Everyone needs an Easy Banana Bread recipe and this one is perfect! It’s sweet, moist and full of flavor. All you need are a few simple ingredients and less than ten minutes to get this bread in the oven. It’s the perfect recipe for overripe bananas!
Seriously, isn’t banana bread the first thing that comes to mind when you have over-ripened bananas??? Banana bread is the perfect solution because more than likely, you have all the ingredients you need in your pantry to make it right now!
What ingredients do you need to make banana bread?
The ingredients needed to make banana bread are ripe bananas, butter, eggs, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and flour. If you’d like to make this a gluten-free banana bread, you can substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend at a 1:1 ratio.
How to make the best banana bread:
Melt the butter in a large bowl, add the bananas and mash until good and mushy. Add the vanilla and egg and mix until the wet ingredients are well incorporated with each other. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices until thoroughly combined. (steps 1 and 2) 
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. (steps 3 and 4) Let cool about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
How to ripen bananas in the oven.
Don’t have ripe bananas? No worries! It’s easy to ripen bananas in your oven! Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and place the unpeeled bananas onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes. (steps 1 and 2) They will turn a dark almost black color so don’t be alarmed. Remove them and allow them to cool before mashing them!(step 3)
What tastes good on top of banana bread?
Melted butter is my personal favorite but the list of things to put on top of banana bread is endless! Try toppings such as Almond Butter, Homemade Nutella, peanut butter, honey or cream cheese!
Can you freeze banana bread?
Yes! If you’d like to freeze some banana bread for a later date, let the bread cool completely after baking. Once the bread has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and then two layers of foil. Banana bread can be frozen for up to 2 months. When you are ready to eat it, take it out of the freezer a day in advance and place the loaf on the counter to thaw.
Other recipes you will enjoy:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Monkey Bread
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- French Breakfast Puffs
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
Did you make this Easy Banana Bread recipe? Let me know how it turned out by ★★★★★ RATING this recipe and leaving a comment below!!
Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl mash the bananas with a fork and then add the egg, melted butter and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check the bread at 50 minutes then continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and remove it to a cooling rack.
Amy's Tips
- Store banana bread in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Once completely cooled, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and two layers of foil. Label and date the bread before putting in the freezer.
- Ripen bananas in the oven by baking them at 300 degrees on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Let cool before handling.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted in Oct 2016 and updated in May 2019 with new photos, process shots and expert tips and tricks.
Excellent recipe…easy and delicious!
This was the best banana bread I’ve ever made. Soooooo moist and the sweetness is just perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
i sometimes when baking a banana bread have it crack in the middle..always wondered why..any ideas?
Hi Carol, I have the same problem sometimes…thank goodness it doesn’t effect the taste 🙂 . I’ve heard that cracks can be caused from over-mixing the batter or by the bread rising too quickly in the oven. A couple of tips that I have learned are to tap the pan on the counter before baking to help release any air bubbles and then to turn the pan around in the oven half way through baking because some ovens don’t heat evenly. I hope this helps!