I’ve been even more diligent about keeping my food waste low since the pandemic started, since our visits to the grocery store are few and far between. So when I was taking stock of what was on hand the other day, the puzzle pieces started to move into place in my head, and I saw everything I needed to make a glorious loaf of banana bread. Yogurt banana bread, to be exact. Why yogurt? Read on to find out.
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Why Add Yogurt to Banana Bread?
Yogurt is a great ingredient for adding to banana bread and other baked goods. It keeps the bread moist, tender, and super delicious without using a ton of butter or oil. You’ll want to use plain yogurt for this recipe, not pre-sweetened. I have not tested Greek-style yogurt in this recipe, but would guess that it would make a slightly more dense loaf, since it has less moisture than regular yogurt.
How Ripe Should the Bananas Be?
The more ripe the banana, the better for banana bread. As bananas ripen the starches turn to sugar, so an un-ripe banana will not be as sweet or as soft (good for mashing). Try to wait until your bananas have NO green left and are about half spotted. If your bananas get to the perfect banana bread ripeness, but you’re not quite ready to make banana bread, simply peel them, toss them into a freezer bag, and freeze them until you’re ready.
Can I Bake These As Muffins?
Yes, this batter works great for banana muffins, too! Just divide the batter between 12 wells of a muffin tin and bake for about 40 minutes at 350ºF.
What Else Can I Add to Banana Bread?
Banana bread is fun because you can add all sorts of stuff to it. I used walnuts here, but they’re completely optional. You can do other nuts, like pecans or even shredded coconut. Chocolate also pairs really well with bananas, so you can add ½ cup chocolate chips, or melt the chocolate and swirl it into the batter once it’s in the bread pan. A little bit of well-drained canned crushed pineapple would also be fun!
How to Store Banana Bread
After baking the banana bread, let it cool completely to room temperature, then transfer it to a gallon-sized zip top bag and store in the refrigerator. It will last in the refrigerator for about five days. I like to slice mine before refrigerating, so I can just take one slice out at a time to have with my coffee. About 15 seconds in the microwave and it’s warm and delicious, just like fresh baked!
P.S. Banana bread is really good with a little peanut butter or almond butter drizzled over top!
Yogurt Banana Bread
Servings 8 thick slicesIngredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas) ($0.42)
- 1 cup plain yogurt ($0.67)
- 2 large eggs ($0.46)
- 1/2 cup sugar ($0.40)
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted ($0.52)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.30)
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.23)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ($0.60)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rub a little butter on the inside of a loaf pan to coat the bottom and sides.
- Mash the banana well, then add it to a large bowl along with the yogurt, eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk these ingredients until they're well combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg until well combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir together just until there is no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl (a few lumps are okay, just be careful not to over stir). Gently fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then bake in the preheated 350ºF oven for 60 minutes, or until the bread is brown, cracked open on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay, just no raw batter).
- After baking, let the banana bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Once it's slightly cooled it will have pulled away from the bread pan slightly. Run a knife along the sides between the bread and pan, then gently turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, slice and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Glass Loaf Pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
You might also like my Banana Flax Muffins!
How to Make Yogurt Banana Bread – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rub a little butter inside a loaf pan to coat the bottom and sides. Make 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas). I do this in a glass measuring cup with a fork. It should only take about 30 seconds.
Add the mashed banana to a large bowl along with 1 cup plain yogurt, 2 large eggs, ½ cup sugar, 4 Tbsp melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients together until they’re well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp nutmeg. Stir until well combined.
Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until they are combined and no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl. A few lumps are okay, but make sure there are no pockets of dry flour left. Avoid over stirring. (photo is half-way through stirring)
Fold ½ cup chopped walnuts into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the bread in the preheated 350ºF oven for about 60 minutes, or until the bread is browned, the top is cracked open, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (“clean” means no raw batter, a few moist crumbs stuck to the toothpick are okay).
Allow the bread to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. It will pull away from the pan slightly as it cools. Run a knife along the sides between the bread and loaf pan, then gently turn the bread out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cooled, slice and serve.
This tasted good, but did not come out like banana bread. Was the consistency of bread pudding. Not what I expected, but not totally mad at it.
I made this last week with vanilla yogurt. The bread was a BIG HIT.
Thus last week i went shopping and bought maple yogurt…this made a huge difference…i mean, the recipe was already GREAT…NOW ITS FABULOUS!
Due to me having diverticulitis, I had to grind the nuts.
Absolutely hands down the BEST recipe for banana bread EVER!
OH, Also added cinnamon.
I’m sorry to report that this is the worst banana bread recipe I’ve ever made/tried. I don’t normally leave ratings or comments on recipes, but with the cost of groceries right now, this made me angry because it was such a waste of ingredients. Absolutely ridiculous that this is even a published recipe in my opinion….
