Ultimate Banana Bread
This single loaf of banana bread is packed with FIVE bananas(!), brown sugar, butter, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of sugar on top. It bakes up high, dense, and supremely moist. Ultimate indeed!
I stared at this recipe for years -YEARS – before making it. I saved it from a Cook’s Illustrated magazine, but it took until I had an entire bunch of bananas that had gone black on me to finally dive in and give it a try.
Why had I dismissed it all those years? Quite simply, I always felt like banana bread should be, well, simple. A quick remedy to overripe bananas on the counter that could be in the oven before the first commercial break of your grandma’s favorite soap opera. Spoiler alert: this is not your grandma’s banana bread. The preparation methods seemed over the top to me, so I ignored it for years. Finally, I had some free time on my hands, along with the black bananas, so I decided to give it a try.
Yes, there were more preparation steps and additional preparation time, but this is most definitely the best banana bread I’ve ever made.
The banana flavor is dramatically intensified and the loaf baked up nice and high (all of the banana bread recipes I’ve made over the years have been short and squat). Not that I ever complained; it was all I’d ever known, but I do love a high loaf of bread, be it yeasted or quick. Tall is where it’s at!
Now, let’s talk about the texture. I love, love, loved it. The bread is supremely dense and very moist; while previous attempts at banana bread have all been moist, the dense texture was new to me. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to crumble apart when you handle it; the slices are heavy and substantial.
I also love the sprinkling of granulated sugar on top of the loaf before putting it in the oven – it gives the finished bread a little bit of a sweet crunch on top.
How to Make the Ultimate Banana Bread
Okay here we go, the banana bread that’s a little high maintenance in preparation, but pays off in dividends with the final product… this is how we do it!
- Microwave the bananas, then strain over a bowl to capture all of the juices that have been released.
- Reduce the banana juice in a saucepan to get super concentrated banana flavor without needing to add a ton of extra liquid.
- Mash together the bananas and reduced liquid – ultimate banana flavor!
The rest of the recipe is pretty run-of-the-mill with whisking melted butter (no oil!), eggs, brown sugar (moister and more flavorful than white!), and vanilla into the mashed bananas, then stirring together with the flour mixture.
All that’s left is to sprinkle the top with sugar and bake away.
Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe Notes
- It’s important that the bananas are not just speckled, but are full-on browning or even black so they can release those delicious juices.
- You can use thawed frozen bananas; if you do so, you do not need to microwave them, simply go to placing them over a fine-mesh strainer (they will release a lot of liquid naturally).
- If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes sooner than the recipe states.
- You can substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts; use what you love (or omit them completely)!
- This banana bread can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then foil, and placing it in a freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months.
If you’re itching to try a new banana bread recipe and you’re not opposed to a few extra steps, give this one a try – I guarantee you’ll love the end result!
If You Like This Ultimate Banana Bread, Try These Recipes:
- Grandma’s Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
- Zucchini-Banana Bread
- Banana-Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
Watch the Recipe Video:
Four years ago: DIY: Homemade Flour Tortillas
Five years ago: Doggie Pupcakes with Yogurt-Peanut Butter Frosting
Six years ago: Snickers Rice Krispie Treats
Nine years ago: Dog Birthday Cake
Ultimate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 5 large very ripe bananas, about 1¾ to 2 pounds, peeled
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (149 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (57 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degres F. Spray an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Place the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with a paring knife. Microwave on high power until the bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bananas to a fine-mesh strainer placed over a medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, or 15 minutes (there should be ½ to ¾ cup liquid).
- Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir the reduced liquid into the bananas, and mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in the butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined, with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in the walnuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the top of the loaf.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen (the wrapped loaf should then be placed in an resealable freezer bag or double-wrapped with foil) for up to 2 months.
Notes
- It’s important that the bananas are not just speckled, but are full-on browning or even black so they can release those delicious juices.
- You can use thawed frozen bananas; if you do so, you do not need to microwave them, simply go to placing them over a fine-mesh strainer (they will release a lot of liquid naturally).
- If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes sooner than the recipe states.
