THE BEST Classic Banana Bread Recipe - Scientifically Sweet (2024)

My Classic Banana Bread Recipe is quick and easy to make with a soft and moist texture. Banana bread is a delicious way to use up over-ripe bananas and my recipe makes a flavorful loaf! It has a perfect even crumb texture and it is made with simple, wholesome ingredients. I know there are a lot of banana bread recipes out there, but this one doesn't use a lot of fat so it's not too heavy or greasy even though it is still so moist!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS BANANA BREAD RECIPE?

• Easy to make - this easy banana bread recipe is quick to prepare! You don't need an electric mixer and can make it in one bowl with a whisk or a spatula. You can easily whip this up on any busy weekday.
• Super moist banana bread - the loaf is SUPER moist and has such a soft texture. It stays moist for days in an airtight container.
• Not too sweet - the bananas are sweet enough that you don't need a lot of sugar to keep this loaf moist and it has such a nice clean banana flavor.
• Low fat - it doesn't use a ton of fat (only ¼ cup of oil for the whole loaf!)
• Simple ingredients - you probably already have all of the ingredients handy to make this loaf so you don't need to make a stop to the grocery store!

INGREDIENTS FOR CLASSIC BANANA BREAD RECIPE

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great for a moist banana bread. Do not pack it down when measuring or use a scale to get the right amount
• Baking powder - you'll need quite a bit of baking powder since this is a dense batter and, like most quick bread recipes, there is no aerating step. You just mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, so we really rely on chemical leaveners to give rise to this loaf.
• Baking soda - baking soda is what gives this loaf such a rich deep brown crust and it will also react with the acidity from the molasses in brown sugar.
• Spice - a love to use cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg in this banana bread, but feel free to leave it out if you want. I really love the warmth the spices bring to this and they complement the banana very well.

• Bananas - you'll need about 3 ripe bananas for this recipe. That equates to about 1 ½ cups mashed banana. For me, this is usually 3 medium bananas. I don't recommend using frozen bananas for the best taste, but it will still work. See my tips below in the FAQ section to read why.
• Oil - You can use any neutral tasting oil, however I prefer sunflower oil since it has a pure clean taste.
• Brown sugar - light or dark brown sugar works great in this recipe. It adds a lovely hint of molasses flavor and also keeps it extra moist.
• Yogurt -use full fat plain yogurt to add tanginess to this recipe and complement the fruity notes.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Mash bananas in a bowl with the back of a fork until very smooth.
• STEP 2). Whisk in brown sugar. Add the brown sugar and whisk it in until it looks syrupy.
• STEP 3). Add eggs. Crack in the eggs and then add melted butter and yogurt. Whisk it all in until evenly combined and smooth.
• STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• STEP 5). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to the banana mixture and fold it in until just combined.
• STEP 6). Fold in chocolate chips. Add the mini chocolate chips just before all of the flour is incorporated and fold them in until the batter is evenly blended. Do not over-mix.
• STEP 7). Bake. Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the top is evenly browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Measure flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the batter can result in a dense loaf. Bananas contain carbohydrates that will contribute to some of the structure of the loaf itself, so the batter will be naturally wet. Resist the urge to add more flour.
• Use the right amount of bananas. Bananas come in all different sizes... generally small medium and large. This recipe uses 3 medium sized bananas, and 1 medium banana (flesh only) weighs about 120g. So, that means after you peel your banana it should weigh about 120 grams. For this recipe you will need 360g of banana flesh.
• Mash the bananas very well. Mash the bananas to a smooth consistency. This will ensure you extract all of the sugars and starch so they incorporate into the batter to make it moist and with an even crumb texture.

• Do not over-mix - banana bread is a rustic batter and doesn't need to be perfectly smooth to turn out wonderfully. Just gently fold the flour in until evenly incorporated so there aren't any large dry streaks, but no need to mix excessively. Over-mixing will lead to a drier, tougher crumb texture instead of soft and tender.
• Avoid frozen bananas if you can. I always prefer to make banana bread with very ripe spotty bananas and not frozen bananas. That is because freezing destroys the cell structure of the banana so that a lot of water leaches out once they thaw. This water is free water and can cause a dense gummy layer to form at the bottom of the baked loaf. Fresh bananas have their cell structures intact so that they can contribute better to the integrity of the loaf.
• NO vanilla extract! Am I crazy? Vanilla goes in nearly every recipe because it simply enhances other flavors and adds an earthy, sometimes floral background note to round off baked goods. But, I actually found that leaving out the vanilla in banana bread actually creates a cleaner banana flavor. Try it! You'll save a few $$ on vanilla too 😉

RECIPE FAQ

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