Banana Bread with Sour Cream
The moist Banana Bread recipe you’ve been searching for! I tested a ton of different recipes so you don’t have to. The result is a bread that is super moist (thank you sour cream) and perfectly fluffy. It’s full of banana flavor without being too dense. It’s my favorite banana nut bread! And it’s easy to make!
Charlotte was in the living room the other day and called me over with an accusing look on her face. “Mom, was dad watching TV last night? And eating something? Because I thought I heard something, and there are crumbs on the couch.” Um. Good sleuthing, Sherlock. This is what we do literally every night after you are in bed: eat snacks and watch TV.
I have no idea how it’s taken her 9 years to figure this out! I told her that this is the kind of behavior she can look forward to indulging in when she’s in her 30s. I didn’t mention the mortgage and the job and the lawn to mow; I didn’t want to crush all her dreams of staying-up-late-eating-cookies-bliss.
How was everyone’s Memorial Day weekend? Eric and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary! It was so fun, and you guys, we stayed at a place that wasn’t our house! We ate in a restaurant that wasn’t our kitchen! We had a full 30 hours away from our children! (Bless you for taking the kids, Mom.) There is nothing like coming out of quarantine to make the sun shine brighter and food taste even more amazing. Maybe we should always shut ourselves in our houses for 2 months before a vacation. We would enjoy it more!
I’m so excited that things are starting to slowly open up! We all did a great job flattening the curve, right?! It’s really cool to see our country come together like that! ‘Merica.
Tasty Banana Bread for Quarantine
Have you made any banana bread during quarantine? It seems to be all the rage! I don’t have any banana bread recipes on my site. My sister called me a few years ago, confused that I didn’t have a recipe on the blog. It’s such a basic, and I’m finally getting around to it! Banana bread has never been my favorite, so I knew it would take me a while of testing tons of different recipes to find out what I like most about banana bread, and then perfect my own version. (Just like I did for cornbread a few months ago.) I’m happy to say I’ve found the moist banana bread that will be my go-to from now on!
In anticipation of all the testing, I went to the store and bought over 25 bananas. The store clerks were totally giving me the side eye, because who does that?? I needed to let them sit and ripen so I could get on with the Great Banana Bread Bake-Off of 2020!
Eric’s parents were in town several days later when my bananas were just starting to brown. From the other room one morning I heard my mother-in-law Kris say something about making banana cake, and I came barreling into the kitchen like a psycho person, telling her the precious brown bananas were claimed. Sorry Kris!! Ripe bananas don’t just grow on trees! They take days to get to the perfect level of banana bread perfection!
I ended up making at least 12 batches of bread. Here are the first 8. Props to my in-laws Kris and Chip for helping me narrow down the best features of each one so that we could find the Perfect Banana Bread.
How to ripen bananas quickly?
There is a hack to ripening bananas at home. If you don’t have brown bananas, you have two options: you can use regular yellow bananas and just mash them up really well. If you do this, increase the brown sugar by about 1/4 to 1/3 cup and add a pinch more salt. The other option is to line a pan with foil, turn your oven on to 300 degrees F, and bake yellow bananas for about 15 minutes until the peels are black. Let cool completely and then use for banana bread!
Can bananas be frozen for later use?
Even after I bought 25 bananas to test the recipes for this post, I still needed more bananas believe it or not. Good thing I have been saving over ripe bananas in my freezer for literally years! Here’s what I do: when you have brown bananas on the counter but don’t have the time or inclination to make banana bread right away, peel them and freeze in a ziplock. If you have a whole bunch, you may want to lay them out on a baking sheet and flash freeze for an hour, then transfer to a ziplock. You can also freeze bananas in their peels, I’ve done that before. Just zap them in the microwave when you need them, then peel and use them for bread or whatever.
When you use frozen bananas for banana bread (or any baked dessert), you will have to microwave it long enough to be able to mash it. When you microwave it, a bunch of liquid will melt off of the banana. Don’t throw it away! Add it to your banana bread. It will make your bread extra moist!
Moist Banana Bread Ingredients
Almost all recipes for banana bread are basically the same. I’m really not exaggerating when I say this. I looked at dozens and dozens of recipes and only saw minor adjustments to this formula, which I can literally spout off the top of my head after making different versions of this 12 times in one week. This is for one 9×5 inch loaf:
Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter (a few recipes use oil)
- between 1/2 and 1 cup sugar, brown or white or a mix
- 2 eggs
- somewhere between 1/2 to 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream / Greek yogurt / buttermilk
- anywhere from 1/2 cup to over 2 cups of mashed banana (2-6 bananas)
Dry ingredients:
- between 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda << almost no variation on this
- 1/4 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon salt
Most of the banana bread recipes you find are nearly identical to each other, with one key ingredient making the biggest difference: BANANA. Some recipes call for 2 bananas, some call for 6. This is the difference between about 3/4 cup mashed banana up to 2 and 1/3 cups mashed banana, which is the highest amount I saw in any one recipe.
So after lots of testing, I determined the amounts of the other ingredients I liked best (half white half brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sour cream, tons of vanilla, some oat flour in place of regular flour (more on that later), etc. Then I made 2 batches of my final recipe: the first one with 1 cup of banana (moderate), and the second with 2 cups of banana (tons).
1 cup Banana Bread vs. 2 Cup Banana Bread
The results are in! I am a 1 cup banana bread lover.
