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
This is my go-to banana bread recipe, with or without the sourdough. I like the all brown sugar approach. However, the banana measurement instruction to weigh with the skin on makes no sense when what I usually do is save my overripe bananas, peeled and in pieces, in the freezer. I’m estimating that two medium bananas is about 2/3 cup, but an actual volume measurement in the recipe would be great.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Christine! Thanks for the feedback :) The volume equivalent is about 1 1/2 cups lightly smashed bananas. I slice them first, smash gently in a bowl, and then measure out. I’ve adjusted the recipe above for clarification. Hope this helps!
PS: Lately, I’ve been freezing the smashed bananas flat in a ziplock bag. Super easy to use for this recipe!
Jen says
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious!
David H Levine says
This is the third time I’ve baked this cake. It’s in the oven now. It’s been intergalactic the first two times. I’ve held off my coffee all day so that I can enjoy it with this cake which I know I will. Thanks.
Dr. Piroja Pardiwalla says
That looks like a yummy banana bread, however I do not like to use baking soda or baking bowder. Hence wanted to know if you have tried the same recipe without baking powder and added more of the sourdough starter and allowed it to rise naturally? If so, could you guide how much starter to be added and how much milk and flour to be added then.
Thank you.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I haven’t tested this recipe without baking soda, so I’m unable to advise with specifics. However, I do know that naturally leavened sourdough items follow a very specific formula + method in order to be successful. If I come across any info, or experiment further, I’l update here.
Eileen says
It’s so moist I added chocolates chips its divine…5 stars
Emilie Raffa says
Eileen, I’ve done this before and it’s fantastic. Bananas + chocolate = yum!
Ashley says
This was absolutely delicious! I used a little unsweetened applesauce to replace some of the oil and it was still delish!
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo yum! This is a great tip. Love baking with applesauce.
Sammie Bolinder says
I’ve made a million banana bread recipes in the past and this one is by far my fav! I used a starter that hadn’t been fed in 24 hrs but it still rose and gave such a wonderful full flavor. Thanks for this recipe!! So so good.
Sue says
Sorry, I was careful to use weight measures but found this a little on the dry side and quite bland in flavour.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sue! Thanks for your feedback! This loaf shouldn’t be dry. Out of curiosity, are you using Canadian flour?
Sammie Bolinder says
Wow I can not relate, I followed the recipe to a T and it came out moist and light, not dense, and full of flavor!
Elœ says
Five star rating as a base recipe, as I made several adjustments according to what I had in my kitchen. It was a yummy success and I am posting my notes on here for anyone who might have similar ideas.
My adjustments were: more banana, less brown sugar, a non-active sourdough starter, less baking soda, added baking powder, olive oil as per another commenter’s suggestion, and oat milk. My results were soft and moist yet compact cakes, not overly sweet, with a lovely banana flavor (love that this recipe has no cinnamon!!). I ended up splitting a 9×7 glass Pyrex into two sections with an aluminum foil middle and baking two different breads at the same time. They rose well and both had pretty domes, albeit a bit cracked, but I actually loved the look. I tested the cakes at 45 minutes and they still needed a bit longer, I covered the top with aluminum foil and put them back for 5 extra. At 50 minutes my knife came out clean.
My weighed ingredients were roughly this:
around 420g of bananas (I started with 380g but decided to add one more banana for a sweeter bread, total 4 bananas, small organic ones)
113 g starter (not too active, my starter is still getting going)
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
116 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
60ml oat milk
125ml olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
I’m eating a slice for breakfast right now ;•) Thanks for the recipe!
Lori says
Hi,
Just wondering. Did you cut out the flour entirely? Interested in your adjustments but I’m thrown by no flour listed in your ingredients.
Thank you!
Elœ says
Haha! I forgot to list the flour measurement, thanks for letting me know, I kept it as per your recipe, 250g (of KA umbleached AP.)
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds divine. Thank you for sharing!
bedoor says
mine is in the oven right now
can’t wait to try it
thanks for the recipe
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome. Enjoy!
bedoor says
it was the BEST banana bread I have ever eaten period
I make a lot of banana bread ( I think I made around 500 times in life ) and it always something i grab in coffee shop when I am in a hurry
I used to have 3 favorite recipes .. but this recipe come on top and I think I will keep my starter fed just for this recipe & sourdough focaccia in your book
thanks again for sharing an amazing recipe and making us happy :)
Marsha B says
I had some ripe bananas from our tree and extra sour dough starter on hand, so this seemed like the perfect recipe to put them to good use. It came out great! The banana bread mini-loaves rose high and was so delicious. Recipe is definitely a keeper.
