Best Banana Bread

Easy, simple and delicious, this Banana Bread recipe is moist and full of flavor. The streusel nut topping puts the flavor over the top! And, you can even make a gluten free version!

I can’t remember a time from my childhood where my great-grandmother or grandmother wasn’t making some sort of bread. They were constantly baking in the kitchen, often together, and I have so many fond memories of delicious breads being made in that kitchen at grandmas house. I loved their banana bread, but it was always so dry. I was bound and determined to recreate their banana bread recipe, but make it moist.

Why Is This The Best Banana Bread Recipe?

To make banana bread super moist, you need those over ripe bananas. That’s one secret to making the best banana bread. You want the bananas that have started browning. Take a look at these bananas I used below. You can see that I have 5 bananas that are overripe and browning. The more overripe, the better. Don’t let those overripe bananas go to waste!

Banana Bread Ingredients

Here are the ingredients I use when making my grandmother’s traditional banana bread recipe:

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Salt
• Eggs
• 5 overly ripe medium bananas, mashed
• Sugar
• Unsalted butter, melted
• Walnuts, chopped

Streusel-Nut Topping Ingredients

This topping is optional, but makes the banana bread so delish!

• Brown sugar
• Flour
• Unsalted butter, softened
• Chopped walnuts

Gluten Free Ingredient Substitutions

When making a gluten free version, I only make 2 changes to the ingredients above:

• Flour – If you want to make a gluten free version, use Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour in both the banana bread and the streusel-nut topping.
• Xanthan Gum – only in the banana bread recipe.

How To Make Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe is so easy to make and makes one loaf. I use a loaf mold when making this recipe, but if you are using a traditional bread pan, make sure you prepare it with a non-stick cooking spray or grease it well with butter.

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk.

Step 2

In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, sugar and butter. With an electric hand mixer or a hand held potato masher, mix  just until the ingredients have been mixed together. Make sure those bananas are smashed up but don’t over mix! From there, add the liquid mixture to the center of your flour mixture and mix well with a spatula. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Step 3

Pour your mixture into the loaf mold or loaf pan. If you want to add the Streusel Nut Topping, just sprinkle it over the batter. Cook for 60 minutes.

Step 4

When the bread is done cooking and if you are using a flexipan mold, wait about 2-5 minutes and then turn your mold over onto a cutting board. As you can see, the loaf comes right out with no crumbles. If you are using a traditional loaf pan, wait until the bread is completely cooled before turning over.

Tips For Moist And Perfect Banana Bread

• Gluten Free Tips – For those of you who bake gluten free, you know it can be very hard to bake and be successful when it comes to gluten free breads and pastries. But this is an easy gluten free banana bread recipe to make. The gluten in wheat has so much elasticity and it really helps hold things together when you bake. When you use a gluten free flour for baking, it’s a struggle to get the bread to be fluffy and hold well together. But, I’ve mastered making gluten free banana bread. MASTERED! I have 2 secrets…
  • The brand of gluten free flour I use – Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free flour
  • The Flexipan mold I use to bake my bread.
• Traditional Bread Pans vs. Bread Molds – I use a Demarle Silicone Loaf Mold. I rarely use another brand other than Demarle when baking loaves, muffins, cakes, etc. Flexipans are so fantastic because your bread comes out of the pan perfectly, with no crumbles. The Flexipan is made of silicone and glass and it’s very flexible. Notice above that it’s sitting on a pan with holes (You can buy a holed pizza pan here.)That’s super important. The heat from the oven must have a way to get through the flexipan so it can evenly cook the bread. That is another secret to getting a super moist loaf of banana bread.

If you’re looking for a a moist banana bread recipe, you’re going to love this one. You don’t typically find an overly moist gluten free banana bread recipe, but you will in my recipe because of my 2 secrets. And I’m happy to say, this simple recipe tastes just like my grandmother’s homemade baked banana bread…only better.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your finished bread and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #recipesworthrepeating and tagging me @recipesworthrepeating.

5 from 3 votes

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Easy Banana Bread

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

Easy, simple and delicious, this Banana Bread recipe is moist and full of flavor. The streusel nut topping puts the flavor over the top! And, you can even make a gluten free version!

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana, Cinnamon, Glutenfree, glutenfreebread, nutmeg

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 447 kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Ingredients

Banana Bread Ingredients – Gluten Free Version

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour, (or regular flour if you are not gluten free)
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 overly ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Streusel-Nut Topping Ingredients - Gluten Free Version

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour, (or regular flour if you are not gluten free)
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Directions for Gluten Free Streusel-Nut Topping

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons of gluten free flour and the chopped walnuts. 

2. Ensure your butter is at room temperature and add to a small bowl. 

3. Using your hand mixer, slowly mix the ingredients together until you have a mixture that resembles course crumbs. Set aside.

Directions for Gluten Free Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, take the flour, Xanthan Gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix well with a whisk.

2. In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, sugar and butter. With an electric hand mixer, mix on low until the ingredients have been mixed together. Don’t over mix!

3. Add the liquid mixture to the center of your flour mixture and mix well with a spatula. Fold in the walnuts.

4. At this point, the consistency of the mixture will be more on the liquid side and not so much on the dough side. This is the expected consistency. Pour your mixture into the loaf mold or loaf pan.

5. Take your bowl of Streusel Nut Topping and sprinkle it over the batter. Cook for 60 minutes.

6. When the bread is done cooking, if you are using a flexi mold wait about 2-5 minutes and turn your mold over onto a cutting board. As you can see, the loaf comes right out with no crumbles.

   If you are using a traditional loaf pan, wait until the bread is completely cooled before turning over.

7. Slice the loaf and enjoy with a little butter spread on each slice and a cup of hot coffee!

Recipe Notes

If you want to make a traditional version of this Banana Bread recipe, use the following ingredients below. Follow the same directions in the recipes card. The Streusel-Nut Topping is optional!

Ingredients - Banana Bread (Non-Gluten Free Version)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 11/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 5 medium mashed bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Ingredients - Streusel-Nut Topping (Non-Gluten Free Version)

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour  (substitute all purpose flour if you are not Gluten Free)
• 2 Tablespoons softened butter
• 1/3 cups cup chopped walnuts

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Nutrition Facts

Easy Banana Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 piece)

Calories 447 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21g 32%

Saturated Fat 10g 50%

Cholesterol 78mg 26%

Sodium 167mg 7%

Potassium 120mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 59g 20%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 32g

Protein 6g 12%

Vitamin A 10%

Calcium 3.9%

Iron 11.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Update Notes: This post was originally published in August 2017, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures and tips in April of 2019.

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