This is the best sour cream banana bread I've ever had! Moist, rich, and so easy to make! This recipe uses brown butter, overripe bananas, and sour cream to yield the best result.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Reasons why I love this banana bread recipe:
- moist and tender but not crumbly or dense.
- not too sweet compared to other banana bread recipes.
- made without an electric mixer; all you need is a bowl and a whisk.
It really is just a yummy banana bread that you can easily make for your family and friends. Side note: as I'm writing this, my two little toddlers are happily enjoying this for their afternoon snack. Happy Mama here!
Ingredients for the Best Banana Bread
I've tried many combinations of ingredients over the years and have proven many times that having these make the best banana bread ever!
Sour Cream
My best recommendation. You need fat to add moisture and creaminess to the cake.
Brown Butter
Not softened nor melted. it must be browned, more on this later. Use pure butter, the best that you can find.
Browned butter has a rich nutty taste and has the best buttery smell! Ever since I first made it for one of my cake recipes, I've been obsessed–always finding recipes it will be good for. Of course, banana bread is just the perfect candidate and the result was a whole new level of deliciousness.
Cornstarch
Softens the protein of flour which makes the bread/cake soft and tender. A small amount does wonders to the overall texture of the cake.
Overripe Bananas
Yields the most delicious and deeply flavored banana cake that you won't get from just using yellow bananas. So put those brown-looking soggy bananas to good use instead of throwing them away.
Brown Sugar vs White Sugar
Many banana bread recipes use either brown sugar or white sugar and sometimes both. But does it matter which one you use?
Yes, if you're making cookies. But for banana bread, you can definitely use both interchangeably.
Banana bread made with brown sugar will be dark brown in color and denser compared to that made of white sugar. If you want it to have a slightly brown color, use both. Adjust measurement depending on the color you want to achieve.
How to Make It
And here's how to make banana bread:
A few things to note:
Let the brown butter cool completely before adding to the rest of the ingredients. Hot butter can cook the eggs thus ruining the entire recipe!
To properly dissolve the sugar, whisk it with the wet ingredients along with the mashed overripe bananas. This is what I always do when making cakes and muffins.
Sift the dry ingredients directly into the wet ingredients. There's no need for a separate bowl. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips (optional) after partially stirring the batter.
To remove air pockets in the batter, tap the loaf pan one to two times on your kitchen counter before baking.
Tips for a successful Banana Bread
- Use room temperature ingredients, including sour cream and eggs. Bring it out from the fridge 1 hour before baking. Using cold ingredients can result to a flat and dense cake.
- Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can result in a denser, chewy cake.
- To avoid overbaking, test doneness of the cake at around 50mins. If skewer doesn't come out clean, bake for a couple of more minutes. Mine was done at about 53 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing from the loaf pan.
Banana Bread Variations
- Make it into muffins. This recipe yields 12-14 muffins. Line the muffin tin with liners or wipe/spray with vegetable oil before pouring the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350f/180c.
- Make it into a round cake for birthdays or special occasions. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with vegetable oil and line with a parchment paper. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350f/180c. Let it cool then frost if preferred. Try it with my small batch cream cheese frosting. It will be so good!
- Add walnuts or semi-sweet chocolate chips. Fold it in the batter or sprinkle on top.
What's a good substitute for Sour Cream
A good substitute for sour cream is unsweetened yogurt (plain/greek) and buttermilk (store-bought or homemade). Use full fat for a moist cake texture.
For homemade buttermilk: combine â…“ cup full-fat fresh milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon. Let it sit for 10 minutes while it curdles.
Storage and Shelf-life
Place in an air-tight container or cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Banana bread is good for 1 day at normal room temperature and 1 week in the fridge if properly stored.
Frequently asked questions
Combine the liquid together with the sugar, and salt. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar has dissolved. Then and only then add the dry ingredients such as flour, cornstarch, and baking soda.
Love your banana bread nice and warm as I do? There are a couple of ways to reheat it.
Oven (recommended for 1 whole loaf ): Wrap the banana bread in foil. Place in an oven and set the temperature at 350F. Heat for about 15-20 minutes.
Microwave (recommended for slices): Place in a microwave-safe container. Heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on the thickness and the size of the bread. I always go for 30 seconds to make the bread nice and warm.
Frozen bananas are overripe bananas. It's perfect for making banana bread. They're extra sweet and soft. And it's what I used in this recipe.
Tip: Defrost completely before using. You'll notice the brown liquid (see video). It's up to you if you want to save them. The juice can add more moisture to baked goods especially in this banana bread recipe. Drain off if preferred.
Recipe Video
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Complete Recipe
One Bowl Sour Cream Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cup - 1 ¾ cup overripe bananas (3-4pcs) (mashed)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar (brown or white, see note 1)
- ⅓ cup sour cream (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Add-ins (see note 6):
- ½ cup - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350f/ 180c. Grease loaf pan with oil or butter.
- Place butter in a lightly-colored pan over medium heat. Once melted, lower the heat. Swirl and stir as it cooks to release the bubbles. Watch it carefully until color turns to a toasty brown. Immediately transfer to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool.
- Place the bananas in a large bowl. Mash with a fork until slightly smooth. Add sugar and eggs then whisk to combine. Pour brown butter, vanilla, salt, and sour cream. Stir until everything is combined.
- Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking soda onto the wet mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips if using. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Tap in the kitchen counter to remove air pockets.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 55 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine took exactly 53 minutes to get done. Let it cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- Sugar: use brown or white interchangeably or both. If using both, I suggest using ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup white.
- Sour cream substitute: Use plain full-fat or Greek yogurt or buttermilk–store-bought or homemade (see note 3).
- For homemade buttermilk: combine â…“ cup full-fat fresh milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it curdles.
- All ingredients should all be at room temperature including the eggs and sour cream to get the best result.
- Make it into muffins. This recipe yields 12-14 muffins. Line the muffin tin with liners or wipe/spray with vegetable oil before pouring the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350f/177c.
- Make it into a round cake for birthdays or special occasions. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with vegetable oil and line with parchment paper. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350f/177c. Let it cool then frost if preferred. Try it with my small batch cream cheese frosting.
- Other add-ins: chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Storage/Shelf-life: Place in an air-tight container or cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Banana bread is good for 1 day at normal room temperature and 1 week in the fridge if properly stored.
- Calorie serving is per slice, excluding the chocolate chips.
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John says
I have made one yesterday (my first banana bread ever) and it is so good! The sweetness is just right and the bread is moist and tasty. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Mella!
Mella says
That's awesome, John! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. It's also one of my favorites.
- Mella
Jo says
What did you put in the overripe bananas on this video? Just wondering because it has liquids and brown in color. Thank you.
Mella says
Hi Jo,
That's the natural liquid from the bananas. I used frozen overripe bananas so it became watery after defrosting.
- Mella