Sour Cream Banana Bread {One-Bowl!}
This one-bowl sour cream banana bread recipe is amazingly popular for good reason! Super moist and fluffy, it is crazy delicious and so easy to make!
One of the best banana bread recipes ever, this bread has been a tried-and-true favorite for over a decade.
And you don’t have to take my word for it! With over 1,000 five-star reviews, it’s popularity speaks for itself.
Easy Banana Bread Batter
In this recipe, the wet ingredients get mixed up first:
- granulated sugar
- oil or melted butter
- eggs
- mashed bananas
- sour cream
- vanilla
Then the flour, baking soda and salt are added. No need to mix them first in another bowl.
This is a one-bowl batter, and it’s brilliantly easy.
Don’t Over Mix
As with all good quick bread recipes, one important key to this recipe is to mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Over mixing the batter could mean death to a lovely, soft, moist loaf of perfect banana bread.
Easily Doubled
This recipe makes one loaf of banana bread. But it is easily doubled, and I highly encourage you to do so.
In fact, I often buy several bunches of bananas just to let them ripen in destruction on my kitchen counter to prepare for this amazing recipe.
What Causes the Speckles in Banana Bread?
Have you ever wondered why some banana bread has dark speckles and others don’t?
I’ve done a lot of reading and testing (I’m telling you, NERD, and proud of it) to figure out why some banana bread loaves have a light-colored crumb and other recipes produce the dark speckles like you see in these pictures.
The reason? Baking soda.
Banana bread recipes that have a larger amount of baking soda and less baking powder usually have a darker, more speckled crumb. This sour cream banana bread has a full teaspoon of baking soda and no baking powder…and it clearly results in darker speckles.
This much lighter buttermilk banana bread only has 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (and a teaspoon of baking powder).
Classic Sour Cream Banana Bread
For a classic, traditional, perfect banana bread recipe, you can’t go wrong with this sour cream banana bread.
If you take a quick glance through the comments, you’ll easily see that many, many, many of you have fallen in love with this banana bread over the years. This recipe has over 500 5-star reviews!
No surprise! It is so easy – one bowl! So delicious – supremely moist and tender!
It really is one of the best banana bread recipes out there.
Sour Cream Banana Bread FAQs
Many readers over the years have done just that. They’ve reported back with good results. The recipe will yield about 17-20 muffins (bake them at the same temp in the recipe and check them around 17-18 minutes).
Buttermilk can be used in place of the sour cream (the batter will be thinner, but that’s ok). Subbing in dairy milk or non-dairy milk for the sour cream may affect the texture and overall end result of the bread because the recipe needs the acidity of the sour cream (or buttermilk) to turn out correctly.
Yes, that works great! Toss them in with the flour (just remember not to over mix!).
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar (see note to reduce the sugar)
- ½ cup oil (see note)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (227 g) mashed ripe bananas, about 3 ripe bananas
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup (213 g) all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a 9X5-inch loaf pan (or several mini loaf pans).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Add the eggs, bananas, sour cream and vanilla; blend well.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool for five minutes in the pan. Gently turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Store covered at room temperature (the bread also freezes great).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Leigh Anne at Your Homebased Mom
Recipe originally posted June 2009; updated with new pictures, recipe notes, and commentary.
Delicious & easy ! And I love that it uses canola oil instead of butter!
I usually double the recipe and then make 3 smaller loaves so I can give some away and have one or two in the freezer. It is always a hit !!! Thank you for sharing ! : )
How many points for this recipe for weight watchers?
Mel, you are my go-to place for recipes. I haven’t tried one I haven’t loved. I tripled this recipe and made 2 loaves and 12 muffins. The muffins turned out perfect when baked for 20 minutes. Thanks for your site.
Thank you so much, Danae!
The only banana bread recipe I need. Grandson & husband approved. So moist and really full of flavor.
This banana bread is THE BEST! You must make it! It’s so easy (one bowl, no mixer). It’s a great recipe for me to make with my 5 year old son. Truly the best I’ve ever made.
