10 Easy Banana Bread Recipes To Try, Including Oven-Free And 5-Minute Versions

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Easy banana bread recipes

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Baking isn’t really all that intimidating, it’s just tedious (and a science). When I’m baking for myself, I don’t need to make a loaf of award-winning banana bread with ingredients measured out gram by gram, just some fast and easy recipes that would satisfy my cravings for the day. Work smarter, not harder, so in order of fastest times, here’s a compilation of 10 easy banana bread recipes without the need for any monkeying around! 

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1. Banana Bread Mug Cake

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Image credit: Cheryl Nah 

This is my go-to recipe when I want just a single serving, due to its quick bake time and minimal clean-up after. Normally, I use whole milk, white or brown sugar, and sunflower oil, but feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. If I’m feeling fancy, I also like to add milo powder and crushed digestives on top for added flavour and texture. 

Yield: One serving

Time needed: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1-2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp self-raising flour
2 tbsp milk
1 small egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together until well-combined in a large microwave-safe cup or small ramekin.
2. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until a fork poked through the centre comes out clean.

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2. 2 Ingredient Banana Bread Rolls

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Image credit: Kirbie’s Cravings

For those of us without any of the quintessential baking supplies at home, this recipe by Kirbie’s Cravings uses just two ingredients: bananas and self-raising flour, which you can also make using plain flour, baking powder, and a little salt. 

Yield: 6 Rolls

Time needed: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

113g overripe bananas
130g self-raising flour

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 176 degrees celsius.
2. Puree your bananas, and add it to your flour, stirring until it forms a sticky dough.
3. Scoop out balls of dough, and have them evenly spaced out on a baking sheet.
4. Smooth out the tops with slightly damp fingers.
5. Bake your bread for about 20 to 22 minutes or until the rolls have browned tops. Brush the top with honey if you want and serve after it has cooled.

Recipe adapted from Kirbie’s Cravings

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3. Stovetop Banana Bread

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Image credit: Beeyond Cereal

If you don’t have an oven or need a huge batch of banana bread real quick, try Beeyond Cereal’s banana bread that’s made on the stove in 20 minutes. Just be careful not to burn the bottom!

Yield: 8 Slices

Time needed: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe bananas
75g vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
100g granulated sugar
187.5g AP flour

Directions:

1. Grease your cooking vessel of choice and preheat on the stove over medium low heat.
2. Mash your bananas.
3. Add oil, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add in the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix till it’s well combined.
5. Add in the flour until well combined, but do not overmix!
6. Pour batter into the preheated, greased skillet.
7. Close the lid and cook over low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Check your bread halfway through as it may be done earlier.
8. Poke your bread with a toothpick when the top looks solid and dry looking. It is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
9. When the bread is done, flip it upside down onto a plate. Serve when it’s warm.

Recipe adapted from Beeyond Cereal.

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4. Banana Bread Squares

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Image credit: Celebrating Sweets

The science behind Celebrating Sweets’ 30-minute banana bread is simple: a larger surface area being heated will cook faster. By using a square pan instead of a loaf pan, more of the banana bread batter can be cooked at once, and it looks aesthetically pleasing when cut into brownie-like squares for your next party. 

Yield: 12 small servings

Time needed: 32 minutes

Ingredients:

3-4 overripe bananas
113g unsalted butter
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
135g packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
245g AP flour
50g brown sugar (for topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 176 degrees celsius.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter and light brown sugar, until well combined.
3. Whisk in eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold this into the large bowl of wet ingredients until well combined.
5. Grease a 9 x 9 square baking pan, and pour in the batter. Smooth out the top and sprinkle the top with 37.5g of brown sugar.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, and rotate it halfway through. When a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, your bread is done and can be placed on a wire rack to cool.

Recipe adapted from Celebrating Sweets.

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5. 3 Ingredient Banana Bread

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Image credit: The Big Man’s World

This 3 ingredient banana bread from The Big Man’s World includes condensed milk, which gives the bread a more tender and sweeter crumb. An enterprising baker in the comments also added banana peels, whole grain rice, and old egg shells, which I’m personally not sure about, but it probably lends more texture to the bread.

Yield: 12 small servings

Time needed: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

330g Mashed bananas
230g Coconut condensed milk or regular condensed milk
170g self-raising flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Grease and line a 7 x 4 inch baking pan with parchment paper
3. Whisk together the mashed bananas and condensed milk until combined in a large mixing bowl.
4. Gently incorporate the flour into the mixture.
5. Transfer the batter into the greased pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean,
6. Cool the banana bread in the pan before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Big Man’s World.

