Each bite of this easy quick bread is moist and full with flavor.
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Table of Contents
Made this today - it's the best banana bread/muffins we've ever had! ~Robin
❤️ Why you'll love it
Do you need to use up some brown, over-ripe bananas that the family won't touch?
Well then, this is your new favorite recipe! It's super easy to make and it freezes well.
Brown sugar keeps it sweet, but not too sweet. It's bound to bring up some wonderful memories with each bite.
And if not? Well now is a great time to start making those memories for your family and friends. You'll get rave reviews! This moist banana bread recipe is just the best.
It's a bake sale favorite, too.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
There's nothing like a classic banana bread recipe but there's always room for a little variety.
- Oil is used along with butter - it keeps the bread moister longer. Use a light oil - I prefer peanut oil but walnut, light vegetable oil, or sunflower oil will work. You can use all butter or all oil if you want but your results will vary.
- Butter adds that flavor we all love. You can use all butter or all oil in this recipe but I think you get the best results with both.
- Buttermilk keeps baked goods tender. It makes this a very moist banana bread! I use a full-fat buttermilk but you can use what you have. Here's how to make an infinite amount of buttermilk using milk and a little starter
- Pecan banana bread is my favorite but walnuts are also good.
- Leave the chocolate chips out or use white chocolate chips. Yum!
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Mix the wet ingredients.
- Blend in the dry ingredients.
- Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Add to prepared pans.
🥫 How to store leftovers
You can store most quick breads, wrapped well or in an airtight container, on the counter for up to 2 days. After that you risk mold so freeze for longer storage.
It's even better the next day.
My favorite way to freeze banana bread is to let it cool completely, slice, and then freeze with parchment paper or wax paper between the slices.
That makes it so easy to grab just one or two pieces at a time without thawing the entire loaf.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Don't over stir the batter. It will be thick and a little lumpy.
- Substitute walnuts, macadamias, or other favorite nuts for the pecans.
- Add ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for chocolate chip banana bread.
- I love crunchy pecans. If you toast them for a few minutes in the oven they will maintain their crunch.Moist Banana Nut Bread Recipe with Pecans (So Easy)
- I like just a dusting of powdered sugar but you can also make a thin Confectioner's glaze to go over it by mixing confectioner's sugar with enough melted butter to give it the right consistency for a glaze.
- Omit the nuts if you want to!
- Don't over bake or it will be dry. Bake just until moist crumbs cling to a toothpick or cake tester.
- You can make banana muffins with this recipe. Fill prepared muffin pans ¾ of the way full and bake at 375F for about 15-20 minutes.
- Sweet bread makes welcome gifts! I like to bake the batter in mini loaf pans for about 25 - 30 minutes.
- Bananas should be as ripe as possible. I will wait until mine are almost liquidy. I used large bananas in this recipe.
👩🍳 FAQs
The secret is twofold - 1). Use super ripe bananas - they should be black and almost pour out of the peels but not be molded or bubbling. 2). I use half oil and half melted butter. Oil keeps the banana nut bread moist while the butter gives it flavor - best of both worlds!
Yes. The baking soda helps to neutralize natural acids in the bananas and buttermilk. Please don't try to substitute baking powder for the baking soda in this recipe.
Put them in a brown bag and twist it closed. Ethylene, a natural gas produced by fruit, will build up speeding up the ripening process.
📚 Related recipes
Quick bread recipes have always been a part of my life.
My mom used to make the most luscious peanut butter banana bread. She called it Savannah bread - I have no idea where she got the recipe but it's delish!
Here are more recipes that help you use up bananas!
🍽️ Serve with...
Buttermilk banana bread is delicious warmed up with a little butter or cream cheese. I love this easy mock Devonshire cream on it, too.
📞 The last word
It's been my experience that when you add buttermilk (instead of whole milk) to a classic banana bread recipe it makes it even more moist and delicious!
Next time try this amazing southern peach bread!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Banana Bread
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup Oil , peanut, sunflower, walnut, other light oil
- ½ cup Butter , melted, room temperature
- ⅔ cup Buttermilk
- 2 cups banana, mashed, very ripe - should almost be a liquid
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, kosher salt - if you use regular table salt use ¼ less
- ⅔ cup pecans, optional... toasted and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease and lightly flour 2 loaf pans.
- Beat the oil, butter, eggs, vanilla, both sugars and buttermilk until well blended.
- Beat in the banana and lemon juice.
- Mix the flour, baking soda and salt and stir into the banana mixture until well blended.
- Add the chopped pecans (and chocolate chips if using) and gently stir into the batter by hand.
- Spoon into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350f for 1 hour or until a toothpick stuck into the center of a loaf comes out clean. *IMPORTANT oven times vary from place to place and oven to oven... Start checking at the 50 minute point!
- Cool in pans for 15 minutes then gently turn out and finish cooling.
- Dust cooled loaves with Confectioner's sugar.
Notes
- Measure your flour by lightly spooning it into the measuring cup then leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Be sure to mash the bananas really well. I will usually pulse them in the blender a little to get them really smooth. I don't like biting into chunks of banana in my banana bread.
- If you'd like the bread to be a lighter golden brown use all regular sugar instead of part brown sugar.
- Don't over stir the batter. It will be thick and a little lumpy.
- Always let the loaf cool completely before slicing or it may crumble.
- You can store most quick breads, wrapped well, on the counter for up to 2 days.
- These loaves freeze well. Wrap cooled loaves snugly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published August 6, 2021. Last updated June 24, 2023 for editorial improvements and clearer instructions.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
I love finding great deals on bananas at the grocery store. Our store will have one of the big grocery bags of almost brown bananas marked $2.00 every couple of weeks and I snatch them up.
Of course, that means that within a couple of days I have gooey, overripe bananas, oozing banana gunk all over the counter. No one wants to eat them except the fruit flies that seem to appear out of nowhere.
Anyone else have that problem?
If there's a lot of them (bananas, not fruit flies) I'll blend them and freeze in 1 cup measurements to use later on.
Just add a little lemon juice so they don't get too dark.
My grandma's buttermilk banana bread is rich, moist, and buttery - almost like a pound cake. It tastes like my childhood!
Also, if you toast the pecans the flavor is so much better! Just put the chopped pecans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F, stirring often until they become fragrant. So easy.
Quick breads are the perfect addition to brunch or a weekend breakfast. Of all of the varieties, banana bread recipes seem to be perennial favorites!
Try this recipe and be sure to let me know your thoughts.
Suzanne says
This is the best banana bread recipe I've ever tried (and I've been through many)! So moist and yummy! The recipe made one large loaf and 12 mini loaves. I'll be freezing some and sharing some. This will be my new go-to banana bread recipe! Thank you!
CS says
Made this as muffins today. Yields 2 dozen. Really wonderful flavor, nice crispy muffin tops! I always look for recipes that include buttermilk for flavor. Added 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and ginger. Doesn’t overwhelm the banana flavor, just enhances it. Really great fluffy and moist texture. Excellent recipe!
Jean Lundquist says
This is a great banana bread recipe. It stays so moist and it will be the one I make from now on. Thanks!
Rosina says
Hi marye yr recipes are great but I have to say that the amount of sugar in yr recipes is outrageous, people can't ingest sugar any more this days-- I most certainly can't-- I'm also gluten free- I use almond and coconut flour, and stevia for sugar-- I might throw a small cup of spelt or bob's red mill in my mixes. Anyway, if you have any of this recipes let me knaw. Thanks marye.
Marye says
Hi Rosina - I'm sorry you can't have sugar.You'll find plenty of recipes in the main dishes, casseroles, and slow cooker sections that I am sure have low sugar contents - have a great day.
Elaine says
Loved the banana bread...however,after cooling the top of the bread felt sticky.what did I do wrong? How can I prevent that? Love your recipes!!!
Marye says
Usually it's from overmixing the batter. Sometimes it has to do with the humidity in the house. And frankly, sometimes it just happens.
Thelma says
I made this bread last night. It is delicious. I used Splenda sugar, almonds nut because I did not had pecans and blueberries. My husband love it. But one thing I forgot was to used 4 eggs but instead I used 2 eggs. I don’t know how I forgot but it was still delicious. I will make this again. Thank you so much. Have a great Monday
Robin C says
Made this today - it's the best banana bread/muffins we've ever had! I confess I did cut back on the sugars (because I only had a scant 1 1/2c of white sugar), but it was fabulous! The kids and my husband both asked if I could ALWAYS have some made. I used one tea loaf pan (4x12) and 9 jumbo muffin cups.
Marye says
That's great! I am so glad y'all liked it!!
Kelly says
I really want to use this recipe but have never seen the amounts of ingredients put like that. 0.17, 0.09, 0.03 etc. etc... Would you please let me know what those mean? Thank you very much!
Marye says
Underneath the ingredients switch from Metric to US Customary by clicking
cindy says
this is fabulous!!!1
Marye says
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
LORRAINE says
Sounds like a wonderful recipe! I will try it the next time I have bananas. I would like to find an old fashioned Date and Walnut Loaf most of the Quick Breads I come across lately, are cranberry this or that or pumpkin .
Marye says
Lorraine, I have a great recipe for that... I'll look it up.
Shante says
Perfect! I've always had trouble with getting the consistency right with breads and biscuits. Not anymore thanks to this recipe. This delicios bread comes out moist and beautiful. Also, halfs perfectly for baking one loaf Co-workers loved it.. Thanks!
Marye says
Im so glad!! Thanks for letting me know
Cathy Sinisi says
We love banana bread, me, & my 2 sister's, & my neighbors. I add white chocolate chips to mine, because my 1 sister don't like nuts. But me & my other sister do. So I have to make it twice. Lol.. I will try this bread ..Thx for the recipe.
Marye says
Let me know what you think!