When life gives you mushy bananas, make banana bread! Whether you love it studded with walnuts and chocolate chips or prefer a more traditional loaf, these banana bread recipes are total crowd-pleasers.
24 Banana Bread Recipes You Need to Try
Updated on Aug. 01, 2024
1/24
Best Ever Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Servings
1 loaf (16 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
Whenever I pass a display of bananas in the grocery store, I can almost smell the wonderful aroma of this banana bread. It really is amazingly good! —Gert Kaiser, Kenosha, Wisconsin
We named this the best banana bread because it’s a straightforward recipe that turns out great every time. Use ripe bananas, since they are easier to mash and give off a more intense banana flavor.
2/24
Cast-Iron Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Total Time
45 min
Servings
10 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I love this cast-iron banana bread because it cooks evenly every time. The end result is so moist and delicious! —Ashley Hudd, Holton, Michigan
Top the bread with dried banana chips for extra texture and crunch. To keep the bread from sticking to the cast-iron pan, make sure it’s properly seasoned and grease the pan generously before adding the batter. Here’s how to season a cast-iron pan if you need a refresher.
3/24
3-Ingredient Banana Bread
Total Time
50 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This is the perfect banana bread recipe to mix and match with your favorite ingredients. Stir in chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips. Or, add ground cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. The sky's the limit! —Kristina Vanni, Libertyville, Illinois
It doesn’t get any easier than this foolproof recipe. You only need cake mix, eggs and bananas to make it happen.
4/24
Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
2 loaves (12 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
This gluten-free banana bread recipe isn't dry and crumbly—it tastes like the real thing. I hope you try it! —Gladys Arnold, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This one’s for you, gluten-free friends. Gluten-free flour and a bit of unsweetened applesauce create the perfect texture.
5/24
Banana-Zucchini Bread
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
2 loaves (16 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
My grandmother made this zucchini banana bread for as long as I can remember, and I've been making it ever since I learned how to bake. Children love it for a snack, and it's good to serve at any meal. It's another delicious way to use zucchini, which is so abundant in late summer. —Eva Mae Hebert, Lafayette, LA
This recipe makes two 9×5-inch loaves, so you can eat one now and freeze the other one to enjoy later. The water content in the zucchini helps keep the bread extra moist. Find more of our best zucchini bread recipes.
6/24
Makeover Banana Nut Bread
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
1 loaf (16 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
This slimmed-down banana bread with applesauce is one of our favorite ways to make banana bread. On top of swapping out the butter, the amount of sugar is also decreased, too, by adding a little honey and using more banana. No one will ever guess this bread is low in fat! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
This loaf is light on sugar and butter, thanks to the addition of applesauce, honey and an extra banana. Believe it or not, it’s only 165 calories and 3 grams of fat per slice.
7/24
Special Banana Nut Bread
Total Time
1 hour 25 min
Servings
2 loaves (12 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
This extra-special banana bread makes a wonderful gift for friends and neighbors. The recipe makes two loaves, so I can serve one and keep the other one in the freezer to use as a last-minute gift. —Beverly Sprague, Catonsville, Maryland
We’ve never met a banana bread we didn’t like, but this extra-decadent version made with cream cheese and a sweet orange glaze takes the cake. Err, bread.
8/24
Upside-Down Banana Monkey Bread
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
24 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Everyone digs in to monkey bread thanks to its pull-apart shape. We add banana slices and pecans to top this already scrumptious showpiece for a brunch or family gathering. —Donna Marie Ryan, Topsfield, Massachusetts
You’ll want to dust off your stand mixer for this one. The recipe includes yeast, so you’ll need to knead it like traditional bread dough and let it rise for about an hour before baking it. The results are gooey, sweet and completely irresistible.
9/24
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
1 loaf
From the Recipe Creator:
Good old banana bread is delightfully dressed up in this version, studded with chocolate chips and pecans. I served yummy slices at the holiday brunch I plan annually for my relatives.-Shelly Rynearson, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Chocolate chips and banana bread were made to pair together. Make sure you buy the best chocolate chips so the quality shines through in every slice. This recipe goes a step further by adding chopped pecans, but you can leave them out if you don’t like the crunch.
10/24
Banana Bread Pudding
Total Time
50 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
When I visited my grandmother in summer, I always looked forward to the comforting pudding she'd make. With its crusty golden top, custard-like inside and smooth vanilla sauce, this bread pudding is a real homespun dessert. Now I make it for my grandchildren. —Mary Detweiler, Middlefield, Ohio
If you prefer scooping up your banana bread with a spoon, this ooey-gooey dessert version will hit the spot. Day-old bread and a homemade vanilla sauce give it a decadent texture.
11/24
Double Cranberry Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
1 loaf (12 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
We love quick breads, and I've found that they freeze nicely if properly wrapped. This is a scrumptious recipe to make before the holidays and freeze for last-minute guests or gifts. —Joan Hallford, North Richland Hills, Texas
A cup of whole-berry cranberry sauce—yep, like the kind you eat on Thanksgiving—keeps this recipe deliciously moist. Dried cranberries add even more texture, flavor and color. Try more of our favorite cranberry recipes to use up any leftovers.
