Name: The Best Banana Bread
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 95 minutes
Yield: Makes one 9x5” loaf (8–10 servings)
Ingredients: ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan; 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan; 4 medium very ripe bananas (about 13 ounces), peeled and mashed; ¼ cup sour cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts; A 9x5" loaf pan

A loaf of banana bread half sliced on a marble surface with a dish of softened butter to the side.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone

To create our ultimate banana bread recipe, the Epi test kitchen team baked the most popular versions in our archives to determine what made each one so delicious. Then we combined the things we liked about other quick breads into the ideal breakfast loaf: a sweet, nutty, and supremely moist banana bread with a delicate crumb. This is an easy recipe with minimal prep time, so you can go from looking for the best banana bread recipe to eating exceptional banana bread in under 2 hours.

A note about mix-ins: We like banana bread with walnuts, which add a warm, toasty, crunchy textural contrast. If you’re a nut-free household, leave them out. Or, if you prefer pecans, add those to your mixing bowl instead. Into chocolate mix-ins? Our testers were divided, but ultimately determined that chocolate masked the delicate banana flavor more than we liked. If you swing the other way, try our chocolate chip banana bread. Interested in peanut butter banana bread? A pumpkin bread modification? Or recipes made with cream cheese or whole wheat flour? You’ll find those and more in the variations section of this other recipe.

To ensure your homemade banana bread easily pops out of the pan, line the pan with parchment paper: Brush melted butter (or use cooking spray) on the pan to anchor the parchment, secure it with binder clips, then grease and flour the pan as indicated below.

Cooks' Note

If you can’t find overripe bananas (they should be riddled with black spots and be very soft) at the store and you don’t have time to wait, you can speed up the process by slow-roasting yellow bananas. Bake the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet at 250°F until soft and the skins have turned totally black, 15-20 minutes. Let cool before continuing with the recipe.