Best Ever Banana Bread
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This Best EVER Banana Bread recipe is the only one you will ever need! It’s easy, flavorful, and will quickly become your new favorite.
Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe
This is honestly the best banana bread recipe ever! It’s basically my easy banana bread but with brown butter, buttermilk, and roasted bananas to give the bread the ultimate flavor and texture. Just take a look at the reviews and photos from people who have made it on Pinterest.
Brown butter adds to the nutty sweet flavor while yielding a melt in your mouth texture. Buttermilk adds extra moisture to ensure the bread stays soft and tender.
It can easily be enjoyed in place of dessert or for breakfast. It also makes a great snack between meals. And it can be made gluten free.
This best banana bread recipe is so moist and absolutely the most delicious bread you will ever taste. Why is this banana bread is so incredible?
To begin with, it contains 4 large bananas. As if that isn’t enough to make the bread flavorful, I went and roasted them.
That made the bread more flavorful and naturally sweet!
I used all brown sugar for a moist and sweet richness. Brown sugar will do wonders for quick bread, cakes, and cookies. I use it almost everything I bake.
To add to the already wonderfully rich flavor, I added brown butter. I’ve done this before with banana cupcakes and easy banana cake and let me tell you, brown butter and bananas are fantastic together.
Buttermilk in Best Ever Banana Bread
As if this banana bread could get any moister, I chose to incorporate buttermilk.
I love buttermilk in baked goods, especially in my cheddar jalapeno buttermilk bread. It adds a soft, tender texture that just melts in your mouth.
I added some chopped walnuts which are completely optional. I’m a huge fan of contrasts in texture and loved the soft crunch in each bite of bread.
This recipe has taken a classic banana bread and vamped it up to make it even more delightful. After one bite, I’m certain you will agree that it is indeed a tasty buttermilk banana bread recipe. And after you try it, you need to try my banana nut bread cookies!
How to make the best Ever banana bread?
Step 1: Roast the bananas and brown the butter
Roasting the bananas enhances their sweetness and flavor. That paired with browned butter make the ultimate banana bread.
Step 2: Mix the batter
Follow the usual technique for making quick bread – mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry ingredients, then combine the two.
Step 3: Bake the bread
Bake the bread in a light colored loaf pan for best results. Dark pans and glass pans retain heat too well and will cause the bread to come out too dark or possibly burn before the inside had finished cooking.
Common questions about Best Ever Banana Bread
Why are cup measurements not given for the bananas?
This recipe calls for roasting the bananas in their skin. You would not be able to measure out x cup amount before roasting. Choose the largest bananas you see in the market and you will have success with the recipe.
What can I use besides buttermilk?
You can replace the buttermilk in this recipe with plain yogurt or sour cream. Greek yogurt works best.
Can I use frozen bananas to make this bread?
While I’ve not done this myself, a reader has. She placed the frozen bananas directly in the oven to roast. She didn’t thaw them and the recipe came out perfect.
More bread recipes you’ll love
Best Ever Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large very ripe bananas
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (158 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (57 g) chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Leave bananas in the peel and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
- While the bananas are roasting, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, until browned. Set aside to cool.
- Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Scrape the bananas out of the peel into a blender and pulse until pureed. You should have about 2 cups of puree. Pour the pureed bananas into the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Add the buttermilk and mix well. The mixture may look curdled. This is normal.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a whisk. Add to banana mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated, taking care not to overwork the batter. Stir in the walnuts if using.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 45 to 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few dry crumbs.
- Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove the bread and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Cup measurements are not given for the bananas because they are roasted in their skin. There’s no way to measure them before roasting. Choose the largest bananas when shopping for this recipe and you should have great results.
- Place the roasted banana in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream can be used in place of buttermilk.
- Loosely tent aluminum foil over the bread if the top begins to brown too much before the center is done.
