Moist Banana Bread

AI-generated recipe illustration

Prep time

15 min

Cook time

1 hr

Total time

1 hr 15 min

Yield

10 servings

This is the banana bread that ends the search: deeply moist from an extra banana and a spoonful of sour cream, sweet without being cake, and forgiving of every mistake except impatience. The secret is embarrassingly simple — bananas so ripe they look like a problem (black-speckled minimum, fully black ideal) and a light hand with the flour. One bowl, no mixer, and the discipline to let it cool before slicing, which is the hardest instruction on this entire website.

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas (about 1 3/4 cups mashed)
• 8 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Optional: 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips

How to make moist banana bread

1. Heat the oven to 350°F; grease and line a 9x5 loaf pan with a parchment sling.
2. Mash the bananas in a big bowl; whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the top; fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain — lumps are welcome, overmixing is the enemy.
4. Fold in nuts or chips if using; scrape into the pan.
5. Bake 55–65 minutes, until a skewer from the center comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Tent with foil at 45 minutes if the top browns fast.
6. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out and cool at least 30 more before slicing.

Make it your own

Storage & leftovers

Wrapped at room temperature it improves for 2 days and keeps 4 — day-two banana bread is the canonical banana bread.

It freezes as well as anything ever has: whole loaf or slices, 3 months, thaw on the counter. Toasted frozen slices with butter are a top-five breakfast.

A few helpful answers

Cooking times and nutrition are estimates. Read our editorial policy, or send a correction.