Recently I have tried 4 different banana bread, but will have to say that this was the best. I usually put nuts in, but left them out. It was so moist and delicious, that this will be the recipe I use from now on. No more searching for the Best, because I have found it.
Since I have found this recipe, it’s the only one I use. I always double it to make 2 loaves or a 12 cup bundt cake. I always cut the sugar in 1/2. The bananas are sweet enough. Sometimes I add chocolate chips to it, sometimes chopped pecans. Everyone LOVES ❤️ it. Thank you so much for posting this delicious, easy recipe
This is the best banana bread recipe by far. It comes out perfect every time. I had a cup of blueberries to my bread.
Wow! This turned out delicious! Soft and moist. I’ll be making this again soon. I recommend using a bit less sugar than listed.
I meant to give it 5 stars.. oops
Followed this recipe to a T and it’s perfect. Absolutely the BEST banana bread ever. So moist and dense. The bread is devour within a day! Thank you so much
This recipe looks AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to try it! Is there any way you can use gluten-free flour in this recipe and it still taste the same?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. But there may be others in the comments who have tried it.
This is a good bananna bread recipe. It is moist and that is what I was looking for. I did add some walnuts.
I added 1/2 cup blueberries and a tsp cinnamon. Amazing!
Just made this and added peanut butter chips. Yum!
Just made this today. It turned out great. After I greased the pan I sprinkled it with cinnamon instead of flour.
Excellent!!!!!!!
So… I am in the solid “Banana- bread-SHOULD-HAVE-nuts-in-it” camp, but my husband is adamant that it should not. Haha. As a result, I made it to his liking, without nuts. It is a wonderful banana bread recipe and did not last long at all! We ate it as a dessert with every single meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and as a snack throughout the day!! Addictive! Next time, I think I will add some chocolate chips (and maybe some nuts:-) )
Hi Mel, thank you for this recipe. This is the best banana bread I’ve ever made – and I’ve made a lot. I used coconut oil and all white whole wheat flour and it turned out incredibly delicious. Such a quick and easy recipe to get in the oven. Thank you!!
Any idea what carbs, calories in banana bread? Yes l made this l added pecans and pumpkin seeds to it. Looks delicious have not cut it yet to try it out.
I don’t have the nutrition facts. Sorry!
Mel I love this recipe and make it all the time. So so yummy! Thanks! Do you think there is way to make this in a bread machine???
I’m not sure, sorry!
Best banana bread I’ve tasted!
Made it without oil only applesauce, added lemon and orange zest and fresh blueberries along with the the bananas. Made 2 large. Muffins yuuumm,y!
Should have been: Made 12 muffins
This is my go to recipe for banana bread. I can count on it being moist and delicious every time I make it. Thanks!!!
So good! I think I may have mashed the bananas too much though – I put them in a blender till they were practically banana juice and the resulting bread was pretty thick. How much do you mash bananas normally? I also only have a 7×4 loaf pan so i put the leftovers in a muffin pan and the tops carmelized beautifully~
I usually just mash with a fork until they are mostly mashed but still just very lightly lumpy.
I’ve made this banana bread twice now and both times it came out awesome. My company said it was the best banana bread they had ever had! First time, I made as recipe shown, subbing butter for the oil. Second time, I used 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 applesauce and added 1/2 cup chocolate chips. This recipe is a keeper!!
Hi I wanted to go eggless for this recipe
What are the variations for other ingredients I can use..
Thanks
Nithya
My husband likes the inclusion of raisins in his dessert breads so although this recipe is very good I found that with the raisins the bread too sweet. The next time I will add 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. Really enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe.
Fantastic Recipe! Came out as it looked in the pictures! Very Moist and visually appealing. Really recommend using this recipe. Love the information on the darker bits.
It was yummy and I used yogurt instead of sour cream also added nutmeg too cuz I like that flavor alot Great recipe!