- The bread will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- Baked and cooled bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Inspired by Simply Recipes
I’ve made this stellar recipe once before and received many accolades but I unintentionally modified it in a few respects: first I forgot to brown the butter; and secondly, I didn’t bake the bananas–I simply went into robotic mode and made the bread as I have for probably a hundred times. However the bread that’s baking in the oven right this minute was put together by necessity. I had many leftover ripe bananas, approximately 9 or 10 of various sizes–still have several more that soon will be permanent additions in my freezer if they are not used soon. I doubled the recipe using King Arthur’s 2 cups bread flour and 2 cups white whole wheat. I love buttermilk, as well, but didn’t have any on hand so I gratefully used your tip of sour cream, approximately 10 ozs., but when I was blending the mixture, it was too dry so I added on e more egg (total of 4) beaten in 4 oz of whole milk-the only milk used. I added 2 TBS of King Arthur’s Madagasgar/Bourbon vanilla. I think its the best. Finally I added 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, 1 cup each of yellow and large dark raisins, and 1 cup of dried cranberries. My last addition was 1 tsp of ground Allspice, my secret baking ingredient. I used 3/4 tsp. baking powder and 2 tsp. baking soda. I put all dry ingredients in a large sifter and the wet in a large bowl and added the wet to the dry by stirring and thoroughly combining. Baked in a 10×4 dark loaf pan and a dark glass 9×4 pan. The buzzer went off and so I turned off the oven and let finish baking as the oven cooled. They look and smell delicious. I’d post a pix but I’m don’t know if Pinterest would allow it. My hats off to the Unintentional Baker, thank you, love your site.
Thanks, Bernie! I’m glad the recipe was a success even with all of your modifications.
I’ve made this stellar recipe once before and received many accolades but I unintentionally modified it in a few respects: first I forgot to brown the butter; and secondly, I didn’t bake the bananas–I simply went into robotic mode and made the bread as I have for probably a hundred times. However the bread that’s baking in the oven right this minute was put together by necessity. I had many leftover ripe bananas, approximately 9 or 10 of various sizes–still have several more that soon will be permanent additions in my freezer if they are not used soon. I doubled the recipe using King Arthur’s 2 cups bread flour and 2 cups white whole wheat. I love buttermilk, as well, but didn’t have any on hand so I gratefully used your tip of sour cream, approximately 10 ozs., but when I was blending the mixture, it was too dry so I added on e more egg (total of 4) beaten in 4 oz of whole milk-the only milk used. I added 2 TBS of King Arthur’s Madagasgar/Bourbon vanilla. I think its the best. Finally I added 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, 1 cup each of yellow and large dark raisins, and 1 cup of dried cranberries. My last addition was 1 tsp of ground Allspice, my secret baking ingredient. I used 3/4 tsp. baking powder and 2 tsp. baking soda. I put all dry ingredients in a large sifter and the wet in a large bowl and added the wet to the dry by stirring and thoroughly combining. Baked in a 10×4 dark loaf pan and a dark glass 9×4 pan. The buzzer went off and so I turned off the oven and let finish baking as the oven cooled. They look and smell delicious. I’d post a pix but I’m don’t know if Pinterest would allow it. My hats off to the Unintentional Baker, thank you, love your site.
This has to be the best banana bread recipe i have made.
I had some Italian 00 flour to use up which works just as well as APF.
The roasted bananas give the bread a much richer flavor.
I recommend the recipe 100%
Thank you so much for commenting, Louise! This is one of my favorite bread recipes so it makes me happy to hear you enjoyed it also!
This has to be the best banana bread recipe i have made.
I had some Italian 00 flour to use up which works just as well as APF.
The roasted bananas give the bread a much richer flavor.
I recommend the recipe 100%
Love this recipe! Of course, with a few tweaks of my own it’s the best I’ve ever had! I used 6 bananas and I used banana extract (along with the vanilla). I don’t care for nuts in my bread but on it is wonderful, so I melted and browned 1/4 cup unsalted butter, then added two tablespoons milk until mixture thickened, then added 1 cup walnuts and spread over top of loaf as it finished cooking….WONDERFUL!
Love this recipe! Of course, with a few tweaks of my own it’s the best I’ve ever had! I used 6 bananas and I used banana extract (along with the vanilla). I don’t care for nuts in my bread but on it is wonderful, so I melted and browned 1/4 cup unsalted butter, then added two tablespoons milk until mixture thickened, then added 1 cup walnuts and spread over top of loaf as it finished cooking….WONDERFUL!
Will Almond milk work for this recipe?
Buttermilk works best with this recipe because it reacts with the baking soda to give the bread rise. You could try using 1 teaspoon of baking powder with almond milk instead of baking soda. However, I have not tested this so I can’t guarantee the results.
I don’t have a blender or food processor for the bananas. Do you have any other ideas?
You can mash them with a fork.
I made mine as muffins. They turned out GREAT!!! Very moist and very flavorful, roasting the bananas and browning the butter made a world of difference in flavor. Thank you. My new favorite
The batter works so well as muffins. Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe.
Hi Jen, if I wanted to add about half a cup of peanut butter to this recipe, how much more flour would you recommend I add? I LOVE this recipe, and I love peanut butter and I want the best of both worlds 🙂
I’ve never made the bread with peanut butter so I’m unsure of the changes you’d need to make.