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Best Banana Bread

Best banana bread with a one-bowl mix and a deeply caramelized, slightly cracked top crust. This classic banana bread bakes until the loaf turns golden with a moist, tender crumb flecked with ripe banana.
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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
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread batter
  • 3 very ripe bananas Mash until mostly smooth with a few small lumps for flecks of banana.
  • 0.33 cup unsalted butter Melt and cool slightly before mixing.
  • 0.75 cup sugar Use granulated sugar for classic loaf sweetness.
  • 1 large egg Room temperature helps the batter combine smoothly.
  • 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
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Mix the batter
  1. Melt the unsalted butter and whisk it directly into the mashed very ripe bananas in a large bowl.
  2. Stir in the sugar, large egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture looks uniform and well combined.
  3. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the banana mixture and fold until no dry streaks remain.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60–70 minutes at 350°F until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it.
  2. Turn the loaf out onto a rack and wait until slightly cooled; do not slice yet or the crumb may fall apart.

Notes

For the most ripe flavor and moist crumb, use bananas with deep brown speckles and mash thoroughly but don’t eliminate every lump. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze sliced loaf in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, you can use light butter (or replace some butter with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce), but the crumb won’t be as rich.