Enjoy a slice of velvety banana bliss with this high altitude moist Sour Cream Banana Bread recipe. Delight in the perfect balance of banana flavor, mild sweetness, moist-buttery texture, and a golden brown crisp top. High altitude or sea level, this will quickly become your favorite high altitude banana bread recipe.

2 slices and a loaf of high altitude moist sour cream banana bread along with 2 bananas on a wood cutting board

Everyone loves a classic banana bread recipe but high altitude baking has its challenges due to the low atmospheric pressure. Baked items with baking soda, baking powder, or yeast tend to rise crazy fast and then fall flat. No need for trial and error, I have figured out the best amount of ingredients and baking time for delicious banana bread at high altitude. Note: I live at 8,000 feet of elevation so if you live at higher altitudes you may need to play with the flour amount or baking time.

Tools I recommend:

Large bowl or Stand Mixer
Measuring cup and spoons
Bread pan – I love using a glass bread pan so I can see what color the sides and bottom of the bread is
Spatula – because don’t want to leave any batter in the bowl

Find all of my favorite kitchen tools here and check them out on Amazon.

High Altitude Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients:

Sugar – for the perfect balance of sweetness
Butter – melt the butter to help create the delicious buttery texture
Large Eggs – eggs help bind all the ingredients together
Ripe or Brown Bananas – ripe bananas are sweeter due to the starch in the fruit turning to sugars
Sour Cream – the secret ingredient for the most delicious MOIST banana bread
Vanilla Extract – small amounts help to enhance the flavors and add a subtle vanilla flavor
Flour – I use all purpose flour
Baking soda – this helps create a rise in the banana bread
Salt – don’t skip the salt. Surprisingly salt actually brings out the sweetness in the recipe.

ingredients for high altitude banana bread recipe - flour, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, 2 bananas, sour cream, 2 eggs, and a stick of butter

How to make Sour Cream Banana Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the melted butter and sugar to the mixing bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Peel the bananas and break them into several chunks. Add the bananas, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar.
Mix the wet ingredients until the batter is well mixed. Note: There may still be small chunks of mashed bananas in the batter.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix on low speed just until dry ingredients are incorporated. It’s important to not over mix.
Prepare the bread pan by rubbing all the sides and bottom of the pan with butter. Then sprinkle the butter with flour, dump out any excess flour that isn’t sticking. Note: Only a light layer of butter and flour is needed to prevent the banana bread from sticking.
Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Use the spatula to scrape all of the batter out.
Bake the banana bread for 50-60 minutes.
The banana bread will be done when the sides and top of the loaf is a nice golden to dark brown. Place a toothpick into the top and remove it, if there is any batter on the toothpick continue to bake it for another 3-5 minutes.
Place the bread pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Then remove the bread by running a knife between the edge of the banana bread and pan. Turn the bread pan over and the banana bread will fall out. Slice and enjoy!

high altitude banana bread batter in a metal mixing bowl with the mixing paddle raised and covered in batter

A empty mixing bowl with remnants of high altitude banana bread batter and a white and blue rubber spatula and a glass bread pan filled with batter on a wood cutting board

Try out these other high altitude recipes:

Best High Altitude Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

High Altitude Pecan Pie

Flake Pie Crust – 4 Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins – Fluffy & Moist, Oil Free

Moist Cornbread Recipe – perfect for high altitude

Coffee Cake Without Sour Cream

High Altitude Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread

High Altitude Strawberry Pie

High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies

Other Ingredients / Different Types:

Buttermilk Banana Bread – exchange the sour cream for the same amount of buttermilk
Greek Yogurt – exchange the sour cream for the same amount of Greek yogurt
Brown Butter – exchange simply melted butter for magical brown butter
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (note: dark chocolate is delicious with this recipe)
Banana Nut Bread – add 1/2 cup of walnuts
Mini Muffins – Use a small scoop and fill the muffin holes 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes.

Find out how to make Brown Butter here!

baked high altitude banana bread in a glass bread pan on a black wire rack

Tips:

Frozen bananas – have too many overripe bananas? No worries, pop the bananas in a freezer bag and save them for the next time you make a loaf of banana bread
Storage – allow the bread to cool to room temperature, store the bread in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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High Altitude Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe

Print Pin Rate

Cuisine: American

Keyword: high altitude banana bread recipes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Additional Time: 10

Total Time: 1 20

Servings:

Calories: 2895kcal

Author: Rebekah

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
2 large bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the melted butter and sugar to the mixing bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Peel the bananas and break them into several chunks. Add the bananas, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar.
Mix the wet ingredients until the batter is well mixed. Note: There may still be small chunks of mashed bananas in the batter.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix on low speed just until dry ingredients are incorporated. It's important to not over mix.
Prepare the bread pan by rubbing all the sides and bottom of the pan with butter. Then sprinkle the butter with flour, dump out any excess flour that isn't sticking. Note: Only a light layer of butter and flour is needed to prevent the banana bread from sticking.
Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Use the spatula to scrape all of the batter out.
Bake the banana bread for 50-60 minutes.
The banana bread will be done when the sides and top of the loaf is a nice golden to dark brown. Place a toothpick into the top and remove it, if there is any batter on the toothpick continue to bake it for another 3-5 minutes.
Place the bread pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Then remove the bread by running a knife between the edge of the banana bread and pan. Turn the bread pan over and the banana bread will fall out. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Storage:

Allow the bread to cool to room temperature, store the bread in an airtight container up to 1 week. Or place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Other Ingredients / Different Types:

Buttermilk Banana Bread – exchange the sour cream for the same amount of buttermilk

Greek Yogurt – exchange the sour cream for the same amount of Greek yogurt

Brown Butter – exchange simply melted butter for magical brown butter

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (note: dark chocolate is delicious with this recipe)

Banana Nut Bread – add 1/2 cup of walnuts

Mini Muffins – Use a small scoop and fill the muffin holes 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. Use this silicone mini-muffin pan to remove muffins easily!

Nutrition

High Altitude Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe

Tools I recommend:

High Altitude Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients:

How to make Sour Cream Banana Bread

Try out these other high altitude recipes: