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Easy Banana Bread Recipe
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Easy Banana Bread (The Overripe Rescue)

The easiest banana bread recipe — one bowl, overripe bananas, and 15 minutes of mixing. The uglier the bananas, the better the bread. Clara's 'banana rescue day' recipe that the whole family fights over.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword banana bread recipe, easy banana bread, moist banana bread, overripe banana recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10 slices
Author Maggie

Ingredients

  • 3 large overripe bananas the blacker the better
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted 5 tablespoons
  • 3/4 cup sugar or half brown sugar for deeper flavor
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional — Mason's request

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the overripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. A few lumps are fine — they become little pockets of banana in the finished bread.
  3. Add melted butter to the mashed bananas and stir. Then add beaten egg, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Mix until combined.
  4. Sprinkle baking soda over the top and stir in. Add flour and stir gently — just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix (20 stirs maximum). A few streaks of flour are fine.
  5. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
  6. Bake for 55-65 minutes. Start checking at 55 minutes — insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it's done. The top should be golden brown with a signature crack down the center.
  7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool 20 more minutes before slicing (if you can wait that long).

Recipe Notes

The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the bread. Frozen bananas work great — peel before freezing, thaw in a bowl, use the liquid too. Don't overmix the batter — that's the #1 key to tender bread. Wrap tightly and it keeps 3-4 days on the counter or 3 months in the freezer.

Allergen Note: This recipe contains wheat (flour). Optional add-ins like walnuts, pecans, or peanut butter contain tree nuts and/or peanuts. Always check labels if cooking for someone with allergies.