Banana Bread – A Beautiful Mess

If I find myself at a coffee shop with pastries and they have banana bread, I’m getting it. I love a soft, moist interior with a slightly crunchy edge. And while bananas are not necessarily my favorite fruit, they are my favorite fruit baked in bread—I love that banana flavor!

And this homemade banana bread recipe is my favorite! It’s easy, foolproof and exceptionally delicious. When I bake this banana bread, it doesn’t last long at our house as it’s one of my husband’s favorite desserts as well.

Related: If you want a similar quick bread recipe that uses butter instead of oil, try our chocolate chip banana bread recipe.

Ingredients

• Ripe bananas
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Walnuts
• Oil
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Sour cream
• Vanilla extract

I like to sprinkle a little turbinado sugar, sometimes called sugar in the raw, on top before baking. This adds a nice crunch and a pretty texture, but it’s optional.

How to make Banana Bread

First, peel and mash the ripe bananas in a small bowl. Set aside until you need them.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Then stir in the walnuts.

In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: oil, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract. Now stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Last, stir in the mashed bananas.

Spray a bread loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, or you can grease with softened butter or line with parchment paper. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with turbinado sugar if using.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean (no completely raw batter clinging to it). Allow the bread to cool in the pan before removing. Once room temperature, you can slice and serve.

Tips and Substitutions

• For the oil in this recipe, I usually use canola oil or vegetable oil. But you could use other oils, like olive oil or melted coconut oil. If you use a more flavorful oil, keep in mind this will add to the flavor of your bread.
• You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
• You can use white sugar instead of brown sugar, but I prefer the flavor brown sugar adds.
• If you are wanting to make this banana bread recipe but your bananas are not ripe yet, learn how to quickly ripen bananas here.
• If you want your banana bread to be Pinterest worthy, add a sliced banana to the top before baking. 🙂 This is not necessary but really pretty if you have an extra banana.
• Other additions you might like include: chocolate chips, other nuts like pecans or almonds, other spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
• If you want to make banana muffins instead of bread, you can bake this batter in standard size muffin tins and reduce the bake time to 20-25 minutes.
• Save any leftover bread by wrapping in plastic wrap or storing in an airtight container for at least 3 days and likely longer. You don’t have to refrigerate unless you prefer cold banana bread.

More Homemade Bread Recipes