Easy Banana Bread

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter, making sure to coat the bottom and all sides evenly. This prevents sticking and ensures easy removal. If desired, line the bottom with parchment paper for extra assurance.

💡 Room temperature ingredients mix more smoothly, so take your egg out of the refrigerator before starting if you remember to do so.

In a large mixing bowl, add your peeled ripe bananas and mash them thoroughly with a fork until mostly smooth with only small chunks remaining. Don’t worry about achieving complete smoothness—some small pieces actually add nice texture to the finished bread. The mashed bananas should yield approximately 1 cup.

💡 Overripe bananas with brown spots are ideal because they have more natural sugars and moisture, making your bread sweeter and more tender without extra sugar.

To the mashed bananas, add the melted butter, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Stir these ingredients together until well combined and relatively smooth. The mixture should look slightly thick and pale yellow from the banana color. Avoid overmixing at this stage—you’re just combining the wet components.

💡 Melting the butter first keeps it from clumping when mixed with the cold eggs and bananas, creating a smoother batter.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This step is crucial as it distributes the leavening agent evenly throughout the dry ingredients, ensuring your bread rises uniformly. Whisk for about 30 seconds until well combined and no lumps remain.

💡 Mixing dry ingredients separately prevents overmixing the batter later, which can create a dense, tough crumb—the enemy of tender banana bread.

Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the banana mixture and fold together gently using a spatula or wooden spoon, stirring just until the dry ingredients are barely combined. The batter should look slightly lumpy and rough—this is exactly what you want. Overmixing develops gluten and creates a tough, dense loaf rather than a tender crumb. Fold in the nuts (if using) in the last few strokes.

💡 This is the most important step for perfect banana bread texture. Stop folding as soon as you don’t see dry flour streaks—lumpy batter is your friend here!

Carefully pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top gently with the back of a spatula if desired. Place the pan in the center of your preheated oven on the middle rack for even heating. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).

💡 If the top begins browning too quickly before the center is done, loosely tent it with aluminum foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. This cooling period allows the structure to set before removal. After 10 minutes, turn the loaf out onto the wire rack to cool completely for at least 30 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature should reach about 205°F when done.

💡 Cooling the bread completely before slicing prevents it from falling apart and develops the full flavor as it sets.

Once completely cooled, use a serrated bread knife to cut the banana bread into generous slices. A serrated knife prevents crushing the delicate crumb. Serve at room temperature with a pat of butter, cream cheese, or simply on its own. The flavor actually improves the next day as the banana flavor deepens and distributes throughout the loaf.

💡 For cleaner slices, briefly warm your knife under hot water and wipe it dry between each cut.