Banana Bread is one of our absolute favorite treats. My girls love it and honestly I do too. There is something so comforting about warm banana bread, it just makes a perfect after school snack or homemade gift.
Whenever I pop over to a Starbucks I can usually count on the girls starting to ask for the Banana Bread. They just love it.
I have been playing with various recipes for banana bread for awhile now and finally stumbled across one that we really like and that is very, very close to what we usually get at Starbucks stores.
This one is simple to make, packed with banana and is delicious plain, with nuts or add some chocolate chips for a real treat.
This recipe is actually from Starbucks directly so hopefully you like it as much as we do!
For this recipe you can totally omit the walnuts but they really do add so much flavor. You can always substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts which would be delicious.
*****NOTE: I use a large loaf pan (10 3/4″ long, 5″ wide, 3 1/2″ tall)- if you have a smaller loaf pan, you might divide this into 2 batches or fill your pan 2/3 high and use the remaining batter in a muffin pan. Another option is to bake in a 9×9 dish.
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1⅛ cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 bananas mashed very well
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Add flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
- Mix egg, sugar and oil and stir until well combined
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dry.
- Next add milk, vanilla and bananas and stir until incorporated.
- Mix in walnuts and pour into a loaf pan.
- Cook 50-75 minutes, checking regularly until a knife comes out clean.
Note the success of banana bread depends on bananas. You really want super ripe or slightly brown bananas for the best flavor.
If your bananas are fresh you can place them in a brown paper bag closed tightly for a day or two to help them brown, keep them attached at the stem for faster ripening or if you need them brown right away, place them in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes and then let cool for 30 minutes. For delicious meals and desserts like these; check out Publix recipes. Be sure to place foil or parchment under the bananas before popping them in the oven as they may leak a tiny bit.
If you want an authentic Starbucks experience, add nuts to the dough and sprinkle on top as well.
So give this recipe and shot and come back and let me know what you think! If you want to freeze this bread, it freezes beautifully. Just let it completely cool, tightly wrap in saran wrap and then pop into a freezer bag.
When you are ready to have the bread, simply pull out of the freezer and let it defrost.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Food.com, based off a recipe released by Starbucks directly at a media event.
And here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls – perfect for Christmas morning!
Charlene says
Hi Lizeth, I have this Nutella Banana Bread muffin recipe that is similar and I bake that at 15 min on 350. I would think you might check them at 12 min or so then 15 then 17 just to be super safe. Also I made this banana bread last night and it is nearly gone. ;). It is delicious.
https://myfrugaladventures.com/2014/04/nutella-swirl-banana-muffins/
Charlene says
Hi Megan,
We are also Reign fans :). Big, big, big fans of the other Megan- can’t wait to see them play again. Anyway, I am not familiar with chia eggs so I can’t say on that. Also calories I am not sure but according to Starbucks it is 420 calories. I’d guess the homemade version has less- especially if you exclude the nuts but hopefully that gives you an idea.
Charlene says
Hmm. Jess I’d use olive oil if it isn’t too strong of a flavor. Melted butter or even better is applesauce? I’ve used coconut oil before.
Here are more ideas from Bob’s Red Mill;
https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/baking-101/oil-substitutes-baking/
A few places said not to use avocado oil:
https://ritely.com/substitutes-for-vegetable-oil/
Happy baking!
Tina says
Just made this for the first time and doubled the recipe. Made one with nuts one without. The walnuts sprinkled on top was a little overpowering but all in all fantastic recipe! I’ll definitely make again trying different mix-ins. Thank you for sharing!
Bea says
Oh, wow! I’ve been looking for a simple, quick and yummy banana bread recipe. SCORE on all accounts! The only thing I swapped out, was half the white sugar for brown sugar. I LOVE brown sugar. I didn’t have a loaf pan, but I had I mini 4 loaf pan and poured the rest in some shallow muffin tins. They baked in 15-23 minutes! I’ve already printed this recipe for keeps. Thanks!
Charlene says
Yummy! So happy you liked it Bea.
Marjanne says
All I can say is….delicious! Not too heavy or too light. Very nice flavor and easy to make. Thanks ! This one is a keeper.
Mary says
Do you spray the loaf pan before baking the banana bread?
Charlene says
Hi Mary- I use a ceramic baking dish so I never have issues with sticking but you certainly can if you like.
Charlene says
Thanks Marjanne!
Aria says
If I do this in muffin tins, how long will they take?
Charlene says
Aria- I am thinking maybe check at 12 min on 350. Guessing they take about 15 min but I am not 100% certain. I have some bananas on the counter ready to bake this bread so I’ll test and report back. 🙂
Renee says
I made your recipe today and this was a successful, yummy banana nut bread! Thank you! The recipe also works in a 9×13 pan, just cut the time to 43 minutes. (I haven’t had luck with any banana bread baked in a bread loaf pan -they seem to always sag in the middle.)
