread dry.
If you add a cold egg, the batter can look curdled. To prevent this, use room temperature eggs (or run a cold egg under warm water for a minute). Don’t worry — the loaf will still bake up fine.
Overmixing the batter or baking too long are the most common reasons. Mix just until the flour disappears and check for doneness early.
Yes, you can make muffins instead of a loaf. Increase the oven temperature to 375F/191C and bake muffins for 20-25 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.
Don’t throw out your browned overripe bananas. Peel and place ripe bananas in a freezer bag, squeeze out air, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or microwave before using in banana bread.
More banana recipes
- banana chocolate chunk muffins (the best!)
- ricotta pancake recipes with caramelized bananas
- simple banana French toast
- banana muffins with blueberries (moist and fluffy)
- banana cake with chocolate icing – one of my faves.
Please leave a 5-star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe. Thank you so much!
Moist Banana Bread Recipe (No Mixer)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed VERY RIPE bananas (brown spots on peel are good!), Note 1 about 2 large bananas
- ½ cup plain or Greek yogurt, low fat is fine (buttermilk or sour cream is fine too)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter (one stick) – very soft, Note 2 salted or unsalted
- ¾ cup brown sugar (or white sugar) (or a bit more if bananas aren't very sweet)
- 1 egg, room temperature (run under warm water for a minute if needed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, Note 3 subtitutes measure properly! (Note 4)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup (87 g) chocolate chips, toffee bits, pecans, walnuts or raisins.
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 350F/176.7C: Crumple a parchment paper into a ball. Smooth it out and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (23×13 cm) or 4 x 8 inch loaf pan (20×10 cm). Alternatively, spray a loaf pan with oil or line with aluminum foil.
- BOWL #1 (small bowl): Mix together mashed bananas, yogurt and baking soda with a fork or spoon.
- BOWL #2 (medium bowl or 2 cup measuring cup): Stir together flour, baking powder and salt (if using).
- BOWL #3 (large bowl): Use a spoon or whisk to mix butter and brown sugar together until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add banana-yogurt mixture and mix well. Add flour mix in 3 parts, mixing lightly between each addition. DO NOT over mix. Just mix until flour is incorporated. Batter will be thick. Stir in optional add-in if using.
- BAKE: Spoon batter into parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Using the smaller loaf pan size may take a bit longer. Note that most ovens are not very accurate – so start checking after 50-55 minutes. The middle may still be wet. Bake another 3-5 minutes and check again. When done, remove pan from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Lift banana bread out by holding onto sides of parchment, then cool further. Eat it while still a bit warm!
Recipe Notes
- How to ripen bananas: Two ways:
- place them in a paper bag with another fruit like an apple and let them sit a day or two. or
- bake them in a 350F/177C oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool before using.
- How to soften butter quickly: Put it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften (if some melts, it’s fine). Or, place in a sealed bag and run warm water over it until softened.
- Flour substitutes: You can use up to half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour for more nutrition. Or replace flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour (read the label to make sure no other ingredients are needed).
- How to measure flour (important!): The best way to measure flour is to weigh it on a kitchen scale in grams. If you don’t have a scale, scoop the flour with a spoon into a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife.
- Other substitutes
- For yogurt or sour cream – use 1/2 cup (125 g) extra mashed bananas or unsweetened applesauce for a lower-calorie option.
- For butter – use 1/2 cup (115 g) mayonnaise. One reader tried it and it worked! You can also use coconut oil.
- For egg: use flax egg for a vegan-friendly version
- For extra nutrition – replace 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon (7 g) flaxseed
- For bananas – use frozen bananas instead – just thaw first and drain excess liquid before using.
- Variations:
- Spices: Add a small pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Add-ins: 1/2 cup/87 grams chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, toffee/skor pieces, raisins or cranberries, fresh blueberries dusted in flour.
- Toppings: Cream cheese frosting, chocolate buttercream frosting, orange glaze, Nutella.
- To make muffins instead of a loaf: Use a muffin tin with liners, filled 3/4 full (12 muffins). Increase oven temperature to 375F/191C and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
- To store/make ahead:
- Store on the counter for 3 days in a sealed zipper bag or container.
- To freeze for up to 3 months, wrap well in plastic or foil, then place in a sealed container or zipper bag. Defrost in the fridge or in microwave for a 20 seconds. Tip: I slice my banana bread first, then wrap the slices before freezing to allow me to grab one piece at a time.