Turned out very well. Used Chobani Zero Sugar Vanilla Yogurt to reduce sugar content. Omitted sugar & vanilla. Added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, & 1/8 tsp. cloves. Not super sweet, but did this on purpose for diabetics. You may want to add a small amount of additional sugar or artificial sweetener if it’s not sweet enough for your tastes.
I followed this recipe perfectly. It rose nicely in the oven but once it was out, it sunk within minutes of cooling and became concave. The taste was good, it cooked well inside and was moist too. I made the recipe twice and both times it sunk. Anyone know why this happened?
I love this one. A few notes:
Yes, it’s very wet and the loaf sometimes turns out wet/undercooked in the middle and scorched on the outside. But I get great results making this as muffins with the 40 minute bake time (adjust as needed for temperamental ovens). I just treat this like a muffin recipe in disguise.
I make this gluten free with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF flour. The muffins come out slightly flat on top, but the texture and taste is great!
I also like using pecans instead of walnuts.
One of these muffins fresh from the oven, with a cold glass of milk, is perfect.
Mine came out doughy also even after baking it longer. Not a fan of this recipe.
I wish I had read the comments before I tried this recipe! I was looking for a moist banana bread. What I got was a super dense loaf that looks awful 😖
I followed the recipe exactly. Really disappointed but you live and learn.
Burnt outside and undercooked inside. Could not be saved, unfortunately. I followed the recipe to a T.
I really wish there was a weight measurement for this. I probably used too much yogurt and had the same problem quite a few people here said, having the bread fall flat, be undercooked and doughy. I’ll put it in for maybe 10 more minutes, but it’s already been cooked way past the one hour mark…
Thank you for replying so quickly to my question about the kind of sugar I used. You confirmed my suspicions. I truly appreciate how you share your knowledge about what transforms ordinary ingredients into something wonderful that brings happiness to others. ❤
Thank you, Barbara! ❤️
This is Barbara again. Forgot to add that I made muffins (regular size) and used cupcake papers, instead of baking it in a loaf pan.
Made these but they turned out doughy. Ended up baking them longer but it didn’t help much. After a couple of days sitting on the counter in an air tight container, my husband said they firmed up & lost the doughy consistency. I used Miss Jones Smartsugar which has 50% less sugar. Could that be why? They certainly tasted sweet enough & the flavor is good.
Yes, that probably did affect the texture of the muffins. Sugar is important in baked goods not only for the flavor, but the texture. Sugar attracts moisture, so it keeps them soft and moist.
This is the first banana bread recipe that I’ve tried that the bread comes out moist. This is now the only banana bread recipe I’ll be using. So tasty!
The recipe as written works very well in a bundt cake pan. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this recipe.
I tried making it in my bread machine. I think 1 cup yogurt and 3 bananas is a lot of liquid for a cup and a half of flour. Mine came out like bread pudding. The bottom crust was almost burnt.
Tasted good.
Yes, this type of bread really needs to be baked in an oven, not a bread machine, unfortunately.
You can certainly see your expertise in the paintings you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart.
I’ve made these 3 times now and they were over-cooked 2/3 times. The first time I made them they were actually burnt after only 35 mins. I finally made them without them overcooking today and it took approximately 18-23 mins. Even if my oven temperature is a bit off, I don’t know how you’d cook them for 40. I just ordered an over thermometer to check for sure what’s going on, but 40 mins seems way too much regardless.
They all tasted great except for being overcooked on the outside though!
I’d lean to agree with you that 40 minutes seems like a long bake for muffins — however, I know Beth tested this recipe many times before publishing it, and since then, it’s been successful for many, many people. (We are working on a bread recipe together right now, and she would rather scrap the recipe entirely than publish one that might not be successful.) Does your oven have a fan/convection setting that might be on, or do you live at a very high or low altitude? If altitude is NOT a factor, I would suggest lowering your oven temperature to 325*F and checking on them after 30 minutes. Baking them lower & slower will help ensure that the center cooks before the exterior is burnt. ~ Marion :)
I am looking forward to making this. Could I use brown sugar? What size pan?
Hi! You could substitute brown sugar in this recipe, but it will likely change the texture of the loaf. Since we haven’t tested the recipe with this substitution ourselves, I can’t promise the results will be equally successful–but don’t let me stop you! (It will probably be good, just different from our recipe!) If you do give it a shot, let us know how it goes!
The loaf pan is a standard, 9×5 baking dish (1.5 qt capacity). You can find this information in the Equipment section of the recipe card by clicking on the image of the baking dish (or any other items listed in this area of the recipe), which will take you to the Amazon product page for that item, and lists all the specifics you’d want to know, like it’s size and volume. ~ Marion
This recipe seems like it works for some but not for others, and I was unfortunately one that it didn’t work for. I followed the recipe and baked it in a glass loaf pan. After 1.5 hours my knife still wasn’t coming out clean, but I thought maybe it was just really moist since it had cooked so long at that point. It looked really nice when it came out but then fell to about half the height it had been. Very undercooked when I cut into it. Ended up throwing it out. Won’t try again
What type of yogurt do you recommend? Regular or Greek and fullfat or nonfat? Thanks!!
You can do either regular or greek0 but make sure it is full fat.
Thank you!!
Your prices are from the 1950’s …get real.
We shop at discount grocers in Nashville, TN, and our prices are not made up. I’m sorry that food is so overpriced where you live, but we certainly aren’t misrepresenting our prices in any way. XOXO -Monti
I make banana bread all the time and like to try new recipes.Followed it exactly, came out horrible. Despite my fresh baking powder and soda, it didn’t rise and was gooey on the inside. Just made bread the other day and should have stuck w that recipe. Terrible!
I tried this recipe today, and I’m not sure what I did wrong (I bake frequently, and am usually pretty good at preventing disasters!), but like many others, mine looked lovely as I took it out – toothpick came out clean, nice crust, etc – but it fell almost immediately, and there was raw batter towards the bottom. On the bright side, it was delicious broiled in my air fryer! Tasted like French toast!
Great save Happy Day. I am unsure what could have gone wrong, as I wasn’t there with you. But definitely make sure you use a separate oven thermometer to ensure you are baking at the right temperature. Most ovens are off by quite a bit. Also, make sure you are baking the bread in the center of your oven. XOXO -Monti
This made awesome muffins with semisweet chocolate chips. They freeze well!
Love this recipe, moist & delicious!
I have made this many times and have loved the outcome every time. Has and always will be my go-to banana bread recipe.
Wonderful recipe! I make it with Greek yoghurt, about 1/3 cup sugar and I sub 1/2 cup plain flour for wholemeal. It took an extra 10 minutes to cook. It is delightfully light and a great level of sweetness for breakfast or late night snack.
I’ve made this bread several times. Once with Greek yogurt because that’s what I had on hand but it wasn’t as good and took a lot longer to cook and was still a little too mushy. When I use whole milk plain yogurt (Mountain High brand) it comes out wonderful though! I also put foil on top the last 10 minutes because it was already nicely browned and I didnt want it to burn.
I was intrigued by this recipe. Banana bread is already a moist bread in my experience, so why add yogurt? But at the same time.. why not? I always have a ton of bananas and yogurt so it seems to make sense to try this soon :)
Yum! Came out perfectly. Thanks Beth
The best and easiest banana bread I’ve ever made! Thank you!
What happens I forgot to put in the baking powder
The bread probably won’t rise properly and it will be very heavy and dense.
I made this exactly as written (using full fat plain yogurt) and while it looked good (browned, cracked top) coming out of the oven after 70 minutes, it was totally soggy/ underbaked when I sliced into it.
I made this banana yogurt bread last week and it was absolutely delicious! I did use frozen bananas, but drained the liquid that came from them when thawed. I will definitely make this again!
I made this recipe using whole wheat flour, and 2% fat Greek yogurt. Baked for one hour, ended up with a perfect loaf of banana bread. I was surprised by how moist the bread was, and it was absolutely delicious! Great recipe Beth!
I’ve tried this recipe twice (without reading any reviews first) and got similar results as the others have posted. When I baked it today, the bread looked beautiful when coming out of the oven! It was golden brown with nice height and deep crack. Just perfect….yummmm. I took it out of the pan after a few minutes of cooling and that’s when things went horribly wrong. It quickly fell and actually slumped to one side. (Wish I could show a picture because it was really funny) Because it smelled so good, it’s slumping shape didn’t stop us from trying it. The outside had a nice crunch to it but the inside was like a bread pudding. Tasted great but the texture definitely was not what you want in a quick bread.
There are lot of mixed reviews on this post that I didn’t read until my bread was already in the oven, lol. Mine turned out as expected and looked like the pictures, even though I accidently added 1.5 cups banana instead of 1. I used nonfat plain yogurt from Walmart. I think the yogurt types might be messing people up, Beth doesn’t specify whole fat or nonfat. The Walmart brand is a lot less watery than the same stuff at Aldi, so that might have helped me here.
Lastly, I baked in a 9″ metal loaf pan. Ater 60 minutes, the edges were really browned and it looked done. The top did deflate, but just to where the loaf was flat (not sunken in). It was a LITTLE mushy in the bottom, but not bad. I think it would have been perfect if not for the extra banana. Also, I have an oven thermometer to make sure it’s actually preheated. It usually needs an extra 5 minutes after it beeps that it’s ready. They’re less than $10 and are really helpful!
