If you thought your bananas were too far gone, it’s officially time to bake. In fact, overripe bananas and sour cream are the keys to moist Banana Bread that carries big banana flavor! This classic recipe for Banana Bread with sour cream not only delivers perfect results, but it is also simple, straight-forward and extremely easy to make.
In addition to the only Banana Bread recipe you’ll ever need for the rest of your days, we’ll also cover:
- Why sour cream makes all the difference.
- Why you should use über ripe bananas, and tips for speeding along the ripening process!
- How to store and freeze banana bread!
- And lastly, simple and fun ingredient to deck out your banana bread! Case and point — we added chocolate chips to these Banana Muffins and the crowd went wild!
WHAT IS BANANA BREAD?
Just like biscuits, muffins, and the like, Banana Bread falls under the quick breads category. A quick bread is any bread that contains a leavening agent, yet does not contain yeast. Banana bread, in particular, is sweetened by a combination of bananas and sugar, and the best renditions are made extra moist and tender thanks to the addition of sour cream.
You can count on Banana Bread with sour cream to bake up moist, tender, and irresistibly delicious 100% of the time.
MORE BANANA RECIPES TO TRY!
- Banana Bread Pudding
- Banana Brownies
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Cookies
- Layered Banana Pudding Trifle
HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD MOIST
Sour cream is cream (i.e. heavy whipping cream) that has been soured and thickened with lactic acid, and it is an extremely useful ingredient when it comes to taking baked goods to the next level. It adds both fat and acid to the recipe, and similar to baking with buttermilk, the acidic nature of sour cream has a tenderizing effect on baked goods.
So if you’re wondering how to make Banana Bread Moist, you’ll simply need to make Banana Bread with sour cream.
BANANA BREAD WITH SOUR CREAM INGREDIENTS
- Butter – Take care only to use unsalted butter for this recipe, and note, you will want to have it melted and cooled before you begin the baking process.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar – A combination of both granulated and brown sugar ensures big flavor and excellent texture.
- Bananas – Once your bananas have ripened, you can use either 2 large bananas or 3 medium-sized bananas for making Banana Bread with sour cream. Read more on this below.
- Sour Cream – If you’re afraid of dry, sad banana bread (as we all should be), sour cream is the answer. Sour cream in baked goods will not only help keep them moist, but it will also make for a tender crumb. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream for the best results!
- Eggs – You will need 3 large eggs.
- Flour – Use only all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Leaveners – A combination of both baking soda and baking powder will help your loaf both to shape up and but it will also keep the crumb soft and tender.
- Salt – Never underestimate the importance of salt in baked goods! Use fine sea salt for the best results.
If you’re looking for a low-fat, healthier banana bread option, you’ll want to try our Applesauce Banana Bread instead!
ALL ABOUT MIX-IN’S
If you’re feeling a little “extra”, you can add 3/4 cup of any of the following items to your Banana Bread with Sour Cream:
- Chocolate Chips
- Chopped Walnuts
- Chopped Pecans
- Blueberries
Blueberries make for a wonderful addition to banana bread, and these Banana Blueberry Muffins are proof! If you’re wanting a little extra protein and fiber with your Banana Bread, try our Banana Oatmeal Muffins!
WHY USE RIPE BANANAS FOR BANANA BREAD?
Bananas should be ripe when making Banana Bread. In fact, if there’s more brown/black showing than yellow, they’re probably perfect. Once your bananas have browned and start to feel a little squishy from the outside is when they’re just right for baking on the inside.
Point of the story is, ripe bananas are sweeter and boast a stronger, more assertive banana flavor than they’re yellow counterparts! Use them.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE BANANAS TO RIPEN?
If you’re looking at green bananas, you’ve got anywhere from 2-5 days until they’re yellow and perfect for snacking. Once the bananas are yellow, you’re looking another 2-3 days before they’re ideally ripened and ready for baking.
If you’d like to speed up the ripening process, put underripe bananas in a paper bag along with a ripe piece of fruit. The ripe fruit will emit ethylene gas, and in turn, get those bananas browning faster.
BANANAS GONE BAD
If your bananas are looking moldy on the outside, brown on the inside, or start to leak liquid, they’re officially too far gone, and it’s time to ditch them altogether.
HOW MANY BANANAS DO I NEED FOR BANANA BREAD?
If you’ve seen a Banana Bread Recipe or two, you’ve probably noticed sometimes 2 bananas are called for, sometimes 3, but most the time 2-3. So how do you know which way to go? A good rule of thumb is to either use 2 large, super long bananas or 3 medium, standard-sized bananas.
HOW TO MASH BANANAS
There’s more than one way to mash a banana! The easiest of which is with the back of a fork. However, you could also use a whisk, the back of a wooden spoon, or even a potato masher. Or, if you just love doing dishes, you could also pulse bananas in the food processor to break them down.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BANANA BREAD WITH SOUR CREAM?
- Combine Wet Ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, mashed bananas, sour cream, and eggs.
- Mix Dry Ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine All Ingredients – Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Bake – Add the batter to a standard-sized loaf pan (i.e. 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″). After 40 minutes, tent the top of the loaf pan with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
HOW TO STORE BANANA BREAD
The best way to store Banana Bread is to wrap the loaf tightly in two layers of aluminum foil. You can keep it out at room temperature for 4-5 days.
CAN YOU FREEZE BANANA BREAD?
If you’d like to extend the shelf life of your Banana Bread, freeze it! You can either freeze the loaf whole or you can freeze it into individual slices (which is especially convenient for fast-moving mornings).
To freeze the loaf whole, wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil and transfer it to a freezer-safe, gallon-sized ziptop bag. If you want easier access to a slice, cut the loaf into slices, wrap each slice in wax paper, transfer the wrapped slices to a freezer-safe, gallon-sized ziptop bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag, and seal.
For best quality, use within three months.
5 MORE SWEET BREAKFAST RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
The best recipe for classic Banana Bread with sour cream! Easy to make, full of banana flavor, and always bakes up golden, soft, and crazy moist inside!
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
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Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready one standard-sized loaf pan, greased and dusted with flour. See the instructions below if using smaller loaf pans.
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In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla using a handheld mixer or a whisk. Set aside.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
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Add the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Add a tent of aluminum foil on top of the bread, and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Transfer the banana bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool 15-20 minutes. Then, turn the bread out (if desired), slice, and enjoy!
If you are using two small loaf pans, grease them and dust with flour. When you've finished making the batter, divide it amongst the pans and bake for 35 minutes.
Trying it now, although I have no sea salt.
My kids and I are always searching for new recipes to make. We love to spend time in the kitchen. We made your recipe and it was delicious. I love how easy it is to make, my kids did most of the work!
Love this recipe! Made the moistest and most flavorful banana bread. Will definitely make again!
I love adding in sour cream when I bake! 🙂 It makes everything so moist.
This banana bread is so delicious! Has all the right flavors and great texture.
I love this banana bread recipe. The entire family enjoys it every time I make it.
Made these this morning exactly as written, adding 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. This is a keeper recipe. Moist but light, not heavy or dense. Nice banana flavor(3 medium). Used 3 mini bread pans as I wanted to gift 2 pans. Baked 40 minutes at 350 to get the toothpick to come clean. Sometimes I tweek a recipe after the first try but not this time. Just right as written.
That’s awesome, Julia! Thank you for sharing that! 🙂
Hi Kelly!
Could u use plain yogurt to replace the sour cream? Sounds like a lovely recipe!
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy! Typically, yes, Greek yogurt is a suitable sub for sour cream. However, since I have not personally tested this recipe with that sub, I can’t really recommend it. I’m so sorry!
Hi Kelly!
I decided to buy some sour cream, all your reviews say it was so moist! I’m sure yogurt would work, but I wanted to go by your recipe the 1st time! 🙂
Good choice 😉 I hope it turns out beautifully for you!
Excellent!! This will now be my “go to” banana bread recipe.
best recipe I’ve used so far! it’ll probably become my permanent banana bread recipe!
Just made this recipe and it is hands down the best banana bread EVER.
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted.
No, I do not recommend that.
There’s generally 1/4 teaspoon Salt in a stick (8 tablespoons) of butter. Since this recipe calls for 6 tablespoons, I’d just take out a little less than 1/8 of a teaspoon of the salt called for in the recipe.