12/24
Pumpkin Banana Bread
Total Time
50 min
Servings
5 mini loaves (6 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
I came across these loaves in a local newspaper about 10 years ago, and I still make this pumpkin banana bread recipe on a regular basis. It conveniently yields a number of mini loaves, making gift-giving easy. —Linda Wood, Roanoke, Virginia
If you’re like us, you always have an extra can or two of pumpkin puree sitting in your pantry. Put it to good use and make this festive pumpkin banana bread, which is great for snacking, dessert or even gifting.
13/24
Moist Banana Nut Bread
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
1 loaf (12 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
I made up this recipe when I was vegetarian and didn’t eat eggs. It’s packed with fiber, omega-3s and soy protein, but tastes delicious! Silken tofu is a wonderful egg substitute. It's one of the best ways to make banana bread. —Brittany Carrington, Tehachapi, California
You’ll never guess the secret ingredient that gives this plant-based banana bread loaf its moist texture. It’s silken tofu, which also adds 4 grams of protein to each slice.
14/24
Chocolate Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 20 min
Servings
1 loaf
From the Recipe Creator:
Nothing tops old-fashioned banana bread, except maybe this chocolate version! Each slice is studded with nuts. —Connie Deke, DeWitt, Nebraska
Mix things up by adding 2 cups of all-purpose cocoa powder to this otherwise traditional banana bread recipe. The rich, sweet loaf pairs fabulously with vanilla ice cream. Keep everything from-scratch by learning how to make your own homemade vanilla ice cream.
15/24
I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas Bread
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
1 loaf (16 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
My children love to bake (and eat) all kinds of banana bread. They make this all by themselves, with just a little help from me to put it in the oven. —Kristin Metcalf, Charlton, Massachusetts
Caramel sundae syrup, apples and shredded coconut make this banana bread taste more like dessert than a breakfast bread. Braeburns, Fuji and Honeycrisp make some of the best apples for baking.
16/24
Easy Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
1 loaf (12 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
I watch several youngsters each day while their parents are at work. They come running when I announce it's time to cook. This easy banana bread is one of their favorite treats to help bake and eat. —Sharon Ward, King Ferry, New York
There’s nothing crazy in this recipe, just basic pantry ingredients and some very ripe bananas. It does call for shortening instead of butter, so make sure you have some on hand if you don’t want to swap for butter.
17/24
Moist Pineapple Banana Bread
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
2 loaves (16 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
Our four kids like slices of this moist tropical-tasting banana bread for breakfast. I sometimes bake it in mini loaf pans, then freeze the loaves so we can enjoy a small portion at a time. —Mary Watkins, Chaska, Minnesota
A can of crushed pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla extract and walnuts make this banana bread an extra special treat. Just combine the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another bowl, then combine them and pour the batter into loaf pans. That’s it!
Banana Bread in a Mug
Sometimes you want banana bread…now. Luckily, this microwave mug cake recipe requires only seven ingredients and about two minutes of cooking time.
18/24
19/24
Banana Pecan Loaf
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
1 loaf (16 slices)
From the Recipe Creator:
We slice this banana bread so thick it is almost embarrassing—but we need fat slices to deliver ample portions of the Pineapple Spread. When beating the cream cheese for the spread, beat the cheese until it is as light and fluffy as whipped cream. —Lee Ann Miller, Millersburg, Ohio
While this pecan-studded bread is delicious on its own, the real star of the recipe is the two-ingredient pineapple spread. Combine a package of cream cheese and a can of crushed pineapple, then serve it on the side.
20/24
Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins
Total Time
35 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These bite-sized muffins make a delightful treat. Banana and peanut butter are ideal partners and taste terrific with chocolate. —Patty Putter, Marion, Kansas
Move over, jelly. There’s no better combo than peanut butter and banana, and this quick muffin recipe proves it. You’ll have a warm batch on the table in just about 35 minutes.
21/24
Blueberry Banana Bread
Total Time
50 min
Servings
3 mini loaves (5 pieces each)
From the Recipe Creator:
Blueberries and bananas combine in these tender, golden loaves. Whether you enjoy a slice as a snack or for breakfast, this bread is so flavorful, you won't need butter. —Sandy Flick, Toledo, Ohio
You can use fresh or frozen blueberries for this flavorful loaf. If you’re using frozen berries, don’t thaw them before adding them to the batter or the whole batch will turn blue!
22/24
Air-Fryer Banana Bread
Total Time
45 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Yes, you can make banana bread in the air fryer! This easy air-fryer banana bread recipe is a cinch to put together. Eat it while it's still warm or at room temperature with a spread of butter. —Peggy Woodward, Shullsburg, Wisconsin
If you’ve never tried baking banana bread in the air fryer, the time is now. As long as it fits inside the air fryer, any oven-safe dish—including a loaf pan—is safe to use.
23/24
Banana Bread Snack Cakes
Total Time
40 min
Servings
9 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This banana bread snack cake doesn't need any frosting—just a dusting of powdered sugar. Guests are always amazed that I made this treat from scratch. —Denise Loewenthal, Hinckley, Ohio
These cute little snack cakes work great for on-the-go breakfasts and packed school lunches.
This no-nonsense recipe is so easy to whip up, it’s practically foolproof. One reader recommends doubling the recipe, then eating one loaf and freezing the other.
