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Made with sour cream for the perfect texture and tangy flavor and a sweet streusel topping, this sour cream banana bread is a classic recipe that everyone will love.
If you’ve been reading MBA for a while, you know that I really love Dominique Ansel’s banana bread.
It used to be my truest banana bread love, but recently I’ve extended my list of favorite banana bread recipes.
I love the heartiness of my oatmeal banana bread, the peanut butter flavor in my peanut butter banana bread, and now the tanginess and sweet streusel of this sour cream banana bread.
This one definitely deserves to be on the permanent go-to list if you’re a banana bread lover like we are.
Perfectly moist banana bread made with sour cream
Anyone who bakes regularly with buttermilk (or a buttermilk substitute – no shame!) knows that adding an ingredient high lactic acid helps keep your baked goods tender and moist and adds a delightful tangy flavor.
It’s the reason we love sour cream coffee cake, blueberry biscuits, and pistachio muffins. And it’s what makes this sour cream banana bread so great!
An entire cup of sour cream in the batter gives this recipe the perfect texture and a lightly tangy flavor, which pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the bananas. Add a brown sugar streusel on top and good luck stopping at just one slice of this bread.
This recipe also uses a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan. As much as I love the Dominique Ansel recipe and my spins on it, such as my pineapple banana bread, I know not everyone has a 10×5-inch loaf pan in their cabinet.
Give this sour cream banana bread recipe a try; I know your whole family will love it!
How to make sour cream banana bread
Even though the method for this banana bread is a bit different than some of my other quick bread recipes, it’ll still easy to throw together.
Ingredients you’ll need
For the bread itself, you’ll need:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 lightly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 room-temperature large egg
- 3 very ripe mashed bananas
- 8 ounces (1 cup) room-temperature sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Don’t worry too much about the size of your bananas for this recipe. I’ve made it several times and it turns out great each time. But if you want to measure out the mashed bananas, you’ll need about 1 1/2 cups.
Even though this is a recipe for sour cream banana bread, you can still swap the sour cream for plain greek yogurt if you prefer. The flavor will be slightly different, but the texture will still be spot on.
You could easily add mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, to the batter if you like. I recommend using about 1 cup of either.
One of the best things about this recipe is the streusel topping. For that, you will need:
- 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Making this recipe
I like to start by making the streusel topping for this recipe.
Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, then add the melted butter until clumps form. Pop the streusel into the freezer while you work on the bread batter.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set this mixture aside.
Now use a mixer to cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
Add the egg, then the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.
Once the wet ingredients are well combined, slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined.
Spread the batter into a greased and lined 9×5-inch loaf pan. Remove the streusel from the freezer and sprinkle it over the batter.
Bake the sour cream banana bread at 350°F for 60-70 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Helpful resources
- This recipe using the creaming method for mixing the butter and sugar. If you aren’t sure what to look for when doing this step, take a look at my post on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your banana bread turn out perfect every time.
- If you are out of brown sugar, make a simple brown sugar substitute using 2 ingredients.
- Did your brown sugar harden in the pantry? Check out my tips on how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store.
- Make sure the butter and egg for the bread batter are at room temperature before you use them. Check out my post on how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature for some tips on this.
Storage and freezing tips
Store the cooled sour cream banana bread well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also extend the shelf life of the bread by storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you’d like to freeze the bread, wrap the entire loaf in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let the bread thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
You can also freeze individual slices by wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing them in a zip-top freezer bag. Microwave the slices for 30-60 seconds to thaw them and warm them through before enjoying.
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the streusel
- ¼ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the bread
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ lightly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 very ripe bananas mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 8 ounces sour cream room temperature (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease (1) 9 x 5 x 2.75-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- Prepare the Streusel: In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until small clumps form. Place streusel in the freezer while you prepare the banana bread batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg, mixing until incorporated. Add in the bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan and top with the streusel topping.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool bread in the pan for about 20 minutes before removing the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your banana bread turn out perfect every time.
- If you are out of brown sugar, make a simple brown sugar substitute using 2 ingredients.
- Did your brown sugar harden in the pantry? Check out my tips on how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store.
- Make sure the butter and egg for the bread batter are at room temperature before you use them. Check out my post on how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature for some tips on this.
- This recipe using the creaming method for mixing the butter and sugar. If you aren’t sure what to look for when doing this step, take a look at my post on how to cream butter and sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
