This is just a really great, really easy Brown Butter Banana Bread. As someone who is into baking, I’ve always believed that the simplest baking recipes tend to be the best, you don’t need to fuss too much with them, you don’t need to pull out all the appliances in your house, and you can use the shitty butter and it will still taste great. That’s my baking philosophy. Easy is best.
And while it’s still very fun to experiment with baking and making things that are shiny and new (hellooo my Tamarind Carrot Cake and Lemony Labneh Cookies), I’ve been itching to create a pile of staple recipes that are the tried-and-true basics. The baking recipes that people look for and rely on. And that’s when I realized I didn’t have a plain old banana bread. So now I present to you: my best banana bread.
There are many reasons this banana bread is the best, ranging from how easy it is to assemble (you only need a bowl and a whisk!), to how to mash the banana (right into the batter), to how to bake it. I’ll share all my tips below, along with the brown butter banana bread goodness, so that if you are ever looking for the best banana bread recipe, you have it all in one place!
Table of contents
- First, let’s talk about brown butter in banana bread
- Equipment you need for this recipe
- Ingredients for this brown butter banana bread
- How to make this brown butter banana bread
- What makes banana bread moist?
- Tips & tricks on how to store brown butter banana bread to keep it moist
- Why does this recipe use grams?
- Watch the recipe here
- Looking for other banana recipes?
First, let’s talk about brown butter in banana bread
Brown butter is just goooood, but in banana bread? It’s the BEST. The sweetness of bananas is just screaming to be paired with the rich nuttiness of brown butter. It might not be the most traditional preparation of banana bread, but once you switch from basic-butter-banana-ing to brown-butter-banana-ing, it’ll change your whole banana bread world. The extra 3 minutes of prep is oh-so-worth it.
Equipment you need for this recipe
In the interest of keeping this recipe as basic and perfectly easy as possible, I really cut down on the equipment you need. Here is everything you need to make this brown butter banana bread recipe:
- 1 large whisk
- 1 large bowl
- 1 9″x5″ loaf tin
Simple, no?
Ingredients for this brown butter banana bread
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (165g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large (350g) very ripe bananas, the more brown the better
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton’s
How to make this brown butter banana bread
This recipe is as easy as they come, here’s a step-by-step guide to making this brown butter banana bread:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a small saucepan, brown the butter. Do this by melting the butter, then letting it foam and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until flecks of brown form at the bottom of the pan. Transfer it to a bowl and whisk to let it cool slightly.
- Whisk the sugar and butter together for a minute or so. Crack in the eggs and add the vanilla. Whisk vigorously into a smooth mixture.
- Add the bananas directly into the bowl. Use a fork to mash them into small pieces, but you don’t need the bananas completely smooth. Switch to your whisk and whisk together.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine into a nice, thick batter.
- Transfer the batter to a parchment-lined loaf tin and bake at 375°F for 50-55 minutes.
What makes banana bread moist?
There are many factors to what makes a good, moist banana bread, from the levels of fat, to the amount of moistening agents (think dairy, mashed vegetables, fruit, etc.) to how you prepare the ingredients themselves.
The moisture factor in baked goods comes from a LOT of external sources. I’m very well known for throwing whole vegetables into my cakes, just because I know how good the moisture can be. But bananas, vegetables, and other fruits alone are not the sole source for what makes a cake moist. It also depends on your flour-to-fat ratio, and if you are using any additional moistening agents. Moistening agents typically include a dairy product, like sour cream, crème fraîche, or in this case, skyr or yogurt.
But the bananas do matter too – in fact, they are the only moistening agent in this recipe. And a high level of moisture comes from two main reasons:
- The more brown your banana, the more moist your cake will be. This is because the sugars break down in bananas as they ripen, which will directly impact the results of your banana bread. So brown on, ladies!
- The way I prepare the banana in this recipe is by mashing it directly in. Contrary to popular belief, the more mashed your banana is in the loaf, the less moist the loaf will be. You actually want pockets of some big banana pieces, because that will give you the UTMOST moisture.
Tips & tricks on how to store brown butter banana bread to keep it moist
How you store a baked good greatly impacts how it will taste over time. And don’t we all want our leftovers to be 10/10? This banana loaf will last up to a week, and here are my best tips on how to store it:
- Store in a cool, dry place like a pantry or a cool part of your kitchen – this is not the best recipe to store near the stove! Temperature variance won’t affect the moisture, but it will affect your bread’s ability to keep for the full week.
- Store in an airtight container – this is imperative to keeping a loaf’s moisture. Let the bread cool completely before moving it to a tupperware container with a snap-lock lid.
- For extra moisture, throw in a damp paper towel over your slice before rewarming – it’s wild, but it works! Just microwave your slice for 15 seconds with a wet paper towel draped over it. I learned this from Emily Mariko and I’m never going back.
