Description
Effortlessly bake the ultimate moist banana bread! This foolproof recipe uses mashed ripe bananas, melted butter, sugar & egg for an easy, tender homemade loaf. Find full instructions & nutrition.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the longer sides to easily lift the bread out later.
- Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mash the very ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with some small lumps remaining. Stir in the melted butter, granulated sugar, beaten egg, and alcohol-free vanilla extract until all wet ingredients are well combined.
- Step 3: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Ensure these dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Step 4: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few streaks of flour are acceptable, as overmixing can lead to tough banana bread.
- Step 5: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
- Step 6: Allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully lifting it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve once fully cooled for the best texture.
Notes
- Keep your cooled banana bread fresh for days by storing it in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze individual slices for a quick treat later.
- For that comforting warm-from-the-oven feel, gently microwave a slice for 15-30 seconds, or wrap it in foil and warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes.
- Enjoy this delicious loaf as is, or enhance it with a simple spread of butter, a dollop of cream cheese, or even a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
- For the truly tender texture, embrace the instruction to just barely mix your wet and dry ingredients; a few flour streaks mean you're on your way to a perfect, never-tough loaf.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/12 of loaf)
- Calories: 230
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Protein: 16g