Beth is there anyway we could get the metric equivalents someday for your recipes?
I’m an American but purposely seek out metric-based recipes because the British imperial system (that we continue to use in the US) is so draconian by comparison. I can’t go back after cooking with metric equivalents. I don’t have to worry about scraping anything out of measuring cups (and having to clean them all up afterwards). I just weigh all my ingredients out with exact precision on my kitchen scale. Easy, peasy; no muss, no fuss. And, less dishes to wash!
This would alleviate ambiguity with recipes such as this. I notice you say three (3) bananas. Those could rank anywhere on a spectrum of sizes. By contrast, if you say 150 grams of bananas: I weigh that out precisely and there’s no ambiguity, guessing, estimating, worrying if my bananas are too big, etc. It’s either 150 grams of weighed content or its not.
I know your background is in science so I would think this level of precision and simplicity would be appealing to you and your global audiences. Thank you for the excellent content.
It is strange that with my background in science and having to use metrics every day at work that I still prefer imperial measures when cooking! I suppose it’s because I feel like cooking is more of an art that requires flexibility and I think it’s important to not get caught up in exact measures (that’s probably why I’m NOT good at baking, which does require that precision). Despite that, I’d love to include metrics and I’ve explored many different plugins and add-ons that are supposed to make the conversions easy or automatic, but I’ve found that they’re always extremely inaccurate and there are just far too many cases where it doesn’t quite convert correctly. For that reason, I don’t feel comfortable offering metric conversions until I have a team big enough to actually re-measure and test the recipes using metrics to make sure it’s right before posting them.
Made as directed. Bread rose then went totally flat as it cooled. Top , bottom and sides are crusty ; the middle was uncooked. I will slice up and fry on stove like French toast. Total disaster- will never make again. Sorry.
This banana bread is excellent provided you use full fat plain yogurt along with butter as well. This time I did not make it that way an the bread turned out awful an I ended up throwing it away. First time this happened. I know how great it tastes as I made two loaves before an never had an issue.
Can I use sour cream instead of greek yagourt. As I want it more moist
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out, but they are similar ingredients so it might be worth a shot!
I have a tried and true banana bread recipe I always use, but since I love so many other Budget Bytes recipes I gave this one a try. The outside was dark brown and crunchy, while the inside was gummy. I had to bake it 17 extra minutes before the toothpick didn’t come out wet. The tops sank as soon as I pulled them out of the oven. Tasted alright, but the texture was so bad I ended up throwing it. Not sure exactly what happened, and I fully admit it could have been me, but I did notice an awful lot of reviews after the fact who had the same issues. I used a disposable foil loaf pan, if that means anything.
Unless they suggest a change, I often ignore negative recipe reviews (especially baking recipes) because as much as people say “I followed the recipe exactly” I always assume they didn’t. So when I saw people say their loaves never got done, stayed gooey in the middle, and just sunk straight out of the oven, I assumed it was their fault. Until it happened to me :) I measured my bananas, used exact recipe quantities and ingredients, and it still came out very dark and tough as leather on the outside, gooey in the middle, and it cooked for an hour and 25 minutes. I’m left to conclude it must be a difference in loaf pan. I noticed in the pictures Beth used glass, so I’d be interested to know if those who had problems cooked in metal like I did. Google tells me when a recipe is written for glass, you’re supposed to add an additional 25 degrees to the temp if baking in metal, so if anyone reads this and tries a metal pan with that adjustment, I’d be very interested to hear how it works out for you!
Used metal pan and cooked for an hour and 30 minutes and still came out undercooked. I have used the same metal pan (multiple times) and baked banana bread for 350 F, 60 minutes and it comes out fine. I think it’s the ratio of wet vs dry with this specific recipe. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to bake well when mixing the ingredients together, but thought ‘I should follow the recipe’. Should have known and adjusted the ratios beforehand.
I made this last night with gluten free flour and it was delicious! I loved the reduce sugar and the nutritious addition of plain greek yogurt. Another winning recipe!
Turned out great! Only had plain nonfat Greek yogurt on hand, so based on previous comments saying it was too dense, I used 4 frozen over ripe bananas in hope the extra moisture from the freeze-thaw would balance everything out. And it worked out!
It should be noted that overripe bananas when frozen give off a lot of water when defrosted. They should not be used in this recipe. Very soggy outcome.
Made this last night with craisins (chopped in food processor) and some hemp hearts. Also used 1/4 cup sugar to lessen the sweetness. Very good, so soft and moist it was hard to cut (maybe bc less sugar?). Will make again
What quantity of hemp hearts? I’m trying to add these to my baking. Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe at least 4 times now and it always turns out perfect.
