Ultimate one-bowl banana bread

This is an extremely easy one-bowl banana bread recipe that can be whipped together with pantry staples and frozen bananas. Add in mix-ins like chopped nuts or chocolate if you want to make it extra special.

Have you ever had a banana bread that is so moist and fragrant, that makes you want to eat another slice?

If you have, then this recipe will teach you how to make it! And if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Go run to you kitchen and make this moist, melt in your mouth banana bread. Your house will smell like a bakery and you taste-buds will be in heaven. You will not regret it, I promise.

What makes this banana bread so good?

What I love the most about this recipe is its simplicity. You only need few pantry staples which you probably already have on hand and you guessed it, bananas! If you don't have butter on hand, you can easily replace it with any flavorless vegetable oil that you have. But the best part about this recipe is that frozen bananas work so amazingly well in this recipe, might I say even better than fresh ones?

How to store bananas for longer use

I always peel, cut my bananas in half and freeze them when they start to go brown. Initially, freeze them in a single layer and after they have frozen for about 2 hours, pop them into a freezer- safe bag/box. Then pop them into your morning smoothie or use them to make countless other recipes (I will be posting more soon) including this one.

If you don't have frozen bananas then feel free to use fresh ones but keep in mind that more ripe = more flavor and sweetness. So use the ripest ones you have. Pro tip: You can speed up the ripening of bananas by placing them in a brown paper bag or leaving them in a 200F/90C warm oven for an hour!

How to make this recipe vegan

While the recipe I have provided below calls for 2 eggs, this recipe can be totally made vegan.

To make a vegan version of this banana bread:

1. Replace the butter with any flavorless vegetable oil of your choice. My favorite option to use is cold-pressed avocado oil.
2. Replace the eggs with 'flax-eggs'. To make 1 flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 2 tablespoons of water and let it sit for about 15 minutes to gel up. For this recipe, you will need 2 'flax-eggs'.

My parents in law don't eat eggs, so I had made a vegan version of the banana bread for them and sent it with my husband while he was visiting them in India. They both said great things about this bread and enjoyed eating it as an evening snack.

Mix-ins to add to this banana bread recipe

Feel free to add in ingredients for additional flavor or texture. Some great options are coarsely chopped nuts of your choosing (walnuts and bananas are an amazing combination). You could also add in chopped chocolate chunks or chocolate chips. Or you could mix in multiple of these toppings. I highly recommend trying out dates + walnuts + chopped dark chocolate.

This banana bread freezes really well too! If you have some leftovers, you can slice and freeze them flat on a plate/tray before transferring to a container. When you are ready to eat, you can either microwave it for a minute directly from frozen, toast in a toaster oven or even toast with a knob of butter on a pan on the stove top.

If you would like to check out more breakfast/snack recipes, check out my smoothie bowl recipe where frozen bananas work really well.

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media channels if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.

Recipe

Ultimate one-bowl banana bread

Viola

This is an extremely easy one-bowl banana bread recipe that can be whipped together with pantry staples and frozen bananas. Add in mix-ins like chopped nuts or chocolate if you want to make it extra special.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Bake Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Desserts, Snacks

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 1276 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  

• 4 very ripe bananas (either mashed by hand or pureed in a blender)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature, see notes if vegan)
• ¾ cup sugar (use either granulated white sugar or packed brown sugar. Brown sugar adds a richer flavor)
• 2 large eggs (see notes if vegan)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F or 180C for 15 minutes.
• Lightly grease a 7”x11” pan with butter. Using a flatter pan keeps the bread extra moist. You could use a regular loaf pan for this recipe but the bread will take longer to bake.
• Cream together butter and sugar with either a wooden spoon or a spatula for around 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, vanilla and mashed bananas and whisk well until well combined.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and slowly fold together until well combined. Be careful not to over mix. (If you aren't using frozen and thawed bananas then you might need to add an additional ¼ cup of liquid at this point. I would recommend adding in buttermilk, but water will work too).
• Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for around 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If you are using a loaf pan instead of a 7"*11" pan, it will take around 60-70 minutes to be fully baked.
• After taking it out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for around 10 minutes. Then transfer onto a wire rack and let it cool for another 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

If you are vegan or don't eat eggs, here are some tips that I have tried and work well.

1. Replace softened butter with any flavorless vegetable oil. My favorite oil to use is cold-pressed avocado oil.
2. Replace eggs with 'flax-eggs'. To make 1 flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 2 tablespoons of water and let it sit for about 15 minutes to gel up. For this recipe, you will need 2 'flax-eggs'.