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A close-up of a moist banana bread recipe loaf, sliced to show the rich, golden interior texture.

Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe produces a moist banana bread using a mix of all-purpose flour and ground oats. It includes optional spices and nuts.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 stick
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe banana about 2 and 1/2 medium bananas
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
Dry Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats blended into a powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves optional
  • 0.5 cup toasted pecans or walnuts optional

Equipment

  • 9x5 inch loaf pan
  • Large bowl or stand mixer
  • Blender or food processor
  • Cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper. Use the paper to lift the bread out for easy slicing.
  2. If you plan to add nuts, toast them now. Add 1/2 or 3/4 cup chopped nuts to a dry baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar and cream together for about 2 minutes until fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom.
  4. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat well until incorporated, scraping the sides.
  5. In a small bowl, mash about 2 and 1/2 very ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until you have about 1 cup of mashed banana. Add the mashed banana to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated.
  6. Add 1 cup flour to the bowl, but do not stir yet.
  7. Add 1/2 cup old fashioned oats to a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture has turned into powder. Add the oat flour to the bowl but do not stir.
  8. Use a small spoon to stir 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the flour mixture.
  9. If using, add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
  10. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  11. Fold in the 1/2 cup sour cream.
  12. If you want to add nuts, fold them into the batter now.
  13. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
  14. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick deep into the center of the bread. The toothpick should come out with no wet batter; moist crumbs are acceptable. The bread should look brown on top and pull away from the sides of the pan.
  15. Let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes on a cooling rack before slicing.
  16. Store covered on the counter for up to 2 days. If you have leftovers after that, place the loaf in the fridge. Banana bread freezes well wrapped in foil and then a ziplock bag. Thaw on the counter sealed, or slice, wrap individually, and freeze. Thaw slices on the counter in the sealed container, then toast briefly to remove extra moisture.

Notes

For the best texture, blend the old-fashioned oats into a fine powder before adding them to the flour mixture. If you want a nut topping, reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted nuts to sprinkle on top before baking.