Absolutely delicious 👩🍳😋👍🇨🇦
Question? Can you freeze this bread or even the slices?
I cut a few slices an froze them an took them out waited 15 minutes an slabbed butter on them an they were perfect.
Baked goods usually freeze very well. You’ll probably want to place some parchment paper between slices so you can get them apart, though! And make sure to let it cool completely before freezing.
I did all that do all went well.
I just made this banana bread an I followed the recipe as directed. It turned out perfect. The top did flatten slightly, it was full of flavor an super tasty with a smear of Nutella.
I thought have you ever tried chocolate covered banana bread? With the success of the chocolate banana muffins I figured you could come up with a bread recipe like this one only using chocolate. This bread was amazing. Imagine chocolate, coconut flakes an bananas.
That sounds amazing! I haven’t tried it yet, but now I want to. :)
I would love ❤️ to see what you come up with. I’m so excited. 😃
Can I sub plain greek yogurt for plain yogurt and almond flour for all-purpose flour?
Unfortunately, I would need to test that to see how much it affects the end product. There are a lot of chemical reactions involved in the process of baking, so when you start substituting ingredients it can really change how it turns out.
I am planning to try it with nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt since that’s what I have. I’ll report back!
Didn’t work out for me.
I only had vanilla Greek nonfat yogurt so that’s what I used. I used half the sugar and vanilla to compensate. I didn’t use almonds but did add chocolate chips. It did not turn out for me. Looked beautiful out of the oven but 15 minutes later sunken flat, didn’t want to come out of the pan, and now it looks terrible. I’m willing to bet it will still be amazingly tasty, though. Makes me want to serve it with ice cream for a dessert.
The first time I made this, I used Greek yogurt, and I think it turned out a lot better. It baked a whole lot faster for sure.
I have a no waste kitchen so this was great way to use up banana . So delish! Great for breakfast with a little Nutella on top
I love it! I baked it many times now, and it turned perfectly each time. I add chocolate chips, though, because I have a sweet tooth, but nonetheless, it’s an amazing recipe.
Hi! This sounds so good. I just wanted to ask: did you use bleached, enriched all purpose flour? Or unbleached all purpose flour?
And to the best of your (or anyone’s) knowledge does it matter?
Thank you again for your amazing recipes I love them so much.
It doesn’t matter, you can use bleached or unbleached. :)
Any good substitutes for the banana? Would canned pumpkin work well?
You could probably do something similar with canned pumpkin, yes. :) I haven’t tried it to know if it would need any additional tweaks, though.
I am testing it right now because I loved the banana bread with yogurt so much! I looked at your other pumpkin bread recipe but I still had yogurt leftover from this one, so I thought it would be more frugal to use it up!
Recipe made the most soft and moist banana bread I tried baking! Made this twice now and perfect results.Super happy with the results, and love how this is a bit healthier than most recipes.
I was a bit anxious why it had mixed reviews, but gave it a shot anyways. I followed the recipe as is, and it was perfect.
If it helps anyone, here are some tips:
– I used Greek yogurt full fat
– I used dark brown sugar, as I usually do for banana bread for the Color. I’m thinking of adding a bit more next time, as I like it sweeter
-I also added semi sweet chocolate chunks , sooo delicious.
-I used a metal pan. I did use a square pan, because I found that when it rise the square gives me the best height (I prefer not too big slices when I cut!)
-for square metal pan, I start checking at around 35mins mark. Usually it will be done between 35-45mins for me.Highly recommend checking it often as every oven is different.
last time we had left overs until 4-5 days, and I can confirm it’s still SOO soft until then. If you want to refresh it then, you can warm up your slice in the microwave for 15 seconds or something, and spread some butter in it !
I love Budget Bytes recipes, but this one was an epic fail. I baked the bread for over an hour & a half and it was dark, dark brown on the outside and still wet & gummy on the inside. Very disappointing!
Clearly, this is on you… I’m sorry to say that, but I baked this numerous times now, and it is amazingly good and it turned perfectly each time.
What kind of yogurt did you use? I’ve had some banana bread fails in the past and I think it’s because I used greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt!
Hi Beth. I just have one question. Is there a particular kind of yogurt that works best for this recipe? Does plain Greek yogurt work for this recipe?
