Grandpa’s Perfectly Sweet and Tender Banana Bread Recipe is the True Spirit of Aloha
My Hawaiian Grandpa Clarence was one of the most influential and special people in my life. He was an absolutely amazing cook and baker with the most generous heart – truly an embodiment of the spirit of aloha.
And while he was pretty well known for number of dishes, like his Hawaiian Beef Stew, Island-Style Granola, and Cornbread Muffins, Grandpa’s moist and tender Banana Bread has always been my personal favorite.
This is one of the most special recipes in my life, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you!
Grandpa’s original recipe used overripe fruit from the banana tree in his backyard on O’ahu, overflowing spoonfuls of vanilla for extra flavor, and a secret ingredient to stabilize the loaf’s lofty height – a packet of instant pudding mix!
To eliminate the retro box mix from his recipe, Mom and I began using sour cream in its place. Sour cream keeps the banana bread super moist and ensures the loaf has pillowy rise with good structure. Plus, its tangy flavor helps offset the banana bread’s natural sweetness.
Flavor aside, this banana bread recipe is so dear to me because Grandpa used it to teach me how to share the generous spirit of aloha through food. Whenever we baked banana bread or muffins, he’d divvy it up and take the treats around town, giving them to his banker or postman as a token of thanks.
In sharing this special family recipe here on PWWB, I hope it inspires you to do the same – spread the spirit of aloha with those you love and appreciate, no matter where you live! 🌺🤙🏼
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Grandpa Clarence always made banana bread using fruit from the banana tree in his yard in Honolulu. But you don’t need backyard bananas to make amazing banana bread with sour cream. 😉
For the best sweet and fluffy bread, always use over-ripe bananas. The banana peels should be speckled with dark brown spots and very soft to the touch. Why? ⇢ A banana’s flavor becomes more concentrated as it ripens, which results in a stronger banana taste. All the extra sugars also add a soft, chewy texture ideal for baking quick bread.
Grocery stores rarely sell bananas this way, so it’s best to buy a bunch while the peels are still yellow or green and let them ripen on your counter for several days.
🍌 Quick Tip! The best way to mash bananas. ⇢ It’s so much easier to mash bananas on a flat surface than in a rounded bowl! Remove the bananas from the peel, place the fruit on a plate or cutting board, and use a fork to mash them up until smooth, eliminating as many lumps and bumps as possible.
Light and Moist Banana Bread Batter with Sour Cream
Grandpa Clarence’s original recipe relied on vanilla pudding mix for sweet flavor and moist texture. Delicious, but a bit retro!
Mom and I adapted his recipe slightly to skip the pudding packet, making the banana bread with sour cream instead. This simple swap keeps the batter light and airy, all while ensuring it’s made completely from scratch.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Why? ⇢ Creaming the butter and sugar incorporates more air into the batter, making the sour cream banana bread light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so you don’t miss anything!
Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add mashed bananas, sour cream, and a generous splash of vanilla. Why? ⇢ Sour cream gives the batter extra moisture and stability, while vanilla adds tons of flavor. Grandpa loved lots of vanilla in his banana bread. He taught me to measure with my heart, pouring the vanilla extract until it overflows from the measuring spoon. 🥰
Mix in the dry ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined — but don’t overmix! Why? ⇢ Overmixing activates the glutens in the flour, which can make your sour cream banana bread dense. That’s the opposite of what we’re aiming for, so just be gentle.
Easy Banana Bread Add-Ins
This sour cream banana bread recipe can handle up to ¾ cup of your add in of choice.
Grandpa liked to add chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts for a little crunch. But when baking with the grandkids, chocolate chips were a non-negotiable. We’d mix mini chocolate chips into the batter, and Grandpa always made a point to let us sprinkle extra over the top. 🥰
Today, I like a combination of mini chocolate chips for nostalgia and dark chocolate chips for extra texture.
Baking the Banana Bread (or Muffins!)
Once the batter is ready, pour it into a loaf pan and bake for about an hour, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Be sure to fill the pan only about ¾ of the way to give the batter room to rise without overflowing.
You can also pour the batter into muffin tins, which cook in about half the time. Just like the loaf, leave plenty of room for the banana muffins to rise from the tin.