Emilie Raffa says
Glad you liked it Marsha!
Stewart says
This is the ultimate banana sourdough bread!!!! Just made this, substituted the milk for almond milk amd the oil for cold pressed olive oil( I love the flavour) 10/10. So good.
Emilie Raffa says
Stewart, I’ve made this many, many times with olive oil and it’s fantastic. I agree with you: it adds a nice depth of flavor. Almond milk is a great sub too!
Aeh Ratanavibhas says
Simple and easy recipe with the great result! My family and friends really like this banana bread – they said this is the best recipe of banana bread I have baked so far! I have baked it 3 times already and will stick with this recipe. Thanks Emilie!
Emilie Raffa says
You are very welcome! It’s our favorite too! Just baked 6 loaves this weekend to freeze.
Aubrey says
Does this banana bread freeze well??
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Aubrey! Yes, you can absolutely freeze this bread. We do it all the time. Wrap completely cooled loaves in plastic; freeze for a couple of months. Defrost at room temp. Great for last minute guests!
Meghan Bradley says
I love this recipe! It is a go-to in my house. I make it into muffins to send with my kids for school snacks. (usually get 16-18 muffins)
Emilie Raffa says
Fantastic! We make mini muffins, which are fun too! You can also eat 10 of them ;)
David says
Delicious! I tried this recipe last night and used an extra bubbly starter so it rose quite a bit in the oven from what was a very loose batter to a voluminous and undoubtedly moist banana bread! I realised once I’d creamed the sugar and bananas that I’d run out of vanilla although this didn’t hinder the banana bread at all. It’s packed with banana flavour and I think the sourdough starter tempers the sweetness of the bread.
Emilie Raffa says
Fantastic. Sounds incredible, David! Thanks for sharing our experience with us.
Johanna says
I wanted to take advantage of my starter that was bubbling and happy so I made this! Turned out soooo good!!! I have a few staple banana chocolate chip bread recipes that I follow, but this is so fluffy and delicious! Next time I’ll make 3 smaller ones.
Emilie Raffa says
Glad you liked it, Johanna! Thanks for your feedback :)
Barkha says
Made this lovely cake with unfed starter
Turned out great !!
Brynn the Baker says
Sooooo goooood! I subbed gluten free flour and gluten free starter (bobs red mill 1:1) I made it in muffin tins as some comments said it needed longer to bake and got pretty dark on top. Muffins solved this by only needing 22 mins of bake time to be perfectly done! So happy it worked!! I’ve made many sourdough discard banana breads and this one of definitely a 10/10!!! Moist, airy, sweet and very banana and brown sugar forward. Reminds me of my fav dessert: bananas foster! Yum! Also added chocolate chips to half the muffins for fun! Will definitely make again and share this recipe with others!
Amy says
I’ve made this recipe at least ten times but my sourdough died. What can I substitute for the sourdough please? Thanks!
Cynthia says
Wow, I made this for the first time and it will be added to all my future baking with leftover starter or discard! This was light, airy, tastes of caramelised banana, absolutely divine! I added some shredded carrots, decrease the brown sugar a bit and added some honey to substitute. I love it, thank you for this amazing recipe
Kali Kilmartin says
Made this banana bread four times now- it’s amazing!! Thank you so much! Added chia seeds and walnuts which gave it some extra texture, was delicious.
joseph smith says
Way too hot, outside was burnt before inside was cooked
Mariannick Halai says
Quite simply the best cake I’ve ever eaten… The flavour and velvety texture are outstanding and yet so simple to execute… I added some Walnuts and it added a bit of a crunch. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, it’ll be a firm family favourite going forward. 😊🙏🏻
Aruna says
Hello Emilie! Thank you for the great recipe. Always happy to learn new ways to use up my discard. I have used Erythritol instead of sugar and added some inulin for extra fibre but it tastes divine and the texture is definitely velvety. Loved it! 🙏🏽❤️
Kristy says
I added a cup of fresh blueberries to this and it is amazing. The bake time needs about 10 more minutes. Try it!
Davina Ma says
I wanted to minimize sourdough starter discard waste, so this was a great way to use it up, as we make banana bread regularly anyways. My partner added chocolate chips and walnuts as usual. No commercial leavening agent (baking powder or soda) needed!
This turned out fantastic. The rise on it was almost double our regular banana bread! I guess our starter was very active! The exterior crisped up really nicely and the flavour was great. Definitely not sour but I think more caramelly, maybe because if the sourdough but also maybe that it only uses brown sugar?
