The Best Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure.
One bite of this sourdough banana bread will convince you to make this easy recipe all the time. Imagine wrapping your hands around a warm slice on a cozy Sunday morning, the comforting aroma filling your kitchen as the buttery, tangy flavor melts in your mouth and transports you back to simpler times.
This isn’t just banana bread – it’s pure homemade bliss that you’ll want to come back to again and again.
While the addition of sourdough makes this banana bread super moist and more complex in flavor, it’s also so uncomplicated to make that you’ll be baking it all the time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
The ingredients
These are the simple ingredients you need:
- flour: regular all purpose flour is perfect for this recipe
- baking soda: this leavening agent is great with sourdough
- salt: a little salt brings out the sweetness of this recipe
- brown sugar: the caramel-like taste of brown sugar compliments the bananas
- melted butter: I love using a high-quality butter such as Kerry Gold
- eggs: create structure and lightness
- vanilla extract: I love adding vanilla to this banana bread
- sourdough starter: you can absolutely use your sourdough starter discard
- bananas: ideally you want overripe bananas for the best banana flavor
Useful tools and equipment
For best results, be sure to have these kitchen tools handy:
- medium bowls: I love using 2 bowls, one for mixing the dry ingredients and a slightly bigger one for the wet ingredients
- flour sifter: I love sifting my flour as I find it easier to fold it in
- hand mixer: a hand blender gives me a bit more control over the mixing process but you could use a stand mixer
- loaf pan: I use a 9″x5″ Pyrex loaf pan
- wire rack: to allow this quick bread to cool down
Substitutions and variations
This is always the fun part:
- bananas: while it’s ideal to use very brown bananas, you can certainly use them before they’re dark brown but you might like to add a touch more sugar
- brown sugar: you could also use coconut sugar or mix regular white cane sugar with some molasses
- butter: insted of butter you can also use coconut oil
- nuts: walnuts or pecans work great in this recipes
- chocolate: a handful of chocolate chips works great in this recipe
How to serve
- you can’t beat the simplicity of just enjoying a slice of warm banana bread on its own
- for extra flavor, you can spread a slice with some coconut oil, melted butter, a dollop of sour cream, whipped cream, or even peanut butter
- you might like to toast slices of banana bread which will get you a crisp exterior and moist interior
- you can satisfy your sweet tooth by drizzling it with some honey, maple syrup, melted chocolate, or even some egg liqueur
Can you long-ferment it?
Yes, you can! With a longer fermentation, you get a deeper sourdough flavor but also properly fermented grain.
The day before: Simply beat the eggs with the sugar until very fluffy, add the sourdough starter and the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge.
The next day: Fold in the remaining ingredients and bake right away.
How long does it last?
This sourdough banana bread will last for up to 5 days. Be sure to keep it in a ziplock bag or an airtight container to keep it from drying out.
For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer bag.
Other sweet breads you might like
Delicious Sourdough Lemon Cake
Moist Sourdough Zucchini Bread
How to make this dish
Here is an overview of the recipe. For full instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan.
- Into a medium bowl sift the flour with the baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl beat the melted butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Continuing to mix, add one egg at a time.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix well.
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients
- Transfer the dough the the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 60 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the loaf pan and cool on wire rack.
Tips For Success:
- Very ripe bananas are best but if you don’t have them you can bake them at 250˚F for about 30 minutes. You can also peel them, break them into chunks, and freeze them overnight (this is also great way to keep ripe bananas but aren’t ready to bake yet).
- Resist the temptation to overmix the dough as it will strengthen the gluten structure and make the banana bread a bit tougher.
- This sourdough banana bread recipe isn’t overly sweet. Feel free to adjust the sweetness of this recipe to your prefence.
- You can either leave the mashed bananas a bit chunky or mash them all the way if you like it better that way.
- You can either use sourdough discard or your active sourdough starter.
- You can make a whole loaf or make sourdough banana muffins. Simply shorten the baking time to about 20-25 minutes.
- Instead of greasing and flouring the loaf pan, you can also line it with parchment paper.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
Sourdough Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 medium bananas very ripe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). LIghtly grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar. With a hand mixer beat on high until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 egg at a time, beating until very fluffy.
- With a fork mash the bananas to desired consistency.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients to the butter sugar egg mixture. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold them in until just incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 60 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out just clean.
- Remove the banana bread from the loaf pan. Let it cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- be sure to not overmix the batter
- optional: fold in some nuts or chocolate chips before baking
- you can also line your loaf pan with parchment paper
- you can use and active sourdough starter or your sourdough discard
So I decided to do the long ferment. I put all the ingredients in that you said the night before I thought it was kind of tough, but I thought maybe in the morning when the mix in the oil and the bananas it would be better, but it was lumpy and I had to toss the whole thing. I think all the wet ingredients like the oil and the bananas probably should’ve been mixed the night before
I am sorry you felt you had to throw it all out. It might be better to mix everything and let the whole unbaked bread ferment in the refrigerator overnight ~ Anja
Loved the banana bread and was wondering if you could make cranberry and nuts instead of bananas. Would any of the ingredients need to be alteried. I am very new at sourdough but not a quittier. Thank you so much, Marilyn
Nice! Since the bananas add moisture, I would say add a bit more butter and maybe a bit of milk if you want to use cranberries and nuts ~ Anja
Though I’ve made banana bread many times, this was my first attempt using sourdough–a really lovely recipe! The sourdough and banana flavors didn’t compete, and it wasn’t as sugary sweet as many recipes I’ve tried (which I appreciate personally). Easy to follow and my children loved it!
Love that you love it! Thank you so much ~ Anja
Hello Anja,
I was so excited to try your Sourdough Banana Bread recipe. Once I had it in the bread pan I realized that your recipe didn’t list sourdough starter in it.
I’m guessing it would have been about 1/2 cup, but I just baked it without the starter this time.
Please let me know the correct amount so I can add it to my recipe.
Thanks so much – for sharing all of your delicious recipes!!!
Yes, I had updated the recipe. It should be ½ cup but I am glad you’re enjoying all my recipes ~ Anja
Just wanted to let you know that your recipe for Sourdough Banana Bread doesn’t list sourdough starter in the ingredients.
Thank you, I had already updated the recipe (if it’s not showing it’s a caching issue) ~ Anja
Hallo, wie viel Sauerteig kommt denn in den Teig? Das fehlt bei den Zutaten.
Liebe Grüße
½ Tasse; ich habe das ergänzt, hoffe, daß Rezept zeigt es an ~ Anja
Is this recipe using Fresh milled flour?
Not necessarily but that would work ~ Anja
I hope you’ll love this banana bread as much as we do! Let me know if you have comments or questions!