I’m so excited to share with you my recipe for the Easiest Banana Bread Ever! It’s so simple and basically fool-proof.
I’ve been making this recipe for at least 25 years now and for good reason! Not only is it really, really tasty but it’s also forgiving and comes together quickly. This is the perfect recipe for a beginning baker (and kids!) to conquer.
Over the years I’ve played with the recipe and found that it’s really flexible–you can easily customize it to fit your family’s tastes. Add a handful of chocolate chips or dried fruit, maybe some crushed nuts or dollops of peanut butter to the batter–I promise, it will be perfect.
One of my favorite renditions has been a Honey and Crystallized Ginger version.
I’ve even added black sesame seeds and 1/3 of a cup of liquid tahini and then topped the loaf with slices of raw banana [I’ll share this recipe in it’s own post soon]. It took about 20 minutes longer to bake, but it came out perfectly, as always.
Old faithful. That’s what this recipe is.
It always turns out incredible, and I’ve never baked a dry loaf (and I’m certain you won’t either!).
I couldn’t tell you where this base recipe came from. I don’t know if it was from a book or magazine, my grandma, or maybe I found it in a newspaper. I don’t know…
But what I do know is that if you make this banana bread…you won’t regret it!
{{This post is an update of an older post that appeared here. I’m still working on it and should have it done soon, but wanted to get it uploaded before our Facebook Live video! I hope you enjoy it and check back!}}
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The Easiest Banana Bread Recipe–[Customizable Base Recipe!]
This is one of the easiest and BEST recipes for banana bread that I've ever come across. It's a great recipe for beginning bakers and kids as it's nearly fool-proof.
You can customize the recipe by adding a handful or two of any chocolate chips, dried fruits, nuts–even a few big dollops of peanut butter swirled into the batter works wonderfully.
- 3 medium ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted ((4 tbsp. or about 60 grams))
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp raw sugar crystals, optional (for sprinkling on top of batter before baking)
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prep a loaf pan (or muffin tin) by spraying with non-stick spray, buttering or using parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and smashed bananas. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, mix well until there are minimal lumps–it should be fairly smooth. Add the egg and stir to combine. (some small lumps are okay). sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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Add the sugar to the bowl. Mix well before adding the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until everything is combined, being sure not to over mix your batter, then tip in any add-ins you are using (chocolate chips, dried fruits, nuts, ect…) and stir gently until they are evenly incorporated.
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Pour your batter into the prepared/greased loaf pan (or muffin tins). Top the batter with some raw sugar crystals, if using.
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Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean, without batter on it.
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Remove the bread from the oven and let cool a couple minutes before cafefully removing from the pan. Let the bread cool on a rack for about a half hour or so before cutting into it. If you are impatient and can't wait–that's okay, too! Your bread may be a bit soft though and is more likely to fall apart.
- **I usually sprinkle the top with raw sugar crystals before baking. It makes the crust have a pretty shine and a bit of a crunch, similar to what you’d find at a bakery.
This recipe freezes extremely well!
To freeze: Once the bread is completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or press and seal. Place the wrapped bread into a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing.
*I like to cut my banana bread into thick slices and freeze the slices individually. Then I don’t have to commit to using a whole loaf and we can have snacks-on-demand available in the freezer.
When you’re ready to eat the frozen bread, remove it from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature (this doesn’t take very long but the time will vary).
Bumbleberry! How fun is that?!
Yes indeed, better to have dry pie than no pie. Better still is your delicious looking banana bread! Always a winner. Lovely post…
Missed you at the wedding last weekend Shari! I was going to complement you in person on your blog. I hope your grandma and Kathie passed it on for me!
Janet,
Thank you for the comment! I was really looking forward to seeing everyone at the wedding too, but unfortunately our plans had a few last minute changes.
It’s weird, actually. We decided to travel “up north” and hang around Duluth a bit before spending the weekend at my parent’s cabin (we don’t get many free weekends). I’m glad it worked out that way, because wouldn’t you know…as soon as we left–Duluth flooded! 🙁 I feel so sad.
…But anyway, thank you so much for the compliments on the blog. Hopefully Piyush and I will see you all soon. We’ve thought about taking a trip to Canada one of these days…
Awesome! We would love to have you up here in the good ol’ north! 🙂