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The easiest banana bread recipe I’ve ever made uses just one bowl, no mixer, and has a perfectly plush, soft texture using melted butter, Greek yogurt, and a bit of brown sugar. Add an extra sprinkle of sugar over top before baking for a caramelized crust!
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (1) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (1)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-5-533x800.jpg)
I’ve made a lot of banana bread in my time. You probably have too.
If that’s true, then you know how surprisingly elusive a truly amazing banana bread can be.
Sometimes they’re too sweet. Sometimes they’re over-mixed and tough. Sometimes they’re heavy, or worse, greasy. Sometimes they have unmashed chunks of banana in the batter (gross). Sometimes they lack sufficient fat and have a nasty gummy texture. Sometimes they’re just plain bland.
You get the idea.
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (2) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (2)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-4-533x800.jpg)
The other issue is that many banana bread recipes are overly complicated. Do a google search for “banana bread” and you’ll find many recipes claiming to be “the best” or “award-winning”, but not many claiming to be easy.
The thing about banana bread is, it’s a humble breakfast bread (or dessert bread; you may already know this, but it’s amazing warm with vanilla ice cream). It’s not trying to be a frosted cake or a perfectly shaped pastry. Banana bread is supposed to be homey and comforting. It’s supposed to be simple and easy, something you can make on a weeknight without ruining your kitchen or staying up all night.
And above all, it’s supposed to be soft, sweet, and reliably delicious.
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (3) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (3)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-6-533x800.jpg)
What makes an easy banana bread recipe?
I set out to create the ultimate, go-to, never-fail, easiest banana bread recipe out there. And here are the things I think a great banana bread recipe needs:
- This recipe does not require:
- multiple bowls,
- a mixer,
- creaming of butter and sugar,
- browning of butter,
- swirling of multiple batters, or
- the making of streusels.
- This recipe does require:
- only one bowl,
- a few simple ingredients that most people have on hand, and
- about an hour in total including baking time.
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (4) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (4)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-9-533x800.jpg)
This is my masterpiece. This, the easiest and also the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever had, provides the following:
- totally delivers on taste and texture:
- just sweet enough, but not overpowering;
- soft, but not gooey;
- densely crumbed, but not heavy;
- structured, but not tough;
- a complex, yet purely banana flavor, not encumbered by any other distraction.
I’ll be honest, it took me about 3 years to perfect. This was no small task.
In the process of developing this recipe, I read and experimented with a LOT of banana bread recipes. Over time, I narrowed down a set of criteria that I believe make for the best easy banana bread. Some of this comes down to taste, and some to science – which we all know are interrelated when it comes to baking!
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (5) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (5)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-8-533x800.jpg)
Tips for success with the easiest banana bread:
- Use extremely overripe bananas and mash them REALLY thoroughly. I routinely use bananas that have gone completely brown because their flavor is at their sweetest and most concentrated. It makes for the best banana flavor in the final product. Mash the heck out of the bananas and get them as smooth as possible for the best texture in your bread. This is much easier with very ripe bananas; I use a fork but you could also use a potato masher or even an immersion blender.
- Use melted butter for flavor and moisture. There’s nothing quite like the flavor of butter, and in order to make this as easy as possible (i.e. no creaming), we’ll use melted butter. It just adds to the moisture of the overall product. If you don’t have or don’t want to use butter, however, you can use olive oil or coconut oil as a 1:1 replacement.
- Use a mixture of brown sugar and white sugar. Some recipes call for one or the other, but I find the flavor and texture to be best when you use half granulated (for sweetness) and half brown sugar (for moisture and softness).
- Use full fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for the best texture and flavor. You need to use this for a few reasons: (i) the acidic yogurt/sour cream reacts with the baking soda (a base) to produce the best rise; (ii) the slight sourness offsets the sweetness of the bananas, producing superior flavor; (iii) it yields the softest final product and allows us to cut back a bit on the butter.
- Stir the flour in only until JUST combined. Over-mixing will develop too much gluten and yield a tough bread. Just stir until there are no longer pockets of flour, then stop. Preferably, stir with a fork or a spatula so you have maximum control.
- Sprinkle sugar on top of the batter before baking. Ideally, use turbinado or raw sugar, but regular granulated works too. You only need about a tablespoon. This yields a shattering, crispy crust on the top as the sugar caramelizes during baking, and it makes a good banana bread into an excellent banana bread.
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (6) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (6)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-2-533x800.jpg)
So, there you have it. I did all the experimenting so you don’t have to. I hope you try this recipe and love it as much as I do! Please let me know what you think if you try it!
More Banana Recipes
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Baked Banana Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze
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4.80 from 25 votes
The Easiest Banana Bread
One bowl, no mixer, no weird ingredients, pure banana flavor, and a perfectly plush, soft texture: my favorite recipe for banana bread also happens to be the easiest banana bread recipe I’ve ever made.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time50 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana bread, easy, quick bread
Servings: 12 slices (1 loaf)
Author: katiebirdbakes.com
Equipment
1 loaf pan (9"x5" or 8.5"x4.5")
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter (4 tbsp or 1/2 a stick)
- 3 overripe bananas (the browner, the better)
- 1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (66g) brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (56g) plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (11g) turbinado sugar (or additional granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top of the batter)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease an 8.5 x 4.5″ or 9 x 5″ loaf pan and set aside.
Melt the butter and add to a large bowl (I just microwave the butter in this bowl to melt it). Add the bananas to the bowl and mash them very thoroughly into the melted butter until completely smooth, using a fork or potato masher.
Whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well-combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk in each until well-combined. Add the yogurt, vanilla, salt, and baking soda to the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Add the flour all at once and stir with a fork or a spatula until a batter just comes together and no big flour pockets remain. Do not over-mix!
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Sprinkle the additional tablespoon of turbinado or granulated sugar evenly over top.
Bake for 45-55 minutes (you will need the shorter time with a 9"x5" pan and the longer time with a 8.5"x4.5" pan), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely (if you can stand to wait that long).
Notes
Add-ins: If you want to add in chocolate chips or chopped nuts, fold in about 1/2 cup of them just before scraping batter into the pan.
Storage: Banana bread will keep, well-wrapped in foil on the counter, for about 3 days. It will also keep up to a week in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to wrap individual slices in foil and keep them in the freezer in a freezer storage bag to defrost whenever I want some.
Like this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram@katiebirdbakes, andsign up for my email listto receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!
![The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (8) The Easiest Banana Bread - Katiebird Bakes (8)](https://i0.wp.com/www.katiebirdbakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Easiest-Banana-Bread-katiebirdbakes-1-533x800.jpg)