Six-Banana Banana Bread — 🍌 Not sure what to do with overripe bananas you have on hand? Make this Six-Banana Banana Bread! This is the best banana bread recipe EVER — it’s so moist and flavorful!
Table of Contents
There’s no chance of wimpy or lackluster banana flavor here. I baked six bananas into one loaf. Yes, six.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my gold standard banana bread recipe for banana bread. It’s everything I want and it never lets me down. But I also cheat on it from time to time. Say, with 35+ banana recipes, and about 15 of them are recipes for various Banana Breads. You can never have too many.
I wanted to pack more pure banana essence and intensity into the bread and so I used more bananas. A whole lot more.
Rather than using 1 to 1 1/2 cups of bananas, which is what most recipes call for, I used a solid 2 1/2 cups. To compensate for the extra banana volume and moisture, I cut back on the amount of Greek yogurt (or sour cream) I usually use.
The verdict is that this super moist banana bread is everything and more. It’s soft, tender and supremely moist. The pudding mix serves to add some lightness, fluffiness, and springiness.
You’ll never have to wonder again what to do with overripe bananas thanks to this freckled overripe banana recipe in your arsenal. Kill six with one loaf.
You may even find yourself wishing for some speckly and freckly ones.
How Does Six-Banana Banana Bread Taste?
Because of the 6 bananas, don’t expect a super light and airy loaf. It’s on the heavier and denser side, but I think all good banana bread should be. I don’t want light, airy, cakey, or dry. I want moist, heavy, and dense.
The real clincher is that all those bananas really make a difference in the overall banana flavor and intensity level.
If you’ve ever felt like your banana bread is a bit underwhelming in banana intensity level, this recipe will cure that. It’s bursting with banana flavor. I mean, duh.
Ingredients in Six-Banana Banana Bread
To make this super moist banana bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Sour cream – or Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas
- Vanilla instant pudding mix
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Looking for More Recipes Using Lots of Bananas?
I also have a recipe for chocolate chip banana cake that uses six bananas. It’s incredibly soft, moist, and bursting with banana flavor!
How to Make Banana Bread with 6 Bananas
This super moist banana bread made with six bananas comes together quickly and easily! Here are the basic steps:
- Combine melted butter, eggs, two types of sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the six mashed bananas, followed by the dry ingredients (note that you add the pudding mix dry — you don’t need to make it into pudding first!).
- Bake the homemade banana bread in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan for roughly 60 to 75 minutes.
How to Tell When Banana Bread Is Done
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf; if it comes out clean, or with very few crumbs, it’s done baking. Or, gently press it with your thumb and if the bread immediately springs back it’s cooked through.
And just as one final reminder, I can’t stress how important it is that you bake by your bread, not the clock.
Depending on your bananas, your altitude, etc. your loaf of banana bread may take more or less time to bake than mine did. Trust your gut!
Banana Bread FAQs
If store at room temperature in an airtight container, this six-banana banana bread will last up to 5 days.
This easy banana bread recipe calls for six large bananas, which equals about 2 1/2 cups when mashed well. So by my calculations, three medium-sized bananas should be about 1 cup mashed. When in doubt, buy more bananas than you think you need! You can always peel and freeze the bananas for future bakes, or throw them into your morning smoothies.
This six-banana banana bread is best with vanilla pudding mix. I’ve tried omitting it, and have trialed various combinations of buttermilk, sour cream, Greek yogurt, butter, and oil. But the pudding mix bread wins every time.
If you can’t find pudding in your area (international readers write about this), I recommend adding one-quarter cup of additional flour, two teaspoons of cornstarch, and a dash of extra sugar.
If you thought your bananas had to be black as the night for banana bread, they don’t. Nicely freckled and speckled, but pitch black is not necessary.
Cook’s Illustrated found there’s little difference in sweetness between freckled and completely black. Ripe is fine. They don’t have to be nearly rotting.
One of the first ingredients in instant vanilla pudding mix is cornstarch, which is a workhorse for keeping cakes, cookies, and bread extremely soft, light, tender, and moist.
In the last 10 minutes of cooking, I tented my 9×5-inch pan with foil because the center hadn’t quite set, but the edges and top surface were getting a smidge on the dark side. I recommend covering with foil if at any point your bread is looking a little dark.
