Banana Bread Recipe - Love and Lemons (2024)

This easy banana bread recipe is the BEST way to use ripe bananas! It's moist, delicious, and packed with banana flavor. You're going to love it!

This banana bread recipe is the best way to use overripe bananas. Now that we have a little one in the house, we’ve been buying a LOT more bananas than we used to. Sometimes (ok, often), we don’t get to all of them before they ripen, and I end up with a heap of dark brown, spotty bananas on my counter. Banana bread to the rescue!

But not just any banana bread.

While some popular recipes call for 2 or 3 bananas, this banana bread recipe calls for 4. I love that it lets me use up lots of ripe bananas in one go, but that’s not the only benefit of adding so much fruit. It gives the banana bread an amazing moist texture and rich, sweet banana flavor.

Even if you already have a go-to banana bread recipe, I hope you’ll try this one. Easy to make and SO delicious, it’s my new favorite. It could be yours too!

Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

• Bananas, of course! The riper, the better. You’ll need 2 cups mashed, about 4 large bananas.Tip:To quickly ripen bananas for this recipe (within 1 to 2 days instead of 3+), store them in a paper bag.
• All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
• Cane sugar – It sweetens the bread, bringing out the banana flavor. Brown sugar is fantastic here too—it makes the loaf extra-moist.
• Melted butter – It perfects the moist texture and adds buttery flavor. Sub vegetable oil to make this recipe dairy-free!
• Eggs and baking soda – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.
• Vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg – For warm depth of flavor.
• Walnuts – For crunch! If you’d rather not add nuts, omit them, or replace them with an equal amount of raisins or chocolate chips.
• And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Banana Bread

This recipe is easy to make—no mixer required! Here’s how it goes:

First, combine the wet ingredients.Mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.

Next, whisk together the dry ingredients.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture…

…and mix until just combined. Careful not to overmix! If you do, the bread will be dense.

Fold the walnuts into the batter.

Finally, bake!Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan and sprinkle more walnuts on top. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch.

• Tip: Check the bread at 40 minutes. If the top is well browned but the loaf still needs more time, tent it with foil to prevent further browning as it continues to bake.

How to Store Banana Bread

Proper storage will keep your quick bread moist after baking.

Allow it to cool to room temperature in the loaf pan. Then, transfer the loaf to an airtight container, or tightly wrap it in foil or plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

More Quick Bread Recipes

If you love this recipe, try one of these easy quick breads next:

• Healthy Banana Bread
• Gluten-Free Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Bread
• Zucchini Bread
• Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Lemon Yogurt Cake

Got more ripe bananas?Make banana pancakes, banana muffins, or a peanut butter banana smoothie next!