Delicious! Moist & like what my Mom used to make. I used sour cream & added nutmeg.
mmm. 🙂
How many bananas if the bananas I have are small? They’re like 4 inches each ?
Hi Mari. You might need 6 ripe bananas if they are that small. Use as many as you need to measure 1 cup.
I have tried this! yes about 6 bananas. but I only had five so I put a lil bit of banana flavouring and I also made one with the same base and added walnuts in it, it’s so yummy and so moist!! my fam loves it. Will try different add ons in it because we love experimenting ?
Glad it worked! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out.
WOw! that was REALLY Moist !
🙂
I bake a lot and am always trying new recipes even though I have others. Enjoyed this recipe, delicious, a little lighter than my other banana bread recipe and I like that about it. I have passed it on already and am sure will get asked again for it. Read about curdling in another post and mine did too. Knew it wouldn’t be a problem once I added the flour and it turned out perfect. Thank you, this one’s a keeper.
Thanks for your comments Colleen. I have experienced curdling too and, like you, didn’t find it was a problem. Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for passing it on to others.
Made a double batch of this last night because I needed to use up some bananas and holy cow! This is by far the best recipe I’ve tried for banana bread EVER. So so yummy! Thank you!
You’re very welcome Krista! So glad you love it!
I made mini muffins and slightly smaller-than-normal sized muffins. For my mini muffins, oven was set to 175°C for 12mins. For the bigger muffins, 13mins @ 180°C.
I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and an extra banana. I also added 4 scoops of tasteless protein powder to the flour mixture, crumbled walnuts and some cacao nibs. I used coconut oil instead of butter.
Needless to say, they are a hit with the family!
Great to hear Leah. And thanks for sharing your method for the mini and smaller muffins. I’m sure other readers will be interested to know what temp and tweaks you used.
This is the best banana bread recipe I tasted. Now my kids are reminding me to buy bananas during our grocery visits. I usually don’t like banana bread but this is my favourite. I love the crunch at the top and the moisture is real.
Great to hear! Listen to your kids ?
Has a great flavor but even following the recipe exactly, it is super dark in color and never has a dome top. It’s always flat. I’ve tried with yogurt per recipe; substituted 1/2 c banana instead of yogurt; brown sugar per recipe; substituted white sugar instead of brown…the results are always the same and my bread has a flat top. I’ve made the recipe at least 10 times. Any suggestions?
Hi Shana. Sorry to hear your banana breads are not working out as expected. So many other have had success so something must be off. Could it be that either your baking power or baking soda has expired? That’s a common cause. Another option may be that your oven temperature is off. Most of our ovens are. It might be useful to get a cheap oven thermometer in case you need to adjust it. A too hot oven will brown the top too quickly before the bread is fully baked. I hope one of these suggestions helps and that your next one comes out moist and puffy. ?
Hmm maybe. I’ll buy new baking powder. My soda is new. I generally pour mine into an air tight container when I buy it. I don’t use baking powder that often so maybe it’s expired. And I’ll get an oven thermometer. I read the great reviews so I knew something was off but couldn’t figure out what it was. Hopefully new baking powder will do the trick! I do love the flavor and how moist it is. Thank you! ?
Yes, give the new baking powder a try. And test your oven temperature. I really hope that solves the problem of your banana bread not rising properly 🙂 Good luck!
This is a bit late and a dollar short, BUT in case someone needs the info, there is one issue i noticed in the recipe, and one (possible) issue with your subs. The recipe says to mix the soda with the yogurt, early on. And i noticed you subbed out the yogurt. It’s possible that either or both of these steps would combine to reduce the rise–the rise is usually due to a reaction of the soda and powder with an acid that causes bubbles to form–and it might be that the batter might either react some before it’s baked, or react too slowly because of less acid. Of course, old baking powder can also react poorly and slowly.
I am sure that airtight storage of baking soda means it will never go “bad”, it’s a mineral salt like table salt, it can only pick up odors when poorly stored. I keep cream of tartar to mix homemade baking powder if mine has gone flat, the homemade powder just has to be mixed right before use as it deteriorates rather quickly after the soda and cream of tartar are combined. Use 1/4 tsp. soda and 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar for each tsp. of baking powder desired. I hope this helos someone ?that chemistry class has to be good for something.
Thanks for the science lesson Frannie 🙂
Thank you thank you!
This was moist, not too sweet but flavorful. I used 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/4 of Splenda & it was right on point. This is definitely my go to now.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Super moist and flavorful!! Very easy to make!
Great to hear. Thanks Arlene!