I used plain (non-Greek) yogurt. Greek yogurt has less moisture, so that may throw off the moisture balance in the bread. I think some other people have commented that they used Greek yogurt, but I haven’t tried it myself. :)
I have never added yogurt while making banana bread. Will be definitely making it this way soon.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve never made banana bread before and it turned out perfectly, using a glass loaf pan and plain whole milk yogurt. Also used about 3 small, extremely ripe bananas (very soft) to make 1 cup mashed banana. Rose beautifully and it is nice and moist. Cooked the full 60 minutes without opening the oven door and it was fool-proof! My suggestion is to chop the walnuts finer than the pre-chopped ones from the grocery store, unless you’re super into nuts! Tastes delicious, will definitely make again!
Thank you for this recipe! I use it to make jumbo muffins (6 muffins per recipe). I cut the sugar down to a 1/4 cup, and find it’s just as good. How can I re-calculate the calories with the sugar amount changed?
I’m so glad it worked out for you! To recalculate the nutrition data you’d need to use an online nutrition calculator on another website. You can Google “recipe nutrition calculator” and several will come up. :)
Hey! May I ask you what temp and how long do you bake them to make muffins please?
One of the best banana breads , if not THE BEST !! it turned out perfectly . If I may suggest to those who had disappointing results .. Measure out the bananas , make sure you have two cups … Three or four large bananas will be about FOUR cups , resulting in a wet, gummy bread .. Baking time was 60 minutes
So I made the banana bread into muffins and it was an instant hit! Easy, not super sweet, and all the muffins were gobbled up.
Today, I went to grab my over ripe bananas, and they were gone, tossed by hubby. I took a zucchini ( in plentiful supply) and shredded it (1 cup), added 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder, and followed the recipe (omitted nuts and added 5 chocolate chips to each muffin). Again I dished into the muffin pans. Divine!
I have made this twice now and both times the bread began to smell and taste sour after a couple days. I have no idea if it was something I did or the recipe but I am bummed I wasted so many ingredients :-(
Mine turned out dense and gummy too.
My family loves this recipe and I like it because it’s not too sweet like some other ones I’ve made. I made it exactly as written and it turned out perfect! Thank you,
My family loves this recipe, even without the nutmeg! I really want to try it with almond flour but I’ve been afraid of messing up the batch, do you have any idea what a good conversion would be? Thanks!
Sorry we haven’t tested with almond flour to know!
Also working on being more diligent about my food waste and had some bananas that went overripe along with some frozen in the freezer and figured this would be a good solution.
I did end up using sweetened Greek yogurt. It was all I had. Came out VERY dense but definitely not overly sweet. Also added blueberries, and a tiny bit of lemon extract. It did take longer to bake, which I think towards the end was the result of me opening the oven every 10 mins to check on it. After that it ended up coming out perfectly though.
Tastes great, but I had the same issue that several other people mentioned; it was mushy. I even baked it longer. Maybe the bananas were too ripe?
Is there a difference if you use a metal vs glass container? Also could I cook this in an air fryer?
We haven’t used an air fryer, so we don’t have any recommendations there. As for using glass vs metal, glass will take a little longer so keep your eye on it.
Not usually a huge fan of banana bread because I find them to be over-spiced and somehow cloying. Not this one. The nutmeg is lovely and the bread not too sweet or overpowering in flavor. We love it. I’ll be making it for the third time within about six weeks today!
I used Greek yogurt without adding any milk to thin it, and it came out great – didn’t have any problem with rising, and it came out delicious and perfectly moist.
I did the same, and came out perfectly moist and not too sweet!
The banana bread came out delicious, but after an hour and 40 minutes in the oven and then 20 minutes of cooling, it was still very wet inside…some might say raw? Considering my cooking abilities, it’s more likely my fault than that of the recipe. I will try it again and see if it is cooked enough for public consumption.
GREAT go-to banana bread recipe! It was my first time making it an it turned out perfect. I used 1 cup chocolate chips and no walnuts. I substituted Greek yogurt by adding a little milk to thin it to standard yogurt consistency. The bread turned out very moist but not dense at all. It has just enough rise and not TOO much banana flavor – I am not a fan when the bread tastes like eating mashed banana. 8 slices is quite generous! We easily sliced the loaf into 10, which also drops the calorie count. I will come back to this recipe next time I want to make banana bread.
Very tasty! I used gluten free flour and forgot the melted butter in the microwave and my muffins still came out very tadty!
Can you sub the yogurt for sour cream? It’s what I have on hand….
Yes you can in a pinch!
I followed the recipe exactly to make muffins. Even with extra time and the correct oven temperature, they baked up very flat (sunken in the middle), mostly raw in the center, and completely stuck to the muffin wrappers. Still tasty, but somewhat of a letdown. It’s possible that a full cup of yogurt is too much, and if I make them again I’ll also try increasing the flour.
Hello. Can the recipe be doubled and baked in a 9×13?
You can certainly try but the baking time will vary so keep an eye on it!
