Banana Bread Recipe: Easy 10-Ingredient Loaf by Mash Weight
Peeled, one banana can weigh 100 grams and the next can weigh 150. That makes “three bananas” a guess, and it is why one loaf comes out tender while another has a wet, dark band along the bottom that extra baking never fixes.
This banana bread runs on 340 grams of mashed fruit. Weight, not a count. Four big bananas overshoot that number, so the loaf sinks in the middle and stays gummy under the crust, while three small ones fall short and bake up dry and pale. Everything else is ordinary: melted butter and brown sugar in one bowl, flour in another.
The batter will look wrong. It is thick and lumpy, stiffer than you expect, so every instinct says to keep stirring. Stop at about a dozen folds, streaks and all. The lumps bake out, and the extra stirring is what turns a tender loaf tough and leaves tunnels in the crumb.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Banana Bread
- It stays soft for three days. Brown sugar’s molasses and the yogurt hold water in the crumb, so a day three slice still bends before it breaks.
- The mixer stays in the cupboard. Melted butter goes straight in, so a fork does the mixing and the pan is in the oven within 15 minutes.
- Banana is the loudest flavor. By weight, a third of the batter is fruit, so this reads as banana first and cake second.
- One pan makes ten even slices. At about 90 g each, that is five weekday breakfasts for two.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 65 minutes
- Total time: 2 hours with 40 minutes of cooling
- Servings: 10 slices from one 9 by 5 inch loaf
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: about 285 per slice
- What decides it: the 340 g mash weight
- Best for: weekday breakfasts and lunchboxes
Nutrition Information
| Nutrient | Amount Per Serving |
| Serving Size | 1 slice (about 90 g) |
| Servings Per Recipe | 10 |
| Calories | 285 |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Sodium | 260 mg |
Flour and eggs carry most of the protein in this banana bread, and butter carries nearly all of the fat.
Values are estimates and vary with brands, measuring, and substitutions.
Ingredients for Banana Bread
- 3 medium overripe bananas, mashed to 340 g (about 1 1/2 cups). Trust the scale over the fruit count, since peeled bananas run from 100 g to 150 g each.
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted. Melting skips creaming, so the crumb stays close and moist.
- 3/4 cup (160 g) light brown sugar, packed. Its molasses keeps day three moist. In a pinch, stir 2 teaspoons of molasses into 3/4 cup (150 g) white sugar and the loaf bakes almost the same.
- 2 large eggs (100 g without shells), at room temperature. Cold eggs stiffen melted butter into flecks, while warm ones blend in smooth.
- 1/4 cup (60 g) plain whole milk yogurt. Its acid wakes up the baking soda. Sour cream at the same weight gives a richer crumb.
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract.
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour. Spoon it in and level it, because scooping packs in 30 g extra. King Arthur runs higher in protein and bakes chewier, while Gold Medal bakes softer.
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda. It alone lifts the loaf, so an old box gives a flat, dense quick bread (a loaf raised with soda instead of yeast).
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) fine salt. It sharpens the sweetness.
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon.
Yellow bananas still work. Roast them whole, peels on, at 300°F (150°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins turn black, then weigh the cooled pulp.
Allergen and Dietary Disclosure
Wheat comes from the all purpose flour. Eggs come from the two large eggs, and milk comes from the butter and yogurt. Tree nuts, peanuts, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish are not in the ingredient list. Dietary status: vegetarian, nut free.
For dairy, swap the butter for 6 tablespoons (90 ml) neutral oil and the yogurt for the same weight of applesauce, for a plainer crumb. For banana bread without eggs, use two flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed in 6 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) for a denser loaf with less rise.
Chocolate chips in the kid version are the hidden source: most carry milk solids, and many add soy lecithin.
Equipment Needed
- 9 by 5 inch light colored metal loaf pan. Metal conducts heat evenly, while glass insulates, so the edges overbake before the center sets. Leave it in the cupboard.
- Kitchen scale. It decides this loaf. Tare it with the empty bowl on top (press zero so the display ignores the bowl), then mash in bananas up to 340 g.
- Instant read thermometer. A finished loaf reads 205°F (96°C) in the center.
- Parchment paper. One strip that overhangs the long sides becomes a sling that lifts the loaf out cleanly.
Prep Work Before You Mix
Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the rack in the lower third and give it the full 15 minutes, since a half heated oven stalls the rise. Eggs and yogurt leave the fridge now.
Melt the butter in 15 second bursts and let it cool while you work. Press a parchment strip into the pan so it overhangs the long sides by 2 inches (5 cm).
How to Make Banana Bread Step by Step
Step 1. Mash and weigh
Zero the scale with the bowl on it, then mash the peeled bananas with a fork until only pea sized lumps remain. Stop adding fruit at 340 g. The mash should hold a fork groove for a second before it slumps.
Chef’s Note: Weighing is the fussiest step and pays back the most. No scale? Press the mash into a 1 1/2 cup measure and level it, though loaves will vary from batch to batch.
Step 2. Beat in butter and eggs
Butter goes in first, once it has stopped steaming, then the brown sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Beat with the fork for about 40 seconds. The mixture should turn glossy, with no threads of egg white.
Step 3. Whisk flour and soda
A small bowl takes the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Twenty seconds with a whisk spreads the soda, and the mix should look like one even beige with no white specks.
Step 4. Fold, then stop
About 12 strokes of folding (lifting batter from the bottom and turning it over the top) bring the dry mix into the wet. That keeps gluten, the stretchy protein network in wet flour, from tightening. Stop while a few flour streaks still show.
Chef’s Note: If the batter looks too thick to be right, leave it thick. A batter that pours easily means the mash ran past 340 g.
Step 5. Fill and thump the pan
The batter goes into the pan in one scrape, nudged into the corners and leveled with the back of the spatula. Two firm thumps on the counter pop the big air pockets. A few bubbles should break the surface.
Step 6. Bake to 205°F
At 350°F (175°C) on the lower rack, most loaves need 60 to 65 minutes, so start checking at 55. Done means a dry lengthwise split along a deep golden top and a thermometer reading 205°F (96°C) in the center. Color alone misleads.
Chef’s Note: Brown sugar colors early. If the top is the shade of strong tea by minute 40 and the center is still under 190°F (88°C), lay foil loosely over the pan.
An 8.5 by 4.5 inch pan holds the batter deeper, so add 5 to 10 minutes. Muffin cups take 20 to 24 minutes. Judge every pan by the 205°F (96°C) reading, not the clock.
Step 7. Cool in two stages
Leave the loaf in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, until the sides pull back slightly. Lift it out by the sling and leave it 25 more minutes on the rack, until the bottom feels warm, not hot.
Step 8. Slice with a serrated knife
A serrated knife and a light sawing motion cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) slices without crushing the crumb or tearing the crust. The blade should come out clean.
Expert Tips for a Tender, Even Crumb
Let the butter cool before it meets the eggs. Straight from the microwave it cooks them into pale threads that never blend back in, and the batter turns greasy. Wait until the bowl feels comfortable against your palm.
Freeze overripe bananas with the peel on. The skin goes black, but the fruit inside is fine. Thaw one for an hour and tip away the syrup, then weigh the mash to 340 g, because frozen bananas carry extra liquid.
Mix the dry ingredients ahead. Flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, shaken together in a labeled jar, keep about a month.
Drag a butter knife down the center of the batter. A 1/4 inch (6 mm) cut gives the top a straight seam to split along.
For a moister homemade banana bread, add yogurt, never a fourth banana. Extra fruit adds water and sugar but no structure, so stir in 1 more tablespoon (15 g) of yogurt instead.
Why Is My Banana Bread Gummy? Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
| A wet, dark band on the bottom and a sunken middle | More fruit water than the flour could set, so the heavy center fell | Weigh the mash to 340 g, and drain thawed bananas before weighing |
| A deep brown top over a wet center | Brown sugar colors long before the middle sets | Cover loosely with foil once the top turns the shade of strong tea, and bake on to 205°F (96°C) |
| Tunnels and a rubbery, peaked top | Stirring tightened the gluten and pushed steam up through the strands | Stop folding at about 12 strokes with flour streaks showing |
| Dry, crumbly slices | Scooped, packed flour, or a mash well under 300 g | Weigh 250 g of flour and check the mash. A damp paper towel and 10 seconds in the microwave revive a dry slice |
The sunken middle is the most common failure. It starts before the oven: four big bananas go in and the batter looks loose and easy to scrape. The top domes high and pale by minute 25, then drops after minute 40, leaving a shiny, wet dip where a thermometer stalls well under 200°F (93°C). Cut the wet stripe away and toast the rest in a dry skillet, 2 minutes a side. Next time, weigh the mash to 340 g.
How to Store Banana Bread
Room Temperature
Once fully cool, wrap the loaf in foil or a lidded container and keep it on the counter up to 3 days, if the kitchen stays under 77°F (25°C). The top crust softens by day two. A loaf baked the evening before slices more cleanly the next day.
Refrigerator
Wrapped tightly, banana bread keeps 5 days in the fridge. Give slices 20 minutes to lose the chill.
Freezer
Slice first, with a square of parchment between the slices so they lift apart, then seal them in foil and a freezer bag. They keep 3 months and go into a toaster straight from frozen.
Reheating
A single slice takes 10 to 12 seconds in the microwave or 2 minutes in a toaster. A foil wrapped loaf warms in a 300°F (150°C) oven in about 15 minutes.
Banana Bread Variations and Substitutions
Turn up the heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and a pinch of black pepper to the dry mix, since more ginger crowds out the banana.
Keep it mild for kids. Skip the cinnamon and fold in 1/2 cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips tossed in flour so they stay suspended, which sweetens the loaf.
It is already vegetarian. Nothing needs to change.
Gluten free flour works. Use 250 g of a 1 to 1 gluten free blend with xanthan gum, and expect a denser crumb and 5 more minutes in the oven.
Whole wheat banana bread needs extra yogurt. Swap up to 125 g of the flour and add 1 more tablespoon of yogurt for a nuttier, coarser crumb.
Walnuts need a flour toss. Fold in 3/4 cup (85 g) toasted, chopped walnuts tossed in flour so they hang in the middle, which ends the nut free label.
What to Serve With Banana Bread
Toast a slice in a dry skillet for 2 minutes a side and add salted butter, since hot crust against cold butter gives a plain loaf the contrast it lacks.
For a dessert version, spread a thin layer of frosting over a fully cooled loaf, where the tang cuts through the sweetness of the fruit.
A mug of masala chai suits either one. Cardamom and black tea bitterness stand against the sweet crumb. For breakfast, set a slice of banana bread beside cold Greek yogurt, whose sourness offsets the sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze banana bread batter?
Raw batter keeps about a month frozen in a parchment lined pan, though the baking soda starts spending its lift the moment it meets the yogurt, so the loaf rises a little less. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then bake 5 to 10 minutes longer than usual, until the center reads 205°F (96°C). Baked slices freeze with no loss of rise.
Why does my banana bread taste bland?
Underripe fruit is the usual reason. Bananas still yellow at the tips are mostly starch, which carries almost none of the sweetness or aroma of a spotted banana, so wait for peels that are more brown than yellow. The second cause is skipped salt: half a teaspoon will not make the loaf taste salty, but it makes the caramel easier to notice.
Can I use ghee instead of butter?
Melted ghee works at 90 g plus 20 ml (4 teaspoons) of milk, because butter carries about 20 g of water that ghee lacks. It gives banana bread a nuttier flavor and a slightly closer grain. Cool the ghee until it stops steaming, exactly as you would butter, and weigh it instead of spooning it out. Everything else in the recipe stays as written.
Does the toothpick test work for banana bread?
A toothpick misleads in a loaf this wet. Banana pulp is sticky, so a pick pushed into a baked center can come out streaked, while one that finds a dry pocket comes out clean early. For banana bread, an instant read thermometer settles it at 205°F (96°C). Without one, look for a dry split along the top and moist crumbs, not wet batter, on the pick.
Can I double this and bake one big loaf?
Doubling banana bread works best as two loaves in two 9 by 5 inch pans, set side by side with an inch of air between them, because a deeper batter sets at the edges long before the middle. Weigh 680 g of mash and fold a few strokes longer, stopping at the same lumpy look. Each loaf needs its own 205°F (96°C) reading.
A Loaf You Can Repeat
Two numbers decide this loaf: 340 g of mash going into the bowl and 205°F in the center coming out. A loaf that misses either number can look fine until the middle sinks or the knife drags through wet crumb. Bananas vary too much to trust by eye. A golden top is only a guess about what is happening below it.
If this banana bread earns a spot in your rotation, save it to a Pinterest board so the 340 g rule is easy to find when the next bunch turns black. Bake it once with the scale and the thermometer, and the count stops mattering.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9 by 5 inch pan with a parchment sling.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl on a scale until it reads 340 g.
- Beat the cooled butter, sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla into the mash.
- Whisk the flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Fold in the dry ingredients with about 12 strokes, leaving flour streaks.
- Level the batter in the pan and thump it twice on the counter.
- Bake 60 to 65 minutes, until a thermometer in the center shows 205°F (96°C).
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then 25 minutes on a rack.
- Cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) slices with a serrated knife.
