Make soft, rich, same-day sourdough banana bread at home with active starter or sourdough discard. One bowl. Simple recipe. My secret? All brown sugar, overripe bananas, and a specific mixing order for a velvety soft texture and bold, caramel taste.
I’ve tested hundreds of banana bread recipes in my career and here’s what I know: this is not your average sourdough banana bread. The texture is soft and smooth, like velvet. Everyone asks for the recipe. It’s the only banana bread recipe I make.
The original version comes from The Boathouse restaurant in Manly, Australia, which I adapted to include sourdough. You can use bubbly, active sourdough or sourdough discard– whatever you have is fine.
I like to make this recipe on the same day using leftover discard from fluffy sourdough pancakes, sourdough pasta or even sourdough bread. However, feel free to ferment the batter overnight if you prefer. The texture will only change slightly due to how much the flour absorbs overnight.
Want to bake more? Check out my full collection of sourdough discard recipes here.
What Makes It Ultimate?
- All brown sugar. When combined with perfectly overripe bananas and pure vanilla extract, it creates the most exquisite caramel taste. It will blow you away. No white sugar is used in this recipe.
- Specific mixing order. Typically when making a quick bread like this, you’d simply combine the wet and dry ingredients and call it a day. But here, you’ll cream a portion of the wet ingredients first, then add the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and olive oil. I was definitely hesitant about this mixing order (the batter looks totally strange when you get to the oil part). But it’s the science behind the banana bread’s velvety soft texture.
- No cinnamon. Shocking, I know. But your won’t miss it. Cinnamon is lovely but strong and the lack of it really let’s that caramel flavor shine through.
How To make Sourdough Banana Bread {Step-by-Step Recipe}
To Start: Preheat the oven to 360 F (that’s not a typo). Baking at 10 degrees higher than the standard 350 F gives this sourdough banana bread a nice lift. Thn coast your loaf pan with softened butter Normally, I use a 9×5-inch pan. You can also use three 7x3x2 mini loaf pans instead. I like to freeze the little ones individually. So cute!
Next: Add the bananas, brown sugar and vanilla extract to a bowl. Don’t bother slicing the bananas, just break them up by hand. Cream together with a stand mixer or hand held mixer. Add the eggs and the sourdough starter.
Add: The dry ingredients, followed by the milk and oil. The liquids will not blend in right away. Just keep mixing on low speed until completely absorbed. Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s).
To Finish: Place into a sheet pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Plan on 60-65 minutes for a standard loaf pan and 45 minutes for the mini pans. Cool before cutting into thick, sturdy slices.
Final Thoughts:
Friends, please look no further. This sourdough banana bread is truly the very best. It’s soft and moist, packed with caramel-banana flavor in every bit. Take a cue from The Boathouse restaurant and serve it with salted butter or mascarpone cheese for a decadent treat! Then come back and bake my moist sourdough blueberry muffins, these easy, no-roll sourdough scones, sourdough waffles (overnight or same day) and more.
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Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf or 3 mini loaves 1x
- Category: Sourdough Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Banana bread is a comfort food classic. My secret is plenty of brown sugar, overripe bananas, and a specific mixing order for the ultimate sourdough banana bread. Recipe adapted from The Boathouse restaurant in Manly, Australia.
Notes:
Out of sourdough starter? You can still make this recipe (and it’s delicious!). Increase the milk to 125 ml (1/2 cup) total.
You will need a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan or three 7x3x2 mini loaf pans for baking.
Ingredients
- Butter, for coating the pan
- 375 g overripe bananas (appx. 1 1/2 cups lightly smashed)
- 225 g (1 1/4 cups lightly packed) light or dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g (appx. 1/2 cup) active sourdough starter or or sourdough discard
- 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
- 125ml (½ cup) neutral flavored oil
- Powdered sugar, butter, and mascarpone cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360 F.
- Lightly coat three 7x3x2 mini loaf pans or one 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter.
- Add the bananas, sugar, and vanilla to a bowl. Cream with a hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (some small lumps of banana are okay).
- Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Add the sourdough starter.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Working in batches, add this to the banana mixture.
- Add the milk and oil and mix until just combined. Do not over do it; the banana bread will be tough.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). If using the mini loaf pans, place them onto a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes (for the mini loaf pans) or 60- 65 minutes (for the standard 9×5-inch pan), until rich golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cover with foil if the loaf browns too quickly.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve with powdered sugar for a nice touch!
Comments
Christine says
No other banana bread recipe compares and I’ve tried several. I’ve made this several times and recently switched to freshly milled flour with no issues. I think the milled wheat improves the texture and flavor. I use coconut oil as well. Still playing around with single loaf baking temperatures in order for the bread to be done inside when the loaf is peaked like in the pictures. But still an wonderful recipe.
Jason Cappellano says
Can you let the batter rest for the sourdough does it magic?
Paige says
Defo the best banana bread recipe EVER! I make it a lot and this recipe blows the rest out of the water. I’ve omitted the baking soda the last couple times and let it ferment on the counter for a few hours before baking. Amazing!!!
Roxana Flores Santiago says
I made this Sourdough Starter banana Bread and it’s AMAZING!! SOFT, MOIST, and I used coconut sugar that made it caramel and added coconut flakes and walnuts.
Emily says
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of milk for this recipe? I just so happen to have whipping cream and no milk today.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Good question. Because it contains significantly more milk fat, it will definitely alter the texture of the bread. Maybe do a 50/50 split with water to lessen the impact?
Caroline Pinto says
Could I sub melted butter for the neutral cooking oil?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes, you can do that. It will change the texture slightly, but it will still be delicious.
Lindsey says
Def the best banana bread I’ve made to date! I prefer the milder banana taste. I used butter for the oil. Added dark chocolate and walnuts and I let it ferment overnight on the counter. Mixed baking soda in before baking.
Lindsey says
I have made this recipe 4 times in the last 10 days. It is phenomenal!
Sage says
I’ve made this recipe probably every week for a whole month now. It is DELICIOUS and soooo easy! I was always doing discard crackers and wanted to venture out into something else! You won’t make regular banana bread ever again after making this!
Tracy says
I’m planning to make this in smaller loaf pans, 5″x3″x2″ for an upcoming bake sale. Do these freeze well?
Jennifer says
This is sooooo good, I was pleasantly surprised because it doesn’t have any spices in it. I love all your sourdough recipes 😊
Hannah Freiboth says
Do you have the nutrition facts for one serving? Thanks!
Claudia says
I would love this as well
Seyvion Collins says
I made 7 mini loaves. Divide up all the sugar from bananas, sugar and flour. Came out to a whopping estimate of 70g sugar per loaf. With 12g of fat. And I took some sugar out. Not the worst but it’sa treat. I didn’t bother with protein as most of it is just gluten.
Michelle says
Every time this turns out incredible! I was in autopilot and made it today WITHOUT EGGS. Oops! They turned out absolutely amazing, just as yummy as normal. This would make as a wonderful egg free recipe.
I made them as muffins this time. LOVE THIS RECIPE
Stephanie Fenton says
I am so glad you posted this! My kiddo has an egg allergy and has requested banana bread so I’ve been trying to find a recipe. I left out the eggs and it’s still turned out wonderful!! It’s flavorful, the texture is great, and the kids are devouring it. Will definitely keep this recipe handy because I have a feeling I’ll be making it again soon:)
Fara says
This banana bread was amazing. So light and fluffy. I made the small loaves and it was perfect.
Fleur says
This is the absolute best sourdough banana bread. I’ve made this almost every week, it’s so good.
Savonnah says
Great recipe! I substituted the vanilla extract for maple syrup and the egg with apple sauce. Turned out amazing. 1/4 cup apple sauce per egg and the same amount of maple syrup as what you would use for the vanilla extract, so 1 1/2 tsp but I added a little extra because I like my bread sweet. I also used coconut oil for the oil and sprinkled powdered sugar on top before and after baking. I also used half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour to try and make it a little healthier 😂. Thank you for this recipe, it will be a keeper for me. 💗
Jennifer Brown says
I tried this recipe – best banana bread I have ever made!!!!
Calminthekitchen says
First recipe I tried with my sourdough starter- it was very good! 👍 I added a bit of molasses and a little less brown sugar.
Diane Teixeira says
Made this and it was delicious! Will definitely make again.
Kayla says
Can I substitute the sugar with Maple syrup?
Nita says
I want to know the answer to this question as well!
