This easy and healthy banana bread recipe is the best I’ve ever tasted and will melt in your mouth at first bite. Not only is it sweet and moist (you’ll love the hint of cinnamon) but quick and easy to make! It’s perfect for breakfast, snack or even as a dessert…and there may not be any leftovers after your first bite. So what are you waiting for? Grab your loaf pan and let’s get baking!
I love go-to recipes and this banana bread recipe has been mine for years. Whenever I have bananas that are almost past the point of no return, I whip out this recipe. Not only do I love the fact that it takes under 10 minutes to get this bread in the oven but it also freezes well which makes it perfect to enjoy later!
Healthy and Easy Banana Bread
3 medium Bananas
1/2 cup Honey or Sugar
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free or All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Cinnamon (less if you’re not a fan of cinnamon)
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mash your bananas. (I generally use bananas that are almost brown so they are nice and soft. I place them in the mixer and they mash while I’m getting the rest of the ingredients together.)
- Add the egg, sugar (or honey) and cooking oil to your bananas.
- Add the dry ingredients to your banana mixture and stir just until moistened.
- Spray the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cook for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Allow pan to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.
- To remove the bread from the pan, first run a butter knife around the edges of the bread (this will ensure that the bread isn’t stuck to the pan.) Turn the pan over onto your wire rack and your beautiful loaf of bread should come out clean as a whistle.
- Allow your bread to fully cool on your wire rack.
Banana Bred recipe adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.
Banana Bread Variations
For added flavor, you could easily add a handful of chocolate chips or nuts to the batter. I’ve even seen some bakers put sliced bananas on top of the batter before baking it.
Our favorite way to eat this banana bread is warm with a dollop of butter! How do you like to eat your banana bread?
Oh my, that is a pretty loaf of bread! I love the fact that the recipe doesn’t call for butter. I like to add chocolate chips to my banana bread. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Andrea! Chocolate chips added to this recipe sounds fabulous, and I might just have to try it next time I make it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Anyone know what sugar to use?
I used granulated sugar, Ashley!
We love banana bread with Nutella! :D
Oh my, that sounds wonderful, Bethany! I love anything Nutella!
This recipe is wonderful. I made banana bread last night and it is so delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
You’re more than welcome, Frankie. I’m excited to hear that it turned out well for you!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
I just made this banana bread today. Very good and moist! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kelli!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I’m making this recipe right now! Hopefully it knocks my husband’s socks off!
I hope it does too, Taylor!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I have tried many banana bread recipes and this one is a keeper! I used 1/2 T of cinnamon instead of 1 T and added 1/2 cup of walnuts. Thank you for posting!!
I bet it was yummy with the walnuts, Valerie! Thanks for the wonderful compliment!
Omg this was absolutely fabulous! I am currently studying in Italy and my roommates and I were dying for some good banana bread! It was difficult to get the baking power because it’s not like America and we had to use a little less oil because it is a lot stronger here. All in all this was so good and I am so happy it turned out good! We added the cinnamon and felt it was the perfect touch! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
I’m so excited to hear that you enjoyed it, Jessica. (How neat that you found it from Italy.)
Thank you so much stopping by!
I have bananas going brown, so guess what we will have for breakfast tomorrow!
This recipe looks quite easy. I always add nuts to my banana bread. Thanks for sharing.
Yum, Joyce! This recipe is perfect if you’d like to add nuts to it.
Thanks for stopping by!
How long do you cook it if you split it into two smaller loaf pans?
Hi Dorothy,
To be totally honest, I’m not 100% sure. I would say 20-30 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the bread!
[…] The recipe I used can be found here […]
What kind of oil do you use?
Clayton,
I generally use vegetable or olive oil, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your banana bread!
I ran out of eggs and had to use cornstarch. I sure hope it’s good still! It smells heavenly!
I hope it turned out yummy for you, Kim! Oh how I love the smell of banana bread in the oven. ;o)
I’m wanting to try it with applesauce instead of the oil today. I do this for cakes. What do you think?
I think applesauce would work great, Jackie!
Please let us know how it turns out.
Not sure what I did wrong, but I cooked my loaf for 90 minutes before finally pulling it out of the oven. I waited a few minutes, then dumped it out of the loaf pan & it sort of flattened out on the cooling rack. Still slightly doughy in the center but dark & almost burnt on the outside. I used a glass loaf pan & haven’t had problems with my oven.
I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out, Carolyn! I hope you’ll try again.
I was short one banana so I added a handful of sweet cherries that were in the fruit bowl. I prefer to add walnuts but I am the only one in the house who likes nuts :(
Andi, I bet the cherries gave it some wonderful flavor. (I’m all about improvising and using what I have on-hand!)
