Easy Banana Bread

This Super Easy Banana Bread Recipe uses just one bowl for prep and is my favorite way to use those over ripened bananas! Banana Bread is one of those recipes that no matter how you make it, it’s always delicious so why not make it easy!

Banana Bread is a food that I never truly “plan” to make. It almost always comes from buying too many bananas, the family not eating them, and me not wanting to waste them. We absolutely LOVE banana bread. It’s perfect for a weekend breakfast, warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds with some butter. It’s great to cut a slice and add it to my husbands lunch. It’s also a yummy late night snack while watching tv with the family!

I have found this recipe to be the easiest for both prep and clean up, and it’s SO good.. like SOO good. It’s moist, flavorful, and makes the entire house smell like a bakery. This banana bread recipe can easily be frozen if you don’t plan to eat it right away (or if you make more than one loaf). You can spice up the recipe by stirring in some chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans before baking for some extra texture and flavor. The kids LOVE chocolate chip banana bread!

Banana Bread Ingredients

• Over Ripened Bananas – don’t throw away those over ripe, super brown bananas! Those are the BEST for this recipe.
• Sugar
• All Purpose Flour
• Salted Butter
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon
• Mix-Ins (optional) – Chocolate chips, Walnuts, or Pecans

Making Easy Banana Bread

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a fork, mash the peeled bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Keep in mind it may be a little chunky due to the bananas (that’s ok!)
3. Add in the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir well.
4. Next, add in all of the dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flour). Stir until fully incorporated into the batter.
5. If adding mix-ins, stir those into the batter next.
6. Grease your loaf pan. You can use a non-stick spray or rub some butter around the inside of the pan.
7. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is brown & you can stick a toothpick or knife down in the middle of the loaf and it comes out clean.
8. Let the banana bread cool for 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan.
9. Enjoy with a smear of butter or cream cheese!

How to Ripen Bananas

If you’re not like me and you actually decide you want to make banana bread BEFORE your bananas are over ripe, there are some tips and tricks below to speed up the ripening process!

1. Place the entire banana (peel and all) onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Once the peel is brown, pull the bananas out of the oven and let them cool. You can now use the mushy ripe insides for the banana bread!
2. Place the bananas in a brown paper bag and close the bag. The gasses that the bananas give off a gas that will help quicken the riping process. Please know that this isn’t magic.. and it will still take a day, maybe even two to become ripe.

How to Store

1. On the Counter – The best way to store banana bread, in my opinion, is on the counter in an air tight wrap. You can keep the banana bread out on the counter for up to 4 days. After that, the moisture will start to escape the loaf and can cause it to become soggy. After 3 days, you can store in the fridge to get a few extra days.
2. In the Fridge – You can also store the banana bread in the fridge in an air tight container or bag for just over a week. The bread will dry out a bit faster in the fridge, but you can pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring it back to life.
3. In the Freezer – I will almost always make 2 loaves so that I can freeze one. Once the banana bread is fully cooled (do NOT wrap warm bread), you will wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 2 months! Simply remove the loaf from the freezer the night before you want to enjoy it, and it will thaw overnight.