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This simple banana bread recipe is the BEST way to use overripe bananas. It’s incredibly easy and the banana bread is always soft, moist, and delicious.
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This is one of my most popular posts. People cannot seem to get enough it! Dozens of people have told me this is now their go-to banana bread recipe. I hope it becomes yours too!
This Iced Chai Latte pairs SO well with this banana bread. It's ready in a minute, inexpensive, and tastes just like the one at Starbucks.
Super Easy Banana Bread
This recipe is crazy easy. It only requires one bowl. There’s no need for a mixer. And, it doesn’t make much of a mess.
It’s so easy that people who never baked before and kids frequently make it on their own. I’ve also been told that people have made it with their toddlers, which I absolutely love. It’s the perfect opportunity for family bonding.
It’s also a great way to use overripe bananas so they don’t go to waste. I honestly think my family and partner have stopped eating bananas JUST so I make this banana bread. 😂
I HATE wasting food, so it is awesome that I can be resourceful and make my family happy.
More Overripe Banana Recipes:
- Simple Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Super Soft Banana Bread Cookies- The BEST Gluten-Free Banana Bread
If you have a dog, check out this banana recipe too - Easy, Healthy, Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats (Only 3 Ingredients!).
How ripe should the bananas be?
Super ripe! The bananas should be way too soft, mushy, and not at all like what we would normally eat.
The peels should be brown and easy to remove.
As a banana ripens, the starch in the fruit converts to sugar. This makes it sweeter and more assertive in banana flavor.
The riper the banana you use, the sweeter the banana bread.
How many bananas?
This is frequently discussed in the Pinterest comments for this recipe.
My favorite amount to use is 3 bananas.
You could make it with two or four though.
I personally don't like to use four bananas. It can make the bread TOO moist or dense.
If you only have one banana, check out my Banana Bread Cookie Recipe. It's a fun twist on traditional banana bread.
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Gluten-Free Option
I adapted this recipe into the BEST Gluten-Free Banana Bread EVER. I’m seriously obsessed with it. It is very similar to this one. Just a couple small changes. 😉
You could also just swap all-purpose flour for a gluten-free one, like King Arthur's Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. With this gluten-free flour, you don't need any additional ingredients and you use the same exact amount of flour that the recipe calls for. It's Measure for Measure!
Optional Add-ins
Lots of people have added walnuts, pecans, raisins, and/or chocolate chips to this banana bread recipe.
I have to admit… it does taste pretty great with chocolate chips.
When I make this recipe into Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Muffins, I add a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. For more info on how to make this recipe into muffins, check out this recipe here.
Loaf Pan Size
I used to think there wasn’t much of a difference between a 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pan and a 9” x 5” one. But, there is!
I recently read, on the King Arthur Baking Blog, that the "1/2" difference in each dimension translates to a 15% difference in capacity."
Choosing the wrong-sized loaf pan can cause a recipe to fail.
This Banana Bread recipe uses a 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pan,like this Stainless Steel one with Silicone Handles.I love this bread pan. It’s durable, the perfect size, and easy-to-clean.
I double the recipe when I use a 9” x 5” loaf pan, likethis Ceramic Coated Non-Stick one. If you’re using a 9″ x 5″ pan, I recommend doubling the recipe as well.
Looking for more simple recipes? You may like:
- Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies
- Grinch Cookies
- Iced Green Tea Lemonade
- How to Make Starbucks Peach Green Tea Lemonade
Out of baking soda? Check out this Banana Bread Recipe No Baking Soda.
Print Recipe
4.75 from 331 votes
Simple Banana Bread Recipe
Incredibly easy banana bread that is moist, soft, and perfectly sweet.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Butter melted
- 3/4 cup Sugar granulated
- 2-4 Bananas* very ripe
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Baking Soda**
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a loaf pan with butter, oil, or evenPam spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar.
Add the bananas. Mash them then mix into the butter and sugar mixture.
Add the egg and vanilla extract. Stir.
Mix in the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.OVEN TIMES VARY.Some people need 55 minutes. Others need 30 minutes. Please use your own judgment and the toothpick trick (insert a wooden toothpick in the middle of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. If it comes out with batter on the toothpick, please continue baking. It is not done). In a fairly new, convection oven, it takes around 40 minutes for my bread to be done.
Remove from oven and let cool. For clean slices, please allow the bread to completely cool.
Video
Notes
*I like to use 3 medium bananas, which is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas.
**Don't have baking soda? Check out this Banana Bread Recipe without Baking Soda.
I would love to hear your thoughts! Did you make it? Was it simple and delicious? Would you change anything?