Angelina says
My family is gluten-free and sugar-free, so I’m always trying to find good sourdough recipes that are manipulatable (dunno if that’s a word :P). I use either coconut sugar or maple syrup for all my baking that requires a sweetener. If the recipe calls for brown sugar I mix my coconut sugar with maple syrup and it turns out great! The only things that don’t meet my expectations is cookies. I CAN’T get my cookies gooey chewy without real sugar. I also either let it sit overnight (so that it can be TRUE sourdough) or start it early in the morning and bake it before getting ready for bed. I’m teaching my little brother how to make this today. He came down for breakfast with the inspiration of making banana bread on his own for the first time! :D Thanks so much for this amazing. recipe! Its so good and easy to follow!
Sophie says
This banana bread is amazing, soft and tasty. So good! My colleagues loved it
Rick says
Never used SD discard in a recipe….so my first. Just made this bread… first I started smelling it then the wait. Check after 60 min in the middle… straw came out wet. Added ten minutes and perfect. Now cooling. .
Had a slice, not bad. Not as dense as others I have had. I like it! Now for another slice with milk!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for your feedback, Rick. Glad you enjoyed it!
Paula says
First time using discard for banana bread. This recipe was a show-stopper. Crispy top, moist soft crumb.
First time it overflowed. Had to cover with tin foil every time I’ve made this.
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you Paula! 🥰
Jill says
My first batch overflowed, too. I should have known better, the pan was looking too full. I’ll hold back some batter and make 3 or 4 muffins next time!
JoJo says
Holy Moly, this is the best banana bread i’ve ever eaten! Homemade/cafe, nothing else compares to this one. Kids loved it too. Will turf my previous trusty recipe for good.
Chrisha says
I’m new to sourdough and eager to learn. Can you please explain why this recipe calls for bubbly active starter when it’s not going to bulk ferment instead of using discard? Thank you so much in advance for sharing your knowledge! I’m loving my sourdough journey.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Short answer: for this recipe, the goal was to simply observe how bubbly, active starter would affect the rise & texture when the batter was baked right away (and not fermented). The result would’ve been slightly different if it was fermented overnight in the fridge, let’s say, which is fine. Just different. As you continue to bake, you’ll notice that some discard recipes call for active or discard- sometimes they can be used interchangeably depending on the recipe.
Chrisha says
Thank you! Would bulk fermenting this loaf, make it more like an artisan loaf and less like a quick bread?
Emilie Raffa says
Not at all. Artisan sourdough bread is a completely different recipe. So, even if you chose to ferment this banana bread, which you can, it won’t become sourdough bread (like the kind you slice for sandwiches). It will remain sourdough banana “quick” bread which has more of a tender, cake-like texture.
Chrisha says
Okay, that makes sense. Do you know of an artisan banana recipe? Or would that just be using banana as an inclusion?
Emilie Raffa says
Unfortunately, I don’t. Sounds interesting though! You would have to add actual banana (which may or may not work) or chopped, dried banana chips.
Tim Davis says
The grandkids love it!
Mais says
Fantastic recipe, looking forward to trying it! Can the sourdough banana bread be stored in a container on the counter at room temperature or do I have to refrigerate it?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! On the counter is fine. I usually just cover the top of the loaf in the pan with plastic wrap.
Clem says
Can you ferment the dough overnight?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! You can try doing so in the fridge overnight. The texture will change slightly.
Vasiliki says
This is a fantastic recipe! Congratulations for the idea, it turned out fantastic indeed and my addition were raspberries and some bits of chocolate- yummie and fresh! Vasiliki
R says
My go-to banana bread recipe! Have made with discard as well! I add cinnamon and a touch of ginger powder. My 3 young kids all devour it!
Britani says
This will forever be my go to banana bread recipe! It’s so good and always comes out perfect.
BFredly says
Good recipe! First time the batter bubbled out of the loaf pan and did not rise properly in that pan. Too much batter ? Doesn’t matter, the other loaf pans did just fine. Tasted great. This time I am using a jelly roll pan and baked it for half an hour. It has turned out very well indeed.
Amanda Smith says
Wow!!! This is the best banana bread recipe ever! I didn’t have brown sugar so I made my own with sugar and molasses and it was amazing! I also added some pecans :) i have never found a recipe that made an almost sugary crust and this one has it. I highly recommend using a food scale for ingredients because the first time I made it with measuring cups it was good but using the food scale was a game changer.
