Buttermilk Banana Bread

Buttermilk banana bread is light, fluffy, moist, and flavorful!

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword banana bread with buttermilk, buttermilk banana bread, moist buttermilk banana bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 2 5

Servings slices

Calories 245kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together mashed banana, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
For the cinnamon sugar topping, stir together the 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the batter.
Bake until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Do not overbake (my bread is usually done in about 50 minutes).
Remove from the oven, unmold from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Use very ripe bananas for maximum flavor and sweetness. You want them to look quite speckled and brown! Mash them in a bowl with a fork, or place them in a large Ziploc bag and squeeze them with your hands until they’re perfectly mashed.

Use thick, full-fat buttermilk. This adds richness, moisture, and flavor to the bread that you don’t get with low-fat varieties.

Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until they’re combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is NOT over-mixing.

The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use (and on your individual oven). I prefer light-colored pans (or gold pans), which cook the bread more evenly. Dark metal pans tend to cause the outside to burn before the inside cooks through. You’ll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

If the top of the bread starts to get too dark before it’s cooked through, tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Do not overbake the bread or it will become dry. My loaves are typically done by the 50-minute mark, so check it early.