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!
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.
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.
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!
Looking for More Bread Recipes?
Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Buttermilk Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I have a Never Fail Banana Cake Recipe my Mother used to make, don’t know where it came from but it was just like it’s name it never failed. I even changed it because I wanted it lighter and I put applesauce in it to cut back on the sugar and butter. It came out really good every time. I think it called for milk that had vinegar in it like buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk you can put vinegar in milk and make it into a type of buttermilk.
Anyway you recipe looks good and I like to try different recipes. I have an oven that cooks hotter so I always turn the temperature down a little. I find the metal pans are the best to cook it in and I always line them with tin foil because the bottom usually burns, but not with the tin foil. I sometime leave it in the oven for an extra 5 min. I always check it to see if middle is cooked and if not leave it 5 min’s. longer then it is.
What an amazing recipe ! I absolutely LOVE it — and so do my husband and the rest of my family !
I bake it in a round tin and use confectioner’s sugar — the result is just PERFECT !
I’ve been following your blog for a while now 🙂 and wanted to say: thank you for sharing your recipes!
Thanks for letting me know Kathi! So happy that everyone liked it!! Be blessed. 🙂
Cook’s Illustrated just had a recipe for banana bread and before I tried their technique I like you had many quick breads and banana bread fail but after trying their recipe I will be doing this all the time. If you want a lot of banana flavor but having all that banana makes it to soft inside then microwave the banana for a bit then drain the juice out of the bananas for 30 min then take that banana juice and reduce it till it’s thickened and add the bananas and the reduced juice into the bread. The flavor increases since you have reduced that juice but it won’t get as soggy.
Just finished my banana bread i used brown sugar and looks darker but real fluffy and good flavor 😀
I have always had success with banana bread. It was the first thing I learned how to bake. I really like this one, and plan on trying this recipe–i was just wondering if I can use “one” loaf pan” and what size? your typical loaf pan?
So delicious. Crust came out perfect. I made a regular loaf pan but didn’t want to fill it up so I made a mini loaf with walnuts too. Mini one was done 10-15 minutes sooner than the loaf.
A tip for not burning the top and baking the inside completely…… No matter where I’m baking I always bake at least 50° less than normal and turn the oven off 10-15 mins before the recommended time, depending on what’s being baked!. Dont take the item out, let the oven continue to bake it! Works like a charm!!! Good luck!!!
Great idea. Thank you.
OK, I’m totally trying this one!!! I LOVE banana bread and love trying new recipes. . This banana bread looks perfect!!!
Isn’t that an awful lot of sugar (in addition to the bananas, which are also loaded with sugar)? It sounds great, but more like a pretty sugary Banana Cake. Would love to hear more about it from you and others who’ve made it (including those who reduced the sugar, as I’d be inclined to do). Thanks!
Yes! It is. But it really isn’t so different from other tried-and-true recipes. I think the best gauge of successfulness in what YOU think! Hope you will try it. 🙂
I made the recipe with the full amount of sugar. It was perfect!
I made this so many times. And its really.moist.and soft.made this into.cake.covered with fondant.and my relatives loved it..Made a dozen loaf of this for family gathering..