Marie says
I’ve been searching for a good banana bread recipe and this one is perfect! I always hate discarding my cup of sourdough starter when I am not making bread, plus I had a bunch of “perfectly” ripe bananas. It was a win win! I followed the recipe exactly except that I added pecans. It turned out wonderfully! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Kshep says
Wow! This is the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted. Using the sour dough starter made it fluffy and moist with an amazing crispy top. Great recipe
Katie says
It was delish, made it last night and it’s pretty much all gone lol! I highly recommend sifting the dry ingredients but 10/10
Dax says
Just made it, it’s awesome!
Esther says
Followed directions. Worked perfectly. Soo… soft and delicious.
Thank You
Lydia says
Not to be dramatic, but this is the best banana bread I’ve ever made/had 10/10
Brandy says
Can I use more banana then listed? I really like this bread but I used very ripe bananas and it doesn’t taste very sweet or have much banana flavor.
Steph says
I add a little molasses or extra sugar to sweeten it!
Rex says
Honestly, the best banana bread I’ve ever had. I am going to be letting alot of bananas go ripe in the future so I can make more of this!
Moonwolf says
Amazing!!!!! Wow. I cut 1/4 cup sugar out added wee orange Zest walnuts and cherry craisns.
Amy J. says
This is a fantastic banana bread!
I followed the recipe except for using buttermilk (try it!) My family keeps asking when I’m making it again lol…. thank you for sharing this lovely loaf. ❤️
Amanda says
Hi! Did you keep everything else the same except using buttermilk? That’s what I’m planning on doing and I was searching the comments hoping someone had tried it before me!
Katy says
I just made this! It was incredible! I added dark chocolate and walnuts. This will be our new go-to recipe!
Rhonda Wells says
If you use discard but were to allow the batter to rest before baking for some time, would it have any chance of rising more? (almost like the unfed starter was getting a big sweet snack)?
Suzanne says
Best banana bread ever. Reminds me of my grandmothers. Never making any other recipe!
Jaime says
Just made this and it is SOOO delicious! And easy!
Leaving this comment as I had inadvertently made several substitutions (thought I had this and that but didn’t). Trust it will still turn out amazing…
I used overipened bananas that I froze last month and thawed out overnight.
Almond milk (hubs is lactose intolerant so we don’t have milk in the house).
Bread flour instead of all – purpose, since it was all we had.
Olive oil (I chose the one in our pantry that had the most mellow flavor profile).
Reduced the sugar to just under a cup (trying to cut back). It was plenty sweet enough for me. My husband drizzled some honey on his slice, to sweeten it up to recipe standard.
Apart from that, I followed everything else precisely :p
Thank you for this recipe! It’s in my favorites box.
Kylee says
The smell, the look, all great why is it raw though? I am high altitude and even the banana bread recipe I normally use just suddenly started to always be raw. It is extremely frustrating so I completely stopped baking banana bread. Now since I have been baking sourdough I decided I would give it a go. And it is raw. I mean complete liquid inside. :( so bummed.
Any tips?
Shin says
I put tinfoil over the loaf after like 30-40 minutes and then give it like another 30-40 min covered until it’s cooked while preventing burning
Dawn says
Hi – have you confirmed the temp of your oven is accurate? Just a thought!
Gabe says
Can you do this with 100% almond flour? If so, is it 1:1 sub for AP to almond flour?
If not, what would be best substitute and ratio?
Julia says
Can’t substitute almond flour for AP flour 1:1. Almond flour has high absorption. Need a different recipe.
Lauren says
I just made this banana bread – WOW! I subbed out half the flour for freshly ground white whole wheat. My starter is also 100% whole wheat. The flavor was outstanding! I’ve tried this recipe in the past with discard and my results were not as great. This time my starter was ripe and the bread was perfect! This is the ONLY banana bread I will ever make again. Thank you!
Stephanie says
This is the first recipie I’ve made using my discard. I did have to make a couple changes due to resources on hand, but holy moly they are so good!
Here are the changes I made:
*200g flour + 25g vanilla protein powder (I ran out of flour)
*Made them in muffin tins so they could be given as gifts and also easy to grab and go.
Preed says
Thanks for the insight in adding protein powder.