Best Banana Bread Recipe

One of my favorite foods to make is banana bread. It’s ideal year-round, there are many variations and you can typically freeze it to enjoy later.

I’ve tried many recipes for banana bread over the years, and have posted several here, but I think I’ve finally found the best one ever. It has butter and sour cream, and a lot of bananas, so it’s moist and flavorful. It’s actually my own adaptation of a recipe from the book Cook This, Not That.

This recipe is for one loaf of banana bread so you’ll only need one standard loaf pan. However, if you have more than one pan you could double the recipe and freeze one loaf for later!

If you want a healthier version, just replace some of the flour with whole wheat flour. I usually substitute 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour, and add a little extra sour cream to keep the batter moist.

And for something different, you can stir in any of these before pouring the batter into the pan:

• 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, OR
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter.

Scroll to the bottom for a printable version.

Best Banana Bread Recipe

What you’ll need:

Ingredients:

4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan.
2. Combine the bananas, yogurt, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, walnuts (if using), baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet banana mixture and stir until fully blended.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

5. Bake on a low oven rack for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.