American
Sour Cream Banana Bread
A tender, deeply banana-flavored quick bread with a golden crust, a hint of cinnamon and toasted walnuts throughout.
- Uses overripe bananas
- Moist for days
- Freezes beautifully
This is the recipe that finally gives those spotty bananas on the counter a proper purpose. Sour cream keeps the crumb moist and tender for days, while a mix of brown and white sugar gives caramel notes and a crackly top. We mash the bananas only partially, so you get little pockets of pure banana in each slice. Toasting the walnuts first takes just a few minutes and makes them taste twice as rich.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling that overhangs the long sides.
Spread the walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast for 7 to 8 minutes, until fragrant. Cool and chop.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, leaving some small lumps.
Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar into the bananas until combined.
Whisk in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and fold with a spatula until just a few streaks of flour remain, then fold in the walnuts. Do not overmix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center registers 200 to 205 degrees F. Tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Test kitchen tips
- To ripen bananas fast, bake them in their peels at 300 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins turn black, then cool before mashing.
- Wrapped tightly, the bread keeps at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Freeze individual slices for quick breakfasts.
- Plain whole-milk Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream, and pecans or chocolate chips can replace the walnuts.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300
- Protein
- 5g
- Carbs
- 38g
- Fat
- 15g
- Fiber
- 2g
- Sugar
- 20g
- Sodium
- 250mg
Nutrition values are estimates calculated per serving. See our disclaimer.
