Easy 4-Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe (With No Cake Mix)

Name: 4 Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 4 whole ripe bananas; ½ cup brown sugar; 2 whole eggs; 1 ½ cups self-rising flour; 1 whole extra banana (for decorating the top, optional); ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips; ½ cup chopped walnuts; ½ cup shredded coconut; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make a quick 4 ingredient banana bread in one bowl, then bake in the oven until done! This is a great way to use ripe bananas, and your family will surely enjoy moist banana bread for breakfast or as an after-school snack.

4-Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread is a timeless classic, loved for its moist texture, warm aroma, and irresistible flavor. It’s the best way to use up those overripe bananas on your kitchen counter, transforming them into a sweet treat perfect for enjoying any time of the day.

My kids like a slight banana texture over a strong bread finish, so I went heavy with the banana. But, of course, you can use a little less if you prefer. Either way, this easy recipe will satisfy those banana bread cravings and have you come back for more!

I have another recipe for banana bread without baking soda that doesn’t come out so dense but is more light and fluffy by using less banana. Feel free to follow whichever recipe suits your needs and taste buds best.

And if you want to trim the recipe back even more, try these 3-ingredient bread recipes instead. No banana on that list, but nice flavorful ones all the same.

A whole banana bread in a baking dish placed on a cooling rack with ripe banana background.

How to Make Four Ingredient Banana Bread

Many people rely on a box of cake mix as a shortcut to making easy homemade banana bread. But that’s the best thing that makes this recipe stand out – it calls for self rising flour instead!

Like bread machine zucchini bread or bread machine pumpkin bread, all you need are basic ingredients and a large mixing bowl, and this simple banana bread recipe will become your family favorite.

Ok, let’s begin! Start by gathering simple ingredients to make an easy banana bread recipe without cake mix in just a few minutes!

Ingredients

Bananas – You must use very ripe bananas. If they are not ripe enough, the fruit will be too firm to mash and create a very heavy batter that is hard to rise in the oven. Choose bananas with plenty of brown spots or one that’s already gone completely black. You can force the ripening process in an oven if necessary. Add one extra banana for decorating the top if you want.
Sweetener – brown sugar sweetens the banana bread batter while adding a delicious depth of flavor. You can substitute it with regular white sugar.
Eggs – 2 whole eggs at room temperature for best results
Flour – Self-raising flour contains added baking powder and salt. This saves you from needing to consider two additional ingredients in the recipes. Baking powder is an important leavening agent and shouldn’t be omitted. Therefore, if you don’t have self-rising flour, you can substitute with 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt.

That’s all you need to make delicious banana bread recipe, and it’s just right as it is!

But if you’re the kind of person who likes expanding on a single recipe and trying all the variations, think about these optional add-ins. Pick one, mix and match, or add all of these yummy (completely optional!) ingredients to your cake batter for a fun twist on flavor.

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup shredded coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In addition to these, Taste of Home has even more ways to upgrade your banana bread with some pretty drool-worthy ideas.

This recipe is naturally dairy-free and vegetarian.

Step-By-Step Directions

Follow the simple directions, and you can’t go wrong!

Step one: Preheat and prepare

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Watch this sixteen second tutorial by Baker Bettie if you don’t already know how.

Step two: Mash and mix

Mash the bananas with a fork in a medium mixing bowl.

Mashed bananas in a glass bowl with a fork.

Add the eggs and sugar to the mashed bananas and mix well.

Mashed bananas with egg and sugar in a glass bowl with a fork.

Finally, mix the flour with the wet ingredients and continue stirring until the ingredients look evenly combined. Don’t over-mix because that can lead to gummy banana bread. Instead, give as many stirs as necessary to mix well and ensure no flour lumps remain.

Mashed bananas mixture with flour added in a glass bowl with a fork.

Getting the right texture is important. It should be thick yet pourable. It should pile up but not roll into a ball. If you think it’s too thick, add a splash of water to soften it. Conversely, if you see it too runny, add a small spoonful of flour to thicken it. Bananas vary and can sometimes produce differing results.

Step three: Bake

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.

Banana bread mixture pour in a baking dish.

For extra banana flavor and texture, slice a large banana crosswise into small circles and arrange them on top of the batter.

Banana bread mixture with sliced banana toppings in a baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean when inserted into the center of the banana bread.

A whole banana bread in a baking dish placed on a cooling rack.

Step four: Cool and serve

Remove the quick bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Let it sit for 10 minutes before pulling up the parchment paper, removing it from the pan, and placing warm banana bread on a wire rack to cool for 10 more minutes. Then, slice into approximately nine 1-inch pieces.

Serve with breakfast sausage and favorite easy egg dish for an extra boost of protein.

Store leftover banana bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Alternatively, freeze for up to three months. I suggest pre-slicing the bread and adding parchment paper between the banana bread slices to avoid sticking together. Store in a freezer-safe bag or container.

Banana Bread Nutrition Facts

This easy 4 ingredient banana bread recipe yields 9 (1-inch) slices.

Each slice of banana bread contains:

187 calories
4 g protein
1 g fat
40 g total carbs
2 g fiber
38 net carbs

Please note that the nutritional value will change if you substitute ingredients. Use a nutrition app to recalculate and reflect your changes.

A whole banana bread on a wooden board with banana background.

Easy 4 Ingredient Banana Bread FAQ

Can you make banana bread without baking soda?

Baking soda creates a leaving effect by reacting with acid in a recipe. You can make banana bread without baking soda; we do it in the recipe below. You may notice it’s slightly denser and more compact than other recipes.

Chemist turned baker Janice at Bake School has an interesting analysis on this question, and Baking Baron goes even deeper into the technical ins and outs of baking with or without baking soda.

What oven rack do I use for banana bread?

Cook the bread in the middle of the oven, on the middle rack. The air will circulate nicely, and the bread won’t be too close or too far from the heat source.

How long to let banana bread cool on wire rack?

I let my loaf of banana bread cool in the baking pan for about 10 minutes before lifting the parchment paper and transferring it from the pan to the rack. It sits an additional 10 minutes before I slice and serve it. If you want to store the bread immediately, wait until it cools completely. This may take up to 60 minutes.

Why is my banana bread gummy?

The most common reason banana bread gets gummy is due to over-mixing. The gluten in wheat flour thickens as you mix it, so go gently and stir just enough to combine the ingredients.

Baking How has a great reference article on this question and goes through the top three reasons for gummy bread (over mixing is first) as well as eight tips on how to avoid it from happening again.

More Easy Breakfast Recipes

A whole banana bread in a parchment paper lined in a bread pan.

4 Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe

Author: Jessica Haggard

Make a quick 4-ingredient banana bread in one bowl, then bake in the oven until done! This is a great way to use ripe bananas, and your family will surely enjoy it for breakfast or as an after-school snack.

5 from 50 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings (1-inch) servings

Calories 322 kcal