Sourdough banana bread is the perfect way to use your sourdough discard and over-ripened bananas!
The addition of sour cream makes it so moist and tender. The sourdough discard gives it the tangy flavor we sourdough bakers crave.
This simple recipe will quickly become your new favorite!
Over ripe bananas never had it so good. Not until they met sourdough starter discard and created the best sourdough banana bread recipe ever!
Holy moly you guys, this recipe hits all the right notes when it comes to the perfect banana bread.
Just the right amount of sweetness from the ripe bananas and the dark brown sugar. Plus, deliciously tangy notes from the sourdough discard and sour cream.
It's full of banana flavor and the crumb is so moist and tender!
This recipe is so simple to make and can easily be turned into sourdough banana nut muffins with the addition of chopped walnuts.
Step by step instructions
This recipe is made without the use of electric mixers. Everything is easily mixed by hand, so let's get started and get some "nanner bread" in the oven!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a whisk. Set aside.
- In a small bowl use a fork to mash the bananas until smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar to the butter and use a spatula to cream until smooth and creamy. Stir in the eggs, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, sour cream and mashed bananas.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to help release the loaf.
Allow the loaf to rest on a cooling rack until cooled down so that it is easy to handle and has a chance to set up a little.
Serve warm slices of sourdough banana bread smothered with homemade butter for a delicious treat!
You may want to double the recipe!
Tips for success
Sometimes that banana bread mood strikes, but you can only get your hands on green bananas! No worries, you can use your oven to get them to release their sugars and soften up.
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and place the bananas on a baking sheet. (Don't peel them!) Let them bake for 30-40 minutes or until they start to turn brown. Let cool completely before using.
This recipe requires three bowls. The first of which is for the dry ingredients. Don't skip this step! It's very important to whisk the baking powder and baking soda with the flour in order to make sure it gets well incorporated into the batter.
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than called for in the recipe.
I tested the recipe with dark brown sugar, light brown sugar and white sugar. I preferred the taste of dark brown sugar because it lends a richer flavor, but any of these sugars work great.
The older and more acidic your sourdough starter discard, the better! It's what really gives this bread it's unique flavor. I keep a separate jar in my fridge to collect sourdough discard just for recipes like this one!
How to store
Let the loaf cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep on kitchen counter at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Banana bread can be frozen in individual slices, half loaf or whole loaf.
To freeze, allow banana bread to cool completely. Wrap tightly in foil first and then place in a plastic freezer bag. Make sure to remove excess air in the bag before sealing to help prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat, allow to thaw at room temperature, in wrapper for a few hours. Slices can be quickly warmed in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.
Other recipes you may like to try:
We hope you love this sourdough banana bread as much as our family does! Let us know in the comment section below!
Sourdough Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 9" x 5" loaf pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Spatula
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar (see notes)
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 3 medium (350 g) very ripe bananas (mashed)
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard (see notes)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl mash the bananas with a fork until smooth and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the microwave in a mixing bowl. Add the dark brown sugar and use a spatula to cream them together until smooth. Add the eggs, mashed banana, sourdough discard, sour cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until just combined. (Do not over mix!) If adding walnuts, gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans if desired.
- This recipe can be made without sourdough starter.
- In order to get the most sourdough flavor into this banana bread, the starter must be "aged". This simply means that the sourdough discard has been allowed to sit in the fridge for a minimum of one week before using it to bake with. This will allow the acid to build up, producing the sour flavor.
- Dark brown sugar can be replaced with either light brown sugar or white granulated sugar.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a container with a lid.
- Store in freezer for up to 3 months tightly wrapped in foil and plastic.
Susan says
Hi Amy, I wanted to let you know I made this recipe using my sourdough starter but with GF flour (Cup4Cup), and it turned out absolutely fantastic. I have gluten sensitivity but can eat 'real' sourdough with no discomfort, but thought I'd try this bread with GF just to see. Oh My Goodness it is so good! Thank you for such wonderful recipes and for the trick of ripening bananas in the oven!
Katie says
Hello, Amy. I have a question about "aging" the discard. Do you mean that you should separate the discard from your "mother" container and leave it in the fridge for a week unfed, or can you use discard from starter that you have been feeding every day?
Amy Duska says
Hi Katie, you can use either. The longer the discard sits in the fridge, the more sour flavor you will get. You can leave it unfed or add your discard from when you feed your starter!
Sue says
Great recipe! I’m loving all your sour dough recipes. This is my first discard one and it came out delicious! Your instructions are so clear and easy to follow.
Sarah says
I love this recipe! I will definitely be trying it again. My loaf completely overflowed, so I think next time I will try splitting the batter to make two different smaller loaves. I noticed one other person also said hers overflowed. Overall it was very good and I can’t wait to make it again!
Amy Duska says
Hi Sarah, that is so weird, I've made this so many times without it overflowing. Can you tell me what size pan you are using?
Amber says
Does the flour need to be unbleached?