Why does this recipe use grams?
Grams is always my preference for baking, and I hope it will be yours, too. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, not volume. One cup of flour can weigh all the way from 120 grams to 160 grams, depending on how it was packed. This ends up causing some volatility and miss-matched results.
I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe foolproof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe.
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Looking for other banana recipes?
Here are a few other banana options if you have more browning bananas on hand!
Brown Butter & Black Sesame Banana Bread
Salted Banana Cookies
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
And that’s everything for this Brown Butter Banana Bread!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (165g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large (350g) very ripe bananas, the more brown the better
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton’s
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a small saucepan, brown 113 grams of butter. Do this by melting the butter, then letting it foam and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until flecks of brown form at the bottom of the pan. Transfer it to a bowl and whisk to let it cool slightly.
- Whisk 165 grams of granulated sugar and butter together for a minute or so. Crack in 2 eggs and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk vigorously into a smooth mixture.
- Add 3 bananas directly into the bowl. Use a fork to mash them into small pieces, but you don't need the bananas completely smooth. Switch to your whisk and whisk together.
- Add in 210 grams of all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and stir to combine into a nice, thick batter.
- Transfer the batter to a parchment-lined loaf tin and bake at 375°F for 50-55 minutes.
Comments
AMAZING!!! Saw this recipe just posted today and I had to try it. Holy frack, it’s so so delicious and the brown butter adds such dimension to an otherwise regular banana bread recipe! My whole family loves it and I will definitely be making it again.
Oh YAY – I’m so glad you like it as much as I do!
Hi Justine, could you also specify the amount of baking powder in grams? Thank you!
I didn’t use my scale for the BP so I’m actually not sure the grams measurement – let me get back to you on this one!
can i put in some chocolate chips to this recipe? should i make any adjustments if adding them?
thanks justine, i just adore your recipes & style! xxx
Hello! You can absolutely do chocolate chips. I recommend adding no more than 100 grams (which the volume measurement will vary based off the size of your chips!) and chopping them roughly before adding. I hope this helps <3
So… I did not realize this was posted just yesterday, but boy, oh boy did I make it yesterday. And it may just be the best banana bread I’ve ever made. Browned butter – a champion paired with the ripe bananas and JUST the right amount of sugar. DELISH. Excited to have it toasted with butter later today. Definitely a keeper of a recipe, thanks Justine!
This comment made me so happy!! I’m so excited you think so – because I think so too! This recipe is my pride and joy at the moment <3
Hi Justine!
Can i make the batter in the evening, store it overnight in the fridge and bake it in the morning? Or do you recommend to bake it straight away.
Thankyou!
Hello! I recommend baking straight away, baking powder and soda have limited reaction times, so storing the batter might affect the rise. You can bake and store in the fridge for great results!
Excited to make this! Any way to substitute the sugar for coconut sugar or maple syrup?
I personally haven’t tried with those substitutions – if you’re going to try, I’d recommend starting with coconut sugar first, using a the same amount that the recipe calls for with normal sugar!
Would like to know this as well
This was the best banana bread I have ever made and it was taking the time to brown the butter that made all the difference. It smelled wonderful and was absolutely delicious. Thank you Justine!
Ahhh I’m so glad you liked it!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating/review!
Can I make this in cupcake pan? If so, how long and what temp would you rec to bake for? Can’t wait to try it!
Yes, but it will bake a little drier (it shouldn’t be too noticeable though!) I’d suggest 20-22 minutes of bake time at 375°F.
so excited to make this!! around how many grams of bananas did you use? thanks 🙂
330 grams!
Just made this! So easy and so good! Had to sub one flax egg but ofc turned out fine 🙂
Would pecans pair well with this?
Absolutely! I’d recommend starting with about 1/2 cup, chopped.
loved this recipe.. it’s getting cooler where I live and I just wanted a quick, simple, but flavourful banana bread that I could slice, and chuck in the oven to heat up on those cold autumn mornings. I added chopped dark chocolate because I had some laying around and it was amazing. Justine, you’re totally right. Those biggerpockets of mashed banana does make it extra moist. Deffo going to be a regular in my house
This comment made my DAY – so thrilled you like it!
I made this for some co workers and they loved it. Use this recipe a lot now 🙂
Your TikTok video making this was fresh in my mind when I saw how overripe my bananas were getting. Just had a warm slice and it’s to die for! So moist and fluffy. I did add 100g of dark choc chips and a little bit of cinnamon too. I’ll be making this one again.
Ah!! I’m so glad you liked it!
This was INCREDIBLE even with my swaps for my dietary restrictions and preferences (reduced sugar to 1/2c and used coconut sugar, did half almond flour and half whole wheat, added cinnamon, chocolate chips, and walnuts.) I will probably make this banana bread forever now!
This banana bread recipe is a big hit in our house! Definitely going to be in the regular rotation.
This makes me SO happy – I’m so thrilled you liked it!
I’m going to make this today! Out of curiosity why do some breads use baking soda in addition to the baking powder? and I noticed yours uses more baking powder than most recipes. what exactly does it add to the bread?
Baking powder is actually just baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) with an acid and anti-caking agent added! What this does is it ensures the batter doesn’t need an acidic element, which baking soda requires to activate. Additionally, when sodium bicarbonate is activated with the additional acid in the baking powder, it mitigates any acrid flavor, which I prefer. You’ll notice I cook mostly with baking powder, truly because I prefer the taste and find it most effective!
This is the first of your recipes I’ve tried and it was a big success! I only had 180 grams of all-purpose flour so I had to substitute 30 grams of Mochiko flour for the required amount of flour and it still came out super tasty. I had always been daunted by the process of making browned butter, but after trying it in this recipe I want to use it in all of my baked goods! This will now be my go-to recipe for when I have a few bananas that are just a bit too ripe.
Aw yay! This makes me so happy – I’m so glad you made it and liked it!
My favorite banana bread to make! The brown butter and the big chunks of banana are the best.
My go to!
I’m so thrilled you love it, it’s one of my favorites too! Thank you for taking the time to leave review!
Made this tonight, and it has instantly become my future go-to banana bread. The crumb is perfect, the dome lovely, and the flavor exceptional! I did, on a whim, steep some earl grey loose tea in the browned butter as it cooled. The first flavors are still the banana and butter, with a subtle touch of the tea on the back end. Thanks for a perfect recipe!
This is music to my ears!! I’m so so glad you loved it and steeping in some earl grey tea is GENIUS, I’ll have to try that next time.
My spice add ins are cardamom and ground mace-2 loaves. If my bananas aren’t ripe enough but the baking is asap, I have subbed organic baby food bananas with success.
This is a fab, quick bread!
PS-I understand ads are necessary but some cover the recipe space.
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and for your feedback, looking into the ad issue as we speak.
The best banana bread!!!
I’m so thrilled you love it!!
Browning my butter right now to give this recipe a try! Super excited to try this banana bread.
Obsessed! I hope you love it!
This banana bread is such a keeper! Today I modified it to use 50g whole wheat flour and the remaining 160g of AP. I always use 150g sugar and it’s still super delicious. Genius method of mashing the bananas to keep the moisture! And the batter tastes like banana pudding, it’s unreal.
I’m so glad you love it and good to know that ratio of flours works well! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.
The brown butter actually makes this sooo good. Will definitely be making this again.
I’m so so happy you liked it!
So so good.. I will stick to this recipe for my entire life 😁
I’m so happy to hear that!! So glad you love it and thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Hi Justine,
I am a Peace Corps volunteer living in Kosovo. I’ve been making this banana bread for my colleagues here. They love it so much, I agreed to make it for a race last weekend. I ended up doubling it twice (45 slices!), adding walnuts and dark chocolate. At the end of the race, everyone was talking about it and asking for the recipe!!! If you get a lot of visitors from Kosovo, you know why. Thank you!!!
This is amazing! Thank you so much for making this for everyone, I’m so glad it was so loved. <3
This is my new favorite banana bread!! The nutty brown butter is the perfect layer of flavor and I actually prefer it to chocolate chip banana bread! I only had two bananas on hand so I halved the recipe (thank you SO MUCH for including gram amounts justine!!) and sprinkled in a loving amount of nutmeg and cinnamon 😀
Since it was a half recipe I used a smaller loaf pan and decreased the time to 30 minutes to bake and it turned out beautifully. I will say the recipe says the batter will be thick and mine was somewhat thinner than I expected, so I was a bit worried that scaling down had affected it, but it turned out amazing.
Next time I’ll be sure to have more bananas so I can do a whole loaf :))
Ahh this is music to my ears!! I’m so thrilled you loved it and glad that the half recipe turned out well. Thank you so much for your feedback and taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Just here to pop in and note you’ve got an error on this one. You mention yogurt in the right up for moisture but that’s not in this recipe. Quick fix! <3 Very excited to try this!
Thank you so much! Bananas are the only moistening agent used in here, the yogurt was just mentioned as another moistening agent option that is often used in baked goods 🙂 I hope you love it!
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe, it’s fantastic! I would also like to share this with my celiac friend, who obviously can’t have gluten. Can I just substitute wheat flour with gluten free flour or do you suggest other changes too?
I’m so glad you liked it! I haven’t tested it personally but I know people have had success with King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten free baking flour. I hope your friend loves it 🙂
Just made that recipe together with my 4 year old kid ☺️. Great recipe and the whole family loved it! Tastes amazing 🤩
Ahh that is so fun! I’m so glad everyone loved it. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review <3
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make- I added chocolate, but really, it’s one of those where you can add anything and it will still taste amazing. Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it! I will always support the addition of chocolate. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
Made a batch of 4 for a church gathering with different flavors. Swirled in some black sesame paste in half of some batter like one of your other recipes. They all turned out soo good. I forgot to buy vanilla so I ended up just adding cinnamon and nutmeg, using less sugar, and also, I didn’t have enough bananas.. still turned out perfect. Shows you how versatile this recipe is!
Omg a batch of 4!! I’m so glad they turned well and love that you kind of combined two recipes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
This recipe is SO GOOD!! I don’t think I browned the butter enough, but it still got absolutely devoured when I brought it into work. I added a little bit of cinnamon, maybe an 1/8 of a tsp to the butter while it was browning and I think that lent a really nice flavor to the banana bread. I also didn’t have any eggs, so I used 2 tbsp flax meal and 6 tbsp warm water as a replacement and it turned out really moist and lovely. Thank you Justine! Absolute banger that will surely become a staple banana bread recipe for me
I’m so glad you loved it! The addition of cinnamon to the brown butter sounds delicious and so glad the flax eggs worked well. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.
Not a fan of banana bread UNTIL THIS!! So easy to make and so so delicious wow! I made it with a 1:1 substitution of Schär gluten free flour a few weeks ago for a roadtrip with friends as a car snack and they all loved it, came out amazing!! Now I want to remake it but had to freeze my ripe bananas due to a last minute trip, any idea if it would work with ripe frozen bananas? Any adjustments I should take into consideration? Thank you!!
I’m so glad you loved it and that the GF flour worked well! You can absolutely use frozen bananas, just allow them to thaw completely and then mash as normal 🙂
Fantastic recipe! This will absolutely be my go to. I added dark chocolate chips and a spoonful of greek yogurt (just in case it would be dry – i have had this issue with other recipes) and it was so moist with a beautiful light structure. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is the best banana bread and my new go to recipe. Simple and delicious as is! Freezes well too.
I’m so thrilled you loved it!
Best banana bread recipe ever!!! I don’t really like banana bread but it’s always on the rotation because we often have overripe bananas. Every time I bake a loaf, I’m the only one who eats it in the family just because I don’t want to waste food — no one’s interested in banana bread! Then I found this recipe — brown butter is genius!! The flavor is amazing!! This time I eat it because it’s actually worth eating — effin delicious — and my husband can’t get enough as well, which in itself is a miracle considering he doesn’t care much for cakes and pastries. Thank you so much, Justine! This is now in the rotation!! Xx
Ahh, this is music to my ears!! I’m so thrilled you love it and so glad it’s converted your husband lol. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
My go to banana bread recipe! I go for four mid-sized bananas and it turns out incredibly soft, tender, banana-y!! I also add some instant coffee and sub white for brown sugar. The crumb is perfection. Instead of coating the loaf pan with butter, I add about 1.5 tbsp butter in the loaf and chuck it in the over while it is preheating midway. The loaf crust touching the pan forms almost like an extra buttery crust. End pieces become my fave because the crust goes so well with the soft crumb! Its no frills. Easy cleanup. What more can you ask for?!
Ahh, this is music to my ears! I’m so thrilled you love it and so glad these subs work well – I’ll have to try it like that. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
Agreeing with the masses here: this is my GO-TO banana bread recipe. I’ve made it several times and someone always comments on it.
Curious if anyone has tried this in muffin-tin form? I have it in mind to bake it and bring it to a gathering, but want to make it more grab-and-go without necessarily cutting it up before hand. Excited to test it out in a new form!
Hi Sophie – so glad you like it, and we’ve had some people have success with muffins! Just halve the baking time, then check on them in 5 minute increments to see when they are finished 🙂
Hi Justine, I was looking to make this banana bread recipe but I only have mini loaf pans. How should I modulate the cook time & temperature? Thanks and love your recipes!
Hi Kendall – I’d suggest halving the bake time, then checking on their doneness every 5 minutes there after. You should have baked loaves in about 30-40 minutes, but start checking earlier just to be safe!
I can’t wait to try this. Can you offer high altitude adjustments for this recipe? We live at 7,000’. Thanks!
Hi there! I am so sorry to not have an answer for you, but I’ve never baked at altitude, so I don’t want to lead you astray with false info! I find conversion charts online help dictate how much more flour to add, and this recipe is forgiving, so I’m sure you could use that as a guideline before baking!
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