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.
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.
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Best Ever Banana Bread
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.
Ingredients
- 4 large very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (158 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (57 grams) 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 9x5-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.
Make ahead tip
- 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.
Notes
1. 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.
2. Place the roasted banana in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
3. Greek yogurt or sour cream can be used in place of buttermilk.
4.Loosely tent aluminum foil over the bread if the top begins to brown too much before the center is done.
Inspired by Simply Recipes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302
Janie says
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 🙂
Jen Sobjack says
I've never made the bread with peanut butter so I'm unsure of the changes you'd need to make.
Lakin says
Hi Jen! I loved the idea of this recipe, but for whatever reason, my banana bread turned out "gummy". Any idea why this would happen? I'm new to cooking but have made banana bread countless time before and never had this happen to me. To be a little more descriptive about the "gummy-ness", the outside of the bread (top and sides touching the pan) turned out perfectly. The middle is one solid color with absolutely no texture. It is all one color and consistency, which unfortunately is "gummy". I'm assuming this is an error on my end but I was just curious about what cooks with more experience had to say. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Jen Sobjack says
Double check the temperature of your oven by using an oven thermometer and make sure you are not over mixing the batter.
Emma says
Really a great recepie! Full of flavor and warmth. The banana bread has an old fashioned American kitchen taste to it and I can appreciate that. Job well done.
Gina says
I cannot tell you how many Banana Bread recipes I’ve tried.. and all were disappointing. Not yours though!! Everyone loved them! Moist and so much banana flavor! I doubled the recipe and I made one bread and 24 muffins. You can really taste the nuttiness of the browned butter. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts in mine. I finally found my go to recipe!! Thank you for sharing it!
Jen Sobjack says
Yay! I love hearing this!! Thank you for sharing your experience with the banana bread. It's one of my favorites so I'm thrilled when others enjoy it just as much.
Mgcini says
Hie can l use fresh milk instead of buttermilk
Jen Sobjack says
Regular milk won't react with the baking soda to help the bread rise. You need an acid! It's easy to make buttermilk at home by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk. Stir it together and let it sit for 3-5 minutes then it's ready to use.
Grace says
I made this 3 times now and they always turn out good. I use chocolate chips instead of walnuts. I doubled the recipe and I have a loaf and muffins right now. I'm going to take the loaf to our family dinner tonight. It's always a hit.
Jen Sobjack says
Thanks for sharing, Grace! I'm thrilled to hear the bread was a hit!
Cookie Gramma Linda says
Always looking to try a new banana bread recipe so gave this a whirl. Thought it sounded interesting in roasting the bananas (which I had never tried) and browning the butter. Have to be honest tho I was a bit disappointed. The bread did not seem to have a lot of flavor. Was a tad dry (even tho I didn’t think I overbaked it). I may try again sometime but won’t throw away my old go=to tried and true recipes. Thank you tho for sharing the recipe!
Jen Sobjack says
I'm sorry you were unhappy with the recipe. I can't understand how it was flavorless with 4 roasted bananas and brown butter. It just goes to show that everyone's tastes are different.
Jean Thomas says
If made as muffins, would I put the batter directly into the tin or use the papers?
Jen Sobjack says
You could do either! I personally prefer paper liners for easy cleanup. But you don't have to use them, just be sure the grease the pan well.
lisa says
Follow-up- I took it out of the oven after a little over an hour and WOW. I put cranberries in mine and used fake sugar ( do mix the chopped cranberries in sugar and set aside in a separate bowl before folding into the batter). This is truly the best. I added baking powder as well so it wasn't dense and love the cake like texture (we do not have much humidity here so everything comes out flat and dense).
I will make this again as I have cranberries and more overripe bananas!
Jen Sobjack says
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Lisa! I can't wait to try it with cranberries!!
lisa says
It's in the oven right now. I used fake sugar and added cranberries. It looks and sounds awesome so I'll give an update once it's done!
Jennifer says
It was definitely very good but I found it bland. I added cinnamon and nutmeg and I liked it much better.
Linda says
I too added cinnamon to the recipe.
Mary Jane Wright says
The best I have ever tasted. I would change nothing. Who counts calories or focuses on nutritional equivalents this time of the year? Not me.
Jess says
Thanks for the awesome recipe! Of course it would’ve been easier for me if I wasn’t so over enthusiastic! I didn’t roast the bananas or brown the butter ? I just whipped the batter up and piped it into paper muffin wraps....delicious ? perfect for the kids lunchboxes!
Jen Sobjack says
You'll definitely have to try roasted bananas and brown butter next time! It's worth the extra effort.
Linda says
I didn’t roast the banana, too much trouble but liked the melting butter and adding buttermilk adds a creamy mix and not as heavy as some recipes I have tried.
Phyllis says
I made this today-delicious! I put the butter in a pie plate and put in oven at same time as bananas. Also I freeze my overripe bananas which works perfectly with baking bananas before mixing in-I don’t have to defrost!
Jen Sobjack says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Phyllis! I have never thought to brown butter in the oven!
SandraV says
This is THE BEST BANANA BREAD RECIPE EVER! Sure, it was a little bit extra effort but with this AMAZING result....TOTALLY worth it! I don't even want to share with anyone until I make more! Other recipes always left me wanting "something" more that I just couldn't put my finger on, I was never quite satisfied. But your recipe has done it.....answered all of my wishes. Thank you for sharing your amazing gift with the world. I can't wait to explore your other recipes!
Jen Sobjack says
Hi Sanda! I'm so glad you loved the bread! It's definitely a favorite of mine too!
Kirsten@humbledish says
This banana bread is flippin perfect! Roasting the bananas and browning the butter are extra steps that are definitely worth taking. Will be my go-to forever 🙂