This One-Bowl Banana Bread recipe is perfect for when you have a few overripe bananas and want to make something deliciously comforting. The bread is moist, tender, and has just the right amount of sweetness.

A baked perfect loaf of banana bread made in one bowl.

Consider this your back-pocket banana bread recipe. Or at least, that is what I set out to create six months ago when I decided that I needed a back-pocket nostalgic banana bread recipe. After dozens and dozens of tests (and subjecting my ever-patient but all very willing family to countless servings every week...you know...all in the name of perfecting the recipe), I think I achieved what I set out to.

While I do have a Whole Wheat Banana Muffin recipe, this quick bread recipe is different. The objective was clear: create a straightforward one-bowl banana bread recipe (similar to this one-bowl Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread) that is easy to make, moist, not excessively sweet. I wanted a balanced amount of banana (not so much that the bread is gummy and not so little that it doesn't scream out banana) and crucially, it had to be delicious on its own, without relying on nuts or chocolate chips for added allure

This towering yet delicate bread is the result, and it is the perfect way to turn your overripe bananas into a nostalgic treat with minimal effort.

So let's get to making it! You can jump around the article using the menu below, or you can just head right to the bottom for the complete recipe.

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Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Step-By-Step Recipe Overview
How to Tell When It's Done
Kelli's Best Tips
Storage
More Breakfast Bakes
Full Recipe

Ingredients Needed and Substitutions

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The recipe card lists the full recipe with quantities below this article. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.

Ingredients for banana bread made in one bowl.

ripe bananas (we're talking brown and speckled- that type of ripe!)
granulated sugar and brown sugar (you can use either type of sugar exclusively, substituting it in equal amounts, but for the best texture and flavor use both sugars as the recipe suggests)
avocado oil or other neutral oil (or a combination of oil and butter)
eggs
plain full-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
all-purpose flour
baking powder + baking soda
coarse kosher salt (this recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease by about half for volume, or use the same amount by weight.)
cinnamon
coarse sugar (this is for sprinkling on the top before baking)

Optional Add-Ins

This banana bread recipe needs no additions to be delicious, and that was the goal. However, our family has enjoyed it with some additions like chopped nuts (walnuts are good here!) or hydrated raisins (like is done in this Stuffed Carrot Cake Muffins recipe) and of course, chocolate chips. Add in about ½-1 cup of anything your heart desires.

Step-By-Step Recipe Overview

This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!

Step 1: Weigh out the bananas on a kitchen scale.

Mashing bananas in a bowl for banana bread.

Step 2: Or mash and then measure them out.

Mixing the wet ingredients for banana bread.

Step 3: Whisk together all of the wet ingredients, along with the salt, leaveners, and cinnamon.

Assembling banana bread batter in one bowl.

Step 4: Fold in the flour.

Banana bread batter sprinkled with coarse sugar before being baked.

Step 5: Transfer the batter to a prepared baking tin, and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.

Step 6: Bake until the middle is cooked through.

How to Tell When It's Done

This banana bread recipe makes a substantial loaf and requires a 9-inch by 5-inch pan for baking (like this 1-½ pound one here). It's important to note that loaf pans can vary in actual size, even if labeled as 9"x5". Pay close attention to how much batter the pan accommodates—it should fill the pan almost to the top, but not at the top (about an inch less). During testing, I baked it in several different loaf pans, including a smaller one, and while it came close to spilling out, it never did. However, it's always a good idea to bake your loaf pan on a sheet pan in the oven, just in case. And if you are baking it in a smaller loaf pan, do make sure to line the sides with parchment. The bread clings on to that as it bakes up, which also helps prevent it from spilling out.

Because it is big, the center takes a while to cook through. Don't even start checking on the bread until at least 55 minutes into the bake (assuming your oven temperature isn't wildly off).

You'll know the bread is baked through when:

It is evenly golden, with a tall rise and the bread will feel firm to the touch.
An internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer in the lower center of the cake is above 200ºF.
A cake tester/toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Finally, my favorite way: If you listen to the cake very closely, you will hear one of two things. The first is very rapidly bubbling noises. This indicates that the bread still needs to bake. The noise you hear is moisture evaporating (aka boiling). If you don't hear anything or just a few slow bubble noises, that likely means the bread is done!

A baked banana bread recipe in a loaf pan on a cooling rack.

Kelli's Best Tips

Quick breads are simple, especially this one. However, here are my best tips to ensure success:

I hate to be finicky, but I will be finicky about measuring the bananas (and flour, see next). And this is why: If you throw three bananas into this, regardless of their size, it could change the outcome. So, if you want to ensure your recipe is perfect, weigh out the 300 grams of banana or measure out the 1-⅓ cup of mashed banana that the recipe calls for. A little bit of extra banana (say like 30 grams) won't make a huge difference, but any more than that and you could have a different outcome in the texture of your bread.
Lastly, to measure the flour, either weigh it with a kitchen scale, or lightly spoon it into a cup measurement until it is overflowing, and then sweep off any excess. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level it, it could change the outcome of the final product.
I've tried this recipe with all butter, all oil, and a combination of both. My preference is for an only oil recipe. It results in a stronger banana flavor and a moister loaf. However, some people really enjoy that milky buttery addition, so feel free to use whichever you prefer. If you do use all butter, it's helpful to add in just a tablespoon of oil, to help keep the bread moist and to account for the decrease of fat that butter has in comparison to oil.
The recipe has a distinct order of adding in the ingredients so that this can be a one-bowl recipe. To ensure even distribution of the dry ingredients like baking soda and baking powder, mix them thoroughly with the wet ingredients, before adding the flour.
Once you add your flour to the wet ingredients, do not over-mix it. Overmixing will result in gluten build-up, resulting in a tough muffin. And no one wants a tough muffin.
Always place your loaf pan on top of a sheet pan to bake, especially if you are using a smaller loaf pan.
Be careful opening the oven door more than once or twice. Doing so significantly lowers the oven's temperature and can prolong your baking time.

Three slices of baked banana bread on a cutting board.

Storage

Banana bread is one of those recipes that almost gets better with age. It is great warm, but it's also great on the 2nd, 3rd and sometimes even 4th day (depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 days.

It will also freeze wonderfully, wrapped tightly for about a month. It can be wrapped as a whole loaf, half a loaf or even in pieces. Defrost at room temperature before serving.

More Breakfast Bakes

Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!

One Bowl Banana Bread