I made this this weekend and swapped the nuts out for chocolate chips and omg was it good!! Instant hit in my house!
This looks delicious! Would it be crazy to use Greek yogurt and throw in a splash of milk to thin it out?
It would add more moisture to the recipe and you could risk it sinking in the middle, so I wouldn’t suggest it!
I used lactose free greek yogurt when I made mine (no extra milk though) and it turned out awesome!
AHHH-MAZING! I have made this bread 3 times since you posted this recipe. Everyone loves it and requests it on the weekends. Super easy to follow, simple ingredients on hand, and SO FLUFFY !! Thank you for sharing !!
This is by far the best banana bread I have ever tasted. It’s moist, has a great crumb, and omg it’s so delicious. I skipped the nuts because I am not a fan, and made the rest as per the recipe. I pulled it out of the oven at 57 minutes. I could not wait to try it. It is fabulous!
What size loaf pan do you use?
We used a loaf pan measuring 9 x 5 x 2-1/2 inches.
OMG SO FLUFFY. I love banana bread, and usually bake my mom’s recipe, but decided to try yours. I love how light it is!!! I added chocolate chips and chopped pecans instead of walnuts. YUM
Just made this as muffins. Had Pecans in the freezer so I chopped them.
I expected great things because I have made other muffins with yogurt, zucchini, chocolate, & applesauce and they got rave reviews.
Too Bad The tops of these muffins were flat & brown.
The bottoms were too soft. Had to add some time
They barely edible. I think the oven should be hotter for muffins in a shiny pan.
My normal muffin recipes are 400 F for 30 min not 350 or 40 min.
I have an oven Thermometer, so it wasn’t a temperature error..
I tested my baking powder and Baking soda and they were both still good, but the muffins were flat with an overdone top and barely done bottom.
A disappointment.
Too bad.
So you didn’t follow the recipe and then gave it a one-star rating? What an unfortunate thing to happen.
I’m making this for the second time in a week! I used plain Greek yogurt, since I had 2 cups left over from a recipe, and it added a tangy flavor that may not be for everyone. I loved it, though!
This didn’t work out for me… Followed the instructions exactly. I left it in the oven for an extra 10 minutes, but I had to pull it when the top was getting a little too brown. Still raw inside. First banana bread I had fail, not sure what went wrong
I’m sorry to hear that Melinda! Without being there to see it’s hard to say exactly what happened. One culprit could be your oven. The temperature could be too high. A cheap oven thermometer is a great investment.
Thanks, maybe that will be my next investment. The parts I could salvage were delicious, so I’d like to give this recipe another try!
Wow! I have tried four other banana bread recipes during quarantine that were all “okay,” but this one was amazing. So moist with the perfect amount of sweetness. I swapped the nuts for mini chocolate chips and it worked out great :)
Hi,
I just wanted to tell I’ve gone healthy freak with this recipe: swapped all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour, chose liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup, and only 1/4 cup – added 2 Tbsp flour to balance the moist), omited butter and picked vegetable oil instead. Still it turned out AMAZING. I must confess I wouldn’t mind more sweetness next time, but this became a superb breakfast thing. Thank you!!! <3
Subbed all-purpose for whole wheat and it came out great! I did sprinkle the top with oats, but I wouldn’t recommend, it really covers the beautiful browning.
This was pretty great – I had a bunch of yogurt and bananas going brown, so very timely! Just wanted to say that it definitely works with 1/4 c of sugar instead of 1/2. Not very sweet, but still decent. I had an 1/8 loaf thick slice with a little butter for breakfast, and it actually kept me satisfied for 4+ hrs, which is rather amazing. I recommend toasting the walnuts before adding them!
I just made this. Halfed the yogurt and added 1/2 cup of applesauce for more tastyness and it came great!!
Delish! I only had crushed pecans so used those instead of walnuts an added chopped up chocolate bars. Cooked this up in a 9″ cast iron skillet which I had reheated a bit combined with being more shallow reduced the cooking time to under 40 minutes. Turned out great. I also used home-made yogurt which is also super easy, extends how long milk lasts and much cheaper than normal yogurt. Heat milk to 180 degrees, cool to 120 degrees in ice-bath, mix in 1 teaspoon yogurt with live cultures per quart of milk, transfer to storage containers which need not be fancy. The normal BB meal prep containers work fine. Transfer to warm place to ferment undisturbed. I use my oven which I keep warm with pots of boiled water that I re-boil every 8 hours or so. Yogurt is set after overnight ferment and gets progressively more tart with time.
Thanks to the BB team for all of the great recipe’s and good cheer during these strange times!
This is good. Nice and light.
