Wonderfully light in texture, but big on banana flavour, this 2-banana banana bread is the perfect use for your over-ripe bananas.
I seem to have a never ending supply of over-ripe bananas, but somehow, I always end up with just two stragglers. I was highly motivated to find a great banana bread recipe that needed only 2 bananas and this is the one that has served me well for years.
While this 2-Banana Banana Bread is light in colour and texture, it is big on banana flavour, even with just 2 bananas. It needs only regular pantry items, too. And best of all, it will fill your house with all the wonderful baking smells! You will have a hard time waiting for this one to cool before grabbing a slice. (It has the loveliest crust, too – lightly crisp and perfect for slicing.)
This banana bread will keep well for several days, wrapped and stored on the counter or freeze extras for later. I think you’ll also love that this banana bread is fairly light in fat and sugar, too!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need …
Bananas: Obviously, the more ripe the bananas, the bigger the banana flavour. That said, I have made this bread with bananas that are just starting to form brown spots with success. Unless you have super small bananas, you will only need 2 bananas here. If you have a little less or a little more than 1 cup of mashed bananas, no worries. Just use it all.
Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter here. I like unsalted myself, if I have it on hand. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt in the flour mixture slightly.
White Sugar: I haven’t tested this recipe with less sugar, but if you are needing to reduce added sugar, you could probably reduce to 1/2 cup. It will, of course, affect the sweetness of the finished loaf, but also possibly reduce the banana flavour, as the sugar works to enhance the banana flavour, as well.
Eggs: Have your eggs at room temperature before baking, for best results. Removing from the fridge 20-30 minutes ahead should do it. I used free-range eggs here, which are quite a bright yellow. Yours batter may be paler in colour.
All-purpose flour: I am a bread baker, so I always have unbleached flour on hand, so that’s what I used here. I don’t think a bleached all-purpose will change the results at all. I haven’t tested this recipe with alternate flours.
Baking powder, baking soda and salt
Instructions
1. Be sure your butter is just at room temperature, then add to the mixing bowl, together with the white sugar.
2. Beat the butter/sugar mixture for 2-3 minutes, until it is light in colour. Don’t skimp on time here, as this process is important to the finished texture of your loaf.
3. Add the eggs, one a a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl well, to catch any bits of butter that haven’t incorporated into the mixture.
5. How your batter will look after both eggs have been added and mixed well.
6. Add the flour mixture (whisked together with the baking soda, baking powder and salt) to the batter, alternating with the mashed banana. That means adding 1/3 of the flour, then 1/2 of the bananas, then the second 1/3 of flour, the remaining bananas and finally the remaining flour. Mix until well combined.
7. Grab your loaf pan, prepared with a sheet of parchment paper that covers the bottom and long sides of the pan. I find spraying the loaf pan first helps the parchment to stick to the sides and not fall into the pan when adding the batter. I don’t feel you generally need to line the ends of the pans, unless the loaf is super sticky.
8. Add the batter to your prepared loaf pan and level the top.
Be sure your oven is preheated and bake. Every time I bake this loaf it takes a different amount of time, anywhere from 45 minutes to 55 minutes. Start looking at the loaf at about the 40 minute mark. If the loaf is still pale, let it bake longer, before opening the oven and testing. The loaf is approaching done when the top is turning quite golden and cracked. When it starts to look like that, use a tester to test it. The loaf is done when a tester comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the loaf.
Recipe Video
FAQ
How do I store the baked banana bread: Once cooled completely, store this bread at room temperature, well-wrapped.
Can you freeze banana bread? Yes! This bread will freeze well, tightly wrapped, up to 2 months.
Can I use a different size loaf pan? An 8×4-inch loaf pan is recommended, for best results. While it seems it should be possible to use the larger 9×5-loaf pan and make a shorter/wider loaf, some people have had issues with the loaf not baking all the way through when using the larger pan size. I haven’t tested this, so I can’t say if it always happens or not. You may be able to manage it by covering the top loosely with aluminum foil to stop it from over-browning, while continuing to let it cook longer so it will cook through completely.
Get the Recipe: 2 Banana Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt, reduce slightly if using salted butter
- 1/3 cup (75 g) butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (134 g) white sugar
- 2 large (2 large) eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227 ml) bananas, mashed, about 2 medium, very-ripe bananas
Equipment
- Electric or stand mixer
- 8x4-inch glass or metal loaf pan
- Parchment paper (optional, for easy removal)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (not fan-assisted/convection) with rack in centre of oven. *Reduce oven temperature by 25F for glass pans.
- Prepare an 8.5 x4.5-inch metal loaf pan (at least 2 1/2 inches deep) by spraying with cooking spray, then lining the bottom and sides with a sheet of parchment paper that extends about 1-inch over the sides, to use as handles to remove the loaf after baking. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together well the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- With mixer on low, add the flour mixture, alternately with the mashed bananas (add 1/3 flour mixture, then 1/2 the bananas, then more flour, then remaining banana, ending with the remaining flour). Mix until well combined, then give it a quick, 15-second beat.
- Pour batter into prepared 8x4-inch loaf pan and level top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. *Start checking the loaf at about 40 minutes. If the top is still quite pale, no need to test. Start testing when the top is cracked and turning golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the baking pan, gently remove the parchment paper and allow to cool further or completely on a baking rack.
Video
Notes
More banana recipes you might like …
SUPER Delicious with some changes… I made this using Self-Rising flour, I removed the Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt from the recipe, but I did use Salted Butter. Added 1 tsp of Vanilla and a nice sprinkle of Nutmeg… probably could’ve added some Cinnamon too, but didn’t this time. – I also used half White Sugar and half Brown Sugar instead of all White Sugar, and then sprinkled a heavy amount of Brown Sugar on top, before placing in the oven. Turned out sooo delicious… I only had 2 bananas to use, so this recipe was perfect…. I hope this helps anyone who wants to use Self-Rising Flour for this recipe…
Great recipe for sure! THANK YOUUUUU!
Thanks for sharing your adaptation, Diane :) So glad you enjoyed it.
Turned out great! I added Nutella to the top & it was very yummy! (I cut the Nutella into the batter so that it would have that swirl effect)
Glad you enjoyed it, Kenya :) Thanks so much!
Great recipe when you only have two ripe bananas. Even with only two bananas, it had a good banana taste. I did add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the recipe, because that is what we like. I did find the batter just a tad too thick, so I added 2 TBSP milk to the batter. After creaming the ingredients and adding the mashed bananas, I stirred in the dry ingredients by hand and mixed just until the ingredients were incorporated. I find if I overmix my quick breads, they become very dense. I only used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and greased well. Loaf came out of the pan with no problems. Thanks for this recipe. I will use make this again.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Love love love this recipe for a simple easy and quick recipe with a very delicious taste. I just made one loaf and now I wish I had made two… I can’t wait to try it using some different things …such as chocolate chips… Will be sending all of my friends this recipe. Five stars for sure
So glad you enjoyed it, Candice :) Thanks so much!
I made the recipe but subbed the butter with a combo of liquid coconut oil and whey. ✅✅✅
Wonderful! Easily prepared. I especially love it because I ALWAYS have one too few bananas for most recipies. Will make it again and again.
Hi Barb and so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
I tried the recipe and it turned out great, I added pecans and vanilla extract . I made muffins, they are easy to grab when on the go. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much, Maxie :) So glad you enjoyed it!
Have made this recipe several times, it is always amazing! Takes longer to cook than recipe says (usually about 60-70 minutes but that could be my oven or my high altitude). Absolutely worth the effort and time though.
So glad you are enjoying it, Amber! Thanks so much :)
I tried your recipe earlier this evening and it came out perfect! I am so glad I found your recipe. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah :) Thanks so much!
My go-to banana bread recipe! Simple and sweet :)
So glad you are enjoying it, Anna :) Thanks so much!
Here I am with four bananas… I love that your recipe called for two bananas. So I made two cakes, one gluten-free with chocolate chips and a crumble topping and one regular with blueberries and a crumble topping within the mix. I’ve only tasted the gluten-free and it was amazing. Sweet! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ellen :) Thanks so much!
I just made this tonight- I followed the directions exactly. Then put the batter into jumbo muffin tins- the best ever!!!!!!
Thank you
So glad to hear, Shelley :) Thanks so much!
Just baked this today with delicious results. Easy to follow recipe and big on banana flavour!
So glad you enjoyed it, Pete :) Thanks so much!
This banana bread recipe is my absolute favourite I’ve made and I’ve made my fair share over the years. I added a sprinkling of chocolate chips and it was perfection. Not too sweet, but just right. Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you are enjoying it, Melissa :) Thanks so much!
My family loves banana bread, and it seems that we always seem to have banana bread “seeds”, so I had to try this.
It is by far the best recipe that I have made to date: both in taste and ease of making.
Thank you for sharing!
Love having banana bread “seeds” :) So glad you enjoyed it, Kevin. Thanks so much!