This was a surprise to me. I tend to go hog-wild sometimes, especially when it comes to baked goods. See this Coffee Cake with a Ridiculous Amount of Streusel, this Apple Crisp with a Ridiculous Amount of Streusel, or this Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake. I’m not really known for moderation you guys. I am an over-the-top-baker. I was ready to post Banana Bread with a Ridiculous Amount of Bananas. But guys… it’s just not my thing.
Can you tell why from the photo above? Look at the bottom edge of the 2 cup bread. It’s so heavy that the bottom of the bread is a completely different texture from the top half of the bread. Banana bread with too much banana ends up being SUPER dense, cloyingly sweet, and the worst trait: gummy. Nobody wants to eat gummy bread you guys. And it doesn’t hold together well for slicing. Bread is meant to be fluffy and tender, even banana bread. When you take a bite of 2-cup banana bread, it tastes like your taking a bite of a really soft banana with some butter on it. I mean, ugh, right?
(This is 1 cup banana bread.)
Okay okay maybe it’s not that bad. I think some people actually prefer it, there are a TON of recipes out there with 2 cups. But I bet you 10 dollars if you made 1 cup banana bread and 2 cup banana bread and gave people a blind taste test, the 1 cup banana bread would win. All of my friends and family who tried this recipe preferred the 1 cup banana bread. It is still SUPER moist, but also fluffy, just like a quick bread ought to be.
(This is 2 cup banana bread)
There is one thing about 2 cup banana bread: I do think the top comes out prettier. You get that super glossy finish and a slightly more rounded top. I tried everything I could think of to get my 1 cup banana bread to look more like the 2 cup bread, but alas. You need all that extra moisture and liquid from the banana. The texture of the top of 1-cup bread is perfectly crispy and delicious, the 2 cup bread is more wet. Obviously I prefer a crackly top for eating. Of the two photos above, which one do you like better? Maybe I’m overthinking it!
How to Make the Best Banana Bread Recipe Ever
I will show you how to make it! It’s so easy, I could literally do it in my sleep at this point.
First cream together the butter and sugar, just as if you were going to make cookies. Get it nice and fluffy.
Then add in all the other wet ingredients (except the sour cream): eggs, vanilla, and banana. (1 cup of banana :)
Then either in a separate bowl (or just right on top of the wet ingredients if you are lazy like me), add the flour, blended oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Not all banana bread recipes call for baking powder, and you can actually omit it if you want to. I liked the little extra lift it gives the bread. It’s just a little bit fluffier.
The blended oats is the one ingredient that is not common in most banana bread recipes. All you have to do is measure out 1/2 cup oats, add it to a blender, and pulse until powdery. I love the slightly nutty flavor the oat flour lends. If it sounds like an annoying step to you, then you can just replace the oats with 1/2 cup flour and call it good. Your banana bread will still turn out great.
I also added some optional spices in the recipe. It’s not much: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon each clover and nutmeg. It’s a small amount because I really like the banana flavor to shine in banana bread. But this tiny amount plays more of a supporting role than taking over.
Lastly, fold in the sour cream, fold in some nuts if you’re using them, and voila! Bake it up for an hour and you’re done. It’s so easy. There is a reason it’s called quick bread!
When my friends heard that I was testing a million banana breads they would tell me, oh, I love to add chocolate chips to mine! It’s true, chocolate makes everything better. But it doesn’t make sense for testing. I was on a mission to find a stand alone bread that was good without chocolate chips, and good without even nuts (although I much prefer banana bread with nuts, I found.) All my test breads were made without mix-ins so that I could judge the actual bread without distractions.
If you want to add chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon chips, go for it! Now that I have a favorite base recipe, I’m sure you will see many banana bread variations published here on the blog eventually! (UPDATE! I just made this Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!) See I told you more banana was coming :)
Can you freeze banana bread with sour cream?
Yes! Banana bread freezes beautifully! You can wrap an entire loaf in foil and then ziplock and freeze (thaw on the counter with the bag sealed) or you can slice it and wrap and freeze individual portions for when you need a quick fix. Let thaw on the counter in the sealed container. Toss thawed slices in the toaster for a minute to get rid of extra moisture.
And there you have it! The best moist banana bread! Do you think you are a 1-cupper or a 2-cupper? If any of you decide to make both versions, I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram!
P.S. Update! I recently made this Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s super easy to make and if you love banana bread, you are going to love it! Who can say no to cream cheese frosting??
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Sour Cream Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, 9 ounces*, about 2 and 1/2 medium bananas
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, blended into a powder**
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves, optional
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper. I prefer using the paper so that you can lift the bread out for easy slicing.
- If you plan to add nuts, toast them now so they have time to cool. Add 1/2 or 3/4 cup chopped nuts (I like either walnuts or pecans) to a dry baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. You will know they are done when they are very fragrant. Set aside to let cool.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar and cream together. This means beat it for about 2 minutes until it is fluffy, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat well until incorporated, scraping the sides.
- In a small bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash about 2 and 1/2 very ripe bananas. It should come out to about 1 cup.* A little more or a little less banana, and you are still going to get banana bread. (More banana=more dense. Less banana does NOT make your banana bread not-moist.) 1 cup is the magic number for me. Add the mashed banana to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated.
- Add 1 cup flour to the bowl, but do not stir yet. (You can mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but I am too lazy.)
- Add 1/2 cup old fashioned oats to a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture has turned into powder, if it's a little gritty that's okay. Add the oat flour to the bowl but don't stir.
- Use a small spoon to stir 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the flour. You don't want any clumps of salt or soda in your bread.
- At this point, you can add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg. This bread is still really good without the spices, they are optional.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom.
- Lastly (don't forget!!) fold in the 1/2 cup sour cream.
- If you want to add nuts, fold them into the batter now. (Next time I think I will save 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top of the bread before going in the oven. Just an idea!)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes. Every oven is different and you are probably going to have to check it a few times. There is nothing sadder than undercooked banana bread, so I rely completely on the toothpick test: a toothpick inserted very deeply into the center of your bread (stick it right into the crack that has formed) should come out with no wet batter on it. Very moist crumbs are ok, as the bread will continue cooking just a bit once pulled out of the oven. The bread should look nice and brown on top and should be pulling away from the sides of the pan.
- Let the bread cool completely (okay, well at least for 20 minutes or so) on a cooling rack before slicing into it. If you don't devour a warm slice immediately with copious amounts of butter, it's a crime against bananas everywhere.
- Store covered on the counter for up to 2 days, then if there is by some miracle some leftover, I would stick it in the fridge.
- Banana bread freezes beautifully. You can wrap an entire loaf in foil and then ziplock and freeze (thaw on the counter with the bag sealed) or you can slice it and wrap and freeze individual portions for when you need a quick fix. Let thaw on the counter in the sealed container. Toss thawed slices in the toaster for a minute to get rid of extra moisture.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, sorry if I missed this somewhere in the recipe but does the fat content in the sour cream make a difference? I have non fat sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt so wondering which to use and if that was the issue that a few people had in the comments. Thanks.
Hi Amy! Yes, fat content matters! I would opt for the full fat greek yogurt in this case! I think either will work, but you will get a richer bread with the full fat. Enjoy! :)
Hi! I would love to try your Banana bread recipe. However, would you know the baking time if I bake it at 7×3 loaf pan? Thank you!
Hi Annika! I haven’t tested it in that size pan. It’s going to take a bit longer because the bread will be a little taller. It’s done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean! It will take over an hour to bake, for sure.
So your zucchini bread recipe is absolutely the best baked goods recipe I have cooked yet. It is ridiculously good. This one however comes out dry. Your zucchini bread was so outstanding I was excited to make this banana bread and I followed your recipe to a T except for one thing. I didn’t add the sour cream at the end together with the flour. I had two separate bowls for wet and dry ingredients and after the wet had everything else I mixed in the sour cream. Then I folded in the flour. It seemed overcooked and came out very dry. I kept checking with a tooth pick after 55 minutes and it was coming up wet so I cooked for an additional 7 minutes, checking every couple minutes until it came out clean. By that time it seemed like the whole thing was overcooked. When you cut it, the outside portion of each slice was brown and it was dry and tasted overcooked. Only the very inside of the bread was good enough to eat.
I was so disappointed that it came out dry, it was keeping me up at night so the next day I made it again but this time followed your instructions with the sour cream, folding it in with the flour. I also cooked only a half recipe, like I did with your zucchini bread because I’ve found before that full recipes of breads like this come out with the outsides overcooked by the time the inside is done because they take so long to cook. Same exact result. It made no difference. The second batch came out dry also. Less burned around edges, but that’s it.
Can I ask why you fold in the sour cream at the end instead of first mixing it in thoroughly with the wet ingredients before you add the dry? It seems to make no difference but causes you to have to mix it too much at the end to not only fold in the flour but also get the sour cream evenly mixed.
In any event, I made it a third time, also just half the recipe, but this time doubling the sour cream (1/4 cup for half recipe) and also put a little extra bananas. Maybe a couple extra tablespoons. Plus this time I did not follow your instructions of using a mixer to whip the butter and sugar. I didn’t bother with that whatsoever, just whisked all the wet ingredients together and I put 3 tablespoons of melted butter plus 1.5 T oil. So I substituted 25% of the butter for oil and also added an extra half tbsp of oil. This one came out perfectly. It looks just like yours does in the pictures. Light and fluffy, springy, perfect texture, but this one nice and moist and melts in your mouth.
So honestly I can’t figure out how your version comes out moist, unless we have very different definitions of moist. Although compared to the zucchini bread this one is almost just as moist while both times I followed your recipe on this banana bread it was extremely dry in comparison, and seemed overcooked. Funny how people get different results with the same recipe. Anyway, thanks for giving me a great starting point because the result with my tweaks to me is a perfect recipe. Excellent banana bread.
I just finished baking the 2 cup recipe. I did substitute flour for oat flour that I made and 1/2 of the butter with applesauce and I added 6 oz Greek yogurt. This is fantastic! I baked whole pecans then after they cooled, I chopped them. The loaf is tasty, moist, flavorful and it looks beautiful! This really tastes so good, think the oatmeal is making the recipe. I am happy that the weather cooled enough today that I could turn on my oven. My husband and I are smiling!!! This is our new favorite.
This is definitely one of the nicest banana breads that have tasted. I followed the one cup recipe and with the additional spices and as described it was moist inside with a slightly crisp top. My husband is not a big fan of banana bread as I am but he was impressed and commented on how much he enjoyed the flavour. I will certainly be making it again.
My first time to bake banana bread! Yummy!! My family loves it. However, I find it a bit salty??? I used the regular coarse sea salt, could not find any kosher salt.. is that the same? :)
Excellent! It didn’t hold together so well, but that may be because I put in “too many” chocolate chips and didn’t mix in the sour cream enough (I was wary of overmixing).