Charlene says
Happy to hear Renee. Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
Charlene – your recipe is just perfect! These days, the simple joy of baking is such a stress relief for so many of us. I’m enjoying a nice, warm slice with coffee right now.
Thanks for sharing…. Hope you and your family are staying safe in Northern California.
Mary
Charlene says
Hi Mary- we are! The beautiful weather means yard work this weekend. Thanks so much- hope you are taking good care of yourself as well.
Luci Still says
Loved this recipe, a keeper for sure. I am an add-on tryer, had some raisins that I soaked
in rum,& added them to the batter. Yummy!
Charlene says
Wow great idea Luci! That sounds wonderful… I’ll remember that for the holidays 😉
Kelley says
First off, I am NOT the greatest baker. My husband usually makes our homemade banana bread. But I LOVE the banana bread from starbucks and almost always have all the ingredient so I gave it a shot.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times over the past month. They’ve turned out perfect and delicious each time! Thank you for sharing!
Charlene says
Yay! So happy you liked it Kelley.
Anna says
Am I able to substitute buttermilk/milk for almond milk?
Kathy says
This recipe turned out great! I did substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil because I didn’t have enough for making two loaves. Excellent texture and taste
Charlene says
I’ve used coconut oil before too and had good results. So glad you liked it!
S says
How do I adjust the measurements if I have only 2 banana
Charlene says
Hi S- I have used two bananas before and the results are fine. Just mash them really well. I prefer the original recipe with three but I don’t make any adjustments to the recipe when I am short a banana. You can add a splash more milk if it seems really, really dry after mixing or you can add a bit of applesauce but mine has always turned out fine with 2 bananas.
Good luck–
demi says
This was the best banana bread I’ve made! Try it!
Charlene says
Yay! So happy to hear that Demi.
Anelia says
Hi! Love the recipe and I’m so excited to try it! Just a few questions, can I substitute the vegetable oil with coconut oil or melted butter? And can I substitute the sugar with honey?
Charlene says
Anelia- I haven’t tried honey so I am not sure how that would work… I can’t remember anyone commenting on it either but there have been tons of modifications posted successfully in the comments. I know I have used coconut oil in a pinch and it was fine. Pretty sure my oil was unrefined and in a liquid state.
Let us know how it turns out!
Pam says
My 15 yr old daughter made this! It was so good! Thanks for the delicious and easy recipe
Charlene says
Yay! Happy to hear it.
Suraya says
Tried the banana bread recipe today. It’s quick easy and absolutely devine. Oven time was about 45 to 50 minutes.
Charlene says
Yeah! So happy to hear that Suraya.
Stacey says
What size loaf pan do you use for this recipe?
Tara Adams says
Your banana bread recipe was dry and kind of flavorless – the opposite of Starbucks.
Charlene says
Sorry you were disappointed Tara. It has never been dry for me. Did you use 3 bananas?
Charlene says
Stacey- I use a 9×5 pan or sometimes a 9×9 to make squares instead of slices. If you pan is smaller this might be a little too much dough.
Prudence says
This is become our favorite banana bread recipe. I add some cinnamon and ginger and use gluten free 1:1 flour. Turns out perfectly.
Trisha says
I simply love this recipe! I honestly don’t like banana bread and only made this recipe because a friend recommended it, and I’m so happy I tried it!!!!!
Best banana bread recipe ever
Charlene says
Whoo hoo! I love it too. Thanks Trisha. 🙂
Monique says
I have never had Starbucks banana bread, so I can’t comment on whether or not this tastes like theirs, but I can say that this is the absolute best banana bread recipe I have ever made. I used a 9 x 5 loaf pan and baked for 62 minutes at 325. I did add a bit of cinnamon (1 tsp) and it was perfect. Thanks so much for sharing.
Charlene says
Yeah! So happy to hear that.
Janeen says
I’ve made this several sometimes over the past few months. It is consistently good and consistently gobbled up. Thank you for sharing Charlene. This is the only Banana Bread recipe for my family.
Charlene says
yay! I think I might make it today too Janeen. 🙂
Donna says
The recipe was easy to follow and it allowed the grandkids to help. We did not use nuts and had 3 smallish ripe bananas. The taste is good but the color of the bread is more white than brown. What do you think caused the difference?
Chanel says
Love this recipe. This will be my fourth time making it, think I’m going to try throwing in some chocolate chips.
Charlene says
Yes they are so good or swirl in Nutella. I just made some today with pecans and it is wonderful.
Brenda says
My daughter confirmed that it tastes just like Starbuck’s version and my granddaughter loves it so I’m buying extra bananas every time I go to the produce store so I have an excuse to make it . Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Charlene says
Yay! So happy to hear that Brenda.