Mom’s Banana Bread Recipe + Banana Cookbooks

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When I want to throw something together for breakfast that’s fast yet satisfying, making a quick bread, such as banana bread, is my go-to every couple of weeks (or sooner, if the bananas get out of hand). Fortunately, I have the best banana bread recipe in the world. My mother found this recipe for ripe bananas well over a decade ago, I’d guess.

Since I am nice, I won’t make you scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe. Let’s put it right below this next heading, so you can easily find it. But feel free to keep reading for more about how to make this wonderful not-dry quick bread, peruse a selection of banana-themed cookbooks, and whatever else I come up with. Enjoy.

Table of Contents

• Best Banana Bread Recipe with Big Banana Flavor
• A Tale of Two Homemade Banana Bread Recipes
• Banana Cookbooks
• Related Banana Resources

Best Banana Bread Recipe with Big Banana Flavor

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Unfortunately, I have lost my mother’s recipe for this wonderful banana bread over a dozen times. Then I have to call or text my mother and ask for it again. It’s ridiculous. Every so often, I find another slip of paper in a cookbook from my collection, or a copy on the back of a random notebook, or on the flip side of a different recipe where I wrote it down, or even worse — taped up inside the pantry wall. D’oh!

At least I made my oldest son a handwritten cookbook of his favorite recipes before he left for college (I used a blank cookbook you can write in from this large comparison list), so if I had to, I could ask him for it. You’d think I’d have it memorized by now, and I almost do. Almost!

I was so close to sharing this great recipe for banana bread from memory with someone, maybe a little over a week ago, but then I thought, “If you’ve got it wrong, that would completely ruin someone’s morning.” So, I somehow kept my big mouth shut, because if there’s one thing that I could ramble on about, it’s food. Okay, there are many things I could ramble on about, but food is right up there at the top of the list.

Since you’re here, you understand, which is nice.

A Tale of Two Homemade Banana Bread Recipes

The funny thing is that I’ve never been nuts over banana bread. This easy recipe for banana bread is a great way to use up bananas getting past their prime, and it’s also really good. It doesn’t matter if I use more or fewer bananas than the recipe calls for — it always turns out. I mean, there’s nothing worse than going to make banana bread, thinking you have the right number of bananas, only to discover someone ate one 10 minutes ago. But this recipe still works.

This is the best banana bread recipe. Of course, the flavor is amazing. That right there puts it right at the top of the quick bread favorites chart (and definitely surpasses zucchini bread, except for my former neighbor Donna’s, may she rest in peace). But, it also doesn’t have a bunch of expensive, hard-to-find, or downright wacky ingredients in there either.

In addition to the ripe bananas, this family favorite banana bread recipe ingredients list includes white sugar (not brown sugar), all-purpose flour, melted butter (so you don’t even have to wait for softened butter), vanilla extract, a little salt, and some baking powder (don’t confuse baking soda with baking powder). That’s about it.

My mom and I had a favorite banana bread recipe before from my elementary school’s PTA cookbook fundraiser. My mom was on the board and helped compile and organize the recipes. She’d been making that recipe since I was a kid, and I followed suit when I hit young adulthood. That’s the same cookbook I mentioned when I shared my “useless raisins” story.

Why did we switch? It was slightly foofy and not quite as delicious.

You had to soften the butter, and it included sour cream. Now, I love sour cream. My sons swear I only eat tacos, baked potatoes, and nachos as an excuse to eat sour cream. But I hate when it’s used in a baking recipe that I consider a last-minute, “I want to bake something, but I don’t know what. Oh, look. Overripe bananas!” kind of thing.

It’s at those moments that I’m guaranteed to be out of sour cream entirely, which is such a disappointment, because then you get a taste for something, and this whole simple, quick bread designed to use up a ripe banana or three turns into a Production.

Not this one.

This is an easy banana bread recipe.

Banana Bread Recipe FAQ

If you have questions about adding additional banana bread ingredients, such as peanut butter, chocolate, or nuts, to the base recipe, you’re in the right place. Throw in butterscotch chips in place of the chocolate chips for a unique twist. Add 1/2 cup of coconut. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or both). Bake up the original, see what you think, and then experiment and have fun with it. Quick breads are very forgiving.

Can you use frozen bananas for banana bread?

I’m not sure. I tend to use up every stray overripe banana I find, so I can’t answer this one with confidence. If you try it, please let everyone know what you did and how it worked in the comments below or via my Contact Form. Thanks.

Can I make this into peanut butter banana bread?

I think you could safely mix in 1/4 cup of peanut butter. You’ll want to add the peanut butter in with the melted butter and white sugar.

Can I add chocolate chips to this banana bread?

It depends. How much chocolate flavor do you want in your chocolate chip banana bread? For subtle chocolate chip banana bread, I’d start by adding in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, but I believe you could go up to a full cup for big flavor that’s more of a chocolate banana bread.

You could use regular chips; just combine them with a little of the flour mixture to help keep them from sinking to the bottom (it’s the same trick I use with my cappuccino muffins recipe). But mini chocolate chips are more likely to stay suspended within the bread.

Can I add nuts to this bread recipe?

Yes, you could lightly mix in 1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I think toasted pecans could be quite good in this) for banana nut bread.

Can I turn a banana bread loaf into banana muffins?

Yes. Lightly spray a muffin tin with Pam for Baking with Flour or Baker’s Joy. Then spoon the batter into the prepared tin. You’ll want to fill it somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 cup full (as with the usual muffin recipe). If you don’t like the rise you get when you bake them the first time, consider adding 1/4 teaspoon extra baking powder. I wouldn’t try much more than that or you may experience muffins that sink in the middle.

They will bake for less time. It could take as little as 15 minutes and up to 25, depending on your oven. Set a timer and check them early and often until you know how your oven handles this recipe conversion. A baked muffin will bounce back when you lightly press the center.

Banana Cookbooks for More Banana Recipes

My cookbook collection contains many cookbooks that focus on one type of thing, whether that’s a specific fruit, baked good, or category. I think single-themed cookbooks are fun. Watch out if you’re looking to buy a banana cookbook. There is a self-published version of Chiquita’s Banana Recipe Book (it has an oven on the front and is not published by the original author). That makes me a little leery in recommending such a thing. The books below, however, link to the real deal.

Related Banana Resources

For more quick bread recipes, such as loaves and muffins, check out the following resources below.

• Quick Bread and Muffins Cookbooks
• Recipe for Homemade Banana Coconut Coffee Cake
• Bread Recipes for Your Bread Machine

Or get your kitchen whipped into shape with a few tips on organization and how to handle your cookbook collection.

• My Cookbook Collection
• How To Organize Cookbooks: Cookbook Organization Ideas With Images
• Essential Kitchen Items: The Bear Vs Little Indiana Bakes
• Blank Books to Write Recipes In (And What To Look For)
• How To Keep Track of Your Cookbooks