The Best Banana Bread Recipe

Every baker needs a favorite banana bread recipe, and this is mine. Moist and flavorful, it’s perfect to have with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack. Quick bread recipes (like this one) are perfect for days when you want to enjoy a fast homemade treat, since the batter comes together quickly in one bowl, and then bakes in one pan. What could be simpler? Unlike your standard banana bread recipe, this loaf is made extra rich with the addition of sour cream. The sour cream boosts the texture and flavor, giving you a banana bread that’s just right.

To start, you’ll need what all good banana bread recipes need — a few very ripe bananas. Ripe bananas are perfect for baking because they’re softer (meaning easier to mash) and sweeter, giving you even more of that wonderful banana flavor.

From there, it’s the standard procedure of creaming together the butter and sugar (we’ll link to the full recipe at the bottom of the post), adding a few eggs, then the mashed banana, vanilla extract, and sour cream — my favorite “secret” banana bread ingredient. To that, gently add a whisked-together mixture of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. While the recipe calls for an optional 1/2 cup of nuts to be added to the batter (walnuts or pecans work great), you can also swap them out for chocolate chips — or throw caution to the wind and add a little of both. If you can get your hands on a bag of cinnamon chips near the holiday season, those are also a very tasty addition. For this loaf, I kept it simple and didn’t add anything — but it wasn’t by choice. When I went to my cupboard, I realized (too late) that I had used the last of my chopped walnuts making a Pineapple Cheese Ball the day before. Fortunately, this banana bread tastes delicious even when it’s plain. Just before baking, I sprinkled a generous handful of coarse sanding sugar over the top of my loaf. It gives each slice a wonderful, sugary, crunchy top that I love.

The perfect morning treat! Maybe served with a side of maple butter?

A bread this good is also perfect for sharing. I like to double the recipe and bring the other loaf to work, or give it to a friend or family member. You could also freeze the second loaf so that the next time banana bread cravings strike, you won’t even have to wait for ripe bananas! Love a good quick bread, but don’t like banana? Try one of our other Quick Bread Recipes. Love banana, but can’t tolerate gluten? These Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins are just the thing! Do you have a favorite quick bread recipe? GET THE RECIPE:Great-Grandmother’s Banana Bread Recipe