Buttermilk Banana Bread is a certainty in my life… I know I love it and I know I always will! This recipe is special not only because of the sweet, moist, and delicate crumb but because it turns out very light in color, something that is not the norm when making banana bread! If you love this recipe, don’t miss my Best Banana Muffins!

Sliced into Loaf of Buttermilk Banana Bread

Buttermilk Banana Bread

The perfect banana bread contains one special ingredient, buttermilk! It helps to produce this light, almost white, banana bread that cannot be achieved with a normal recipe. The flavor is spot on, with all the banana goodness you would want, but also a presentation that will leave people with questions. “How did you get it so light?” The answer is simple, buttermilk. And I happen to have a homemade buttermilk recipe that you could use!

How to Bake the Perfect Buttermilk Banana Bread

I prefer a course mashing of the bananas as I love the small chunks peppered through the loaf. To achieve this simply lightly mash with a fork. If you want a smoother consistency, add the bananas to a food processor.

Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh! This is what helps the loaf to have a beautiful rise and be a lighter crumb practically falling apart in your hands. The buttermilk in this recipe helps to activate the baking soda.

Stick to a tried and true method of adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined and your banana bread will bake to perfection.

Sifted Flour in a Bowl

Tips and Tricks

  • Use ripe bananas. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from people that their recipe didn’t have a strong banana flavor. When asked if their bananas were ripe, the typical response is, “does that make a difference?” Yes, SO MUCH yes. If you need to ripen bananas in a pinch, try placing them on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven for about 15 minutes.
  • Room Temperature Dairy. Make sure your buttermilk is not cold. This applies to the butter (and eggs, even though not technically dairy) in this recipe as well. You will find they incorporate much better and the resulting texture is second-to-none.
  • Sifting the Flour. We want a tender banana bread, and this is one of the tricks to achieving that. It helps to keep the recipe consistent and make sure there are no lumps.

Loaf of Buttermilk Banana Bread from Overhead and Uncut

Can This Banana Bread Be Made Gluten-Free?

You can use all gluten-free flour substitutes. Just follow the instructions on the bag to make sure it is a 1:1 ratio with all-purpose flour.

How to Make Buttermilk Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

We prefer to add milk-chocolate chips when making chocolate chip banana bread, but you can use whatever flavor you prefer. (White chocolate is also a great addition!) Simply fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and then reserve a few for sprinkling over the top before baking. For a specific recipe, check out my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Or, go all out and make my Triple Chocolate Banana Bread!

Slices of Buttermilk Banana Bread on a Plate

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5 from 24 votes

Buttermilk Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
The perfect banana bread contains one special ingredient… buttermilk!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • â…› teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1¼ cups mashed bananas, approximately 3-4 ripe bananas
  • ½ cup (113g or 1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (Do not skip this step!) Set aside.
  • In a separate medium bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas and set aside.
  • In a stand mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time. Add in buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is just combined (about a minute).
  • Slowly pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture, about ½ cup at a time. Mix on low until just combined.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the mashed bananas until evenly incorporated throughout the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65-70 minutes, checking the bread at 50 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs, but no wet batter.

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. My MIL makes my (and my husband’s) favorite banana bread, and it has eluded me for almost 7 years. It’s on my “baking conquest list,” which makes me laugh, because I can bake some of the most complex recipes, but can’t for the life of me get that darn banana bread right!!

  2. A while ago I read you should never use more than 1 cup of mashed banana in a banana bread recipe. I often had unreliable results as well until I followed that rule. More than 1 cup causes the inside to take too long to cook, causing the outside to get too dark.

    1. That is interesting! However, I increased the amount of flour I used (up to 2 cups) so you think it should still be only 1 cup of banana? My favorite regular banana bread recipe uses more than 2 cups of banana… I wonder how that would taste modified? Thanks for the info!

  3. You and me both friend! Banana bread is my life! This recipe sounds great! Can’t wait to try 🙂

      1. Response to Urvee Pope’s question…
        Ground flax seed can be used for an egg substitute.
        1egg = 1tbs flax seed + 3tbs water.
        (Albeit I have not tried with this recipe yet)

    1. A good thumb rule for replacing eggs is:
      1 egg can be replaced by:

      1/2 banana OR
      80g apple sauce OR
      2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds

      You could also buy an synthesized egg-substitute. 🙂

  4. Oh man, I just spent the last few hours looking up banana bread recipes. I’m sampling a bunch of different ones because I got a request for a banana bread wedding cake! Now I have another one to add to this list. That looks fabulously fluffy! And your last sentence…awesome. 🙂

  5. I have a banana bread recipe that makes 2 traditional size loaves. I could never get the inside to cook without the outside being dry. I switched to 4 mini loaf pans and have never had a problem since. It is always perfectly moist all the way through!

  6. This looks different than any other banana bread I’ve ever tried! I’m so curious to give it a try…

    1. That is exactly how I felt… then I tried it… now I am hooked. So good!! Mel shared a great recipe!

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