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Ina Garten's Banana Bread

Ina Garten banana bread with sour cream for exceptional moisture and a perfectly caramelized golden crust. Whole walnut halves pressed into the top give bakery-quality texture and an elegant finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Use room temperature so it creams smoothly.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs Room temperature helps prevent curdling.
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup sour cream Full-fat sour cream helps keep the loaf moist.
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.5 cup walnuts Toast and roughly chop; reserve whole halves for topping.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and prepare pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan, then dust with flour for easy release.
Cream the butter and sugar
  1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes, then stop and scrape the bowl so the mixture stays smooth.
Mix in wet ingredients
  1. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then mix in the vanilla and sour cream until evenly incorporated.
Add bananas
  1. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined, leaving no dry streaks.
Combine dry and fold walnuts
  1. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt until just combined, then fold in the chopped walnuts so the batter stays tender.
Bake and finish
  1. Pour the batter into the pan, press whole walnut halves down the center, and bake for 65–70 minutes until deep golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Cool the loaf 15 minutes before turning it out so the crust firms up and slices cleanly.

Notes

Pro tip: toast the walnuts until fragrant before chopping—then press whole halves into the center so they stay visible on the golden crust. Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, swap in reduced-fat sour cream for part of the fat while keeping the same bake time.