Amy Duska says
No it doesn't.
Leanne says
Thanks for the recipe! I appreciate you including the weighted measurements, as so many recipes do not include those! I substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt and substituted the brown sugar with coconut sugar and a little maple syrup. Turned out delicious!
Patrick says
Made it like you wrote it, sour cream, dark brown sugar and month old discard. DELICIOUS! Replaces my old recipe which was really too sweet. I like, and am working my way through, all your discard recipes. Thanks a bunch.
Ginger says
Everyone loved it. I added cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Next time I'll add raisins. Thanks so much..
Donna says
I have made your sour dough bread, cinnamon rolls and biscuits. Next I am making banana bread. The cinnamon rolls are amazing. Thank you for such great recipes. My family loves them. Been trying to make bread for 6 weeks with not much luck until I found you. Now I feel like an accomplished sour dough baker. I am so happy.
Amy Duska says
That's wonderful to hear Donna! 🙂
Nadia says
Hi, I would like to know what is special or what role is playing sourdough starter in this recipe if there is so much of baking powder and soda?
Thank you
Amy Duska says
Hi Nadia, the sourdough is used to add flavor to the bread. If your discard is sour and you like that kind of flavor, this is a great recipe for using discard instead of throwing it away!
Liz says
I’m wondering why my batter completely overflowed!! Followed your recipe exactly. I made 2 loaves and they both did that ☹️What could have happened?
Amy Duska says
Hi Liz, I'm so sorry to hear this! What size pan do you have?
Jennifer says
Hi Amy, I made the pizza crust the other day, and it was absolutely amazing! Best pizza I have ever made, even better than restaurant! I am so excited to try the banana bread, and wondering if you have tried it (or other recipes) with an alternative flour - like Cassava flour? Thanks again for all the amazing recipes, and for taking the time to respond!
Amy Duska says
Hi Jennifer! I'm glad you are loving the pizza 🙂 I have not tried these recipes with an alternative flour, but I'm sure for the quick breads you can use something like that, I just wouldn't know how to adjust the liquid.
Jennifer says
Thank you for replying! I also made the cinnamon rolls yesterday morning - and they are absolutely delicious! I keep stealing bites all day 🙂
Truitt says
Hi! Just made this. I had been using a recipe with buttermilk but the sour cream was a great change. I added pecans and raisins and did not use my kitchen aid mixer like I usually do. I’ll stick to your recipe from now on. Thank you!!!
Beth says
This was, by far, the best banana bread recipe I have ever tried. It was moist and smooth, not grainy like many recipes I have tried. I will be coming back to this one again!!
Amy Duska says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 We actually made the banana nut muffins last night and added chocolate chips, it was sooooo good!
Bethany says
Fabulous and straightforward recipe! I’m always looking for ways to utilize my starter discard and keep things interesting so your recipe was a happy discovery! I easily swapped out the butter and substituted coconut oil, and used 3/4 cup of coconut sugar instead of brown. The texture is absolutely superb. More like a cupcake than a muffin. Love it!
Stamatia says
It is absolutely delicious... I just baked it only without the cream and i couldn't eat just one slice. Thank you Amy.
Ashley Vann says
Hi Amy,
I came across your website a couple of weeks ago. I’ve just entered the sourdough baking world and I’m obsessed! I made your country loaf yesterday and it was divine. For the banana bread, I’m out of brown sugar so could I substitute with coconut sugar?
Thanks,
Ashley
Amy Duska says
Hi Ashley! Yes you can use coconut sugar 🙂
Irwin Yuen says
Made my first baked item and the sourdough bread with a starter and it came out 5 stars. Tasted great with raw honey and butter the following morning for toast.
Now wanting to use the extra starter for banana bread, unfortunately were limited in supplies and I don't have any sour cream. Can I use maybe cream cheese spread or will it be okay without sour cream?
Tomorrow will be pancakes with starter.
Thanks... Irwin
Amy Duska says
Hi Irwin, you can omit the sour cream if you don't have it. It does help to give the bread some moisture. If you decide to use the cream cheese, maybe thin it down to the consistency of sour cream before mixing it into the batter 🙂
Caitlin D says
My son and I made this banana bread, and it turned out great. This was my first time making bananas "ripe" by baking them, and it worked really well. What a great tip!
Smruti says
so while my sourdough starter didn't work with the first loaf of sourdough bread I made, my starter discard worked great for this recipe. The banana bread was moist and spongy and I didn't end up using the sour cream at all. A winner with a cup of coffee!
Amy Duska says
Thank you for the 5 star review 🙂 Much appreciated! Just keep trying with your sourdough bread. It takes some trial and error sometimes! But it's so rewarding once you've got it going.
Zarin says
Hi Amy, can the sour cream be substituted with milk?
Amy Duska says
It's better to leave it out completely! The sour cream adds more moisture. I think milk would thin the batter down too much.
Mindy says
Another home run Amy. I love the green banana tip too.
Amy Duska says
Thank you! 😎