Buttermilk Banana Bread
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This buttermilk banana bread recipe is moist and full of sweet banana flavor. It’s simple to make, freezes beautifully, and is ready in just over an hour!
I’m not exaggerating when I say that this buttermilk banana bread recipe is the best ever. It’s simple and uses no fancy ingredients, but it has that classic moist texture and sweet banana flavor we all know and love.
Buttermilk takes this banana to the next level, so I don’t recommend plain milk. The acidity in buttermilk helps break down gluten, resulting in a lighter, fluffier, more tender texture. If you don’t have any on hand, it’s easy to make buttermilk at home with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, or you can substitute it with kefir, thinned yogurt, or sour cream.
Spotty bananas are another key ingredient. They’re sweeter, have more aroma, and mash easily to incorporate into the batter. When they start to look overripe, it’s time to make banana bread!
Enjoy a slice of buttermilk banana bread anytime with a simple spread of butter (like my homemade butter) and a cup of tea or coffee. Make a second loaf and share it with friends, or freeze it for those moments when only a slice of freshly baked banana bread will do!
Key ingredients
This buttermilk banana bread is made with simple ingredients you’re likely to have on hand already. Here’s everything you need to make it:
- Bananas – save your spotty bananas for this recipe! Instead of throwing out overripe bananas, we freeze them, then thaw them in the oven while we’re getting out our banana bread ingredients.
- Eggs – if you have time to bring your eggs to room temperature eggs, it does help in the baking process. They blend more evenly into the batter, and it helps the dough rise more easily.
- Buttermilk – you can buy buttermilk or make your own by adding lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to regular milk.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar – a mix of both granulated sugar and brown sugar gives this loaf great texture and just the right amount of sweetness.
- Butter – real butter gives this loaf a rich taste and helps keep it nice and moist.
How do I know when my banana bread is done?
You’ll know your banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine). If the top is getting too dark and it’s not fully cooked through, tent a piece of aluminum foil over it for the last bit of baking.
Add-ins to try
Depending on how I’m feeling, sometimes I like to keep this recipe simple and enjoy it as written. It really is the best banana bread recipe ever! Other times I like to jazz it up. Here are some of my favorite add-ins:
- Toasted nuts like walnuts or pecans
- Dark or milk chocolate chips
- Chopped dried fruit like dates
- Warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or cardamom
Store and freeze
Store: I put the cooled loaf into a plastic bag to keep it moist. It lasts for about 3 days on the counter.
Freeze: You can freeze the whole loaf or slices. Wrap them in parchment paper and then a layer of aluminum foil. They keep well for about 6 months in the freezer.
Banana Bread Recipe Using Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas (1 cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (see notes)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 5"x9" loaf pan. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas then whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, both the sugars, melted butter, and vanilla.3 medium ripe bananas, 2 large eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until they are just combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check the bread after 45 minutes and if it is golden brown on top, tent it loosely with a piece of foil to prevent it from browning too much. Let it cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan then remove it and cool it completely on a wire rack before slicing it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Good texture but tasted like baking soda. Two teaspoons is a lot! Next time, I will use less.
I just finished baking this bread it looks and smells amazing! I followed the recipe as written. I do that when it’s my first time trying a new recipe and new chef . I considered adding cinnamon and nutmeg but wanted to know how much you’d suggest. Would you recommend both together? Thank you
Delicious banana bread loaf! I use a 9.5 x 5.5 loaf pan but the batter is enough for an additional 6 small muffins. The buttermilk does indeed produce a moist and light crumb. Thank you for this recipe. It’s the only one I use even for mini loaves.
delicious banana bread. I also want to commend you on the setup of your recipes. Including the ingredients and amounts in the body of the instructions eliminates all that tedious scrolling back and forth if you are making the recipe from you computer screen. I try not to print recipes out in order to save trees, and you are making that easier. Thank you!
You had me with banana bread! This is one of my all time favorites! Thank you!
I use buttermilk in lots of quick breads and yet had never tried it in banana bread. Of course it was perfect. I also loved the caramely flavor that the brown sugar added. So delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Just when I thought banana bread couldn’t get any better! This takes it to the next level!
Great recipe. The bread was super moist, and the kids all loved it, which was a double win. Thanks for sharing.
Took me 5 min to make it. What a wonderful banana bread my go to recipe