My banana bread is the perfect base recipe for any customization. It’s soft, moist, and comes together with little effort—no fancy equipment or complicated steps! Whether you like it plain, packed with chocolate chips/nuts or swirled with peanut butter, this easy banana bread is ready for whatever twist you’re craving.

Banana bread loaf with some sliced pieces next to it.

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Table of Contents:

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You won’t need any special equipment. This recipe uses melted butter instead of softened, so no need to take out your mixer. Simply stir everything in one bowl with a spatula, then bake in a loaf pan.
It’s perfect for basic banana bread enthusiasts. This recipe is just… straight up banana bread! Nothing fancy, but super delicious and full of flavor.
It’s versatile. You can zhuzh up the banana bread batter however you like. For example, you could add up to a cup of chocolate chips, M&Ms, chopped nuts, etc.! Or, you can be ambitious and add a cinnamon swirl.. which I plan on doing sometime soon!

Looking for more basic recipes? Try my chipless cookies!

Ingredients

To make the best basic banana bread from scratch, you’ll need the following ingredients:

I like to use 3-4 medium to large bananas for each batch!
Melted unsalted butter makes the banana bread really easy to mix by hand. No need to whip softened butter!
I like to use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar to create the perfect balance of flavor and texture. You can use light or dark brown sugar; dark brown sugar will just give you a deeper butterscotch flavor.
Buttermilk yields a soft, moist banana bread, with a slight tang!
I like to sprinkle the loaf pan and the top of the banana bread with turbinado sugar right before baking, which adds satisfying sweet crunch.
You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla paste (1:1) in this recipe.

For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.

💡 Baking Tip

Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.

How to Make Basic Banana Bread

Sugar and butter mixed together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined.

Same mixture with eggs and vanilla stirred in.

Step 2: Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth.

Wet mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and mashed bananas mixed together in a glass bowl.

Step 3: Add buttermilk and mashed bananas. Stir until mostly combined. If you want to add 1 cup of mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, berries, etc., mix them in! I love adding chopped walnuts.

Pouring banana bread batter into loaf pan.

Step 4: Stir in dry ingredients until no dry spots remain. Transfer batter to a lined loaf pan sprinkled with turbinado sugar. Generously sprinkle tops with more turbinado sugar, then bake at 350°F/177°C for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to fully cool. Slice and enjoy!

For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

“Finally, my favorite!” – my mom

Storage

Room temperature: Store fully cooled banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions: I personally like to batch make banana bread and freeze them so I can eat them whenever I want!
- Whole loaf: Wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil, then store in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature, about 4-5 hours.
- Slices: Layer slices in an airtight container with squares of parchment or wax paper in between, so they don’t stick and freeze together. Thaw at room temperature, about 30 minutes. I personally like to reheat the slices in a microwave or toaster oven!