Recipe Variations to Try
This extra moist banana bread made with vanilla pudding mix and six bananas is perfect as is, but you’re welcome to add mix-ins or tweak the recipe as desired!
- Add chocolate chips — 1/2 cup or so should do it.
- Add nuts — Raw, unsalted chopped nuts are best.
- Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt — Make sure to use plain, full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix — This bread doesn’t need any more banana flavor, but you could always add instant banana pudding mix instead!
- Spices — I used 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, but you can add more. Or, you can add additional spices such as nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc.
The one mix-in I do NOT recommend adding is fresh fruit or berries. This bread is already quite dense and supremely moist, and if you add berries the batter will never bake through properly.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
To store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freeze this six-banana banana bread for up to 6 months. To freeze the entire loaf of six-banana banana bread, let it first cool to room temperature. Then, wrap it in two to three layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of tinfoil.
Or, you can slice the loaf and freeze the slices on a baking tray. Once the slices are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag (freezing them on the tray first prevents the moist banana bread slices from getting squished).
Recipe Video Tutorial
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Six-Banana Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup sour cream or thick Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or to taste
- 6 medium/large very ripe bananas, mashed (2 1/2 cups mashed bananas; if your bananas are huge you may only need 4 or 5; if they’re small, you may need more)
- one 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix, not Cook ‘n Serve
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. (If necessary, you may need to use a muffin pan or mini loaf for pan a small amount of batter.)*
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- Add the eggs, sugars, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas and stir to incorporate
- Add the pudding mix (just add it dry like a dry ingredient; don’t actually make pudding), flour, baking soda, cinnamon, optional salt, and fold in with spatula or stir gently with a spoon; don’t overmix or bread will be tougher.
- Bake 9×5 loaf for 60 to 75 minutes (I baked 68 minutes), or until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tip – In the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, or at any point if your bread is getting a bit dark before the center is setting, tent with foil. There are a lot of moist bananas to cook through in this loaf so if it takes longer than the estimated time to cook through, do so. Do not pull it from the oven, and decide later that it wasn't quite done!
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 20 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve plain, or with butter, jam, or your favorite spread. Makes excellent French toast.
- Storage – Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Video
Notes
- If you can’t find pudding in your area (international readers write about this), I recommend adding one-quarter cup of additional flour, two teaspoons of cornstarch, and a dash of extra sugar.
- *If baking a mini loaf is necessary, bake for about 35 minutes, or until done; I estimate 2 or 3 muffins will take about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Baking times for loaves will vary based on moisture content of bananas, pan sizes, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Recipes Using Ripe Bananas:
ALL OF MY BANANA BREAD RECIPES!
Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — This is the BEST homemade banana bread recipe! This banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!!
Flour’s Banana Bread — Made with Flour Bakery’s famous recipe to see if it lives up to the hype. Verdict? Totally fabulous! Make it!!
Strawberry Banana Bread — This strawberry bread is packed with fresh, juicy strawberries in every bite! This is an easy, no-mixer quick bread recipe you’re going to love!
Carrot Banana Bread — EASY, no-mixer, super soft banana carrot bread that reminds me of carrot cake but healthier!! Great Easter brunch idea or spring baked good!
Pumpkin Banana Bread with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Glaze — I’ll never tire of pumpkin recipes and this one pairs pumpkin bread with banana bread for a soft, tender loaf that’s subtly pumpkin and molasses flavored.
Brown Sugar Blueberry Banana Bread — Super moist blueberry banana bread made with Greek yogurt and dark brown sugar. Smear some homemade blueberry butter onto a slice of this blueberry brown sugar banana bread and prepare to fall in love!
Zucchini Banana Bread — This zucchini banana bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light!
Originally published May 29, 2013 and republished January 14, 2022 with updated text.
When ever I see the marked down bananas I grab them up, bring them home, put in a ziplock bag (peeling on) and freeze. Then I take out and let thaw in the peel and then use. That way I have bananas anytime I want!!!! I prefer making my banana bread this way, I think the bread is more moist!!!!
I tend to peel my overripe bananas, break into chunks, and then put into a tupperware into the freezer. The chunks are great for smoothies, bread, muffin-making. I should start buying the markdown ones at the store like you do!
now that’s a lot of bananas:) your loaves always looks so prettyAverie
Thanks, Heather!