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6. Air Fryer Banana Bread

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Image credit: Scrummy Lane

Kitchens these days are pretty small, so maybe you don’t have space for an oven. But that’s all right, this quick and easy recipe by Helen of Scrummy Lane uses an air fryer and still makes banana bread with a gorgeous crumb. 

Yield: 4 servings

Time needed: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ripe small to medium banana
1 egg
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp oil
60ml milk
95g AP flour
½ tsp baking soda
⅛ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Line a small baking pan, glass dish, or mini loaf pan with baking paper and spray with oil
2. Preheat air fryer to 160 degrees celsius
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg into the mash banana
4. Whisk in sugar, oil, and milk
5. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt
6. Pour the batter into the grasped pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then serve.

Recipe adapted from Scrummy Lane.

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7. Mary Berry’s Seed-Topped Banana Bread

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Image credit: Mary Berry

The UK no longer has a queen on the throne, but in the British baking world, you can’t deny that Mary Berry has reigned supreme for the last couple decades. Over the course of her career she’s come up with multiple easy banana bread recipes, but try the seed-topped one from her book Classic for the added texture and something a little healthier than the rest of this list. If you’re wondering where the salt is, it’s in the margarine, or as she calls it in her recipe, baking spread. 

Yield: 6 servings / 1 loaf

Time needed: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 overripe banana, peeled and mashed
1 egg
50g margarine
75 tbsp muscovado sugar
100g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
12g pumpkin seeds
12g sunflower seeds
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, and grease the baking tin with some margarine and line with baking paper.
2. Measure out the margarine, muscovado sugar, flour, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then add eggs, mashed bananas, and beat until light and combined together.
3. Pour out the mixture into the tin and level out the top, sprinkling it with seeds and demerara sugar.
4. Bake the loaf on the middle shelf in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. It should be golden brown and well risen.
5. Let the loaf cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Mary Berry.

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8. Perfect Banana Bread

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Image credit: Scrambled Chefs

This popular banana bread recipe from Scrambled Chefs comes together in 50 minutes, and makes an incredibly moist, classic loaf reminiscent of traditional banana cakes from an old-school bakery. It expects that you have a mixing machine, but you can probably also do this with enough arm strength of your own.

Yield: 1 loaf

Time needed: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

3-4 ripe mashed bananas
1 egg
100g brown sugar
75g unsalted butter, melted
210g AP flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Mix brown sugar and butter together until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Add in the beaten egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture, until it is completely incorporated with a mixer on low speed.
5. Add the flour mix and mashed banana to the mix, and beat for 30 seconds.
6. Pour the mixture into a buttered 4 x 8 inch loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
7. Let the banana bread cool on a rack before removing it from the pan.

Recipe adapted from Scrambled Chefs.

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9. Mayo Banana Bread

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Image credit: Spend With Pennies

Don’t worry, this isn’t mayo-flavoured banana bread, but a recipe from Spend With Pennies that uses mayo as a secret ingredient to add richness and moisture to your bread. You won’t even taste the mayo when digging in!

Yield: 1 loaf

Time needed: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

3 medium bananas, mashed
1 egg
115g mayonnaise
210g flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
170g sugar
60g chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius .
2. Mix together wet ingredients: mashed bananas, mayo, and egg.
3. In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pecans.
4. Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Remove bread from pan and let it cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Spend With Pennies.

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10. Joy’s Easy Banana Bread

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Image credit: Babs

This recipe on Allrecipes by Joy is incredibly popular, because it’s essentially idiot proof, easily customisable, and produces a classic, simple loaf of banana bread. 

Yield: 1 loaf

Time needed: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
210g AP flour
57g melted unsalted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
170g sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees celsius and grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and butter into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
4. Stir the flour mix into the banana mixture until the batter is just mixed. Add the salt.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from Joy at Allrecipes. 

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Easy Banana Bread Recipes

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Banana bread is said to be a recipe that came out of the 1920s Great Depression, and for good reason. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s a great way to use up leftover bananas to make a filling meal, which explains why everyone was baking it during the pandemic era. You don’t need baking expertise, a fully kitted out kitchen, or fancy ingredients to make this, so just relax, try out some recipes, and eat that nice, warm loaf of banana bread.

For an even easier way to acquire banana bread, stop by a bakery that sells some good banana bread, such as Thai Baang’s new Paya Lebar outlet, or the popular Hiap Joo Bakery across the causeway. 

Feature image adapted from Scrummy Lane, Mary Berry, and Scrambled Chefs.