Important! ⇢ Let your sour cream banana bread cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing it to serve. It’s 10/10 the worst part of making banana bread, but the wait is well worth it! 😆 Once it’s cooled, the loaf is much easier to slice and its crumb is perfectly firm and moist.
Storage and Freezing
A fresh loaf of banana bread is best enjoyed within 5 days of baking. If you’d like to make a few loaves to share later, you can freeze for up to 3 months and thaw them overnight. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance!
Most Important Step: Share Generously With Those You Love!
Grandpa always took a big batch of banana muffins around his neighborhood in Honolulu to share with others. This graciousness and hospitality is the true spirit of aloha!
I encourage you to generously share your sour cream banana bread with the people in your life. It’s the perfect treat to wrap and gift to friends, neighbors, and family, just like Grandpa Clarence used to do. 🥰
I can’t wait for you to try Grandpa Clarence’s Sour Cream Banana Bread! It’s one of the most important recipes in my life and I can’t wait for you to love and share it too! 🌺🤙🏼
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy baking!
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Seriously Moist & Tender Sour Cream Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 60-65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8–10 1x
- Category: Breads and Cakes, Dessert Recipes, Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
My Hawaiian Grandpa Clarence was one of the most special and influential people in my life. He was an incredible cook and baker with the most generous heart – truly an embodiment of the spirit of aloha!
While he had lots of signature dishes, his moist and tender banana bread has always been my personal favorite. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you!
Grandpa always made his banana bread with a generous amount of overripe bananas and overflowing spoonfuls of vanilla for extra flavor, stabilizing the extra moisture in the batter with a packet of instant pudding mix.
To eliminate the retro box mix from the recipe for a from-scratch version, my mom and I began using sour cream in its place. Sour cream ensures the loaf has pillowy rise with good structure. Plus, its tangy flavor helps offset the banana bread’s natural sweetness.
Be sure to add in nuts or chocolate chips, bake into a loaf or muffins, and share generously with those you love – just like Grandpa did! ♡ Happy baking!
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 4 large, overripe bananas
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- optional add-ins: ¾ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts of choice (macadamia nuts, walnuts, etc.)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Spray a 9×5 or 8.5×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set the pan on a small baking sheet and set aside.
- Mash the bananas: Remove the bananas from a peel. Place on a cutting board. Using a fork, mash the bananas into a smooth mixture, doing your best to eliminate any large lumps or bumps. 4 large, overripe bananas should yield about 1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ cups mashed bananas. Set aside.
- Cream the butter: Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and cream the mixture for 2-3 minutes, until the butter is light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until combined well, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients and finish the banana bread batter: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix until just combined; take care not to overmix as doing so leads to a dense loaf. If using, gently fold in the chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts, mixing just until combined. Transfer the banana bread batter to the prepared loaf pan, filling the pan no more than ¾ full.
- Bake the banana bread: Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake 65-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. We like a deeply golden brown crust, but if you’d like a little less color, you may want to carefully tent foil over the loaf pan after about 45 minutes.
- Cool and serve: Once baked, set the banana bread aside to cool completely (waiting is the worst part, but Grandpa Clarence was a stickler for allowing the bread to cool!). Run a knife around the edge of the pan to carefully remove the loaf, then slice and serve with salted butter as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ (and Grandpa’s) Tips and Tricks
- Add-ins: Grandpa most often made his banana bread with chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts, but when baking with his grandkids, chocolate chips were a non-negotiable. He’d often use mini chocolate chips for a more even distribution throughout the loaf and he always let us sprinkle extra over top. These days, I like to use a combination of mini chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips for extra texture and rich flavor.
- Or, make banana muffins! This banana bread recipe also bakes up wonderfully into a batch of muffins. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill them ⅔ full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the muffin tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins come out clean. One batch yields 15-18 standard muffins or 12 bakery-style muffins using larger parchment paper liners. Larger muffins will require a slightly longer bake time.
Storage and Freezing
- Storage Instructions: Once cooled completely, wrap the banana bread loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Once cooled completely, wrap the banana bread tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap, then transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
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made these as muffins today and a few tiny loaves.My kids loved it and I cant wait to share some with neighbor and friend for mothers day! Im sure these will become a staple in our house
Hi Lauren! We are SO glad you your family enjoyed and you have the chance to share with others too – truly the spirit of this recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing this comment with us!
This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had.