This Easy Banana Bread Recipe is the absolute BEST! It is moist, packed with bananas, sweetened with brown sugar, and baked in a square pan for even and quick cooking. No mixer needed, grab a bowl and whisk, this bread is ready in under 30 minutes.

Slices of banana bread stacked on a plate.

Recipe snapshot

TASTE: Bananas, brown sugar, and vanilla with a hint of buttery richness.

TEXTURE: This banana bread is super soft and moist.

SQUARE PAN: This banana bread is baked in a square cake pan instead of a loaf pan. This allows the bread to bake in as little as 20 minutes, and it bakes quickly and evenly every time. Note: If you’d prefer a different size pan there are instructions below.

What makes this recipe the best

For years, I have been on a search for the PERFECT banana bread. I wanted a recipe that is simple, with no fancy ingredients, just a flat-out delicious banana bread that bakes up perfectly every single time. HERE IT IS!

These ingredients and techniques make this recipe incredible:

Bananas – This banana bread is absolutely loaded with bananas. I use 3-4 overripe bananas to make this bread sweet, moist, and packed with banana flavor.
Brown sugar – The only sugar used in this bread is brown sugar. It is in the batter and it gets sprinkled on top before baking. The brown sugar gives the bread a deeper flavor and almost caramel-like sweetness.
Vanilla extract – Banana and vanilla is a match made in heaven! Two teaspoons of vanilla extract lend an underlying vanilla flavor that pairs perfectly with the banana.
Square pan – Using a square pan instead of a loaf pan means this bread bakes quickly and evenly. No worrying about the edges drying out before the center is cooked through.

Easy Banana Bread ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, bananas, eggs baking soda.

What readers are saying…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I’m never one to leave a review, but this banana bread is SO GOOD!! I have tried so many banana bread/muffin recipes and nothing can compare to this, my partner and I almost finished it in one day.”

“This is the BEST Banana Nut Bread I have ever had. Delicious. I have made it quite a few times and it always turns out yummy. Thank you for this recipe.”

How to make banana bread

*Full detailed recipe below in the recipe card.*

Whisk melted butter and brown sugar. Add mashed banana, vanilla, and eggs.

Mashed banana, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a white bowl.

Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.

Mashed banana and flour in a white bowl.

Pour the batter into a greased 9×9 square pan and sprinkle the top with brown sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through.

Tips: baking with bananas

It’s important to use overripe bananas for this recipe. The skin of the bananas should have brown speckles or even be turning dark brownish-black. This ensures that the bananas mash smoothly and are extra sweet.

You will need 3-4 bananas (2 cups mashed).

Mash the bananas using a fork or potato masher.

I mash the bananas on a paper plate then fold the plate in half and slide the mashed banana into the measuring cup.

Ingredient swaps and modifications

I have made the following changes with success:

Reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup (in the batter). I still recommend sprinkling brown sugar on top.
Swap the melted butter for melted coconut oil or mild olive oil.
Swap up to ¾ cup of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
Add a generous handful of chopped walnuts to the batter.
Love chocolate? Try our chocolate chip banana bread.

Slices of banana bread on a white plate.

Different pan sizes

The recipe instructions are for a 9×9 square pan (my preference), but you can also use the following:

Muffins: Divide batter between 12 greased muffin cups, adjust bake time to about 15 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
8×8 square: Adjust bake time to 35-45 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Loaf pan (9×5): Adjust bake time to 45-55 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

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Recipe

Stack of banana bread slices on a white plate.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

This Easy Banana Bread Recipe is the absolute BEST! It is moist, packed with bananas, sweetened with brown sugar, and baked in a cake pan for even and quick cooking. No mixer needed, grab a bowl and whisk, this bread is ready in under 30 minutes.

5 from 309 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 32

Servings: small (or 9 larger servings)

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Allison Mattina

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
▢ ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar, make sure it is fresh and soft
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ 2 scant cups mashed very ripe bananas, about 3-4 bananas
▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
▢ 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour*
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ cup light brown sugar (more, if desired), for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and ⅔ cup brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla, whisking until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to lightly stir the batter until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to over mix.
Grease a 9×9 square baking pan and add the batter to the pan. Smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the top of the batter with ¼ cup (or more) brown sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating once during the bake time. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Video

Notes

FLOUR: Fluff the flour several times with your measuring cup, lightly scoop a heaping portion and level it off. If you’d like to add some whole wheat flour, I have successfully used 1 cup all purpose flour along with ¾ cup whole wheat flour.

PAN SIZES: The recipe instructions are for a 9×9 square pan (my preference), but you can also use the following:

Muffins: Divide batter between 12 greased muffin cups, adjust bake time to about 15 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
8×8 square: Adjust bake time to 35-45 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Loaf pan (9×5): Adjust bake time to 45-55 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).