Best-Ever Banana Bread
Moist, deeply flavored banana bread with a crackly sugar crust
By RecipesQueen Kitchen • June 10, 2026
This is the banana bread recipe that ends all searches. Incredibly moist, deeply banana-flavored, and crowned with a crackly sugar crust that shatters when you slice it. The secret is using very ripe bananas — the blacker the peel, the better the bread.
The batter comes together in one bowl with no mixer required. Brown sugar adds a caramel depth that complements the banana, while a touch of cinnamon and vanilla round out the flavor. Sour cream keeps everything impossibly moist even days after baking.
Whether you eat it warm from the oven with a smear of butter or toasted for breakfast the next morning, this banana bread delivers. It freezes beautifully too — wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- 2
Mash bananas in a large bowl until mostly smooth with some chunks remaining. Stir in melted butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla.
- 3
Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt directly to the bowl. Fold until just combined — do not overmix.
- 4
Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over the top for the crackly crust.
- 5
Bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
- 6
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