If you want a healthier version of banana bread, this is it. You could also experiment with different flours.
An says
This looks delicious, I love the sound of creaming the bananas and sugar together! Though I am wary of using oil in banana bread as it can sometimes turn greasy or overly moist, would substituting the same amount of melted butter work?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I’ve made this with butter before and it’s delicious. Butter to oil is not an exact swap. You would actually use 2/3 cup butter here. But if you want, I bet it would work just as well with 1/2 cup.
An says
Thanks so much, can’t wait to try it!
Jeanette says
Second time making it in a week! Absolutely delicious and what a great way to use discard! I add chocolate chips and walnuts to half of it, and leave the other half plain. Happy family!
Lee R says
I’ve made this recipe three times already, and it’s absolutely the best banana bread I’ve ever made! I even subbed out flax for egg and oat milk for a vegan version, and it was even better! Thanks for this wonderful mixing technique!
Lori says
Hi, can I cut down the sugar to half or more? Wont it affect the texture? Thanks
Aruna says
Hi Lori! I made it this morning using erythritol and it’s really good. Obviously, it tastes less sugary than sugar but the bananas and the vanilla essence balance things out. No change in texture.
Tish Reid says
I just made this banana bread this evening – doubled up the amounts, but made a mistake with the sugar and instead of 450g I used 185g……. and it turned out A-MAZING! Texture was good and the taste was lovely. I generally reduce sugar content by approx 20%when I’m baking as we find the recipes tend to be over sweet, but would never have reduced by over 50%.
isabelle says
I love this recipe! Do you think/know if it would work in muffin form?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Absolutely! I don’t have the exact bake time off the top of my head, but I’d try 18-20+ minutes to start.
Eva says
Amazing! Best banana bread I ever made and so good to be able to use my sourdough starter for it. Everyone loved the bread. I got a nice rise out of it too which is always a challenge for banana bread.
I added cinnamon because I love it and made it in one big loaf tin. It took longer than an hour and I had to cover it with foil as it was getting pretty dark. My oven is a bit dodgy though – nonetheless it turned out well!
Highly recommended.
Emma Conrathe says
Too good. I can’t stop eating it, ❤️
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Enjoy!
Kristina KIRK-JANJIC says
This was my first time trying sourdough banana bread and it won’t be the last! I couldn’t believe how amazing it turned out! So delicious and perfectly baked! The recipe was simple to follow as well. I have almost given up making banana bread – It always seemed to be under-baked and soggy but not this time. I did have to bake it for about 10=12 mins more than was asked – but I just kept checking it after the 60 min mark and when a tooth pick came out clean I knew it was baked. And it was PERFECT! Thank you for this recipe!
Roberta says
I just baked your pumpkin bread recipe. It came out perfectly moist on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside. I followed it exactly as per your recipe. Excellent!
Emilie Raffa says
Fantastic! Glad you liked it, Roberta :)
Alyssa says
I’ve made this recipe several times now and love it! I always make a couple modifications though:
I double it, but keep the original amount of sugar (I still find it sweet enough). I swap the ratio of oil to milk and use either whole wheat or spelt flour. And add chocolate chips or nuts!
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds fantastic- love the spelt!
Cheryl Brady says
I love your sourdough recipes and tips, much more information here than any other site. I am in Australia and very keen to try your discarded starter recipes, but have a couple of questions. Are your measurements US? I guessed yes with temps being farenhight but want to be certain. Also we use self raising flour which has a riser in it, would I need to still add further baking soda?
I love that the banana cake recipe is from Manly here in Australia.
Regards
Cheryl
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cheryl! Yes: all measurements are US. Regarding the self raising flour, that’s a very good question. I haven’t tested it this way! I would still make the recipe as is first, with the baking soda, and see how that goes.
PS: I’m not sure where you are located in Australia, but if you ever have a chance to visit the Boathouse restaurant (I believe they have a few locations?) the banana bread truly is the absolute best. xx
Kellyn says
Any thoughts on weighing frozen bananas? Or has anyone given that a go (I know I’m not the only one with a freezer full of them!)
Weigh them frozen or defrosted? Does it change the weight required?
Rachel Perlow says
That’s pretty much what I want to know too. Why weigh the ingredient with the part you’re going to discard?
Kristy says
This is now my go-to banana bread recipe. I love that it is not overly sweet and the taste of banana comes through beautifully. The texture is not too heavy, yet it holds up to being transported to work with me everyday for breakfast. I pop a slice in the microwave for 30 seconds and it tastes like it just came out of the oven. I also like that I can use my sourdough discard to make the bread.