I was given a recipe similar to this one & it was a disaster. The recipe called for 1 1/2 sugar much too much and oil. I don’t like to mix that much sugar with oil. I will try it again with 1/2 C sugar and butter instead of oil. Would that be 1 Stick of butter (soft)? I think butter & sugar would mix better. And the time to bake it was 350 45 mins. The knife was sticky when I tested it after baking and the top was all much too crusty and much too sweet. What do u think of this??. And 1/2 cup sour cream instead of 1/3 cup
Just made this-this morning…..YUM!!!! I doubled it, used 3/4 sugar, coconut oil and substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream. Your blog completely changed my kitchen and meals when I found it 8 or 9 years ago! Thanks for having such FANTASTIC recipes!
This is another keeper!! Delicious and so easy!! Thank you, thank you!
Love this recipe, the only thing I added was chopped pecans. All the ingredients are very simple and the result is a delicious moist banana loaf bread. Thank you for sharing.
A long time ago I lost my recipe that was made with sour cream. I have tried several over the years and this is by far the best one I have ever had. The slight crunch on the top crust was pretty amazing. I don’t like nuts in my banana so this was perfect! Highly recommended! Great job!
Baked into 12 mini muffins and 6 regular muffins and turned out great. I cut the sugar to: scant 1/4 cup white and scant 1/4 cup brown. Used just shy of 1/2 cup of applesauce (to clear it out of the pantry) with the rest canola oil. Also added 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to batter and sprinkled chopped walnuts on top. Toddler gobbled up two mini muffins and almost a whole regular one! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you Mel.
Love this recipe! I used 1/2 cup sugar and no eggs and it was still delicious!
If I use apple sauce in place of oil is it the same measure?
Yes.
This will be my new go to recipe. I loved that it was simple and still gave me amazing tasting bread. This is the second recipe from this site I have tried and they both were big hits.
The only banana bread I make now! Other than some occasional addition of chocolate chips, there is nothing I would change.
Best banana bread I have had went over well with family.
Well add another *great review* to your addition
Absolutely awesome B.B.
Even the teenagers scooped some up and asked for more
That’s it all gone
Will have to make 2 at a time lol xo
wrost recipe they didn’t come out of pan
Dough was very runny i follow recipe to t taste good moist though
Try again my dear
It will be worth it
strange it was runny…maybe sour cream needed stirring before adding?
I’ve been baking for nearly 50 years and this is the best banana bread recipe ever. My husband is a bit picky and he LOVES it! If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can do as I did and substitute Fage plain Greek yogurt. It comes out moist and beautiful. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.
I used buttermilk cause I had no sour cream
The results were awesome as well
Has anyone ever did this recipe as muffins? If so, are there any changes that need to be made to the recipe?
I am right now and I’d say no..I’m working with a toaster oven and little regular size tins. I added cinnamon and raisins and cranraisans. Don’t think its the “best” I’ve had but its a good recipe.
This bread is delicious & so moist. I did use 1/2-1/2 brown sugar & white sugar.
Thank you for this yummy recipe.
loved it was moist and rich not to mention very easy to make took very little time will make again and again love how simple
I am type 2 diabetic and I try to create lower sugar recipes. For this recipe I substituted Stevia brown sugar 1 quarter cup , coconut sugar quarter cup, and fancy molasses quarter cup. In place of oil I used Besel quarter cup.i used 4 very ripe bananas and 2 cups of flour.followed the rest from the recipe and put into 10 mini loaf pans baked 30 min at 350. Turned out so moist and tasty! Thank you for a great recipe.
It is a very moist recipe. Bake it one day, then serve. Next day. Why is. It that I can’t publish my recipes on Pinterest. I have so many. My family is so diverse. We are Irish, Austrian, English, Cherokee and French.
Why is it, that, I can not publish recipes on Pinterest????
Someone tell me?
Thank you,
Cindy
2 nd time I’ve made this reciepe, only I used a quarter cup of sugar and replaced all the oil with an equal amount of sugar free applesauce, and used whole wheat flour.
TURNED OUT AS AMAZING AS THE ORIGINAL. I also prefer the darker bits in my bread like you spoke about. This has become my ‘go to’ for a perfect banana bread. I highly recommend it.
Thank you for this recipe, it came out amazing. Will definitely use this as my go to banana bread.