Banana Bread
The blacker the bananas, the better the bread — overripe fruit brings intense sweetness and moisture that fresh bananas can't match. Mix the wet ingredients well, then fold in the flour with as few strokes as possible. A crack down the center of the loaf means it rose properly.
Dessert • 65 min
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas (black peel, about 1 cup mashed)
- ⅓ cup (80ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Get Our Free 5-Ingredient Summer Dinners PDF
10 effortless recipes with 5 ingredients or fewer — delivered to your inbox, plus one thoughtful recipe every week.
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth — a few small lumps are fine. Add oil, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix — a few streaks of flour are fine. Fold in walnuts or chocolate chips if using.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter), 50–60 minutes. The top should be domed and deeply golden.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing — it cuts cleaner at room temperature.
Tips & Variations
Make Ahead
Banana bread is better on day two. Bake it the day before you need it, cool completely, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. It will stay moist for 3–4 days at room temperature.
Storage
Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days. Refrigerate for up to a week — bring to room temperature before serving. Freezes beautifully: wrap the whole loaf or individual slices in plastic, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Substitutions
Melted butter can replace the oil for a richer flavor (let it cool first). For a whole-wheat version, swap up to half the flour with whole-wheat flour. Sour cream or Greek yogurt can replace the oil for a tangier, denser loaf — use ⅓ cup.
Reviews
Reviews coming soon! In the meantime, let us know what you think of this recipe.
More Sweet Treats
Shop This Recipe
The Measuring Cup earns a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we use in our own kitchen.
