Name: Grandma’s Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3-4 ripe bananas; 1/3 cup / 75 g melted butter; 1 cup / 200 g sugar; 1 egg beaten; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 teaspoon baking soda; pinch of salt; 1 1/2 cups / 190 g all purpose flour

Jump to Recipe

Grandma's banana bread is an easy recipe with no fuss or frills and gives you great results every time! A great way to use ripe bananas too!

Grandma's Banana Bread. Easy recipe with no fuss or frills and gives you great results every time!

Grandma's Banana Bread. Gosh this is a delicious recipe!

It can often be hard searching for a tried and tested recipe for a good cake, that will be moist, tasty, and also look great, but Heather was lucky to have a grandma who enjoyed baking and keeping a record of all her recipes. This Banana Bread recipe dates back to at least the 1960's, if not further back.

Making this banana bread is a great way to use up over ripe bananas. The riper the better!

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The recipe is very straightforward and we've had some lovely stories and feedback from you saying you've baked Grandma's Banana Bread with your son/daughter and they've enjoyed mixing the ingredients and of course, enjoyed eating their creation too.

This particular recipe is quite sweet so if you haven't got a sweet tooth, feel free to reduce the sugar by knocking about ⅓ off the amount listed in the ingredients.

This delicious recipe has been generously shared by one of our foodie friends, Heather. I'll let Heather tell the story behind it!

"My grandmother (Geneva Ruth Buchanan) had it written on an old piece of paper that was shoved in an old cookbook from 1960, that she left for me when she passed... I sadly don't have the paper it was written on anymore, it has crumbled over the years and was very hard to get the recipe off of, that's why I copied it so I could have it forever!"

My Grand always made me banana bread when I was little, in a little loaf that was just mine!! So now I make it for my boys to remember her and her little kitchen smelling so wonderful! If you think people would like it, go ahead and use it!!

" A secret recipe is no fun if you don't have wonderful friends that you can share it with!"- Geneva Ruth Buchanan

Recipe by: Heather Rae Buchanan and her Grandma, Geneva Ruth Buchanan

Table of Contents 📋 hide

8) Grandma’s Banana Bread

9) Delicious Recipes using Bananas

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Yield

6 -8 Persons

You Will Need

a greased 4 x 8 inch loaf pan

Ingredients

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
⅓ cup / 75 g melted butter
1 cup / 200 g sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 ½ cups / 190 g all purpose flour

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F, Gas 4, 180 C

2. Mix butter and smashed bananas together

3. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla

4. Add baking soda and salt and mix well

5. Add flour and give it a final mix

6. Pour into a greased 4 x 8 inch loaf pan

7. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Grandma’s Banana Bread

Yield: 6 - 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Grandma's Banana Bread. Easy recipe with no fuss or frills and gives you great results every time!

Ingredients

3-4 ripe bananas
⅓ cup / 75 g melted butter
1 cup / 200 g sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 ½ cups / 190 g all purpose flour

Instructions

Heat oven to 350F, Gas 4, 180 C
Mix butter and smashed bananas together
Add sugar, egg and vanilla
Add baking soda and salt and mix well
Add flour and give it a final mix
Pour in to a greased 4 x 8 inch loaf pan
Bake for 1 hour

Delicious Recipes using Bananas

Here's a selection of our very best recipes using bananas.

Photo Credit: newbieinthekitchen.com

Share your thoughts

45 thoughts shared

Mary
says:
August 12th, 2017 at 8:41 am

May i know the weight (grammes ) of 3 to 4 bananas used in this recipe.?

Reply
St
says:
May 10th, 2017 at 11:40 pm

Made this so many times now. It’s such a perfect recipe. Have tried so many recipes before and not one of them turned out so good. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

Reply
Niki
says:
February 12th, 2017 at 7:24 pm

My second banana bread and the best! So moist and so good. Thank you & love from Amsterdam, Holland

Reply
julie
says:
November 17th, 2016 at 10:45 pm

i have been looking for a good recipe i will be making this but just a couple of questions.. my mom recipes is the same but instead of flour she used bisquik mix just wondering what the difference would be, and second i see alot of recipes that they add sour cream.. why??.. thank you for the recipe

Reply
1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  November 17th, 2016 at 10:51 pm
  
  Hi Julie, thanks for writing in.
  I’ve never tried this recipe using bisquik mix, so I can’t say how it would turn out with all the other ingredients. This recipe as it is has been made by lots of people and we even held a baking day on our Facebook page where lots of people joined in and baked this bread in real time and sent in their photos! So it certainly is a popular one. I would suggest you follow the recipe as it is, I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.
  The use of sour cream in some recipes is to make the cake more moist and give it a smooth grain, however, this recipe wont need that at all. the bananas are more than enough to keep this from being dry and it’s a smooth grain in texture.
  Hope that helps and happy baking!
  
  Reply
Rhonda
says:
October 28th, 2016 at 6:55 am

This is the first time I’ve ever commented but I have been using this recipe over a year now and it turns out perfectly every time!!! I add chopped pecans!
Thank you so much for sharing it?

Reply
1. Rhonda
  says:
  October 28th, 2016 at 6:58 am
  
  It is has become my “go to” recipe also?
  
  Reply
Debra Verch
says:
July 24th, 2016 at 11:56 pm

This indeed an excellent banana bread. I am a chef by trade and baking is my “thing”, I will be using this recipe as my go to recipe for banana bread. Your recipe instructions are clear and precise. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Debs

Reply
Amy
says:
July 2nd, 2016 at 12:56 pm

I’m no baker so I require recipes. No mention of when to add the salt. No mention of when to add the soda… Baking is chemical so these ar important. Hopefull my bread turns out since I had to add the soda while the batter was already in the pan ?

Reply
1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  July 2nd, 2016 at 1:23 pm
  
  Hi Amy, sorry to hear you couldn’t follow the recipe very well. Step 4 of the instructions tell you when you should add the salt and soda.
  If you are new to baking, a good tip is to always read a recipe all the way through a couple of times before you start so it is clear in your head. I often find if I don’t do this, I can miss a part out very easily!
  I hope that helps!
  Have a lovely weekend.
  
  Reply
Karen Dominion
says:
April 27th, 2016 at 4:41 pm

Thanks for mentioning that you made it with coconut oil! I was just wondering myself if I could use it instead of butter. I’ll make one with butter and the other with the coconut oil. Just trying to make it a little healthier for me.

Reply
Teresa
says:
January 29th, 2016 at 12:23 am

Made this today. The only thing I did different was use coconut oil instead of butter. I made a double batch and put pecans in one and not the other. This is the BEST banana bread recipe I have ever used. LOVE it! Thank you!!!

Reply
1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  January 29th, 2016 at 7:45 am
  
  Hi Teresa! Thanks so much for your feedback. The addition of those pecans sounds wonderful! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!!
  
  Reply
Krista
says:
December 18th, 2015 at 7:58 pm

I was wondering if this could be made in a bread machine? Most bread machine recipes call for so many ingredients and I’ve made this recipe before and love it! I just want to make it in my bread machine instead of the oven.

Reply
1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  December 18th, 2015 at 8:00 pm
  
  Hi Krista, We haven’t had anyone make this recipe using a bread machine. I would not advise it because the bread machine is designed for kneading the bread dough, which is a different technique from when you make the batter for this recipe, which is a cake batter.
  Hope that helps!
  
  Reply
  1. Krista
    says:
    December 18th, 2015 at 8:14 pm
    
    Yes this helps a lot! I’ll continue to make this recipe, but find some other type for my bread machine! thank you! Again this recipe is AWESOME!!
  2. Lovefoodies
    says:
    December 18th, 2015 at 10:03 pm
    
    You’re welcome Krista. On a side note, does your bread machine come with a recipe book, and also, sometimes when you Google for the machine you have, and type cake recipe, you ‘might’ come up with one. Personally, I haven’t ever done such a recipe in my machine. But do let us know what you discover!!
    Happy Christmas to you and your family!
  3. Krista
    says:
    December 19th, 2015 at 5:39 am
    
    I do have a recipe book, and ended up making mini muffin’s with your recipe! I only wish I had more bananas to make a double recipe! As for my bread machine I have to fiddle with it some more, it isnt doing so hot in making bread.
  4. Krista
    says:
    December 19th, 2015 at 5:40 am
    
    Oh and Happy Christmas to you and yours as well! Be safe this holiday season!
Julie
says:
November 6th, 2015 at 2:56 am

I have substituted butter for coconut oil melted and wheat flour and truvia for sugar- comes out a little more dense- but awesome. Love the recipe how it is posted and give loaves as gifts but just wanted to share a slightly healthier alternative.

Reply
1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  November 6th, 2015 at 9:48 am
  
  Hi Julie,
  Thanks so much for adding your alternatives. It’s very helpful for any who might also want to change the recipe to their liking and of course since you have actually tried the changes and reported back, it makes it perfect advice!
  Much appreciated and we’re so happy you enjoyed reading the post too!
  Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
  
  Reply
The Joyful Mama
says:
October 10th, 2014 at 10:50 pm

Thank you for sharing your family recipe! I made my first loaf just now. I know how personal it can be to share your family recipes. She lives on!

Reply
1. lovefoodies
  says:
  October 10th, 2014 at 11:09 pm
  
  Hi The Joyful Mama,
  I will certainly let Heather know. She is always so happy when she sees people have made her grandma’s recipe, I agree it really is a special thing to be able to share something so personal. her grandma would be so happy too I am sure!
  Thanks for your comments,
  
  Mary
  
  Reply
Lil Smurfette
says:
July 31st, 2013 at 10:14 pm

Hi,

I have baked the banana bread. It turns out brilliant I must say for a novice baker like myself. I’ll send ya the pic via facebk. Cheers for sharing the recipe (y)

Reply
1. lovefoodies
  says:
  July 31st, 2013 at 10:22 pm
  
  Hey Lisa, so cool! Glad it turned out great. It is definitely a tried and tested recipe so I’m glad you had success with your baking! Please do send in a pic, I;d love to see your loaf!
  
  Reply
Bev Blais
says:
July 24th, 2013 at 5:57 pm

How do I print this page. It will not let me highlight. Thanks

Reply
1. lovefoodies
  says:
  July 24th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
  
  There is a PRINT FRIENDLY button top right, sitting above
  
  the main menu bar. from there you have several options to
  
  choose from.
  Thanks
  
  Reply
  1. Jacko
    says:
    July 20th, 2020 at 5:35 pm
    
    This here is got to be the best Banana Bread recipe you can ever find. It’s the secret of all secrets on making banana breads. I’ve tried and tested this myself a dozen times and it never fails. I even added variations like putting chocolate swirls and chocolate chips or almond and walnuts. It will only intensify the goodness and tastiness of this delectable treat. I thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe from the bottom of my heart. A special thanks to your grandmother as well. Good speed!
naomisgranny
says:
May 30th, 2013 at 4:14 pm

yep, this is the one I use all the time. I serve it at our bridge club and am constantly getting compliments..One trick, the riper the bananas the better. Mine usually sit in the refrig a month or more before I use them, seriously, by then they are so sweet and the bread turns out wonderful.

Reply
1. lovefoodies
  says:
  May 30th, 2013 at 4:20 pm
  
  Hi, I agree about the ripeness of the bananas! Over at our Facebook page, Lovefoodies, there you will see we are having a ‘banana browning’ exercise, as our group will all be making this recipe in the next couple of days! Would be lovely for you to pop over and say hello to us there!
  
  Reply
  1. Jacko
    says:
    July 20th, 2020 at 5:39 pm
    
    This here is got to be the best Banana Bread recipe you can ever find. It’s the secret of all secrets on making banana breads. I’ve tried and tested this myself a dozen times and it never fails. I even added variations like putting chocolate swirls and chocolate chips or almond and walnuts. It will only intensify the goodness and tastiness of this delectable treat. I thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe from the bottom of my heart. A special thanks to your grandmother as well. God speed!

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