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This is the Best Banana Bread Recipe in the entire world – I promise! It’s my mom’s recipe for banana bread and I’ve been making and eating this my entire life. This moist banana bread recipe is soft and fluffy with perfect banana flavor – you’re going to LOVE it.

A close-up of a freshly baked banana bread loaf, partially sliced, with a golden-brown crust. The breads moist texture and small air pockets are visible, highlighting its homemade quality. It rests on a wooden cutting board.


I make a lot of banana bread. Every single banana bread recipe or banana muffin on this site has been based off of one recipe: my Mom’s. It’s one of those recipes I’ve eaten my whole life.

I have to say, I think it’s the best banana bread recipe, ever. And while I love all my variations, I still love the original recipe the best. It never fails and it fits whatever you need it for.

  • It’s SUPER easy with banana in every bite
  • Stays moist for days
  • Has a nice long crack down the center and tons of banana flavor.
  • Is a bit crunchy on the outside and super soft on the inside
  • Banana bread is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas – and it’s so easy to make. You’re going to love my mom’s recipe.
  • She has two simple things she does that makes her bread stand apart: the milk and the pan.
ingredients in moms banana bread

Ingredient Notes

  • Bananas: You need to use overripe bananas for this. They should be nice and brown spotted – my mom calls them tired bananas.
  • Butter: you can use either salted or unsalted (see recipe notes).
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar goes into the bread AND my mom uses it on the pan – one of her secret tips!
  • Sour Milk: Basically, sour milk is the same thing as buttermilk. Back when this recipe was written, I’m figuring that milk went sour more than it does now, but if you don’t have sour milk sitting around, don’t worry: I now use a combination of milk and vinegar. The acid helps activate the baking soda for a moist and fluffy bread recipe. Some banana bread recipes use sour cream – mine uses sour milk instead.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

A rectangular baking pan with a light coating of flour or sugar. The surface appears slightly uneven, indicating previous use or preparation. The pan rests on a white marble background, viewed from above.
A glass mixing bowl with a frothy, golden-brown batter sits on a white marble surface, viewed from above. The batter contains visible bubbles and small bits, indicating preparation for baking or cooking.
A glass bowl filled with flour and a small glass of milk are placed on a white marble surface. The bowl is on the right and the glass of milk is on the left.
A loaf pan filled with banana bread batter placed on a white marble countertop, ready to be baked.

How to make the BEST Banana Bread Recipe

  1. One of my mom’s secrets is to sugar the pan. This is similar to “flouring” the pan (where you grease it with butter or shortening and then dust it with flour) but instead of using flour we use sugar. This creates a flavorful crunch on the outside.
  2. I use a large bowl and a hand mixer for this – you’ll need to cream the softened butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients. You could also use a stand mixer.
  3. Mash your bananas with a potato masher or a fork.
  4. I also like to whisk my dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients.
A freshly baked loaf of banana bread in a rectangular metal pan. The bread has a golden-brown crust with a slight crack down the middle, resting on a light surface with a striped cloth next to it.

Variations

  • You can use buttermilk, if you have it, or simply use vinegar or lemon juice and any milk you want. The bread needs the acidity to activate the baking soda, so don’t omit!
  • Non-dairy milk will work just as well as regular.
  • Add 1 cup walnuts or pecans for banana nut bread or 1 cup chocolate chips for chocolate chip banana bread.
  • Butter: I use unsalted butter but my mom always uses salted. If you’re using salted butter, reduce salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
  • Oil: You can substitute vegetable oil, but make sure to use the salt in the recipe in that case (oil doesn’t have salt in it).
  • Flour: substitute half whole wheat flour (so 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose) if you want. Make gluten free banana bread using 1:1 All-purpose gluten-free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill teal bag).
  • Sugar: You can use a combination white sugar and brown sugar or all brown sugar if you prefer.
  • Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter for extra flavor.
  • Top this with cream cheese frosting – cream cheese goes so great with my banana bread recipe.
Close-up of slices of banana bread stacked on a wooden cutting board. The bread has a golden-brown crust and a moist, dense interior with visible banana flecks. More slices and the loaf are partially visible in the background.

Storing Banana Bread

  • Store on the counter at room temperature loosely covered with plastic wrap. To make it last longer, keep it in an airtight container.
  • You can freeze the entire loaf by wrapping it with plastic wrap and placing in a freezer bag.
  • Freeze slices in sandwich bags for grab and go dessert!