Jeanne says
Can you make this recipe with Buttermilk instead of milk?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Absolutely. Enjoy :)
Jeanne Leone says
I made this recipe with Buttermilk, and added a little more baking soda, some cinnamon, and some nutmeg and it is divine! The bread jusr melts in your mouth. From now on, I’m going to use Buttermilk! This recipe is a favorite for my while family!
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds perfect. Love buttermilk. Thanks Jeanne! xx
Helen says
So moist and delicious! I veganised it in the same way as another commenter (used 2 flax eggs and oat milk) and it worked perfectly! I had more bananas to use up than the recipe called for (375g after peeling – 3.5 medium ones) so reduced the milk to 50ml and the oil to 80ml as the mixture looked quite slack. Used muffin trays and they took 28 minutes to do. (I ended up with about enough batter for 12-14 muffins). This will be my go-to banana bread recipe… now I just have to hope I don’t have any issues tonight as I forgot the batter contained raw sourdough and ate quite a lot of it :P Thank you!!
Kim says
I am 100% a beginner so this may be dumb, but it says this is a discard recipe, yet the ingredients list says to use 100% active, bubbly starter. Does this mean you can’t store the discard in the fridge for a day or so and then use it? Thank you!
Kim says
Hi Kim, fellow Kim here and I made these with part fridge starter and part active, it was incredible and I doubt it really matters much since there are other leaveners. I baked them into muffins, wrapped them up to share with a group and everyone raved. I don’t like bananas and don’t love banana bread but these really have a great texture. It’s been a minute but I thought I might as well respond to your comment while giving it a rating, I hope you try them!
Ria Revenaugh says
I have had difficulty with the way things are set up here. On the banana discard cake recipe, I can’t find the ingredient list or amounts. I must be missing something. Obviously
Emilie Raffa says
Ria, just scroll down to the bottom of this post (before the comment section). You’ll find a printable recipe with the ingredients and amounts :)
Anna K says
This was tasty! I didn’t bother using any other tools but a whisk and a couple of bowls. It took about 1hr 15 min for a single loaf to be done (no convection) and it came out a bit too dark and crispy around the edges. I recommend baking in 3 mini loaf pans as the resipe suggests or in muffin tins.
Jenn says
So I have a fav recipe that I altered and replaces the white flour with WW and rolled oats, so I tried that here and it turned out delicious! I did bake it in a rectangular glass dish as I was concerned it might not cook in the middle as a large loaf based on their comments. The result was a lovely light cake / loaf. Next time I will try to cold ferment it for a few days to make it more healthy!
Paul says
A wonderful recipe! Tried it last night. I’m curious what part the sourdough starter plays in this, as there’s not enough time to ferment the batter. Is it a flavor enhancement? I’m assuming the rise came from the baking soda like a quick bread.
Shelley says
This is really the ultimate BEST banana bread! Thank you very much for sharing this awesome recipe. Appreciate it!
The banana bread is so moist and soft; a comfort breakfast which I enjoyed it with some walnuts and a good cup of tea. It’s a happy Monday (in KL here) hahahah…..
Emilie Raffa says
So glad you liked it, Shelley! Thank you! :)
Claudia from Nevada says
This came out delicious! I realized after it was in the oven that my banana weight was without skins which explained why it took a bit longer. I made the following substitutions/changes: Used coconut milk 1:1 for regular milk, olive oil, old bananas in my freezer that we use for smoothies that we thawed, 1 c of unpacked brown sugar as recipes are often sweeter than I would prefer, I left out the vanilla so I could better taste the caramelization of the bananas, 3 scoops of vegetable based protein powder, and I dumped in the remainder of the walnuts I had in my fridge. The baking time took approximately an extra 10 minutes due to my poor reading re: the bananas and I tented with foil for the last 25 minutes. The outside is dark and I thought I over-baked and ruined the loaf, but I was surprised to find that it was still very moist and delicious and the outside had a lovely subtle crunch. It would have been best cooked a few minutes less, but it is still lovely.
Emilie Raffa says
Claudia, this sounds so good! Love the addition of walnuts, too! :)
Dave says
This recipe is awesome! I found that I needed 3.25 black large bananas and I weighed everything in grams. I also added cinnamon-sugar coated almonds chopped up, which meant that I would need to add more leavening agent so I added about a tsp. of baking powder. This by far the lightest, moistest and yet silky banana bread I have ever made! Thank you for the recipe!
Emilie Raffa says
Dave, the almonds sound AMAZING! Thanks for sharing with us :)