Published: May 31, 2021 · Modified: Jul 18, 2025 by Mischka

Simple Banana Bread Recipe - Easy, Moist, & Delicious

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This simple banana bread recipe is the BEST way to use overripe bananas. It’s incredibly easy and the banana bread is always soft, moist, and delicious.

A close-up of tan, soft, moist banana bread slices with specks of brown cinnamon and banana.

This post contains affiliate links. This means, if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at NO extra cost to you. Thank you! ❤️

This is one of my most popular posts. People cannot seem to get enough it! Dozens of people have told me this is now their go-to banana bread recipe. I hope it becomes yours too!

This Iced Chai Latte pairs SO well with this banana bread. It's ready in a minute, inexpensive, and tastes just like the one at Starbucks.

Super Easy Banana Bread

This recipe is crazy easy. It only requires one bowl. There’s no need for a mixer. And, it doesn’t make much of a mess.

It’s so easy that people who never baked before and kids frequently make it on their own. I’ve also been told that people have made it with their toddlers, which I absolutely love. It’s the perfect opportunity for family bonding.

It’s also a great way to use overripe bananas so they don’t go to waste. I honestly think my family and partner have stopped eating bananas JUST so I make this banana bread. 😂

I HATE wasting food, so it is awesome that I can be resourceful and make my family happy.

More Overripe Banana Recipes:
- Simple Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Super Soft Banana Bread Cookies
- The BEST Gluten-Free Banana Bread

If you have a dog, check out this banana recipe too - Easy, Healthy, Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats (Only 3 Ingredients!).

A loaf of golden brown banana bread that is sliced in half. One side is still whole with a crisp, beautiful golden top. The other side is sliced into several pieces of banana bread to show the soft, moist bread.

How ripe should the bananas be?

Super ripe! The bananas should be way too soft, mushy, and not at all like what we would normally eat.

The peels should be brown and easy to remove.

As a banana ripens, the starch in the fruit converts to sugar. This makes it sweeter and more assertive in banana flavor.

The riper the banana you use, the sweeter the banana bread.

How many bananas?

This is frequently discussed in the Pinterest comments for this recipe.

My favorite amount to use is 3 bananas.

You could make it with two or four though.

I personally don't like to use four bananas. It can make the bread TOO moist or dense.

If you only have one banana, check out my Banana Bread Cookie Recipe. It's a fun twist on traditional banana bread.

A close-up of sliced, soft, moist banana bread on a white circular plate with a brown outline.

Gluten-Free Option

I adapted this recipe into the BEST Gluten-Free Banana Bread EVER. I’m seriously obsessed with it. It is very similar to this one. Just a couple small changes. 😉

You could also just swap all-purpose flour for a gluten-free one, like King Arthur's Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. With this gluten-free flour, you don't need any additional ingredients and you use the same exact amount of flour that the recipe calls for. It's Measure for Measure!

Optional Add-ins

Lots of people have added walnuts, pecans, raisins, and/or chocolate chips to this banana bread recipe.

I have to admit… it does taste pretty great with chocolate chips.

When I make this recipe into these Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Muffins, I add a ½ cup of chocolate chips.

Three slices of brown, baked, delicious, soft, and moist banana bread next to the rest of the load on a 1980s plate.

Loaf Pan Size

I used to think there wasn’t much of a difference between a 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pan and a 9” x 5” one. But, there is!

I recently read, on the King Arthur Baking Blog, that the "½" difference in each dimension translates to a 15% difference in capacity."

Choosing the wrong-sized loaf pan can cause a recipe to fail.

This Banana Bread recipe uses a 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pan, like this Stainless Steel one with Silicone Handles. I love this bread pan. It’s durable, the perfect size, and easy-to-clean.

Out of baking soda? Check out this Banana Bread Recipe No Baking Soda.

A closeup of soft, moist brown banana bread.

Print Recipe

4.75 from 354 votes