Banana Bread With Brown Sugar

Name: Banana Bread With Brown Sugar
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup buttermilk; 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 4 ripe/brown bananas; 2 cups flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

By Danielle on March 23, 2021 78 Comments

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This banana bread with brown sugar takes 5 minutes to mix up and a little less than an hour of hands-off baking time, resulting in the most perfectly moist banana bread you have ever eaten!

This banana bread has stolen my heart, and the boyfriend's. We inhaled this whole loaf of bread in less than 2 days. It was that good.

banana bread sliced into pieces - top down photo of load

You all know I'm not a huge baker, but I do love me some quick bread (I'm looking at you orange chocolate bread). And this simple banana bread is just that.

Super quick, super easy, and I swear to you it's the moistest (LOL what a weird word) banana bread I've ever had.

If you're a banana lover, this is the bread you want to be making (you'll also like these banana nutella pastries). It's so incredible delicious and even more incredibly easy to make!

Don't forget to check out the Brown Sugar Banana Bread Story!

Banana Bread vs. Banana Cake?

There is not much difference between banana bread and banana cake. Banana cake will typically have frosting while banana bread does not.

Banana bread also tends to be more dense than banana cake, which can have a lighter consistency. I prefer the bread to be honest.

Why This Recipe Works

Using extra rip bananas adds an additional boost of sweetness.

The brown sugar and honey add a caramelized flavor to the bread.

The buttermilk and Greek yogurt both help the bread stay moist, while also adding just the perfect amount of tang to complement the sweet.

It's sweet without being too sweet. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and tang (like this Japanese cheesecake or Vietnamese sponge cakes). It's perfect for dinner or dessert!

side view of a loaf of brown banana bread

Step By Step Instructions

You are just not going to believe how easy this recipe is. Start by preheating the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a loaf pan generously with butter or line it with parchment paper.

Use a fork or a potato masher to mash the bananas in a bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Use a mixer to beat it for 1-2 minutes.

Add the eggs and mix until fully combined.

Then mix in the buttermilk, vanilla, honey and Greek yogurt.

Add the mashed bananas and mix to combine.

smashed bananas in brown sugar batter in a bowl

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix together. Add it to the wet mixture and gently fold.

Do not over mix the batter as that can make your bread come out tougher. It's ok if there are a couple streaks of flour still in the batter.

Pour the batter into the greased/parchment paper lined loaf pan.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Start with 50 minutes and test doneness with a toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean it's done; if not, place it back in for another 5 minutes. Test again, etc. etc.

Once a toothpick comes out clean, remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from pan and let it finish cooling on a baking rack.

a loaf of brown bread sitting on a cooling rack over a towel

Slice and serve with slabs of salted butter. Yes, slabs of butter, that's what it's all about.

2 slices of bread on a white plate with butter

Expert Tips

Use very ripe, brown bananas for the most moist bread. The browner, the better.
Make sure the loaf pan is very generously greased - this will keep the banana bread from sticking to the pan.
Be careful not to over mix the batter when mixing the flour in. I try to gently fold it in until almost all the flour is combined.
Make your own buttermilk by adding 2 tbsp. of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk.
Use a toothpick to determine doneness. Stick it in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it's done. If it still has batter on it, cook it another 3-5 minutes and try again until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to Keep Banana Bread Moist

The more ripe your bananas, the more moist your bread will be. Also, the use of the Greek yogurt and buttermilk add the the moistness (still a weird word).

I recommend storing banana bread in a plastic bag or wrapping it in aluminum foil to keep it moist. Yes, I will just keep saying moist...moist...moist. Keep it at room temperature.

How to Tell When It's Done

Use a toothpick to determine doneness. Stick it in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it's done. If it still has batter on it, cook it another 3-5 minutes and try again until a toothpick comes out clean.

You can also use a thermometer (I use a Thermapen for this) - once internal temperature reaches 190 degrees, it's done.

a loaf of brown banana bread being sliced into pieces

Storage Options

Banana bread will stay fresh for up to 2-3 days. Store it in a plastic bag or wrap it in aluminum foil and keep at room temperature.

Freezing Options

Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap the bread and place it on a baking rack at room temperature to thaw.

You can also freeze individual pieces of bread so you don't have to thaw out the whole loaf. You use the same freezing/thawing method.

Tools Used

Loaf Pan - a good loaf pan is great to keep youR bread from sticking.
Parchment paper (optional) - if you want to be 100% sure your bread doesn't stick to the pan.
Glass mixing bowls - I love these bowls as they come in multiple different sizes.
Spatula - for mixing and folding your batter.
Hand mixer - I use this one way more often than I break out a stand mixer. Plus it's super handy for storage.

This post was originally published in February 2018. It has been updated with new photos, content, and a couple changes to the recipe to make it even better.

Did you make this banana bread with brown sugar? Rate it and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out.