- You can substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts; use what you love (or omit them completely)!
- This banana bread can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then foil, and placing it in a freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in August 2014.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
Love this recipe. Â Can you use same to make muffins? Â Any special instructions?
great recipe!! I added blueberries and they were delicious
Loved the heating of the banana to get more robust flavor – total game changer! I also mixed in sweetened coconut to the batter and on top (instead of the sugar). Came out amazing!
Made this today and I love the crust mine was caramelized around the outside which I found delicious
This, in all sincerity, was the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made. To be truthful, I did make some tweaks. Cut down the brown sugar and the granulate sugar on top. I did not even use the same amount of bananas called for in the recipe. I only had three. But it is so delicious, just the same. I really appreciate your well researched recipes!
Well a bit long winded but worth it came out lovely and moist with a lovely crispy top definitely keep this recipe ,
I’m going to try adding chocolate chips next time Mmmmmmm .
Good morning! Thoughts on browning the butter?
It would be DELICIOUS!
I felt the same way! Next time, I’m browning the butter!
I was very disappointed in this bread. It was IMHO no different than a basic banana bread recipe, so the microwaving and cooking down the liquid were just extra steps. Again, I read all the other comments and not sure why I found this less than spectacular.
This banana bread is great! I use a little less sugar and add about 3 oz of 70% dark chocolate (a bar) smashed up along with the walnuts. I’ve made this over 20 times and it’s just excellent.
I have been making this recipe every Christmas for several years now. It is the best banana bread I have ever made (according to friends and family I “gift” it to.)
As another variation, I have added raisins. Still fabulous!
Thanks.
This is by far the BEST way to make banana bread. The flavor boost you get from reducing the banana juice is the kicker. WOW, just loaded with flavor. For a crispy, I have opted to top my recipe with thin banana slices and granola, for and added crunch.
Thanks
How do you get the bread to rise up so high? I have been using a mixer. Is it the folding technique that leaves it fluffy and airy?
I have made this recipe over 20 times. This is the only recipe I use now. Bread is always moist and excellent flavor. I used sanding sugar to sprinkle on top before baking one time when I wanted to use up the end of the container of it and it was such a hit that is all I use now. I highly recommend making this recipe. It is well worth the extra effort.Â
I already submitted my comments raving about this recipe but forgot to give it the 5 stars it deserves. I will add that when I made 3 small loaves, I baked them for 35 minutes at 350, 40 minutes is ok too.
I’ve been making banana bread for 50 years using various recipes which turned out from ok to pretty good.
This one is in a class all its own , best ever. Wonderful texture and flavour and a little crunch from the sugar on top. I made 3 small loaves thinking I could freeze 2 and enjoy one. I’m pretty sure that won’t happen as they won’t last.
I’ve been making the Grandma’s Banana Bread recipe for years and decided to try this one for a change. Delicious. Bread was tender and flavorful – worth the extra time and clean up. I added a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for extra flavor.
I first made this on the same day my husband had a group of friends visit for a boy’s weekend. I left it on the side to cool and when I returned the next morning (to a very hungover crowd) the entire thing had been decimated! That must have been 4-5 years ago and I get a request to bake it every single time they visit! This time though one of them has switched to a vegan diet, do you know how I could adapt the recipe?
You could use oil or margarine instead of butter, and flax eggs to replace the eggs,
This is my second time making this.  The first wasn’t very successful as I used frozen bananas and they yielded little water.  This time 1 3/4 pounds of bananas yielded 1 1/2 cups liquid which took awhile to reduce but notched up the flavour amazingly.  I added 1/2 cup bran for fibre and it didn’t ruin the texture.  I found it a bit sweet so will reduce the sugar next time to under 1/2 cup.  The rest is perfect!  More time consuming then normal banana bread but very yummy.
This is my go-to banana bread recipe. The reduced banana syrup just puts the flavor over the top. I also use cacao nibs instead of walnuts, personal preference. I accidentally made a different recipe and my husband said “thanks, but it’s not as good as the last one (this recipe) that you made.” Never. going. back.