Thanks for stopping by!
[…] Cup while banana bread bakes in the oven. My house smells yummy right now! I am trying a new banana bread recipe, as I have yet to find one I love yet. A few weeks ago I made this delicious banana cake and I […]
The bread smells amazing, but next time I’d use butter instead of oil and at least 1/3 cup brown sugar in addition to the white. I like how quick it was to prepare!
Hopefully it tasted as yummy as it smelled, Nicolina! ;o)
This looks wonderful! Can I use butter instead of oil? I’m out of it at the moment. Would I use the same amount? Thanks!
I would think so, Holly! (Although I’ve never tried it with this recipe, I’ve substituted oil in other recipes that call for butter.) And, yes, I would use the same amount.
Thanks for stopping by!
WOW! What a beautiful banana bread. I made this to take to work and toast it but I have to admit to slicing the ends off and spreading with butter while it was still warm. Those crunchy ends were amazing. I only added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon which turned out to be perfect for me. This is such an easy and delicious bread and I can’t wait to try it again with some walnuts. Thanks for sharing.
Warm with butter is definitely the best way to eat this yummy bread!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and are looking forward to making it again. Thanks for stopping by, Kerry!
This bread looks delicious, I never make banana bread before.
In your last step, ” add the dry ingredients to your banana mixture, stir just until moistened.
Is the mixing method same as muffin mixing method, don’t over mix? Thanks
Hi Kim, this is such an easy recipe and you should definitely try to make it.
To be totally honest, I’ve probably mixed it longer than “just until moistened.” That being said, I don’t think you can overmix it.
Enjoy!
i don’t have a cooling rack.. Is it ok to just let cool on a towel?!! And does this just make one loaf?
Hi Ashley! I would cool it on a plate instead of a towel (it might stick to the towel). And, yes, it makes one loaf.
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!
Looks so moist and delicious!! Love banana bread, thanks for sharing.
You’re going to love it, Kim! And even better than the taste, it’s super easy to make!
[…] of recipes for Banana Bread on the Internet and Pinterest. This year I tried a recipe is from Thrifty T’s Treasures. She makes it simple and easy to follow and it turned out delicious. (See the recipe below, I added […]
A great addition to banana bread is adding some peanut butter chips. Yummy!!!
Love that idea, Amber!
May I use self rising flour instead of all purpose?
Yes you can, Cheri. Just don’t include the baking powder and salt when using the self rising flour.
Hello there. Iv tried your recipe last night and it turned out great! My daughter loves it. It was a surprise the recipe was so easy and definitely i’ll make it again. Furthermore this was my first time making banana bread 😀
Yay for you for making your first loaf of banana bread, Eylia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this and I used zea flour which is gluten free (gluten intolerant), brown sugar and Koko butter which is dairy free as I eun out of coconut oil. It’s in the oven right now will let you know how it turns out. Looks amazing so far and love the addition of a full tbsp of cinnamon as I love anything with cinnamon!!! Thanks for the recipe. <3
Maria
I look forward to hearing how it turned out, Maria!
Would love to know how this turned out. Due to health reasons I am currently having to start eating more gluten & dairy free. I tried a “premixed” gluten flour a while ago on some regular bread & did NOT like the texture at all. It was very gritty.
I have been searching for a great banana bread recipe, and I finally found it in your recipe. The only change I made was making it into muffins(baked 18 mins), because I couldn’t find my load pan. This has great banana flavor, and the hint of cinnamon adds a great warmth. Just amazing. Thank you.
(Big grins!) I’m so excited to hear this. Muffins are just as yummy. :o)
Thanks, Stephanie!
[…] http://thriftytstreasures.com/2014/05/super-moist-banana-bread/ […]
I’m sorry to say that this recipe did not turn out well for me. I make a lot of dessert breads and was really hoping I would like this recipe because it has so few ingredients. But it came out a little too dense for my liking, and maybe the bananas I had were too mild in flavor but it was really missing something in the taste.
But thank you for sharing!
I’m sorry to hear that, Anna!
This came out really excellent! I was looking for a recipe and this was suggested to me. I was skeptical at first, but Moosewood’s looked needlessly complex. Another called for seven eggs!!!! This was perfect. I added a tablespoon of buckwheat. We used earth balance shortening sticks instead of oil. I realized my husband had melted a whole stick instead of half, and I had put in almost the whole thing, maybe 3/4 cup instead of the half cup we needed. So I added another couple of tablespoons of flour and kept my fingers crossed. Also added chopped walnuts and a few chocolate chips. Cooked at 325ºF in a convection oven for the full 50 minutes and it really was just perfect. We were worried because our bananas were only barely ripe, but it’s what we had, but it was just fine. It was great both hot and cold.
