
We’ve made a lot of different banana bread recipes over the years, but this sour cream version has become our favorite for its simplicity and consistently good flavor and texture.
The sour cream in the recipe adds both moisture and a subtle tangy flavor that helps to offset the sweetness of the bananas.
If you’re like us and prefer your baked goods lightly sweetened, this recipe is likely to become a favorite for you as well.
Tips for making sour cream banana bread:
- Use real, unsalted butter: The fat in butter is important to the overall flavor, moisture, and texture of baked goods, so when a recipe calls for real butter, it’s best not to make changes. Using unsalted butter gives you proper control over the quantity of salt needed to enhance flavor.
- Use overripe bananas: To get the richest banana flavor, wait for your bananas to get soft and develop a lot of brown/black spots. If you don’t have the time to make banana bread right away, peel the bananas, cut them into chunks, and freeze in a zip-top bag. When you’re ready to bake, defrost your bananas and mash with a fork.
- Use full-fat sour cream: Like butter, the sour cream in this recipe supplies some of the fat needed to produce a moist, tender texture. Light sour cream has a higher water content which will evaporate during baking and leave you with a drier end result.
Serving suggestions:
- Make sour cream banana bread sandwiches. Cut the bread into thin slices, then coat with a spread made from cream cheese combined with apricot jam or orange marmalade. Cut into small squares and serve as a snack.
- Toast slices until lightly crisped on the surface and spread with a little butter. Dust with cinnamon sugar and put them back in the toaster oven for about 30 seconds before serving.

Sour Cream Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3 medium
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9-1/2 x 5-1/2-inch loaf pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
- Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a separate bowl.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring just enough to combine thoroughly.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Banana Nut Bread Variation
If you like nuts in your banana bread you can add 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts to the butter and sugar mixture at the same time you add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla (Step 4).Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
five stars, the best banana bread ever, and i have tried a few. It’s a winner with children and grown ups alike.