By now everyone has probably made banana bread, right? I mean, what else have you been doing during covid?

I’ve been making banana bread from scratch for years and dabbled with many different variations (vegan, gluten free, oil free… you name it– the absolute worse ones I made are those I made with coconut flour which saw the trash bin as soon as it saw life). But none of them can compete with the classic.

This is my classic banana bread recipe. No funny stuff. It was inspired by the banana bread I had at a food stand on the road to Hana in Maui. The banana bread was warm, moist, and full of warm spices and banana flavor. Over the years I strayed so far from the classic banana bread that I forgot how mind-blowing something so simple and classic can be. After the trip, I went back to basics: no weird healthy substitutes, just simple ingredients that work together in harmony. And guess what? The results: the best banana bread I’ve ever made.

Have you tried the recipe? Let me know what you think on Instagram: @craving_nomz!

Looking for more classics?

• Multipurpose Soft Bread Rolls (Tangzhong)
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Flakey Sourdough Discard Biscuits
• Quick & Easy Microwave Mochi

Print Recipe

Road to Hana Banana Bread

Small batch classic banana bread recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, quick bread

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 50 g butter
• 30 g greek yogurt or sour cream
• 2 very ripe bananas*
• 1 egg
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 50 g brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract optional
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100 g all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder**
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• generous pinch kosher salt

Additions (optional)

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Cream together butter and sugar. Add in egg and beat until light and fluffy. Roughly mash the bananas with a fork and add in vanilla, greek yogurt and cinnamon. Mix into the sugar mixture.
• Combine together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and any add ins like walnuts. Fold into the wet mixture until evenly combined.
• Pour mixture into a small baking pan and bake for about 45 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Notes

* the banana peel should be at least 75% brown. 

** if you prefer denser banana bread, reduce to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of baking powder.