Oops, I mean I think I added about 3/8 cup of fat instead of 1/4.
Hi Jim! I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe and were able to add a few ingredients to make it your own.
Thank you for this recipe!! This was only my second time baking homemade banana bread and I enjoyed this recipe much more than the first one. Except my bread didn’t come out exactly right & I followed all the ingredients & instructions. My bread didn’t rise much and the center has a fudgy texture similar to the batter. I also baked it in a glass bread pan…could this have something to do with the texture? Do u think I should bake it longer or a different temperature? Just asking for some pointers cause I would like to bake this again in hopes it would have a more bread like texture.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lauren!
It sounds like it needs to be cooked a bit longer. (I would try that first before changing the oven temperature.) Cook an additional 5 minutes at a time. I also recommend using a cake tester (or even a knife) so that you can test to see if it’s finished baking or not.
Happy baking! :o)
Hey! Olive oil or vegetable oil for this recipe?
Hi Ashley! I generally use vegetable oil, but I’ve also used olive oil.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi there! Love this recipe thanks – Could you substitue the white flour with wholemeal do you think? Have you tried that? How much wholemeal flour do you think?Thanks!
I’ve never worked with wholemeal flour before so I don’t know, Jess!
If you try it please let us know though!
DO you think it would work with maple syrup instead of sugar? Thanks :)
I’ve tried it with honey and it worked well, Charlotte!
If you do end up trying it with maple syrup I’d love to know how it turns out!
As someone who has tried numerous banana bread recipes, I was excited to try this one because of how moist it looks. I followed the recipe exactly except I used olive oil instead of vegetable because I was out of vegetable oil and saw in the comments that it could be made with olive oil instead. The bread turned out looking beautiful but tasted awful. I don’t know what went wrong. I suspect it’s because of too much baking powder, but I added a teaspoon and a half just like you said. How come mine turned out bad?
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you, Erica.
I know that when I’ve baked with olive oil in the past the recipe ended up tasting a bit different. I’d love for you to try it again using the vegetable oil.
Next time substitute applesauce for the oil. It makes it low-fat and the texture Is amazing you can also use less sugar
LOVE ALL UR recipes tried em all esp the slowcooker manicotti grt! my granddon always wanted my homemademanicotti or lasagna but now@my age dont have energu to make my own padta etc BUT DID TRY ur recipes&its a keeper now since my grdson didnt even notice difference b/w homemade & easy bought ingred thx& God bless u&urs !!!
Just finished making my own banana bread and letting it cool right now.
I subbed maple syrup for sugar AND unsweetened applesauce for oil and love how this came out. Firm on the outside and moist on the inside. I ate it by itself but plan to have a piece with a nice cup of tea and maybe some butter or almond butter. Do you think almond flour could sub for all purpose?
Could I add chocolate chips into the recipe if I wanted 🙂
Yes, you absolutely can! Enjoy!
I Made it today (Friday 9th) absolutely gorgeous. I’m glad I came across this recipe 👍❤
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Moira!
I make this exact same recipe, with the exception I use two egg whites instead of the egg, and substitute applesauce for the oil for a low-fat version it comes out fantastic
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing, Julie!
I was looking specifically for a recipe that said to use oil and I’m glad I came across your recipe
I just took it out of the oven and the smell wafting through the house is amazing. Thanks for the recipe. By the way I was running short of a banana so put in a little yogurt and used brown sugar and some walnuts.
I’m so glad you found it too, Jeffrey. And I love how you mixed it up and added what you had on hand – that’s my favorite way to cook!
Hello,
Am i able to do it with 4 bananas instead of 3? Would i need to change the rest of the ingredients?
Yes, I think it’ll be just fine using 4 bananas.
How long should I leave in the oven if using a bunt pan
I would start checking to see if it’s done after 25-30 minutes of cooking. If it’s not done, add five minutes. Repeat this process until it’s a perfect golden brown and the cake tester comes out clean. Happy baking!
What size loaf pan did you use?
I use a 9 x 5 loaf pan, Michel!
Recipe did not come out as expected. The bread came out in crumbles. I had to throw it out. Such a waste of time and food. Do not use this recipe.
I’m sorry to hear that Rosy!
It says coconut oil in your ingredients. Is this what you use?
Yes it is. If you’re not a fan of coconut oil you could use another type of oil.
I saw in one of comments you said leave out salt if they used all purpose.
I looked over and over and did not see salt in recipe. I wondered about it because my recipes using butter has salt . It’s in the oven now. I guess I’ll find out soon.
Sorry for the confusion, Cindy, I must have written that by mistake. I hope you enjoyed your bread!
I used AP flour, veg.oil and white sugar and they turned out wonderful
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that Nano #1.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!