While, I will say it’s a slightly more tasty way to make bana bread, it tastes good!
It’s a darker banana bread in colour but overall I’d make it again!  The sugar on top was a family favouriteÂ
This Banana Bread recipe looks yummy, thanks for sharing this, I bet this will go very well with a cup of coffee.
Looks and sounds great. Want to try this recipe but I dont have a microwave. What do I do then?
You can use frozen, thawed bananas instead. I have that listed in the recipe notes and you don’t need to microwave.
I have made this recipe several times since it was posted. Â It is now the only recipe I use for banana bread. Â I have given several loaves as gifts, and everyone I have given it to has asked for the recipe. Â I now buy the number of bananas I need and put them away to ripen so they don’t inadvertently get eaten before I need them. Â I have been following your blog for several years, and I have yet to make any of your recipes that have not been fantastic.
Absolutely delicious! Definitely my go to recipe from now on. My only issue was that I didn’t get 1/2 to 3/4 cup liquid from my bananas (even used an extra banana). I got just under 1/4 cup. What did I do wrong?
Keep stirring the bananas in the strainer. Juice settles in bananas so by moving them around it drops to bowl. I had 6 bananas and got 3/4 cup liquid.
Amazing!! I also browned the butter in the small saucepan while the bananas were straining. Highly recommend!
ULTIMATE BANANA BREAD RECIPE IS GREAT FOR BREAKFAST OR SNACK. THANKS FOR YOUR RECIPE.
I have tried another CI recipe with sliced bananas on top and that was so so. This recipe looks incredible! I will definitely try this bread and add some cardamom to it for some warmth.Â
I’d like to say ~~~ Grandma’s Banana Bread is THE BEST ,easiest and quick and DELICIOUS… I have made the one above, great to try new things. But when time is of the essence, why not back Grandma’s Banana Bread.
Thank you~~
I have to admit I haven’t personally sampled this recipe, but I was intrigued by the extra steps and made it for a coworker who was home with pneumonia. She contacted me and said it was the BEST banana bread she’d ever had; absolutely delicious! Now I have to buy more bananas and make it for my household! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
I’ve given up sweets for the month, so I will have to wait until February 1st to make this. It looks delicious.
Try this recipe sometime https://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateBananaBread.html
It is my go to banana bread recipe, I top it with turbinado sugar.
I just happened to notice the section at the end of the recipe where it lists past postings. WOW, has it REALLY been 9 years? The years just fly by. When I began with your blog you were single with a dog, one dog, a beautiful male golden named Einstein and look at you now. And…..9 years ago it was a dog cake. I guess that was for Einstein’s birthday. I lost my Lucy this past June, ON my birthday of all days. I think it was just about the worst day of my life. Its so lonely without her, the house is so empty. But, I’m waiting until warmer weather until I look for a new little girl. Wonder if Eimstein and Lucy are in the same doggie heaven talking about how their humans were always making this good smelling stuff in that box that would get very very hot? I hope so. Someone I grew up with lost his brother only in his 30s, about 20 years ago to cancer. He told me last year that in Steve’s last days Steve would tell him the dog they had as boys, and very close to Steve, would come and lie on the bed with him. I’ve heard many accounts of loved ones coming to be with family at the end but this is the first dog. It gives me great hope I’ll see Lucy again.
Hi Pamela, Time really does fly, doesn’t it?! In February, it will actually be TWELVE years since I started this site! Yesterday was Einstein’s birthday… I am so, so sorry to hear about you losing Lucy. The story you just told gave me goosebumps and, like you, ever since losing him, I’ve had hope that I will be able to see him again one day. I hope he and Lucy are running around together, acting like puppies. Hugs to you, xo
Can’t wait to try this out! Â How do you freeze bananas? Â I’ ve never frozen them. Â Thanks!
Hi Colleen, The most versatile way I’ve found is to peel them, wrap individually in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. That way if you have a recipe that calls for whole bananas, you know how many you have. If you want to use them in something like a smoothie, you can always break them in half. Enjoy! :)
I have tried sooooo many banana bread recipes and this is my favorite. I’ve been making it for years. Well worth a couple of extra steps!
So awesome to hear you’ve been loving it, Noreen!
This looks delicious. I am so going to make this next time I have over ripe bananas. Thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome, Barbara, enjoy!
By the way, I want too say that I love the way you’ve been writing your blog post for a while now, with all those little side notes, advices and back stories. It’s really what I’m looking for when I search a recipe.
Perfection would be ingredients also indicated in grams !!! ;-))))
Hi Audrey, Thank you so much for the feedback; I’m so happy to hear the extra information in the posts have been helpful for you! :) And I do have grams! At the bottom of the ingredient list there are two little links (in my redesign these will be larger and more prominent!) – US Customary and Metric. Simply click on “metric” and all of the ingredients will convert to grams.
OMG ! You HAVE reached perfection!!! Fantastic! No more looking for conversion charts on my phone with my hands full of butter! ;-)) (Yes I could do it before but…I never remember! ;-)))
Thanks and keep up the good work ;-)
Do you spy my house?!!!! ;-))
I needed to make a banana cake yesterday and went searching the web!!! (Well basically your website and Joy of Baking: my two references!). I almost made your Grandma’s Banana Bread but the picture at the end with the butter slathered on it stopped me! I thought maybe it was more like bread with a sweeter flavour and would be inappropriate as a snack. In France we don’t have those bread/cake version so it’s always puzzling for me… So is this kind of “bread cakes” soft enough to eat as such?
(In the end I made the Spice Loaf from my Periplus Mini cookbook “Fabulous Fast Cakes” (my 3rd reference when it comes to baking!))
I can just imagine how the bread will taste, I was right is delicious, extra step is worth it!! Â Thanks!!
I just made this recipe. I make a lot of banana bread, and this recipe is delicious! The extra steps, though they create a lot of extra dishes to wash, really bring a concentration of banana flavor. A winner for sure!
This really is the Ultimate banana bread recipe! I have made this several times and it always gets rave reviews, the extra step of making the banana syrup is totally worth it. I have tried other recipes that claim to be moist and full of banana flavor but have been let down each time. As I am writing this my family is criticizing my current attempt with another recipe, there may be a riot here shortly as they are very disappointed I did not use this recipe. I will toss out all the other recipes and only use this one from now on! Thank for this wonderfully moist and delicious recipe!
This is by far the BEST way to make banana bread. The flavor boost you get from reducing the banana juice is the kicker. WOW, just loaded with flavor. For a crispy I have opted to top my recipe with thin banana slices and granola, for and added crunch.
I was excited to try this as I’d pinned it a long time ago. Â I had a number of frozen bananas waiting to be turned into something delicious so I defrostd them in the microwave (my first mistake) and then cooked them in the microwave as instructed. Â Unfortunately this resulted in no liquid to be reduced (I think they reabsorbed it) so I followed someone else’s suggestion and added just under 1/4 cup of bourbon for moisture. Â This took considerably longer to cook (93 minutes total) than the recipe suggests and when cut there are some gooey spots still. Â I would definitely blend the bananas with a stick blender as mashing them did not achieve a smooth enough consistency I think. Â The end product is still good but not what I would call “ultimate” sadly. Â I will try again (because I never say die) with the above tweaks and hope it turns out like it should. Â Always love a baking experiment!
What was the weight on this/yield?
Hi Josh, The yield is one 8×4-inch loaf. I did not weigh it.
After making this recipe, I ate a slice. The bottom of the bread was almost wet, super moist. The top was almost burnt. Maybe a bit too much moist ingredients?
This banana bread is delicious! Maybe it was a little more work than plain old banana , but worth it.
An excellent recipe. This will be my go-to banana bread recipe from now on.
Just made your banana bread recipe. Â Mashed the bananas BEFOREHAND. Â Made it except the banana extra steps. Â Hoping it will still come out okay. Â Thoughts?
Hi Jennie, I think it should still be okay, but I couldn’t say for sure. Let us know how it turns out!
I just made the ultimate banana bread. Â Everyone loved it. Â But I know it will be better the next time. Â Bananas have to ripen naturally to get natural sweetness. Mine had large brown spots so O thought they were very ripe. They fooled me. Â They were still firm when peeled. Memo to me open banana before starting the rest of the recipe. Unlike what I read someplace, bananas do not ripen in microwave. Â They only soften. Â I also thickened the banana juice in the microwave. Â Iused anemersionblender to mash the bananas. Would use mixer first or potato ricer. The bread will be even better if I leave them to fully / over ripen. Â I copied a commenters idea to use another banana sliced in birder on top.
Since I prefer the molasses taste of dark brown sugar, I substituted it for light brown in recipe and for the white sugar on top. Â Think I will use it in place of light brown sugar but go with coarse white decorating sugar on top.
My family likes nuts. Â I only like the flavor and not the chunks in soft baked goods. Â So I took 3/4 c of pecans and ran them thru my small processor (could use blender) until almost a paste. Â All very tiny pieces. Â Wonderful flavor addition.
Baking time. Â My oven although showing correct temp on separate thermometer bakes faster than most ovens.Â
So I preheated to 350.  Lowered it to 340 for 30 minutes.  When I checked the  batter on wooden stick was cool and liquid.  I lowered the temp to 325 for another 25 minutes.  Bread was moist and top bananas were slightly carmelized. Â
So Michelle with a few tweeks for taste and equipment, this is our favorite banana bread.  Maybe will also try adding  chocolate chips nextÂ
This recipe is A-mazing. My husband is not a nut fan so I mix in chocolate chips instead. I pretty sure he purposely avoids eating bananas when we get them from the store so eventually I have to make this bread!
Kept seeing all these ‘best’ recipes involving putting the right-out-of-the-oven banana bread into the freezer – apartments don’t have freezers to deal with, so kept looking and found this recipe. Honestly, this has to be one of The best, not to mention unusual, recipe for banana bread. I have never had one disappear so quickly either. It’s a keeper, there is no doubt. And pecans worked really well since I was out of walnuts from all the Christmas baking.
Well, I used all the ingredients, but skipped the fancy steps and it still turned out great, just saying… ;)
Made this last night. In the words of my 5 year old. “This is yumilicious” it’s the best banana bread recipe I’ve tried and not nearly as long as I thought it would take.
Hi, you state that this is an adapted CI recipe. Did you try their original recipe first and then adapt it? Just curious what you improved on from the original. Thanks! :)
Wow, I’ve got to be honest.. I found the process and the result completely unappealing. The grey banana mush and even greyer banana water that resulted from microwaving was not pleasant at all and the end banana bread was dry, flavourless and boring. I followed this recipe to a T but now find myself googling uses for stale banana bread.
A shame really, as I’ve really enjoyed all of your other recipes so far. Oh well, 100% success would be weird.
I have been trying many banana bread recipes in search of the best one.
Came across yours and baked it and had great feedback from the family.
I don’t like to use the microwave for anything other than reheating food but tried your way anyway. One of the five bananas had been saved in the freezer, in a container, out of its jacket and I noticed when it defrosted it had already released lots of liquid. Next time I will try the same recipe but with frozen, defrosted bananas.
I finally got around to trying this recipe, and it was incredible! I was bummed at first because I was just a little short of the minimum weight – my 6 bananas were a bit smaller! I decided to just wing it and added the missing weight in applesauce. Microwaved it and followed the recipe according to instructions from there – and it came out perfect! So just a piece of info in case anyone is sooooo close to having the needed amount of banana but still falling a bit short.
Made this and it was awesome….thank you for sharing!
After going totally gaga over your fabulous New York-Style Cheesecake recipe, I can’t tell you how pleased we were to see your site come up in a search for “ultimate banana bread”. My wife and I are both fans of banana bread and also huge fans of your cheesecake recipe, so our expectations were high. We were not disappointed. Best banana bread ever. Such an intense banana flavour and a nice sturdy loaf. Out thanks, and greetings from Toronto Canada.
Hi Michelle,
I love this recipe & just made it again with chocolate chips. So good. Do you think it would work well with whole wheat flour? I have a bunch of it because I made your zucchini cran walnut bread (also really good). Thanks.
Hi Marcie, I haven’t tried using whole wheat flour, but I would recommend only substituting a portion of the flour with whole wheat to start to see how the recipe responds and then try increasing amounts from there.
Thank you for sharing this! Yum yum yum :)
Michelle,
This was so good! We really loved this, but of course it wasn’t quite as good as it could be because there’s no chocolate- so says my husband. He wants chocolate in everything! Anyway, do you think I could add chocolate along with the nuts? How much do you think?
Hi Marcie, Absolutely! You could add chocolate chips to the batter, however much you’d like. I’d probably start with a little less or equal to the nuts, or decrease the nuts and add more chocolate chips.
Made this beautiful bread this morning (was waiting for the appropriate opportunity to get it out of my house quickly). I also had a little extra liquid so I cooked it down a little longer. Only change I made was to sprinkle the top with raw sugar instead of granulated sugar. Worth the extra steps with the bananas any day of the week! Thank you for sharing this one!
I think I went back and forth a dozen times in my head between regular banana bread and this one when I saw your recipe – the usual ‘quick’ banana bread is so delicious, how could this be any better right? Wrong! So glad I went for this one, I will never use the regular method again. Deeeelicious
This was awesome! I made it this weekend and went all out. In the time I was waiting on the bananas I browned the stick of butter (in the pan that I later used to reduce the banana juice) and toasted the walnuts in the oven for 12min @ 350degF.
Yummy, yummy and yummy!!! Yes, it is the “ultimate banana bread”! I am tossing out all my other banana bread recipes and keeping this one! Yes, it does take time to prepare but so worth it! The bread is moist, excellent banana taste and is loved by granddaughters!! Thank you for sharing!!
This is the only banana bread recipe I will ever need again. So great ! And your cream cheese cinnamon rolls by far the best I’ve ever had.
Banana bread is such a staple in my kitchen and I love experimenting with different recipes for it! My all time favourite so far is the Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread recipe that I have posted on my blog, but this one sounds delicious as well. I would definitely add chocolate chips to it though to satisfy my sweet tooth :)
Sydney
I don’t know why the ultimate banana bread seemed like such an enigma, but this recipe is a must try for sure!
Wow!! I will never throw out another extra ripe banana again. Just finished making this.. In oven now. The banana mixture tasted fantastic and it’s not even cooked yet!! :)
I HAD to give this recipe a try . . . and I have to say that this is truly delicious banana bread. I used the specified number of bananas, but ended up with more than the specified amount of liquid (approximately 1 1/4 cups). It took me much longer than 5 minutes to cook the liquid down, and I gave up and used what I had, which was maybe 2/3 cup (I’m not sure though b/c I didn’t measure, just poured it all back into the bananas). In the end, it didn’t seem to matter as my loaf turned out just as beautiful looking as yours, and SO flavorful, moist, dense and wonderful!! I believe this bread gets better tasting after a couple of days – although the slightly crunchy top (which I LOVE) disappears. Thanks for trying this recipe and posting it. I’m not sure if I’ll go back to my old stand-by banana bread recipe . . . :D
I too had a lot of extra liquid! We will see how it turns out, as it is cooking now!(:
I made this tonite….used 6 bananas that I had in the freezer because they were too ripe to eat (I just throw them in the freezer with peelings intact) and when they thaw, the extra liquid basically drains right off! No need to microwave etc, you can strain the juice right away. My husband doesn’t like walnuts, so I put chocolate chips in place of the nuts. Very, very yummy!!!!
You might find it easier to peel the banana before freezing it. The banana freezes beautifully without the peel (as long as you seal it in a freezer bag first) and when you are ready to use it you don’t have to deal with the mess of removing the blackened peel. Some websites recommend slicing them too but I prefer leaving the bananas whole so I know exactly how many I have frozen at any given time. If you add overripe bananas to the freezer bag on a regular basis you will almost always have enough in the freezer to whip up a yummy banana bread recipe like this one whenever  the mood strikes. They keep for about 3 months.Â
I’ve been challenged by one of my readers to find a good banana bread recipe, and so far I’ve been letting her down! All of mine, whilst delicious, are way too high in the middle and way too crispy on the outside… defo not blog worthy! Now I just need to try this one out, and to try and get a hold of a few kg of bananas before my hubby eats them all!!
Really excellent banana bread recipe. I also found it was really versatile – I had a little bit leftover that went a little stale so I made it into pain perdu (a bit like french toast but with caramel crunch on the outside). It was FANTASTIC! Here’s the recipe if you like http://timedeating.co.uk/dessert-egg-soldiers/ (just subsititute bread for banana bread)
This sounds SUPERB! As I live in a banana producing area I have no excuse now not to make it. I would never have thought to prepare the bananas this way, can’t wait for my current bananas to over ripen. Thank U again for a new exciting recipe. Love and hugs to Duke and Einstein.
In case you are wondering, I am a family nurse practitioner and have researched this area a lot, especially after my mom had a recent episode of diverticulitis! (who also loves cooking and baking and this website)
Just to ease all of those fears about nuts and seeds including popcorn, etc. for those with a history of diverticulitis….that is definitely old school!!! Nuts and seeds are great for fiber and are no longer restricted for those who have a history of diverticulitis and are very much encouraged as they add fiber to your diet (which is great as they taste so good :-) (despite the many fears and misconceptions out there)
This recipe sounds great with or without!
i swear i have about ten different banana bread recipes, but i definitely will be adding this one to my collection! im always on the hunt for the perfect banana bread – and yours looks pretty damn good!
They had another banana recipe in their Cooks Illustrated magazine a few years back. The butter was melted too and it called for 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. I received a lot of compliments with that recipe.
Wow, this is sure intense! I love the concentration of banana! The most I’ve ever used is 4. Wanna try this!
Lol about the fruit flies — I’m having my own problems with them, too! The bananas are becoming overripe so fast, so I have several that I need to use up. This bread sounds perfect, and I’ll give it a try. :)
I absolutely adore my mom’s banana bread – it’s the best I’ve ever eaten! But this recipe looks really phenomenal! Just pinned it and I can’t wait to try it!
What would put me off from this recipe is that I rarely have 5 overripe bananas. I use 3 in my “go-to” recipe, and I usually have 3 bananas to be used.
I have a couple of go-to recipes for banana bread. I love my one bowl Mennonite Banana Bread recipe, which only requires two bananas. I bump up the favor with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding the cinnamon makes the bread take on a truly amazing favor.
Thanks for sharing this I’m going to give it a whirl too.
(I also was diagnosed with diverticulitis in June and my belly hasn’t been the same since. I had to give up my popcorn, which hasn’t been easy! :-( )
Hi Cathy, I’m so sorry about your diverticulitis bout! My husband also had to give up popcorn, which has killed him. We had a little tradition of making a big bowl of popcorn and setting it between us when we watched a movie or one of our favorite shows at home :(
I love this banana bread recipe! Yes, it has a few extra steps, but it still has simple ingredients. Simple and delicious!
Hey BEB. Looks great. My favorite banana bread that I found while eating a vegan diet for 2 years (for health reasons) is a chocolate chip banana bread. It is wonderful with dark chocolate chips. I still bake it. It freezes great to pull out when an unexpected guest shows up. Yum. Can’t wait for fall/winter baking!
I love a good banana bread! This one looks great!
I make this all of the time but another thing is to slice banana and layer overlapping along edges of loaf pan after sprinkling with sugar. This will carmeliize and keep loaf moist and is pretty.
Man, that looks great!
if you have any left – try turning a couple of pieces into French Toast – and let us know what you think! I saw this done on “The Kitchen” on Food Network on Saturday. Looked YUMMMMMMY! They did it with zucchini bread.
Awesome idea! I will definitely do that next time :)
Have been making Flour Bakery’s banana bread as my go-to fave banana bread for several years (plenty of extra steps and ingredients there too) but this looks amazing. My only issue is that the recipe calls for “large” bananas – any idea how many cups of mashed banana you wind up with? I always seem to have a different idea of what is “medium” or “large.”
Hi Wendy, I need to try Flour’s recipe! I have their cookbook, I assume it’s in there? Haven’t opened it in awhile :( I included the weights for the bananas in the recipe above, I hope that helps!
Michelle, yep it’s in there! I got to try it in person several years ago when visiting Boston and got hooked. A little bit of a PITA but worth it although it’s not a tall loaf. Can’t wait to try this one though – my taste testers are not-so-patiently waiting!
For those of us who don’t own kitchen scales…does anyone have a rough estimate on the # of cups? Thanks!
I don’t have a microwave. Any alternative suggestions? Would love to try this recipe as I have bananas at home now.
I just discovered Cook’s Country on CreateTV and that’s the one thing I don’t like about the show – they never offer an alternative to using a microwave – I even sent them an email about it!
Hi Allison, You could probably place the covered bowl in an oven set to a low temperature. You’re basically pre-cooking the bananas a bit and getting them to release some liquid.
Thanks Michelle – the oven thing did work. My daughter made this over the weekend – she’s the baker and 12 yo – very good!
Cook’s Illustrated said this in their online article about microwaving:
Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar.
Thanks for this post! I always freeze my overripe bananas specifically for banana bread and I was wondering how to make this recipe work. Not sure about what you mean about step four but I will just bypass the microwaving step and use the liquid from the thawed bananas how the microwaved liquid would be used. I’ll let you know how it works out. :)
This is our family’s favorite banana bread recipe! The extra steps are totally worth it!
I love Mark Bittman’s banana bread recipe as well, one thing I like to do is add bourbon to my banana bread. It adds a subtle sweetening to it and who doesn’t like bourbon?
I haven’t tried Mark Bittman’s recipe; I have to add that one to the list!
I have the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook and love all the research and testing they put into developing the perfect recipes! I thought the same thing about all the extra steps, but I’ll have to try this because it simply looks delicious! If only their cookbook used your photos, I think I’d be more inclined to take the effort to try more of their recipes!
I have a pile of overly ripe bananas on my counter and I love banana bread! I can’t wait to try your recipe, it looks delicious :-)
I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time too and i felt like you that banana bread should be simple. But im way more open now, since i discovered roasting bananas. Im definetly gonna finally give this recipe a try and if you are still feeling adventurous about banana bread you should definetly try roasting a few bananas before using them in your bread. Its amazing. You get the sweet, carmelized banana flavor in your loaf.
Roasted bananas sounds amazing, I will definitely give that a try!
Michelle, I am going to have to put this one in the rotation. Cooks Illustrated is my go to guide. Their recipes are usually keepers.
The more bananas, the better!! This bread is fabulous!
Well, my long-time favorite recipe has been the one you shared that was your grandma’s recipe. Soooo, if you say so, I must try this one! I don’t usually have that many leftover bananas, I might have to buy some specifically for the purpose of this recipe!!
Their recipe is truly the ultimate! I still ate gluten when I made if the first few [often] times and I’m happy to say it works well with gluten-free flour, too. It’s my go-to food gift – everyone loves it!
Hi Louanne, Thanks for the tip on this being gluten-free friendly!
Do you follow the recipe exactly when you make it GF? I have a friend I have just discovered needs to avoid gluten and I would like to make something for her.
Well now I’m conflicted because like you, I’ve always felt banana bread should be quick and easy, but if it’s the best you’ve ever made I’ll have to try it, even with all those steps!
I cannot wait to try this. Banana bread is my favorite and this new to me recipe is so exciting!
I have a 6-banana banana bread recipe and I have always wanted to try this C.I. recipe. I’ve seen them make it on re-runs of the show and it you’re right it does look like more steps than usual but I totally trust you when you say it’s the best you’ve ever made! Pinned :)