This super soft, moist and perfectly dense Brown Sugar Banana Bread has the perfect amount of banana flavor with a crackly brown sugar top! It’s the only way we make banana bread now!
Moist Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Today is a good day to make some banana bread. Specifically, this Brown Sugar Banana Bread recipe. Why, you ask? Because nobody can turn down a freshly baked, dense slice of banana bread – it’s too delicious!
The rich caramel/molasses flavor provided by the brown sugar perfectly complements the mashed bananas in this quick bread recipe. However, the real reason you won’t be able to only eat one slice is the crackly sweet brown sugar top! It really makes this banana bread recipe stand out from the others!
You can eat it for breakfast, dessert, or a snack if you’re craving something sweet in the middle of the day. Plus you can get rid of those old bananas that have been sitting on the counter!
Recipe Ingredients
What exactly goes into making banana bread? Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to round up:
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour, but you could also use whole wheat flour or a mix of the two if you prefer.
- Baking Soda
- Salt: Can enhance the sweetness of the sugar.
- Cinnamon
- Mashed Pipe Bananas: I used about 4 large bananas.
- Vegetable Oil: you can also use melted butter in equal parts.
- Brown Sugar: It doesn’t matter whether you use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract: maple extract is also a fun addition to banana bread.
- Optional Topping: More brown sugar to get that epic crackly brown sugar top!
Dark or Light brown sugar?
Truthfully, you can use either. Light brown sugar will offer slightly less moisture, and will have more of a mild caramel flavor, rather than a darker molasses one. Dark brown sugar has a larger percentage of molasses and will offer more moisture to the bread and a stronger molasses flavor.
the best way to mash bananas
The easiest way to mash bananas is to use a stand/hand mixer. Start beating on low, and slowly increase the speed to medium or high. Slice the banana into smaller pieces before you start to make things easier.
If you don’t have a mixer, you can just mash the bananas with a fork by hand – it will take a little longer, but the results will be the exact same!
How to Make Brown Sugar Banana Bread
I love making banana bread because, while it does take a little over an hour, most of that time is baking time. It only takes 10 minutes to get the batter prepared and into the oven, which makes this bread a great baked good to make if you’re constantly busy!
Prep Work: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 baking loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy bread removal. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients: In large bowl, whisk together bananas, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.
Top Batter with Brown Sugar: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar. This is optional, but gives you that crackly brown sugar topping!
Bake the Bread: Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Around the halfway baking point, loosely tent the loaf pan with foil to prevent too much browning on top of the bread.
Let Cool and Enjoy: Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan. Slice and serve!
Tips for the Best Brown Sugar Banana Bread
And that’s pretty much all there is to it! Here are a couple of other tips, though, to help you get the best banana bread results:
- Add Chocolate or Nuts: If you like chocolate chips in your banana bread, feel free to add them. Toasted nuts are also a good addition.
- Using Regular Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, you can definitely sub in regular granulated sugar. If you have it, you can add a tablespoon or two of molasses to imitate that brown sugar flavor.
- Use Ripe Bananas: This is where your bread will get all the moisture. Bananas with lots of brown spots are best – bananas that are totally brown and way too soft will probably have too much moisture.
- How to Know When the Bread is Done: Use a toothpick to stick into the middle of the bread. When it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- Tent Your Bread: Make sure to make a foil tent over your bread (loosely cover the top of your bread with foil) half way through baking. Otherwise your bread will get too dark on top and the sugar will possibly burn as well.
How to Store Homemade Banana Bread
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week – you can also wrap this banana bread in a couple of layers of plastic wrap. If you would rather keep it on the counter, make sure to eat it within 2-3 days.
Can I Freeze this Quick Bread?
You can! Store this banana bread in an airtight container or tightly-sealed freezer bags for 2-3 months.
I personally like to wrap a slice (or the whole loaf) tightly in Saran Wrap, then a layer of foil and then into a freezer bag. This may be a little overkill, but my bread is always still delicious when I thaw it again!
Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups mashed pipe bananas, about 4 large bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 baking loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy bread removal. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together bananas, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Around the halfway baking point, loosely tent the loaf pan with foil to prevent too much browning on top of the bread.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan. Slice and serve!
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more banana recipes to try
Craving more easy banana recipes? Try out some of these:
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Best Banana Cake
- Coconut Banana Crunch Muffins
- Banana Fosters Cheesecake
- Banana Moon Pie Trifle
- Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins
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