It doesn't get much better than this easy banana bread recipe! It's made with extra ripe bananas for optimal flavor. You can enjoy it plain or with your favorite mix-ins!
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
Servings 10
Ingredients
⅓cup(75g)unsalted butter, softened
⅓cup(70g)light brown sugar, packed
¼cup(50g)granulated sugar
1large egg, room temperature
1 ½cups(340g)mashed bananas, about 3 ripe bananas
2cups(260g)all-purpose flour
½teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
¼teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¼cup(60ml)buttermilk, room temperature
½cup(56g)chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch baking pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and both sugars. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg, followed by the mashed banana. The mixture will look curdled. This is normal.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until well combined.
Add half the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Beat on low speed until almost fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk and beat on low until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat on low speed just until no streaks of dry flour remain. Don't overmix! It's okay if the batter looks lumpy.
Gently fold in the chopped walnuts if using.
Immediately transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached. Tent loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
If you don't have buttermilk, you can make it by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk. Let sit for 5 minutes, stir, and use.
Make ahead tip
Keep the bread covered tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have melded together.
You can also freeze completely cooked banana bread for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap the whole loaf or slices in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap. Place the wrapped banana bread in a large ziptop freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature.