This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Please read our disclosure policy.
My grandma’s banana bread recipe is sweet and moist with a perfect crumb on the top. When cut into slices with a slather of butter, this quick-to-make bread is a perfect breakfast, dessert, or snack. So if you have a batch of bananas that are getting brown, this is the recipe to make!
Why I Love Grandma’s Banana Bread
Banana bread is a recipe everyone needs. There will come a time when a bunch of bananas goes brown much quicker than expected, and they need to be used. What is the best solution? Banana bread. This is a quick bread, meaning there is no yeast or waiting for the dough to rise. Instead, everything is mixed together in one bowl. The flavor and part of the sweetness come from the ripe bananas. The secret is the more ripe and brown the bananas are, the sweeter they become. This recipe has no over-the-top or special ingredients and is the recipe I first learned to bake from. The result is a simple banana forward bread that is perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.
Grandma’s Banana Bread Ingredients
- Bananas are obviously an essential part of a classic banana bread recipe. For maximum sweetness and flavor, allow the bananas to go completely brown.
- Whole milk has a richer, fuller flavor than milk with less fat.
- Vanilla extract works with bananas to bring out more flavor. The banana flavor is heightened with the vanilla. If you want to prepare your own at home, make sure to check out my recipe for homemade vanilla extract.
- Baking powder is the magic ingredient in quickbreads that provides rise and the correct texture.
- Walnuts are a classic when it comes to banana bread. To ensure they have tremendous flavor, toast them before chopping and adding them to the batter. Toasting will highlight the flavor and help protect the texture of the nuts.
How to Make Grandma’s Banana Bread
- Mash the bananas. Peel each banana, removing any excess strings or very dark bruises. Using a fork, mash the bananas. Once mashed, scoop the banana into a measuring cup to ensure the correct amount has been achieved.
- Mix together the wet ingredients. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, set it aside to cool slightly before adding it to the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, add the mashed banana, milk, and egg. Whisk these three ingredients together until incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and sugar, and whisk these into the batter. Last, add in the slightly cooled melted butter and whisk until incorporated.
- Add in the dry ingredients. To the wet ingredients in the bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a whisk, mix together all of the ingredients, ensuring not to overmix. Separately, toast the walnuts, then chop them into roughly-sized pieces. Add ¾ of the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold them in until evenly distributed.
- Bake the bread. To a greased loaf pan, add in the batter. Spread it out to ensure it is all in an even layer. To help the bread “crack” at the correct location, use a knife or spatula to create a divet lengthwise down the center of the bread. Sprinkle the top of the bread with the remaining chopped walnuts. Bake the bread in the preheated 350°F oven for 60 to 70 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for an hour before serving.
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- The more spotted and brown a banana peel is, the sweeter the banana will be. When choosing bananas for this recipe, opt for ones that are darker in color, resulting in sweeter, tastier bread. Since the bananas will be mashed and then baked, any light bruises do not need to be removed.
- When whisking together the wet ingredients, the mashed banana will create texture in the batter, preventing it from becoming completely smooth. This is completely fine and is exactly how the batter should look.
- When measuring out the flour, add the flour to a separate scoop and then add it into your measuring cup. Rather than pushing the measuring cup down into the flour, allowing it to fall into the measuring cup lightly will ensure that the flour is light in texture. Plus, it will ensure that too much is not added.
- When mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, do not overmix. Overmixing can cause the bread to become dry and coarse once baked. Instead, aim to slightly undermix the bread with just a few pockets of flour remaining.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a baking recipe is driven by science, and changing the amount of sugar can change the outcome of the recipe. Place bananas in a brown paper bag to quicken the ripening process.
Yes, once cooled, the bread will slice and freeze for up to 5 months.
No, the walnuts can easily be left out of the recipe or substituted with another nut.
Yes, this recipe easily adapts to three small or two medium loaves. Since different pans have varying sizes, the baking time must adjust accordingly.
More Quick Bread Recipes
Watch How to Make This Recipe
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Grandma’s Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup toasted walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the mashed banana, sugar, and egg. Whisk to combine. Add the melted and slightly cooled butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas), ¾ cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use the tines of the whisk to fold the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix until most of the ingredients are combined with a few dry pieces remaining. Add ¾ of the chopped walnuts into the batter and fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the remaining chopped walnuts.3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 ¼ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp kosher salt, 1 cup toasted walnuts
- Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the center of the bread is domed and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for 45 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Recipe is great! I veganized it with applesauce in replacement of the egg and almond milk in replacement of the milk. Made muffins instead. They turned out FANTASTIC!
I loved this bread so much, I made it again. My couple of adjustments: used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar. Also cut the flour by 1/2 cup while keeping everything else the same. Bread came out delicious! Little less dense than the original recipe, little sweeter but still big and lofty. This is my go to recipe now!
Really enjoyed this bread. After trying many recipes, I got tired of wet, spongy, greasy loaves. I like that this bread is dense and big (2x the flour than most recipes). But I did find it a tad bit dry, which I think it’s how it should be based on dry to wet ratios. I’ll experiment with increasing moisture next time: extra banana, egg or brown sugar or reduce the flour by 1/2 cup. Will definitely make it again. This is my favorite recipe to this day. Thank you.
This is the best banana bread ever!! I did change a couple of things. I used 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas instead of 1 cup, 2 eggs instead of 1, & I used brown sugar instead of white.
Thank you for all the awesome recipes. Everyone of your recipes I’ve made has turned out fantastic.
Thank you again from McMinnville, Oregon!!
Hi Kaleb: I absolutely loved this banana bread recipe from your Grandmother. Wow, what a treat. Thanks so much. It’s a keeper. Your site rocks. xoxo
Made this yesterday during a snowy day. The banana bread was a bit drier than what I prefer. This was baking at 345 instead of 350 for about 55 mins. The flavor was great. After looking at Kaleb’s picture, the texture was quite similar to mine.
I enjoy Kaleb’s videos very much.
Delicious! Tried this recipe this morning. The other recipes I had called for a lot of butter. I liked that your recipe only had 3 tablespoons of butter so I thought I’d give it a try. Nice big fluffy loaf!