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Best Banana Bread

Best banana bread made as a one-bowl loaf with a deeply caramelized, slightly cracked top and an impossibly moist dark-golden crumb. This classic banana bread bakes until golden and set through, with ripe banana flecks in every slice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 very ripe bananas Mash until smooth with a few small lumps.
  • 0.3333333333 cup unsalted butter Melted, then mixed into the bananas.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg Room temperature if possible.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the loaf
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Melt the butter and whisk it directly into the mashed very ripe bananas in a large bowl.
  3. Stir in the sugar, large egg, and vanilla extract until well combined, with no streaks of egg left.
  4. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the banana mixture, then fold until no dry streaks remain.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60–70 minutes until deeply golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and do not slice until slightly cooled or the crumb will fall apart.

Notes

For the most tender crumb, use very ripe bananas (brown and soft) and mix just until the flour disappears—overmixing can make the loaf tough. Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, replace half the sugar with a 1:1 sugar substitute intended for baking.