Quick Banana Bread Recipe
If you’re looking for a fast and delicious way to use up your overripe bananas, this is the recipe for you. This quick banana bread recipe uses a special technique that brings out all of the sweet, juicy goodness from your bananas, resulting in an extra-moist loaf with incredible flavor! Whether you serve it warm with a pat of butter or enjoy a slice with your morning coffee, it’s pure comfort baked into every bite.
This recipe was inspired by a recipe in an issue of Cook’s Illustrated titled “Ultimate Banana Bread.” The article discusses how the riper the banana is, the more fructose it produces. (Think sugar.)
The article then discusses banana juice. Cook’s Illustrated instructs the reader to microwave bananas to extract the juice, strain it, and then reduce it.
I like to take shortcuts, so I microwave my bananas and pour the juice into the batter first, then add the bananas.
Let’s take a quick peek at how to make banana bread using banana “juice.”
Ingredients
For this quick bread recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- ripe bananas
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- demerara or granulated sugar
How To Make Banana Quick Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Peel the bananas and place them in a microwave-safe, shallow bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- Whip butter on high speed in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the banana “juice” slowly into the batter in a mixer and blend. (Remember that there are eggs in the batter and the juice is still hot/warm. You have to temper the batter.)
- Add bananas and mix until incorporated.
- Add flour and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until done.
- Cool the bread on a wire rack.
If you love homemade breads as much as I do, be sure to try my Strawberry Bread for a sweet, fruity twist, my rich and chocolatey Nutella Bread, or the beautifully swirled Babka that’s as stunning as it is delicious. Each one is a slice of comfort you’ll want to bake again and again.
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Peel bananas and place in a microwave safe shallow bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Whip butter on high-speed in large bowl of an electric mixer. Add brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly pour banana “juice” into batter in mixer and blend. (Remember that there are eggs in the batter and the juice is still hot/warm. You have to temper the batter.)
- Add bananas and mix until incorporated.
- Add flour and mix until smooth.
- Pour into prepared pan and Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until done.
- Remove to wire rack and allow to cool.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Feel free to stir in some chopped nuts or chocolate chips before baking—both add just the right touch of texture and sweetness to complement the bananas beautifully.
For a different take on banana bread, check out this video from Cosmopolitan Cornbread:
Last Bite
There’s just something special about homemade bread fresh from the oven. Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite way to enjoy banana bread—plain, buttered, or with a little something extra!
This recipe is [**** – edited for language]. I made it the way it said to, and it came out bland, and tasting like old, overripened bananas. I don’t think microwaving the bananas is a good idea; it smelled gross, ruined the flavor, and barely made any juice. Don’t waste your time with this abomination. I wish I hadn’t.
I am sorry that the recipe did not work for you. My family and I loved it. There are other recipes posted on the internet that call for microwaving bananas before using them. (http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/fruit-sauce/ripen-banana-in-the-microwave.html http://www.ehow.com/info_8682504_procedures-banana-ripening.html)
Are you kidding me? My daughter and I have made it twice and grandmothers on both side of the family said: “How did you make it sooooo moist and banana’ey? What’s secret?”
@Lynda, you can also bake the bananas for 15-20 minutes in oven at 350.
Thanks!
I definitely prefer nut-free!! Bread should not be crunchy. 😀
I’ve never seen a recipe that calls for “banana juice.” It is a very interesting technique, and one I will definitely be trying the next time we make banana bread.
I love banana bread but I like mine without nuts.
What a great blog! There are so many things you can do with ripe bananas!
I just made this after finding it on Pinterest and I LOVE it! I’d never seen a recipe that called for microwaving the bananas before and it’s brilliant! This is my new favorite and go-to banana bread recipe!
Thank you!
Thank you very much! I thought it was a neat concept so I had to try it, too. I am thinking about trying to make some banana muffins with microwaved bananas. Doesn’t that sound good?
I have three bananas sitting on my counter just asking to be made into bread. I think I’m going to make this tomorrow.
Yum! This looks delicious. We love banana bread in our house – I will have to give this recipe a try. I love how moist this looks.
I’m looking forward to baking some banana bread for the fall.
I’ve never heard about microwaving the bananas to get the juice. That’s interesting. And what do you mean “waiting for it to cool”? hot bread is the absolute best!
One of my favorite treats is banana nut bread!
You had me at banana bread 🙂 My sister has been looking for a recipe so I’m going to have to share this with her.
Banana bread without nuts is always the way to go for me!!! Yours looks nom nom good!
Bananas on the verge of extinction are all too common at our house, so I am in desperate need of a good banana bread recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Everyone in our family likes banana bread some like it with nuts others do not but we all like it with chocolate chips! (not very healthy but VERY yummy :))
I can only imagine how much better it would be with chocolate chips.
I can see why the banana use makes the difference. I like mine without nuts.