It seems someone told me more is better. Sounds great in this case. And at least you clean your oven floor!
on my list!!
I use vanilla pudding mix in mine too…only mine calls for 5 eggs! I love the added fluffyness from the pudding. This looks amazing, Averie. I love how golden brown it is!
I know you use pudding mix, too! I didn’t know it was a 5 egg recipe. I bet it’s so good and fluffy!
I always feel like banana bread doesn’t have enough banana flavor, this recipe certainly solves that problem! I can’t wait to try this out!
Wow, that’s one way to use up ripe bananas! I’m intrigued by the use of pudding mix too!
No matter how I try to get around it, it delivers the BEST results!
6 bananas in one loaf, sign me up! This looks amazing Averie!
Remember I commented to you on your last banana post that I had bought 15 on one day – yep, this is why :)
This looks delicious! Perfect for when I buy that huge bunch of bananas at Sams and then don’t use them soon enough! Averie, I was wondering if you have tried this in muffin form? I have a little two-year-old who is fairly addicted to muffins (muff-muffs), and I love having mini muffins around for us to snack on. Any thoughts on how long it might need to cook in mini or large muffin form? Thanks!
I think it would work fine in muffins. Now, they will be a little dense and may not get a super domed top, but they will work I’m sure. I would do 350F for 18 mins and start checking from there for reg muffins and maybe 14 mins for mini, but it will vary based on the size of pans, how full you fill them, etc. LMK what you end up doing!
I did these as muffins, and they were quite a hit. Made 48 mini muffins and about 6 regular sized muffins. (I can only make 48 minis at a time, so I just put the rest in a regular muffin pan.) The minis cooked for about 16-17 mins, and the standard size for about 3 minutes longer. I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely they puffed up…I make everything gluten-free, so I’m used to things not getting much of a rise, but these turned out nice. By the second day they had really started to cave in some, but its because they were so very moist. They only lasted to the second day, and there are only three of us…one of whom is 2!
Oh, and the other, most lovely touch…I apparently like to buy butterscotch pudding mix because that’s all I had when I looked in the pantry, so that’s what I used. Very nice addition! :)
Thanks so much for the advice; I have a whole bunch of bananas turning brown on the counter as we speak, and I know where they’re going!
Jennifer thank you for this glowing & detailed comment!
Bless your heart to make 48 minis (I love my mini muff pan but after 24 I’m over it with filling that thing up) :) Good call on finishing it off with the 6 reg size. Thanks for noting baking times and what you did.
And…that you made them GF! Nice!
Butterscotch is one of my fave flavors and I bet the combo with the bananas was great! I’ve used banana cream pudding and that makes it super banana-ey!
And only lasting 2 days for 3 people (and one of them is 2 yrs) – been there with certain recipes as well! Thanks for this comment & please Lmk if you try other recipes of mine!
Banana bread makes me swoon of happiness! I’ve been eating bananas like a crazy banana girl the last few weeks here.. I need to start buying 2x the amount to keep me through the week! I can’t get enough!
I love this recipe!
If you love banana bread, then this is the bread for you!
Oooo, girl! You are not kidding around with this recipe… I love it! No better way to use all those brown bananas than on this beauty of a bread.
Banana breads that lack that banana flavor are a no go in my book but this recipe sounds perfect! Vanilla pudding mix and six bananas? How can you go wrong?
I loved them both!
Six bananas in one bread? I’m seriously impressed!
I’ve had loads of banana bread in the past, but never one that used 6 bananas! I’m going to try this recipe out.. as soon as I can find some ripe bananas
Ok LMK what you think!
I LOVE banana bread. I have a bunch of over-ripe bananas that will go bad if they are left out any longer, and this recipe is perfect! Thanks Averie!
Oh yay! If you try this one, or any of my banana bread recipes, LMK how it goes!
Um yes, now you are speaking my language! Banana bread must be banana-y (I don’t think that is a word, but whatever:) and wow, you packed the banana punch in this bread! These pictures are stunning, and I mean, wow gorgeous. Using pudding mix and a ton of bananas is SO smart and I know I would eat this whole loaf. I can’t even be left alone with our banana bread that only has three bananas – how could I stand leaving one with six uneaten? Excellent job!
That’s why I bought 15 the day I bought bananas for this recipe! 6 for this and the rest to just eat so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat the stash! Thanks for the photo compliments!