Banana bread is great for snacks or to have on hand for a quick breakfast. This banana bread recipe is super moist and makes three loaves (cook once, get a lot for your effort – a win win in my opinion). You can serve one now and stick two back to pull out later when you’re busy. And fortunately, it freezes beautifully!
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You won’t find a better banana bread recipe anywhere!
I’ve tried lots of recipes for banana bread through the years. For some reason I thought I would find a recipe better than the one my mother used to make. I was wrong.
But I still kept on trying those other recipes, feeding them to my family, and being met with the same response, “This is alright, but it’s not as good as Grammy’s.”
So I’d try another recipe.
Finally, after making yet another mediocre banana bread, I decided to make my mother’s recipe – which believe it or not, I’d never made. I’d eat hers (and so would the rest of my family) and think, “This is SO good!” But then I’d go home and bake something else.
But not any more. The other day I had some bananas that were desperately crying out to be used (and the family was loudly complaining about the fruit flies as well) so I decided that I the time had come to see if I could make her recipe as good as she did.
As I was making the batter I kept asking myself, “This isn’t a hard recipe. Why haven’t I made it before?”
Who knows why we do (or don’t do) things sometimes. I’d probably built it up in my head as some difficult recipe that I’d bungle – and then be embarrassed when it wasn’t as good as we all remembered. I’m probably not the only person who has been hesitant to try my hand at cooking something that Mom or Grandma (or mother-in-law) made because of worry that ours wouldn’t measure up.
Fortunately, it was delicious.
So I’m officially finished with searching for banana bread recipes. I have to admit that I feel a little like Dorothy when she realized that she’d had the power to return home all the time she’d been in Oz. Here I’d been trying other recipes when I had access to the best one all along. Silly me.
Grammy’s Banana Bread Recipe
Grammy’s Best Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter (or margarine) let soften
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk if you don't have buttermilk you can use regular milk that you've added 1 tsp of lemon juice to – let it sit while you get other ingredients prepared
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mashed bananas about 4-5 bananas, depending on size
- 2 cups chopped nuts (optional) I use pecans but walnuts would be fine
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Grease and flour three loaf pans (I prefer Pyrex).
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Cream butter and sugar together in electric mixer.
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Add eggs and combine till thoroughly mixed.
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In large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix together.
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To creamed butter and egg mixture alternately add buttermilk and rest of dry ingredients and mix till well combined.
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Finally, add mashed bananas and chopped nuts to mixture. Your mixing bowl will be getting very full so mix slowly.
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Pour batter evenly into the three prepared loaf pans and bake for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes in oven.
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Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Once done, remove from oven and let cool thoroughly before removing from loaf pans.
Recipe Notes
This recipe freezes well. However, do let it cook thoroughly before wrapping it for freezer. Otherwise you’ll get condensation on the inside of your wrapping materials as the bread cools in the freezer.
To serve, remove from freezer and let thaw naturally on the counter or cut and thaw slices in the microwave for approx 30 seconds.
This is amazing spread with warm butter and served with a glass of milk. After years of straying and trying other recipes, I’m finished looking.
What’s the best way to freeze banana bread?
This banana bread is so moist that I recommend you wrapping it first in wax paper and then wrapping it in aluminum foil. Be sure to add a freezer label to the outside so you know what’s inside and the date it was cooked. This helps you rotate items in and out of your freezer before they get freezer burned.
How should I store banana bread once it’s cooked?
We wrap ours in aluminum foil. You will want to keep it tightly sealed between servings, otherwise your banana bread will be prone to drying out. You can also store it in the refrigerator if you like. Honestly, banana bread at our house never lasts for very long so we’ve never had a problem with it spoiling with it not being refrigerated.
How do I prevent moisture and condensation from ruining my banana bread when I wrap it up for storage?
Make sure your banana bread is thoroughly cooled before you wrap it in foil and/or wax paper. If it’s still warm and you wrap it, you are going to get some condensation which is going to make your banana bread kind of gooey on top. Just be sure it’s totally cooled off and you’ll be fine.
More Great Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
If you’re looking for more tasty recipes with bananas then check out this Banana Nut Spice Cake. It’s a family recipe that’s so good you’ll want to lick your plate.
This recipe for Oatmeal Cake is so good my brother and I used to request it for our birthday cakes. It’s yummy!
Five Flavor Pound Cake is my absolute “go to” recipe when I need to take a dessert some place. It freezes like a dream and is super moist.
For more quick and easy recipes
For more of our favorite – and quick recipes – we’ve put together a cookbook. These recipes have gotten us through times when we were so busy we couldn’t see straight but still needed to get dinner on the table. Perhaps that sounds like the situation at your house?
Be Good To Yourself…Be Your Own Santa
Great recipe. I’ve made three batches of banana bread with mini chocolate chips instead of adding nuts. So moist and tasy.
You sound like me – I’m a recipe tweaker too!
What size Bundt pans were used?
I’ve never made it in a Bundt pan but you’d need the biggest one you can find…this makes a lot of batter! Since it normally makes 3 loaves, you might get a Bundt cake and a loaf out of it. Your mixing bowl will be full to the top with batter if that helps you visualize how much it makes.
The recipe says to bake for 1 hr and 40 minutes but mine didn’t even need an hour for a toothpick to come out clean…I’m glad I checked and pulled them out early – I just hope they still taste ok and aren’t too overbaked.
Very interesting. I wonder if it’s a difference in ovens, altitude, or what. I’ve made this 100s of times and it always comes out perfect at the stated time but I do know that conditions can cause recipes to need more or less time.
I was wondering about adding cinnamon to. I never have before. Also you didn’t mention what size pans to use
Hi Sherry! Personally, I love cinnamon and I’m always tweaking the recipes I love most. The loaf pans I use are the 1.5 quart sized Pyrex pans. I just prefer the way the bread cooks in Pyrex versus any other kind of loaf pan. Hope that helps – come visit again soon!
I am actually making this now. But I decided to use my Bundt pans. I love using Bundt pans. I will let you know how it turns out
This was the best banana nut bread. My hubby and actually the whole family loved. Used two Bundt pans
I’m so glad you liked it! We’re always tweaking and playing with recipes at our house and trying something a little different with them. I love the idea of baking it in a Bundt pan – and I wonder how it would be with a light glaze over the top? If you’d like another truly wonderful recipe to try go take a look at the Five Flavor Pound Cake – it is AH-Mazing (and it freezes beautifully too!).
Banana bread is a favorite of mine! Looking forward to trying your recipe soon. Thanks for stopping in and sharing with us this week at Snickerdoodle! Pinned to share.