Perfectly Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread (2024)

This best-ever banana bread recipe is kept super moist, thanks to the addition of sour cream! It’s light in color and perfect in texture!

Perfectly moist sour cream banana bread is light, fluffy, velvety goodness–never dense and gray. This easy recipe is the best!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Banana bread is one of those heartwarming comfort foods that I think every home cook should know how to bake.

It has a way of lifting the spirits, and the simple act of baking it will make your house smell heavenly.

You can easily make variations, too–such as adding nuts or chocolate chips, or by making pistachio banana bread, strawberry banana bread, cranberry banana bread, banana pear bread, or chocolate peanut butter banana bread!

Let’s be honest–classic banana bread one of those treats that practically everyone loves.

Well, if you do it right, that is.

Have you ever had a piece of banana bread that was dense and gray, possibly even undercooked in the middle?

I shudder at the thought.

That, my friend, is not the way banana bread should be. Instead, the best banana breads should be soft, fluffy, and light in color. The ideal loaf should be tender and perfectly moist.

Just like this sour cream banana bread that I make on the regular. This recipe has been my go-to for years now, and it really is the best banana bread–it always gets rave reviews!

Have an Instant Pot? Check out this Instant Pot Banana Bread!

Why You’ll Love Sour Cream Banana Bread

I’ve found that sour cream is one of the keys to creating perfectly moist banana bread! It’s such a simple addition, but it really makes a big difference!

I use sour cream in a lot of baked goods, including my peach sour cream pound cake, chocolate sour cream pound cake, chocolate sour cream bundt cake, Miss Betty’s banana cake, my one-bowl chocolate cake, my doctored-up Jiffy cornbread, Italian sour cream cookies, and more!

This bread is light in color, so it’s much more appetizing than dark, heavy bricks of banana bread.

Plus, it’s super easy to make, and the absolute perfect way to use up ripe bananas!

I have been known to buy extra bananas just so that I can let some get over-ripe so I’ll have an excuse to make this banana bread.

My kids can practically inhale it, and who can blame them? It really is the most delicious banana bread. Seriously.

More Delicious Quickbread Recipes:

• Pistachio Bread
• Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Grandma Wilhelm’s Pumpkin Bread
• Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Banana Muffins
• Best Ever Pear Bread

How to Make Banana Bread with Sour Cream

It’s really easy to make this ultra moist banana bread with a handful of simple ingredients!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp sour cream
• 2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed well (you want about 1 cup of mashed bananas)
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Cream butter and sugar. First, you’ll cream together the butter and sugar int he bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Once it’s nice and fluffy, add in the eggs and sour cream, mixing to combine.

Combine dry ingredients. Next, in a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda by whisking together.

Alternate. With the mixer on the lowest speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and mashed bananas in separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Once the batter is mixed, pour it into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake. You’ll bake the loaf at 350F for about 50-55 minutes. Let it cool a bit before slicing, then serve!

Notes and Adaptations:

• Feel free to add some nuts if you want banana nut bread–I think pecans or walnuts make lovely additions.
• If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can substitute buttermilk.
• If you want to make sugar free banana bread, you can substitute a cup-for-cup sweetener instead of the sugar (such as Lakanto or Splenda granulated sweeteners)
• Need an easy shortcut? Try making banana muffins with Bisquick!