Expert Tips

  • Did you know you can freeze bananas? Whenever my ripe bananas get too much so, I just throw them in the freezer (peels and all). Then I defrost them on the counter to make banana bread or cake whenever I want.
  • Do not use cooking spray if you’re sugaring the pan (grease it with butter or shortening).
  • I don’t normally use vanilla but you can add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if you want.
  • You can use 3 mini loaf pans, make 12 muffins, or use an 8×4-inch loaf pan with a few muffins. I usually use a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  • You know banana bread is done when it is dark golden on the top and there will be that nice long crack running through the center and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs from the center of the crack.
A close-up of a freshly baked banana bread loaf, partially sliced, with a golden-brown crust. The breads moist texture and small air pockets are visible, highlighting its homemade quality. It rests on a wooden cutting board.

Banana Bread Recipe

4.70 from 26 votes
The best banana bread recipe: it's my mom's recipe and is great for using overripe bananas. It's easy and so delicious.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 medium tired bananas brown spotted
  • 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar plus more for the pan
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened (plus more for the pan)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 7 tablespoons (103ml) milk (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice (see note)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x5x3” loaf pan with butter and coat it with sugar. (You do this like you would grease and flour a pan. Grease it first, then add about 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan and move the pan side to side until the bottom and sides are coated with sugar. Do NOT substitute cooking spray for the butter. You can skip the sugaring and just use cooking spray, if you wish.)
  • Mash bananas in a small bowl with a potato masher or fork and set aside.
  • Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer in a large bowl. Add bananas and eggs to the butter mixture and mix until somewhat combined (mixture will be chunky).
  • Add the flour mixture, milk, and vinegar to the banana mixture and mix until combined (mixture will be slightly lumpy). Pour into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. The edges will be a dark brown and there will be a nice crack down the center.
  • Cool completely before removing loaf from pan, but you can cut slices from the pan after it’s cooled for about 15-20 minutes.
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Recipe Notes

Substitutions:
  • If you have buttermilk, use that in place of milk and omit vinegar.
  • You can use lemon juice in place of the vinegar.
  • Nondairy milk may be substituted.
  • Salted butter: reduce added salt to 1/4 teaspoon
  • Gluten-Free 1:1 AP Flour – use equal parts
  • Whole Wheat Flour: use 1 cup each whole wheat and AP flour
  • Oil: substitute 1/2 cup vegetable oil for the butter
  • Pan: Use an 8×4-inch loaf pan and make just 1-2 muffins along side or use 3 mini loaf pans.
  • Add-ins: add up to 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

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4.70 from 26 votes

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230 Comments

  1. This is the exact recipe that I have made for years…EXCEPT… mine does not contain any milk. That makes sense when looking at your loaf…looks like it folds back in on itself from moisture. I will have to try it, and compare. Also, I want to suggest adding the large crystal sugar sprinkled on top. (The big crunchy kind that bakery style muffins come with). It will put this over the top. Considering the wetness of the batter, I would suggest waiting to sprinkle them on until about 15 minutes before end of bake time.

    Reply

  2. hi for the bananas in this recipe, what is the approximate weight of 2 medium bananas. this recipe is awesome!

    Reply

  3. My husband and I love this banana bread recipe. I used bananas from the freezer but I removed the watery juice that is produced during thaw. I love preparing the pan with butter in sugar instead of flour because it makes the crust crisp and very easy to come out of the pan. This is the first time my banana bread did not have a doughy top and I believe it is because of blending the eggs, milk (I used naturally soured half & half), bananas and soda. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and it was plenty sweet for our liking. This is so moist and tasty that we could not stop ooohing and yummmmming as we ate. My husband said it’s the best banana bread he has ever had.

    Reply

  4. I wish I could give this 10 stars!!! By far the best banana bread I have ever eaten and it was so easy to make. My husband said it to,”Best ever! It’s a keeper!” I do think adding the vinegar and coating the pan with butter and sugar really sets it apart. It is so light and fluffy, moist, and oh so delicious!! Mine came out really dark inside for some reason, not like your normal banana bread, but it didn’t affect the taste one bit. Definitely will be making this again!

    Reply

  5. Hi! Thanks for the recipe. I think reducing the flour to 1 3/4 cup could make the bread a little moister. I baked the bread for 40 minutes and the toothpick came out dry. I replaced the sugar with date syrup (healthier) and used one cup of whole wheat rye flour. I love the crack on the top and the sugary bottom.

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