Banana Bread Recipe With Sour Cream
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This is a wonderfully moist banana bread recipe with sour cream that will become your family favorite! Made with overripe bananas, sour cream to make it moist, and a hint of cinnamon, this banana bread is quick to make and doesn’t even require a mixer!
I don’t know about you but I always put a bunch of bananas in my grocery cart for the week. Always. Without. Fail.
And I usually do a pretty good job of eating them throughout the week. Mm, usually. Sometimes, not so much.
There tends to be a few left behind at the end of the week. Sometimes two. Maybe just one. But rarely, do I get through the entire bunch. And throwing out ripe bananas just seems WRONG. AmIright?!
So here’s what I do. I throw them in my freezer until I have enough to make some banana bread. Sometimes in a week I have the perfect amount. And if not, I add each ripe banana to my freezer collection. And then when the banana bread craving strikes – Voila! I have ripe bananas in my freezer waiting for me.
And so this time, my weekly batch and freezer bananas went to making good old, classic, (can’t believe it hasn’t been on the blog yet!?) banana bread. I’ve made a Healthy Banana Bread Recipe version, and even a Sourdough Banana Bread version…but a good old classic banana bread recipe made with sour cream? Nope. So it was high time I changed that!
But if you’re craving something a little more indulgent, these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect treat to try next! Made with a soft yeast dough, fresh banana, brown sugar, and topped with cream cheese frosting, they’re the ultimate brunch snack! 🍌🍩
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Uses up those bananas that are about to go bad. That’s the best part about making banana bread! You want to use bananas that are overripe – dark, black and speckled.
- Quick to whip up – Banana bread is so quick to whip up. In about 15 minutes it’s ready to go in the oven.
- No mixer needed– To make banana bread all you need is a good whisk and a spatula and that’s it. No mixer needed here!
- Wonderfully moist – Sorry for those M word haters out there, but the addition of sour cream to this banana bread makes for a moist, soft, and just sweet enough with lots of banana flavor.
Use Ripe Bananas!
First let’s talk bananas. Your bananas for banana bread should very ripe. Black and speckled. This will mean they are very ripe so the sugars have really come through.
Ingredients Needed
- Flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly so your bread doesn’t come out dry and cakey. Stir the flour first, then spoon into your cup and level off. Do not pack it down or you will end up with too much flour. For best results weigh your flour.
- Baking soda – There is ONLY baking soda in this recipe. The photo shows baking powder, but that’s an OOPS on my part! Baking soda will help make your bread rise. Be sure your baking powder is fresh by testing a teaspoon of it with some vinegar or lemon juice to see if it’s bubbly and active.
- Salt – I prefer fine sea salt, so it dissolves easily into the batter, but kosher or table salt also works.
- Eggs – Two room temperature eggs for this banana bread recipe.
- Bananas – Of course we need bananas. I just mash mine in a bowl with a fork before I start. And be sure that you use very ripe bananas, that are black and speckled in color.
- Vanilla – For flavor. I like to use pure vanilla but imitation vanilla will also work.
- Sugar – I used granulated sugar, but you could also try swapping with coconut sugar for a healthier alternative. Or try replacing half of the sugar with light brown sugar! Sugar adds not only sweetness but also makes for a tender bread. If you’re looking to reduce the sugar in your quick bread, I recommend reducing by only a 1/4 to 1/3 cup.
- Cinnamon – I love adding a little cinnamon for flavor!
- Sour Cream – This adds fat and richness. I used full-fat sour cream, but I think light would work, but I don’t recommend fat free. You could try swapping out for greek yogurt, which I did in my healthy banana bread recipe.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil, but canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil also would work. You could try substituting with melted butter or coconut oil as well, but it might change the moistness and texture slightly.
How To Make Sour Cream Banana Bread
Step 1: Mash Your Bananas
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat your oven to 350oF (177oC). Grease or line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a separate bowl, you want to mash your bananas. I just do this with a fork. It’s easier to get this done ahead of time, and have them mashed ready to go.
I used 4 bananas about 1 1/2 cups.
Step 2: Combine your dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl you want to whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. And then set aside.
Heather’s Baking Tip
Measure your flour accurately. I use the spoon and level method. You can learn how to measure your flour in this post. Adding too much flour to your banana bread will cause for a dense, dry cakey loaf. For best accuracy, I always recommend using a scale and weighing your flour.
Step 2: Mix The Wet Ingredients
In a second mixing bowl you want to combine your wet ingredients – oil, eggs, vanilla, bananas, sugar and sour cream.
Step 3: Fold In The Dry Ingredients
Now using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients. Just don’t overmix! Overmixing will cause the gluten in the flour to form and too much gluten creates a tough bread. So stop mixing once the last streak of flour is incorporated.
Baking 101
Do NOT over mix. I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
Step 4: Bake The Bread
Go ahead and spoon the batter into the pan with a spatula and smooth the top.
Then bake the bread in the center of your oven for 60-65 minutes at 350oF until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If baking with a glass loaf pan it may take a little bit longer.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Recipe FAQ’s
I find it’s great wrapped up for a week in your fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 days as long as the bread is well covered.
Yes! Allow the bread to cool completely and place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, I just let mine thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
This probably means you did not bake it long enough. Make sure to test with a toothpick, and touch the top. It should spring back when touched. Also, different ovens can run at different temperatures. So it’s best to use an oven thermometer!
I baked this banana bread in a 9×5 loaf pan. If you’re using a slightly smaller loaf pan (8 1/2 by 4 1/2″) then you may have additional batter leftover. Bake a few muffins with it! I recommend using a metal pan for best results. If baking with a glass pan, add on an additional 5 minutes of baking time.