Just made this recipe into muffins (I ended up having a bit of batter leftover, so I actually made 12 muffins and 1 mini loaf) . It took just about 18 minutes to bake the muffins and 33 minutes for the mini loaf. They are really moist and delicious, not too sweet. I made a couple changes….I used vanilla yogurt (all I had on hand), replaced half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and sprinkled some oats over the top of the muffins before baking. I also stirred in some blueberries to the remaining batter for the mini loaf. Thank you for the great recipe, I’ll definitely be making them again.
I made with Greek yogurt and a little applesauce since I didn’t have enough yogurt. Turned out really yummy!
Delicious! I made the muffin version and they came out perfectly with some chocolate and pepitas on top that I had on hand. Love the yogurt addition, as it really made them lighter and moist. I am not a baker and this one was a success. Thanks again!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I used two large bananas and that was a good amount. I didn’t have walnuts and I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg. Due to our pretty hit-or-miss oven, it rose beautifully then sunk as it cooled. But it was still really tasty! I also sprinkled cinnamon sugar over the top before baking. I’ll be making this again as soon as our bananas get spotty.
This came out incredible! I accidentally used more bananas than the recipe called for. I used three large bananas and forgot to measure for one cup, so I probably used closer to 2 cups of bananas. It still came out very good, but it overflowed in the loaf pan haha. I love that it’s not nearly as dense as other banana breads, and the yogurt gives it a delicious tang. Thanks for the recipe! This is my new go to for banana bread.
Great way to use up spotty bananas and yogurt.
I had some single serve reduced sugar Greek yogurt in the fridge. Kept all other ingredients the same, loaf did come out more dense than normal but it was fine, reminded me of some gluten free baked goods that I’ve eaten in the past. Bread was very moist and not to sweet even with the sugar in the yogurt. Thanks Beth!
Any suggestions for using almond flour for some or all of the flour the recipe requires?
Also, I saw someone commented that they used sour cream in place of the yogurt they were missing, is that in fact a suitable replacement? Seems like it would be….?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t vouch for that substitution. There are notable differences between yogurt and sour cream, like the fat and moisture content, so that would likely change the outcome of the bread at least a little.
Almond flour is not an exact swap for all purpose flour. It takes testing and we have not with this recipe or others on the site yet. If you are looking for gluten free, I’d recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Blend.
Thank you for sharing your tips and recipes….
In turn, I would like to share a tip for old bananas that I got from a dietician…do not peel them but place them whole in the freezer. Thaw them on the counter for about 15 min before baking the recipe , cut the tip off the banana and press the banana flesh right into the recipe…. This way you save on plastic freezer bags and keep the banana safe from freezer burn!
I had a large container of Tillamook strawberry yogurt on hand, so I cut the sugar a little bit and added the strawberry yogurt to this recipe. It turned out great! Super moist and delicious. :)
I only have vanilla yogurt on hand. What do you think? Could I reduce the sugar and vanilla and use this in place of the plain yogurt? Thanks for the yummy sounding recipe.
Yes that should be okay!
I made this yesterday afternoon using the vanilla yogurt I had on hand. Since the flavored yogurt has added sugar, I lowered the sugar in the recipe to 1/3 cup and lowered the vanilla to 1/2 tsp. This was so delicious. My family ate it for dessert while still warm last night and scrambled to eat it for breakfast this morning. It’s gone. I wish had more bananas at home!!
Looks great! Could you lower the butter and/or sugar amounts without a big change?
I made this today and mine sank in the middle and was very heavy and too moist. :(
Oh no! I’m sorry Laura. A few things could have happened too. Your bananas could have been larger than what the recipe had originally. Or your stove could be off temperature. I recommend getting a cheap oven thermometer just to be sure.
Mmmm, so good! My grocery store has been out of yogurt, but they have Kefir! And I think it’s a great substitute.
Always keep a bottle of Kefir in the fridge, it stays good in the fridge for a long time!
Yay Beth! I’m walking away from the computer to make this recipe RIGHT NOW! Found some yogurt in back of the fridge and I guess that’s why we didn’t eat those last bananas! Yum!
I made this because I had brown bananas and some expiring Greek yogurt. I ended up realizing midway through that I didn’t have enough yogurt, so I also subbed in 1/2 cup of sour cream. I also have 8×4 loaf pans, which are smaller than the normal size, so I split it between two pans and baked for 50 minutes. It turned out pretty good, and the kids loved it. One thing of note, this banana bread is very different than the one I grew up eating. It’s a lot lighter and fluffier. It’s not bad, just different and great for using up leftover ingredients.
I wanted to report back that I’ve been eating it with breakfast all week and that straight from the fridge it has that more traditional dense banana bread feel to it. Will definitely keep this recipe up my sleeve for using up extra yogurt.
What size loaf pan did you use?
Standard loaf pan, 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches.