Created By:Heather on | Updated:
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
This is a wonderfully moist sour cream banana bread recipe that will become your family favorite! Made with overripe bananas, sour cream to make it moist, and a hint of cinnamon, this banana bread is quick to make and doesn’t even require a mixer!
I don’t know about you but I always put a bunch of bananas in my grocery cart for the week. Always. Without. Fail.
And I usually do a pretty good job of eating them throughout the week. Mm, usually. Sometimes, not so much.
There tends to be a few left behind at the end of the week. Sometimes two. Maybe just one. But rarely, do I get through the entire bunch. And throwing out ripe bananas just seems WRONG. AmIright?!
So here’s what I do. I throw them in my freezer until I have enough to make some banana bread. Sometimes in a week I have the perfect amount. And if not, I add each ripe banana to my freezer collection. And then when the banana bread craving strikes – Voila! I have ripe bananas in my freezer waiting for me.
And so this time, my weekly batch and freezer bananas went to making good old, classic, (can’t believe it hasn’t been on the blog yet!?) banana bread.I’ve made a Healthy Banana Bread Recipe version, and even a Sourdough Banana Bread version…but a good old classic banana bread recipe made with sour cream? Nope. So it was high time I changed that!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Uses up those bananas that are about to go bad. That’s the best part about making banana bread! You want to use bananas that are overripe – dark, black and speckled.
- Quick to whip up – Banana bread is so quick to whip up. In about 15 minutes it’s ready to go in the oven.
- No mixer needed– To make banana bread all you need is a good whisk and a spatula and that’s it. No mixer needed here!
- Wonderfully moist – Sorry for those M word haters out there, but the addition of sour cream to this banana bread makes for a moist, soft, and just sweet enough with lots of banana flavor.
Use Ripe Bananas!
First let’s talk bananas. Your bananas for banana bread should very ripe. Black and speckled. This will mean they are very ripe so the sugars have really come through.
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
Ingredients Needed
- Flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly so your bread doesn’t come out dry and cakey. Stir the flour first, then spoon into your cup and level off. Do not pack it down or you will end up with too much flour. For best results weigh your flour.
- Baking soda – There is ONLY baking soda in this recipe. The photo shows baking powder, but that’s an OOPS on my part! Baking soda will help make your bread rise. Be sure your baking powder is fresh by testing a teaspoon of it with some vinegar or lemon juice to see if it’s bubbly and active.
- Salt – I prefer fine sea salt, so it dissolves easily into the batter, but kosher or table salt also works.
- Eggs – Two room temperature eggs for this banana bread recipe.
- Bananas – Of course we need bananas. I just mash mine in a bowl with a fork before I start. And be sure that you use very ripe bananas, that are black and speckled in color.
- Vanilla – For flavor. I like to use pure vanilla but imitation vanilla will also work.
- Sugar – I used granulated sugar, but you could also try swapping with coconut sugar for a healthier alternative. Or try replacing half of the sugar with light brown sugar! Sugar adds not only sweetness but also makes for a tender bread. If you’re looking to reduce the sugar in your quick bread, I recommend reducing by only a 1/4 to 1/3 cup.
- Cinnamon – I love adding a little cinnamon for flavor!
- Sour Cream – This adds fat and richness. I used full-fat sour cream, but I think light would work, but I don’t recommend fat free. You could try swapping out for greek yogurt, which I did in myhealthy banana bread recipe.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil, but canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil also would work. You could try substituting with melted butter or coconut oil as well, but it might change the moistness and texture slightly.
How To Make Sour Cream Banana Bread
Step 1: Mash Your Bananas
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat your oven to 350oF (177oC). Grease or line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a separate bowl, you want to mash your bananas. I just do this with a fork. It’s easier to get this done ahead of time, and have them mashed ready to go.
I used 4 bananas about 1 1/2 cups.
Step 2: Combine your dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl you want to whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. And then set aside.
Heather’s Baking Tip
Measure your flour accurately.I use the spoon and level method.You can learn how to measure your flour in this post. Adding too much flour to your banana bread will cause for a dense, dry cakey loaf. For best accuracy, I always recommend using a scale and weighing your flour.
Step 2: Mix The Wet Ingredients
In a second mixing bowl you want to combine your wet ingredients – oil, eggs, vanilla, bananas, sugar and sour cream.