Mix-Ins
- Chocolate Chips – Try my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread version!
- Peanut butter- Swirl in a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.
- Nutella – Make my Nutella Banana Bread version and swirl in some chocolate hazelnut version.
- Toasted walnuts (or pecans) – Stir in 3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts before baking.
- Blueberries – I love tossing in some fresh blueberries, check out my Blueberry Banana Bread
- Whole Wheat – Replace 1/2 of your flour with whole wheat flour and make a Whole Wheat Banana Bread version.
More Recipes To Try
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Banana Bread Recipe With Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) very ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour *spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan. Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 350oF (177°C). Spray a 9×5” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mash bananas. In a small mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Set aside. 1 ½ cups (340 g) very ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 2 ½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Combine wet ingredients. In the same mixing bowl with the bananas, whisk in the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream. Whisk to combine. 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil 2 large eggs room temperature ½ cup (113 g) sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined.
- Bake. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. (If baking in a glass pan, you may need to add on an additional 5 minutes of baking time). Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. Store the bread, and any leftovers, covered at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Keep wrapped at room temperature and store for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Banana bread will freeze great for up to 3 months. Just wrap it well. Then when ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
- Sour Cream – This adds fat and richness. You could try swapping out for greek yogurt, which I did in my healthy banana bread recipe.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil, but canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil also would work. You could try substituting with melted butter or coconut oil as well, but it might change the moistness and texture slightly.
- Use Ripe Bananas. You want to make sure you use very ripe bananas. Bananas that have lots of black specks. The blacker the banana is the sweeter it will be. I actually like to freeze my bananas when they have gotten too ripe to use later for banana bread. If you use frozen bananas, then let the bananas thaw before using them.
- Mash first. Mash your bananas before adding them to the mixing bowl. I do this by hand with a fork since I have used frozen bananas they are very easily mashed. You could also use a pastry blender, potato masher, or a hand mixer.
- Measure your flour accurately. I use the spoon and level method. You can learn how to measure your flour in this post.
- Careful to not over mix. I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
- Use The Right Pan. I used a 9×5 loaf pan. Be sure it’s the right size. And make sure you aren’t using a dark loaf pan, which can bake too quickly and burn. If baking in a glass pan, add on an additional 5 minutes.
On my baking list today. Do you think this recipe will be ok to bake in mini loaves?
That sounds wonderful! Yes, this recipe should work well in mini loaves. Just keep an eye on the baking time—mini loaves typically bake faster, so start checking for doneness around 25–30 minutes. Enjoy! 😊
nice and moist, not too sweet- going to share this recipe and will make again for sure
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Happy to hear you’ll be making it again! 😊🍌
Great recipe, turned out moist and delicious. I reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp as we are watching our sodium intake and sugar to 1 cup and turned out fine. The addition of 1/4 tsp cinnamon was delicious addition.
Thank you for the recipe.
Great to hear, Marilyn, I am so glad that you were able to adapt my recipe to fit your needs. Thank you so much for letting me know, happy baking!
Love this recipe! Super moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
aw you’re so welcome Susan!! I’m so glad you loved it!!
What is that brown looking butter you put on it?
Oh that’s my cinnamon honey butter – it’s so good! 🙂
Loved this recipe. I put mine into a bundt pan and it came out perfectly!
Thank you!
Thanks Shelby! I’m so glad you loved it and that it worked in a bundt pan as well 🙂 will have to try that myself next!
I’m not sure if the taste but baking took longer than expected. Almost 5 minutes longer than the maximum time. It was brown everywhere except the center.
Hi Marcia, that can depend on the baking pan you may have used. If you’re using glass it can take an additional 5 minutes or more longer to bake. If it’s browning too much on top but needs longer, tent the top of the bread with foil and continue to bake. And be sure to bake in the center of your oven. Hope that helps!
Hi Marcia, extra baking time may be due to the baking pan you used. Be sure to use a 9×5 baking pan, and not a smaller 8 1/2 x 4 1/2. And if using glass add on about additional 5 minutes baking time. If browning too much, but still needs more time then tent the top with foil. And be sure to bake in the center of your oven. Hope that helps!
Hello, just wondering if I’m supposed to add baking powder to the banana bread recipe? It is shown in picture of ingredients but doesn’t mention it in recipe? Thanks
Hi Michele, sorry about that – no there is no baking powder in the recipe. That was a mistake in the ingredients photo – I’ll be sure to fix and update. Thank you so much for letting me know!
I choose this banana bread for the March baking challenge, as it is my favorite to make. Simple & delicious, without too much banana flavor. Although this time I did make a couple small tweaks. I only used 2 bananas (mainly because I didn’t pay attention) & I also didn’t use the full 1 1/4 cup of sugar, just a cup. Although I might cut it back more next time, the banana really make it sweet enough. Anyway, those are my reasons for 4 out of 5 stars. Other wise a great recipe.
I made this for the March baking challenge and it was so moist and delicious! I used foil to tent it during the last 5 minutes so the top wouldn’t burn.
aw that’s great Megan! I’m so glad you loved this and great idea to tent the top!
I’ve been making Banana Bread for years,this recipe is by far the best and tastiest one yet,the sour cream makes the bread so moist.Also the loaf is huge it rises all the way to the top of the bread pan.Thank you for the recipe 😊
aw thank you Joanne! Thank you for such a kind review!!
This banana bread is so delicious!! Only “change” I made was to add a sprinkle of turbinado on top for an extra crunch. Admittedly I under-baked it a little bit by accident, but hey, that was nothing a stint in the toaster oven couldn’t fix 🙂 A very moist and banana-forward recipe!
thank you Ruth! Love a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. And glad you were able to fix it in your toaster oven…great tip!