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Moist banana bread loaf on a white plate, sliced and ready to serve

Moist Banana Bread

This one-bowl moist banana bread is soft, buttery and full of real banana flavor. It takes 10 minutes to mix with no mixer, and a little sour cream keeps every slice tender for days.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 230
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread
  • 3 large very ripe bananas heavily speckled or brown, about 1 1/2 cups mashed
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (75 g)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or plain full-fat Greek yogurt (60 g)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed (100 g)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (190 g)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips optional
Optional vanilla glaze
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 g)
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper so the loaf lifts out easily.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
  3. Whisk in the melted butter, sour cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla until glossy and well combined.
  4. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and cinnamon over the wet mixture and whisk for 15 seconds so they are evenly distributed.
  5. Add the flour and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix; a slightly lumpy batter bakes up tender. Fold in the walnuts or chocolate chips, if using.
  6. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
  7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift the loaf out and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
  8. For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled loaf and let it set for 10 minutes.

Notes

Ripe bananas matter most: use bananas with plenty of brown spots for the sweetest flavor and moistest crumb.
Storage: keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezing: wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition is an estimate for 1 slice without nuts or glaze.