Homemade Banana Bread

It took about eight tries, but I finally made a homemade banana bread method that is super rich, moist, and totally melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It ended up costing about $0.52 per slice. 😱 Take that, ‘bucks!

Anyway, this recipe is so good that I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. 🤤 So now the question is, is it wrong to make it every single weekend?? All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.

My husband loves banana bread, and I’ve used another method that came out fine, but I knew it could be better. I switched to your method (without telling hubby), and it was so much better! Thanks for another keeper.”

Easy Recipe for Banana Bread

There are so many different recipes for banana bread out there, and they create loaves that vary quite a bit in color, size, shape, texture, and, of course, taste.

My goal for this recipe was to create a loaf that was super soft and moist, had a really good pronounced banana savor, the loaf had to rise to a nice domed shape (not be a flat brick), and didn’t get too over-browned. It took a combination of elements and techniques, but I finally got the perfect loaf of homemade banana bread.

Homemade Banana Bread

- 4 Tbsp salted butter, room-temperature* ($0.50)

- 1/4 cup (60 ml) cooking oil* ($0.16) - 1/2 cup (110 g) granulated sugar** ($0.48)

- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar** ($0.24) - 1.5 cups (220 g) mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)*** ($0.78)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65) - 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour* ($0.36)

- 1 tsp baking soda ($0.01) - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.02) - 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts (optional) ($1.68)

- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180C/160C fan or Gas Mark 4 . Add the room-temperature butter, preparation oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl.

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the elements together until they become light and creamy. - Mash the bananas well, then add them to the mixing bowl with the butter and sugar, along with the eggs and vanilla extract. Use the mixter again to beat the components together until smooth.

- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until well combined. - Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet components and fold them together just until combined. - Add the chopped walnuts to the bowl and gently fold to combine again.

- Grease an 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan with butter or oil, then add the batter and smooth it out evenly into the pan. - Bake the banana bread in the preheated 350ºF/180C/160C fan or Gas Mark 4 oven for 60 minutes or until it's deeply golden brown on top, has a crack down the center, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (crumbs are okay, but wet batter is not).

- Allow the loaf to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Banana Muffins Instructions

- Prepare the batter as listed above, then divide it between 12 wells of a standard-size muffin tin. - Bake the banana muffins for 30 minutes in the preheated 350ºF/180C/160C fan or Gas Mark 4 oven or until they have risen all the way in the center, have browned nicely, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (crumbs are okay, but no wet batter).

See how we calculate method costs here.

How to Make Banana Bread Step-by-Step Photos

Cream the sugars: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add 4 Tbsp of room-temperature salted butter, ¼ cup cookery oil, ½ cup white sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar to a mixing bowl.

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter, sugars, and oil together until it looks light and creamy. Mash the bananas: Mash 3-4 bananas, or until you have 1.5 cups of mashed banana.

Make the batter: Add the mashed banana, two large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the bowl with the creamed butter and sugar. Use the mixer to mix the components together until smooth.

In a separate bowl, stir together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ tsp nutmeg, and ¼ tsp cinnamon until well combined. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet elements and then fold them together just until they form a wet batter.

Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts to the batter and fold briefly to combine. Pour into a loaf pan: Grease a standard 8.5″x4.5″ bread pan.

Pour the batter into the pan and then spread it out evenly. Bake and slice: Bake the bread for 60 minutes, or until golden brown on top, cracked in the middle, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once cooled, cut the loaf into slices and enjoy! I made a LOT of loaves during the development of this recipe, so here are some tips that I found will help you get the absolute best banana bread ever (even if it’s your first time!):

This recipe as well bakes up really well as muffins. Prepare the batter as listed in the method below, but divide the batter between 12 wells in a standard-size muffin tin. Bake the banana muffins in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 30 minutes, or until the muffins have risen all the way in the center, they’ve browned nicely, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean (crumbs but no wet batter).

- Make sure your bananas are VERY ripe. The sugar content of bananas increases as they ripen, so the more ripe they are, the sweeter the bread will be, and the banana savor will be more pronounced. If you don’t have a mixer, you can still make this delicious bread.

Whisk the oils and sugars with a fork or whisk. I as well like to mash the bananas with a fork. - Don’t overmix the batter.

Stirring the bread batter too much or too vigorously will create a rubbery texture in the baked loaf. Fold the wet and dry components together just until evenly combined. This is a non-negotiable when baking.

The sudden exposure to high heat (rather than a slow increase of a non-preheated oven) is what helps the loaf rise properly. - Use a different mix-in.

The walnuts in this recipe are optional, but I love the contrast in savor and texture they add to the bread. You can as well substitute chocolate chips if that’s your jam, or try my chocolate banana muffins.

Storage Instructions

I could eat this whole loaf of banana bread within a few days by myself no problem, but if you’re not a champion eater like myself, here’s how to store the leftovers. After baking, make sure the bread is cool, then cut it into thick slices.

The sliced bread can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days, or it can be frozen for longer storage. To freeze the slices, place sheets of parchment paper between the slices to prevent them from sticking, then place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag.

Individual slices can be taken out and thawed at room temperature or briefly microwaved to warm through.