Step 3: Fold In The Dry Ingredients
Now using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients. Just don’t overmix! Overmixing will cause the gluten in the flour to form and too much gluten creates a tough bread. So stop mixing once the last streak of flour is incorporated.
Baking 101
Do NOT over mix.I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
Step 4: Bake The Bread
Go ahead and spoon the batter into the pan with a spatula and smooth the top.
Then bake the bread in the center of your oven for 60-65 minutes at 350oF until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If baking with a glass loaf pan it may take a little bit longer.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Recipe FAQ’s
How long is this banana bread good for?
I find it’s great wrapped up for a week in your fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 days as long as the bread is well covered.
Can I freeze banana bread?
Yes! Allow the bread to cool completely and place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, I just let mine thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
Why did my sour cream banana bread recipe sink in the middle?
This probably means you did not bake it long enough. Make sure to test with a toothpick, and touch the top. It should spring back when touched. Also, different ovens can run at different temperatures. So it’s best to use an oven thermometer!
What pan is best?
I baked this banana bread in a 9×5 loaf pan. If you’re using a slightly smaller loaf pan (8 1/2 by 4 1/2″) then you may have additional batter leftover. Bake a few muffins with it! I recommend using a metal pan for best results. If baking with a glass pan, add on an additional 5 minutes of baking time.
Mix-Ins
- Chocolate Chips – Try my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread version!
- Peanut butter- Swirl in a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.
- Nutella – Make my Nutella Banana Bread version and swirl in some chocolate hazelnut version.
- Toasted walnuts (or pecans) – Stir in 3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts before baking.
- Blueberries – I love tossing in some fresh blueberries, check out my Blueberry Banana Bread
- Whole Wheat – Replace 1/2 of your flour with whole wheat flour and make a Whole Wheat Banana Bread version.
More Recipes To Try
- Banana Sourdough Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread
- Banana Cake
- Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
Let’s Bake Together!
Subscribe to mynewsletterto never miss a new recipe or baking challenge! And if you bake one of my recipes be sure to tag me onInstagram. You can also follow along with me onFacebookandYou Tube.
Banana Bread Recipe With Sour Cream
If you’re like me then you always have bananas in the house, and you can never eat them fast enough before they get all black and speckled. I love when my bananas get that way, because it means it’s time to make this sour cream banana bread. This banana bread recipe is moist and made without a mixer!
4.95 from 34 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 slices (1 9×5 loaf)
Calories: 305kcal
Author: Heather Perine
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour *spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) very ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat and prepare pan. Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 350oF (177°C). Spray a 9×5” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.
Mash bananas. In a small mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine wet ingredients. In the same mixing bowl with the bananas, whisk in the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream. Whisk to combine.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined.
Bake. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. (If baking in a glass pan, you may need to add on an additional 5 minutes of baking time). Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. Store the bread, and any leftovers, covered at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Keep wrapped at room temperature and store for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Banana bread will freeze great for up to 3 months. Just wrap it well. Then when ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
- Sour Cream – This adds fat and richness. You could try swapping out for greek yogurt, which I did in myhealthy banana bread recipe.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil, but canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil also would work. You could try substituting with melted butter or coconut oil as well, but it might change the moistness and texture slightly.
- Use Ripe Bananas. You want to make sure you use very ripe bananas. Bananas that have lots of black specks. The blacker the banana is the sweeter it will be. I actually like to freeze my bananas when they have gotten too ripe to use later for banana bread. If you use frozen bananas, then let the bananas thaw before using them.
- Mash first. Mash your bananas before adding them to the mixing bowl. I do this by hand with a fork since I have used frozen bananas they are very easily mashed. You could also use a pastry blender, potato masher, or a hand mixer.
- Measure your flour accurately. I use the spoon and level method. You can learn how to measure your flour in this post.
- Careful to not over mix. I like to use a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients by hand. You want to stop mixing once they have been incorporated. Too much mixing = too much gluten forming. Gluten is what will give a bread its chew, but for a banana bread you want less gluten to form. So we can accomplish that by making sure we don’t overmix!
- Use The Right Pan. I used a 9×5 loaf pan. Be sure it’s the right size. And make sure you aren’t using a dark loaf pan, which can bake too quickly and burn. If baking in a glass pan, add on an additional 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @BostonGirlBakes or tag #BostonGirlBakes!