I actually don’t really like banana bread or bananas – I just hate wasting the bananas my girlfriend doesn’t eat – but this was like zucchini bread to me, and wasn’t at all rubbery like I’m used to. I adored it, and so did everyone I shared it with!* I will definitely be using this recipe again – it’s everything I’ve wanted from banana bread.
Notes:
– I skipped nuts and added an unmeasured quantity of chocolate chips, mixed in alongside the sour cream.
– Used 1 cup of mashed old thawed bananas, which I drained before hearing your words against it (it turned out crazy moist anyways).
– It did not come cleanly out of the pan. Needed more shortening, maybe.
– No blender, so no oats (just flour)! Maybe next time I’ll chop up the oats and try them out!
*Except for, er, my girlfriend, who as it turns out quite dislikes chocolate. Oops.
Tried this recipe and it’s sooo moist and not too sweet which i liked.
So I forgot the sour cream and did not use the oats and doubled the recipe! Pretty amazing!! I’ve tried a lot of BB recipes and this one is a go to! Will make again!
Hi there! Could you sub 1 cup of banana for 1 cup pumpkin purée for pumpkin bread? Thinking the flavor profiles are similar. Not sure if the water content in either would affect the outcome though. Thank you!
Hi Liz! I bet you could but it will not be as sweet. Bananas are a lot sweeter than pumpkin puree. It will be an experiment! You could also try making these pumpkin muffins! You can skip the cream cheese filling if you want.
How long would you recommend cooking these in a mini muffin tin? Or in a regular muffin/cupcake tin?
Hi Jenny! I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure. I would start at 18-20 minutes. Be prepared to go longer though! check with a toothpick!
Probably making this for the 4th time in the last month haha!!!! Hands down the most delish banana bread evvvvver!
This is now my go to recipe for banana bread. I have been baking for years and had a few recipes that were the gold standard but this one rises to the top. I really think the oats make a difference in the texture and the difference is a home run. Bravo! Baking as many loaves as I can this and next weekend for a family reunion and for neighbors, and a consignment shop owner who absolutely loved it, and wrote me a note to say this was the best banana bread she had ever had.
My new go-to banana bread recipe! I used 1.5 cups flour instead of the oat flour.
Love this recipe! It’s the best recipe for banana bread, and my mom (who is the master chef in the house, says it’s better than her banana bread. I have two questions: can this be easily doubled without any alterations? & last time, I made this, it overflowed. Could it have been the baking powder or the butter that I accidentally melted. If I omit the baking powder, how will that change the taste/texture?
Hi Sophia! So glad you are enjoying the recipe. Doubling is totally fine. That is so strange that it overflowed! Melting butter wouldn’t have that effect. You can omit the baking powder and see what happens. The baking soda will still give you some rise. Good luck!
This was the 4th recipe I tried from Pinterest and by far it is the BEST! Moist and flavorful and you are so right, 1 cup of mashed bananas is perfect. Other recipes call for more bananas but they were too dense. Thank you for sharing. I will check out some of your other recipes.
By far the best banana recipe I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried a few. I doubled the recipe because I had about 2 cups of bananas that were about to go bad. This bread is so light, moist, delicious and full of flavor. I didn’t use the oats because quite frankly I didn’t feel like doing the extra step but I may next time. Can’t wait to share this bread with my family. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in to perfect this recipe and for sharing it with all of us!
This recipe is fantastic!!! I used half coconut sugar and half regular sugar instead of the brown sugar. It is so light and moist… love love loved it!
Thank you Karen for doing all the test drives on banana bread recipes. Followed the recipe exactly, 3 bananas (didn’t measure them) and just took it out of the oven. It is light and delicious! Worth the extra work, (toasting the nuts, grinding the oat meal). Totally worth the extra efforts. I did use 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup stevia since my partner is diabetic. Delish!!
Best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made! And spot on suggestion to use less banana. I used one cup of mashed banana and it is absolutely PERFECT banana bread. Thank you!
This Banana bread recipe is amazing and oh so simple. I have been lookong for a great recipe for a while now and this will be made at least once a week from now on.
Everyone in the family approves!
Many Thanks.
Oh p.s after makingvthis recipe twice I adjusted it a little…. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and only used 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 bananas and still came out really good. 🍞👌
There’s a lot to love about this recipe – Oat flour and sour cream are great for flavor. However, mine came out nothing like the pictures (after 2 attempts) and I think that the author needs to reconsider the baking powder. It puffed up in baking, with the first attempt overflowing and spilling all over my oven, and fell immediately during cooling. The flavor is great, but the texture is all wrong. I might do a 3rd attempt without the baking powder and see how it goes.
Hi Sara, what size pan were you using? I’m so sorry it didn’t work out!
Came out great. I used two and a half small bananas.
Thank You!!! I have made a lot of banana bread but this was the best. I had 5 large, very ripe bananas so I doubled the recipe. I toasted the pecans and saved some for the top. I used the spices and there really isn’t anything that I would change.
I made this bread today and it was amazing. Thank you for the recipe :)
This is the best tasting banana bread I’ve ever made. Thank you! Oddly though, it did not rise well. There was a lot of soda and baking powder so I was surprised. Mine are not outdated, so that’s not the problem. I love the taste but could never serve or gift this because it was flat.
Very good as is and gf. Used the one cup of banana version for both loaves. Used1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup stevia and the spices in both. Substituted yogurt for the sour cream and used pecans in both. The gf version is good; the wheat flour version suited my husband.
Thank you so much for sharing your notes! I think this will be very helpful for people trying to lower the sugar and try this gluten free! So glad the recipe worked for you :)
THIS BANANA BREAD RECIPE IS THE BEST I HAVE EVER MADE. I LOVE THE TOUCH OF OATMEAL AS IT IS NOT OVERPOWERING. MY NEIGHBORS SAID IT WAS THE BEST RECIPE I EVER BAKED AND I BAKE AND SHARE ALL THE DESSERTS. THANKS FOR SHARING.
Charlatan Indead!!!! This is the first time I’ve used Pinterest recipes. Well epic fail!!! In Future I’ll use my trusty recipe book I’ve had for years which has never let me down!
I worked exactly to the recipe. Total flop. I was wondering why you’re using bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. You never use both!!! Also way too much salt!
Would be better if there is a conversion, substitute ingredients category in your website.
Anyway, can advise how much is cup to grams pls.
Thank you
Hi Wun Han! Google says that for dry goods, 1 cup is 128 grams. Hope this helps!
I have been looking a long time for a really good banana bread and my hunt has ended. This is outstanding. I have make it twice this week. I made it just as printed and has resulted in a tasty loaf both times. Thank you so much for sharing
I’m so happy for you Patricia! There is a certain satisfaction that comes from having “the one” recipe for something, right? :) Thank you so much for taking the time to review!
This recipe is just so delicious! I have to figure out how to tweak it a bit though… I just made two loaves (doubled the recipe)! But I only had 1/2 cup sour cream so I used a 1/2 cup of buttermilk too! I also added toasted pecans and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. I used all the baking soda and baking powder recommended; but it seems like the breads didn’t “rise” as much as I thought they would! Other than that, perfection! This is my new go to recipe! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Maura! Yes, this bread does not have a dome on the top. The trick for that is adding more bananas :) but I don’t like that flavor or texture as much. So I’m willing to compromise with flat-on-top loaf. I’ve tried increasing the leavening agents, it doesn’t help. Hope this makes sense! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was absolutely perfect! Loved the taste of the ground Oatmeal! What a great Idea! Thank you for this recipe! And all the work you did to test it. Well Done!!
Can u make these as muffins instead?
Hi Mary! I haven’t tried it but I’m sure you could! Tell me how it goes!
beautiful bread. Moist and tasty, not too sweet. Walnuts added that great finishing touch.
OMG!!! This is the best banana bread recipe. I have tried so many recipes and they were just blah. Now that I have found this recipe, all the old ones are going into the trash. Thank you so much and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I’m so happy to hear this Kristen! So glad you’ve found “the one”. I love that! Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
2 cup banana bread, this recipe give you a moist loaf AS PROMISED. i never made a banana bread EVER. followed this recipe and had a loaf that was dense and moist as the day it came out of the oven 1 week later!!
Just made this.. its really good!
Can I make this as muffins instead using the same recipe?
I haven’t tried it Taylor but I think it will work just fine!
I have made the bread twice now it is really good. I am just curious the bottom seems oily. I followed the recipe to the letter. Just curious, I am wondering if I could reduce the amount of butter.
Hi Janet! Hm I haven’t had that issue before. Seems strange. You could try reducing the butter if you like, I’m not sure how it will turn out.
I made this today. Tweeked it a little bit by adding a few mini chocolate chips, and a little coconut. It was perfectly done in 55 minutes and is it ever delish! Oh, I also put in one tiny capful of banana emulsiver and used 4 small perfectly blackened bananas. Wow, the best!
How can you go wrong with coconut and chocolate chips? Sounds amazing. Thanks so much for sharing and reviewing John!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Like yourself, I have looked for & made many diff banana bread recipes! Thanks for ALL the work you have done to perfect this one! It turned out wonderful. Tomorrow evening, I plan on making it again for company.. but my ? is, can I make it with 1/2 cup of my Grapeseed oil instead of the 1 stick of butter, just curious! Tks again for this awesome recipe. I look forward to making more of your different ones! 😃
Hi Amy! Yes I think you can replace it with oil! You could probably even do 1/3 cup oil, since butter is only about 80% fat. I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure. Let me know how it goes!
This was unbelievably good!
Not sure how, but it was rich & moist at the same time as being really aerated sponge; how could anyone ever have enough left to freeze?!
Swapped the oats for ground almonds, left out the clove (didn’t have any!) and added a generous big spoonful of mixed peel. Wonderful – thank you so much! ❤️
Ooh love your twists Flora! Love the ground almonds and mixed peel idea!I bet it was so good. No wonder there wasn’t any to freeze! :) Thanks for reviewing!
Absolutely delicious!! My family loved it. I toasted the pecans and ground them in my blender after they had cooled. Saved some for sprinkling on top before baking. Followed your recipe and this is my favourite banana bread ever. Thanks for posting 😘
Love the toasted blended pecans idea Jeannie! That sounds so delicious. Thank you for the idea, and thank you for reviewing!
Hi Karen. Thank you for doing all the testing of different recipes since I had lost interest in making banana bread due to the density and ‘gumminess’ of bread that I’ve made in the past. And honestly, Banana bread was never a favorite of mine. When I read your post I decided to give it one more try. My husband thanks you for it! Definitely the best recipe I’ve ever used. Perfectly balanced moisture, density, and flavor. I made the very basic loaf with toasted pecans but no spices, so that nothing could disguise the banana flavor. It was delicious!! I’ll be sharing this recipe with my family!
I think we are banana bread kindred spirits Inga! I felt exactly the same way, like I had kind of lost interest. I’m so glad we both have a go to recipe now! Thanks so much for reviewing :)
I made this recipe as directed, the only change was I substituted buttermilk for sour cream which it said could be done. It overflowed in the oven. Was it the baking powder? The recipe looked wonderful and I would like to try it again. Any suggestions.
Hi Gloria! So sorry it overflowed! I’m sorry you misunderstood. I did not test this recipe using all buttermilk. The list that you see up there in the post is just the different ways to make banana bread that other recipes I researched used. If you try my recipe using sour cream it will turn out just fine!
Not worth the effort. Many steps, pulverize oatmeal, toast pecans etc. easier recipes out there with better flavor
I think they were both optional steps Maggie? It took me about 6 minutes to chuck it all together!
How can i convert this recipe to be gluten free ? Can i just replace the flour with kimg arthur gluten free flour ?
Hi Maggie! I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour. If I were to try it, yes I would just replace the wheat flour 1:1 with a high quality gf flour. Let me know how it goes!
I always amke banana bread it will come out the way I liked it..but I always want something more to it… But this moist banana bread recipe is the best recipe I ever came across.. I ❤❤❤❤❤ it and definitely will make it again.
Great recipe
Oooh! You know what🤔🤔🤔 I saved it😃😃cause it worth saving y’all
Hi! I made your 1 cup banana bread recipe yesterday and the middle of the bread sank. Any suggestions on how I can stop the bread from sinking?
Made this today and hands down this is the best banana bread ever. I only used cinnamon and instead of nuts I used chocolate chips. I did toast the oats before grinding them and that gives a nutty taste to the oats. So good, thank you for sharing.
I added chocolate chips and it was amazing!!
Karen, this was an amazing Banana Bread. You definitely nailed it. I added a cup of raspberries and 1/2 cup of pecan nuts. Thanks so much for all your efforts to perfect this recipe. It will be my go-to banana bread from now on x
Hi! Excited to make this. Anything I can do to replace the sour cream? What do you suggest?
Hi Alex! Plain full fat greek yogurt is a great substitute.
This recipe is perfect. I added raisins. Definitely a keeper. Moist and with a fresh flavor. I’ve had several friends ask for it.
Hi, I haven’t made this yet but can I substitute the regular flour for oat flour and if I use coconut oil instead of butter do I use same amount as butter (1/2 cup) or more/less? Thanks in advance 😊
Hi Sandra! I haven’t tried those substitutions! But yes, 1/2 cup is what I would try. Let me know how it goes!
This is the best banana bread recipe! Delicious! I am wondering… in the instructions it says to add cream when you add the sugar. Am I missing that ingredient on the ingredients list? Just making sure I didn’t miss anything. It came out delicious if I did miss it. :)
Hi Janine! “To cream” is a verb, it means beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You made it perfectly! So glad you enjoyed it!
Several friends said this was the best banana bread they had ever tasted and I had to agree. S
Best I’ve ever made!
The only adjustments I made:
I used dark brown sugar
I yes the 1 cup bananas
I added 2 TBL Bourbon
I used White Lilly self rising flour for all recipes.
Still did your measurements bake powder and soda.
I divided the batter evenly in to two disposibale
Bread pans so to share one. Cooked 35 min perfect👍
OOh bourbon, that sounds fun!! Thanks for sharing your notes Lg! I’ll have to try it with self rising flour sometime.
Can I substitute oats for extra flour? I don’t have any on hand
Yes Emily, just replace the oats with flour! Enjoy!
I made this today and it definitely is super moist and perfectly fluffy! I doubled the recipe and used 2-1/2 cups banana (= to 1-1/4 cup banana per pan) and used Trader Joe’s Organic European Style Whole Milk Yogurt since we don’t have any sour cream on hand; the yogurt is thick like buttermilk (it actually contains some buttermilk) but thinner than sour cream. I baked them for 55 min (toothpick tested clean). They turned out a little darker than yours in the photo (our new oven may run a little hot). Hubby and I tasted it while still warm — DELICIOUS!!! I have a question: With so much baking powder I would expect a domed top rather than flat. What do you suggest for getting more rise in the middle? Delicious anyway!
I knew that this bread would be great because the aroma while it was baking was out of this world! I didn’t toast my pecans and I only roughly cut up the oatmeal (it was definitely not a powder because I thought it would be a better texture not to pulverize the oatmeal) so other than that, I followed the recipe. I just waited long enough for it to cool and then devoured the end slice. YUM! I have a picture of it but can’t figure out how to get it to you.
I love the idea of leaving the oatmeal a little chunkier Sylvia! You can share a photo on instagram, tag my account @thefoodcharlatan!
I had high hopes for this recipe but it did not deliver.
I followed the recipe to a T but not only did it fall in the middle it cracked in half.
The cake tester came out clean at 55 minutes yet the middle was almost raw
Ended up throwing it in the trash.
The ratio of wet to dry ingredients seems off.
Same here! Fell flat and was still raw at bottom even though toothpick came out clean.
What is the remedy to this?! Flavor is amazing
I’ve made this bread several times just as written and it is wonderful! My family loves it! I decided to try it as muffins with vegan substitutes and it was equally as delicious! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Debbie, This is the best banana bread, ever! I have been messing around with different recipes since I lost my favorite from years ago. Recently, I have preferred recipes with yogurt, but now that I have discovered your recipe with sour cream there is no reason to mess around with new recipes. This is oh, so, delish!
That is awesome Louise! Sour cream is totally where it’s at. So glad you’ve found a replacement recipe that you can count on! That’s the best. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
I like banana bread, but it’s never been something I loved. The sour cream intrigued me. I ended up making two because we had about 6 over ripe bananas. My daughter stayed the night at her friends so I would figure I would give them one of the loafs. OH MY GOODNESS, The mom messaged me and said, my kids don’t like bananas or bread and they LOVE IT! It’s gone. This is definitely a keeper. It’s so good. I didntadd nuts but I do love them. No nutmeg, but just added more cinnamon.
This is so awesome Debbie! I’m kind of with you, I liked banana bread, didn’t love it. All that’s changed ;) I’m so glad this recipe was a hit for you and all the kids! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
So in the instructions it says to mix in cream in the beginning which I assumed was the sour cream and then I kept reading and it says to fold in the sour cream but in the ingredients it does not say any type or amount of cream. Can you clarify?
Hi Esther! “To cream” is a verb, as described in the recipe: “Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar and cream together. This means beat it for about 2 minutes until it is fluffy, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.” The sour cream goes in at the end. Sorry for the confusion!
This is absolutely the best banana bread I have ever made! My hubby does not like banana bread and he loved it!! Lol.
That is awesome Deborah! Sounds like we’ve made a convert out of him! ;) So glad it was a hit, thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Karen! All of your trials were SO worth it and I thank you for that! The cake turned out so deliciously moist, I used 2 ripe bananas and all spices (nutmeg, cinammon and cloves).
To give it a perverse touch, I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (dark chocolate) and omg it was SO good. Perfect for a cup of coffee.
THANK YOU!
Sont
A perverse touch, haha! I love it. A little chocolate does a body good. I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sont, thank you for taking the time to review!
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Elizabeth, absolutely! You will need two bread pans. Enjoy!
It was fabulous!!!!! great consistency.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Ellen! Banana bread forever. Thanks for reviewing!
I must say this it the best banana bread recipe ever! Cannot fail! Ordinarily I never leave reviews anywhere because I’m not big on leaving an internet footprint lol. But I have made this recipe 3 times now. The last 2 were by request from my 88 year old grandma who and I quote said ‘this doesn’t taste like my banana bread’ and asked me to come by and pick up overripe bananas to make bread (I think she let them go on purpose)! My mom said its way better! My aunt said, ‘its so moist and it doesn’t TASTE like bananas, I like that’. So just know that your recipe bested my 88 year old grandma lol. The only change I made was with the spices. I was lazy and used apple pie spice instead of the individual ones recommended, and no pecans, no one around here likes nuts. Otherwise this was spectacular! So thank you!!!!
I love that your grandma let the bananas go on purpose, that’s hilarious Nicole!! I’m dying! I’m so glad the recipe has been a hit. And I love the apple pie spice idea! Totally genius. Thanks so much for leaving a review!!
Hi!! This recipe looks and smells awesome! My loaf is in the oven now. Just wondering about the amount, it seemed like a lot of batter so I hope it doesn’t rise too much and overflow. I used 9×5 but usually make zucchini bread with a similar recipe and make 2 loaves….fingers crossed!
I made my loaf in a 9×5 pan Janel, I think it will be fine! There isn’t much leavening in it so I don’t think it will overflow. Enjoy!
I tried your recipe last week and it turned out so yummy! I love how the oatmeal goes perfect with banana bread! I am planning to bake it again this weekend with a bigger pan, 8*8 square pan but I am not really sure how long should I bake?
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Sunah! I haven’t tried this in a square pan. I would start checking it at about 35 minutes, then every 5 minutes after that until a toothpick comes out with no batter on it. Good luck! Enjoy!
Thank you so much Miss for your hard work, it makes my life so easier. I made this banana bread last week OMG, best one ever. I followed the recipe to the T, and it came out perfect. I have so many requests from family members and co-workers. Thanks aging!
Hooray! So glad you loved the recipe Euce! Thank you for commenting!
You are welcome! you’ve got yourself a new fan!
I loved this banana bread recipe as did my friends and husband. So moist! I put in all of the spices and I am glad I did. Thank you for showing me how to ripen fresh bananas. So helpful!
I’m so glad it was useful Pattie! And I’m happy you all loved the banana bread! I really love the spices in there too, they add just the right touch. Thanks so much for commenting!
This is my new favorite and only banana bread recipe I will make. I love that it’s fluffy and moist and not dense and gummy! This is a must if you love banana bread!
Team fluffy and moist Annie! Woohoo. So glad you liked the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Best Banana Bread EVER! So, soft and moist.
Hooray, success! So glad it was a hit Katrina! Thanks for chiming in.
Best and moistness banana bread EVER! A must try! In fact I’m about to bake two of them now one for me and one to take to my sister!
Lucky sister you have Sharla! I’m so glad you loved the bread :) Thank you so much for leaving a review! You are awesome.
Can I use quaker oats in lieu of the old fashioned oats? Or would you advise that I just use all purpose flour instead?
Oh sure Nur, you are blending them up anyway so either one will work (I assume you mean quick oats in place of old fashioned?) Just make sure you end up with 1/2 cup oat flour. Enjoy the bread!
Can substitute sour cream for plain yogurt instead
Hi Chris! Yes, totally. Full fat yogurt is best!
I have only ever made one banana bread recipe in my entire life—lots of years— and it is my grandma’s recipe that includes sour cream and 3 bananas amongst the usual characters. I have made hundreds of loaves and am always told wow! Best banana bread ever. It’s simple —no added goodies and has just the right texture and taste. I’m pretty sure I can make it with my eyes closed. This recipe is somewhat similar minus the oats…but mine has fewer ingredients and never disappoints. But i do enjoy looking over new recipes. I’m sure it’s great but I’ll stick to grandmas
PS I enjoy your site!
Sometimes nothing beats grandma’s recipe, right Ann?? :)
Made last night and this is so good! Very moist and great flavor. Followed recipe and added the optional spices as well. I’ll probably finish the loaf on my own!
Oh I’ve so been there finishing the loaf on my own Khristin! haha. So glad you loved the banana bread! Thanks for the review!
Love your recipes really appealing However, no nutrition analysis.
A member of our family recently diagnosed with diabetes, so would find the analysis extremely helpful
Hope you will consider this.
Thank you so much for the feedback Maureen!
Exactly what I was looking for. I had 4 very very very ripe bananas and had to do something. I’ve made banana bread with sour cream before and was looking for that ingredient specifically. I used all of the mashed banana (probably 2 cups if not more). I used the Greek yogurt sour cream instead of regular sour cream. Loved the addition of toasted walnuts and the powdered oats. I also added it a little less cloves and fresh nutmeg but the underlying flavor of these spices along with everything else was perfect. The bread got dark on top quickly (30 minutes) so I covered it with foil while the inside cooked. I was concerned it would be gummy using all of the bananas but it was just moist! And delicious! Highly recommend this recipe!
I’m so glad you found a recipe you love Peggy! Good idea using foil. Thank you for adding in your detailed notes, that is so helpful!
Love the bread. I am finishing loaf 3! Thank heaven I’m out of bananas. I too have a dip in the middle of all of the loaves. Followed the recipe all three times. I know in bread baking loaves can collapse in the middle if you use too much yeast. My next loaf I will cut back on the baking soda. The bread still taste the same all over. I can live with a dip.
I’m so glad you are loving the bread Judy! You will notice in my photos that all the 1-cup banana bread has the dip, just a little one. The best way to get rid of the dip is to add more banana, which is not my favorite because I don’t like the texture of too much banana. But I haven’t tried reducing the baking soda! Let me know how it goes! I need to try that. Thank you for reviewing!
I really like the taste of this banana bread but I had problems.
It caved in the middle and crumble when I tried to slice. I’m sure I did something wrong but not sure what that could be. My husband really likes this so would like to get it right.
Thanks for all your fun writing really enjoy your sight.
Hi Barbara! I’m so sorry your bread didn’t work out! And unfortunately since I wasn’t there in the kitchen I don’t know what went wrong. Baking is like that, one mistake and the whole thing blows up! It sounds like maybe there was too much moisture in the bread? I’m not sure. Let me know how it goes if you try again!
Karen, I made your banana bread this afternoon following the recipe exactly, including the spices, but added 3 tablespoons of flour due to our high altitude. It is absolutely the best banana bread i have ever baked! It is perfectly moist and very flavorful. I used 3 medium bananas and was worried because it looked like more than a cup, but it was just right. My banana bread in the past has either been goopy or dry. I will be making your recipe from now on. Thanks so much!!
I’m so happy to hear this Pamala! So happy the banana bread turned out just how you wanted! Thanks so much for sharing your high altitude tip, that is so helpful. Thank you for commenting!
Hey Pamela, what elevation are you at? I’m around 4650-4700ft. I didn’t alter this recipe this time but kind of wish I had. It’s in the oven so I don’t know what the outcome for me is yet but I love tips from people who bake at altitude.
I’m allergic to dairy. What can I substitute for sour cream instead?
Hi K, bummer about the dairy allergy! You can leave it out and it will still come out just fine. Increase your banana by about 1/4 cup. OR I just looked up some ideas, you could try adding in coconut CREAM (not milk) in place of the sour cream. That would be really delicious! It might add a little coconut flavor but not much. Plus I bet coconut flavor would be delicious. Let me know how it goes!!
Try apple sauce. My friend’s daughter is allergic to dairy and she often substitutes apple sauce for dairy in recipes like these. It might not work, but it may be worth the try.
Good idea Elaine!
Hi! I love your “moist Banana Bread recipe” , Thanks for sharing this post I appreciate your great effort in bringing all the tips together in the single post. Wish you all the best. Waiting for your next post.
I did a banana bread recipe moist banana bread with sour cream amazing recipe even better than mine and Im keeping This recipe for me thank you
My mom’s recipe for banana bread has sour cream as an ingredient. Her banana bread was the best ever, moist and delicious. I add chocolate chips and shredded coconut to mine. Haven’t made any in a couple of years because I never have over ripe bananas. You’ve inspired me to make some again.
Shredded coconut is a great idea, I saw a few recipes that called for that! Enjoy the banana bread Terry!
Can’t wait to try your banana bread recipe! Sounds delicious. ONE question, does it matter if you use salted or unsalted butter? I am never really clear on this one.
Hi Maureen, great question! I always use salted butter in my kitchen. Either one will work for this recipe. I really like salt, so salted butter plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt is perfect for me. But if you feel you might be a little bit more salt-sensitive, use unsalted butter! Enjoy the banana bread!!
Hi Karen I just wanted to thank you for testing all the different recipes. I’ve had so many banana bread recipes turn out dry, gummy, wet. I’m excited to try your recipe thanks for all your hard work.
You’re welcome Patty, it was pretty fun doing the bake off! I hope you enjoy the final recipe! Let me know how it goes!