Banana Bread — Moist, One-Bowl Quick Bread
The one that uses up the sad brown bananas on your counter. One bowl, a whisk, and a loaf tin: deeply banana-rich, moist for days, with a craggy split top. The riper the bananas, the better it tastes.
Mash 3–4 very ripe bananas. Whisk in melted butter, brown and white sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined. Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 175°C / 350°F for 55–65 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool before slicing.
- Use the blackest, softest bananas you have — overripe means sweeter and more banana flavour. Spotty-yellow is the minimum.
- Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a tough, tunnelled loaf.
- Melted butter (not creamed) keeps it dense and moist; let the loaf cool fully so the crumb sets before you slice.
Equipment
- 900 g / 9×5-inch loaf tin
- Mixing bowl + whisk
- Parchment paper
- Skewer or toothpick
Ingredients
Wet
- 3–4 very ripe bananas (about 350 g mashed)
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 10 g vanilla extract
Dry
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking soda
- 4 g fine salt
- 3 g ground cinnamon, optional
Optional add-ins
- 100 g walnuts or dark chocolate chunks
Method
- STEP01
Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line a loaf tin with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides so you can lift the loaf out later.
- STEP02
In a large bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Whisk in the melted butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
- STEP03
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain — the batter should look thick and a little lumpy. Fold in nuts or chocolate now if using.
- STEP04
Scrape into the tin and smooth the top. Bake 55–65 minutes until deep golden, the top is split, and a skewer in the centre comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs). Tent with foil if it browns too fast.
- STEP05
Cool in the tin 15 minutes, then lift out by the parchment onto a rack and cool completely. Slicing warm gives a gummy crumb — patience is rewarded with clean slices.
Make ahead
The batter is best baked right away (the baking soda activates on mixing), but the baked loaf is a make-ahead champion — bake a day ahead, or freeze slices to toast through the week.
Storage
Wrapped at room temperature, banana bread keeps 3–4 days and is arguably better on day two. It freezes beautifully: wrap whole or in slices and freeze up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature or toast slices from frozen.
Variations
Walnut
Fold in 100 g toasted, roughly chopped walnuts for the classic nutty loaf.
Chocolate chunk
Fold in 100 g dark chocolate chunks; scatter a few extra on top before baking.
Brown butter
Brown the butter before adding for a deeper, toffee-like backbone — let it cool slightly first.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Frequently asked
How ripe should the bananas be?
As ripe as you can stand — heavily speckled to nearly black skins are ideal. Overripe bananas are sweeter, softer, and far more flavourful, and they mash into the batter smoothly. Firm yellow bananas make a pale, bland loaf. In a hurry, ripen them in a 150°C oven for 15–20 minutes until the skins blacken.
Why did my banana bread turn out dense or gummy?
The usual culprits are overmixing and slicing too soon. Fold only until the flour just disappears — overmixing builds gluten and makes the loaf tough and tunnelled. And let it cool completely before slicing; a warm crumb is still setting and turns gummy under the knife.
Can I make it healthier or use less sugar?
Yes — very ripe bananas are sweet, so you can cut the granulated sugar by a third with little loss. You can also swap up to half the flour for whole wheat (add a tablespoon of milk), or use oil instead of butter. The loaf will be a touch less rich but still moist.
How do I know when it's done?
Bake until the top is deep golden and split, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Banana bread often needs the full 60+ minutes; if the top darkens before the centre sets, tent it loosely with foil and keep baking.
Can I make it gluten-free or vegan?
For gluten-free, swap in a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour by weight. For vegan, use melted coconut oil or vegan butter and replace each egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, rested). Both work well thanks to the moisture from the bananas, though the crumb will be slightly different.
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