4 Ingredient Banana Bread

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You only need 4 ingredients to make this light and tender banana bread! Packed with fresh bananas and endlessly customisable with your favourite add-ins, it makes the perfect freezer-friendly snack.

a loaf of banana bread on a bench, with butter.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Quick and easy – a simple, one-bowl recipe that can be prepared in 5 minutes. Just mix and stir, no electric mixers required.
Moist and flavourful – cut it into thick slices and smother them with butter for the ultimate treat. It stays moist for days!
Freezer friendly – make a batch and freeze it for morning tea or lunchboxes all week long.
Egg free – this recipe contains no eggs, no milk, no butter and no cake mixes. Just simple ingredients that you will likely have in your pantry at all times.
4 ingredients – less ingredients make it an easy and affordable snack. And using overripe bananas is a great way to reduce food waste.

Contents hide

1 Why you’ll love this recipe

2 Ingredients you will need

3 Step by step instructions

8 4 Ingredient Banana Bread

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

all ingredients for banana bread, laid out on a table.

This recipe is a great way to use up old bananas with minimal other ingredients.

Bananas – for moisture and flavour. Choose brown, spotty and overripe bananas for a banana bread that is sweeter, softer and more flavourful. As bananas ripen, they get a stronger, sweeter and more intense banana flavour, making them perfect for baking. Soft, brown bananas are also easier to mash. If you have some overripe bananas in the freezer, they are perfect for banana bread too. Simply defrost them before using.
Brown sugar – for depth and richness and a subtle caramel flavour. Brown sugar also adds moisture to the banana bread. I use light brown sugar, but regular brown sugar or white sugar can be used if this is what you have on hand.
Olive oil – use a mild olive oil that is light in flavour, for best results. Otherwise, the flavour will be overpowering. Oil is used to add moisture to the banana bread, as well as helping to bind ingredients together in place of eggs. Avocado oil or grapeseed oil can also be used.
Self-raising flour – the raising agent. Self-raising flour is a mixture of plain flour, baking powder and salt that will give the banana bread a lovely, fluffy texture and soft crumb. If you don’t have self-raising flour, you can make your own by mixing 2 teaspoons of baking powder into every 1 cup of plain flour, along with a pinch of salt. Be sure to weigh the flour, for accuracy. Too much flour will make dry, dense bread.

two slices of banana bread on a plate with a butter knife.

Step by step instructions

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Step 1 – Mash the banana;

Use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas until mostly smooth. A few lumps are ok.

Step 2 – Mix the wet ingredients and sugar;

Add the brown sugar and olive oil and mix until combined.

Step 3 – Add the flour;

Add the self-raising flour and fold until just combined.

It’s important not to overmix the batter.

flour added to mashed banana mixture in a bowl.

Step 4 – Bake;

Add the batter to a lined loaf tin. You have the option to add an extra banana to the top, sliced lengthways.

Bake until golden brown and cooked through in the middle (full ingredients and cooking times listed below in the recipe card).

batter in a loaf tin, topped with two pieces of sliced banana.

Flavour variations

Next time you whip up this simple banana bread, why not give it a few upgrades? Use the recipe below as a base and add some of these favourite banana bread mix-ins to make it your own;

Nuts – add flavour and crunch with ¼ – ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, folded through the batter before baking.
Blueberries, raspberries or strawberries – Add up to ½ cup of fresh, juicy berries to the batter for extra indulgence. Fold them through at the end so they don’t get crushed.
Spices – warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice work perfectly with sweet banana flavour. Add ¼ – ½ teaspoon to the batter before baking.
Orange zest – citrus brightens up any recipe, and in this case it pairs perfectly with the sweet banana flavour.
Dried fruit – mixing dried fruits into the batter is an easy way to make the banana bread more flavourful. Dried cranberries, raisins, currants, chopped apricots or sultanas are easy additions.
Vanilla – a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or extract adds warmth and lifts the banana flavour to another level.
Chocolate chips – they make everything better! Add a handful (or two) to the batter or even sprinkle some on top before baking.
Swirl your favourite spread – try adding a swirl or some teaspoon-sized drops of Nutella, peanut butter or Biscoff spread through the top of the batter once in the pan. So good!

Expert tips

Do you have a lot of old, ripe bananas sitting around that you’re just going to throw out? If you’re not ready to bake anything with them, freeze them for later! Peel the bananas and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to make banana bread, thaw the bananas in the fridge or on the counter before using.
Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will make the bread tough and dense. Just gently fold in the flour and stop as soon as its incorporated. A few little lumps are ok.
Weigh the ingredients, for best results. Too much mashed banana will make the mixture too wet, while too much flour will make it dry and dense.
Don’t overcook. Overcooking will dry the banana bread out and it will lose some of its tenderness. Check it at the 45 minute mark and assess from there. When ready, it will be golden on the outside and a skewer inserted into the middle will come out mostly clean.
Line the tin with baking paper and leave the paper overhanging at the sides, for easy removal.
A fork or a potato masher can be used to mash the bananas. A fork will mash the bananas more finely, where a masher will leave it slightly coarser, leaving some small chunks in the finished banana bread. It comes down to preference!
For extra wow-factor, add a fifth banana to the top of the bread before baking. Simply slice the banana in half lengthways and place it gently onto the top of the batter. You can even sprinkle a little extra brown sugar onto the banana to caramelise slightly.
Serving suggestions – spread the slices with real butter, jam, Nutella or honey.

FAQs

How long will it keep?

Banana bread tastes even better the next day (and the next day!). When kept well covered in an airtight container, it will keep for around 3 days at room temperature or 4-5 days in the fridge.

Can I freeze it?

It freezes really well, making it the perfect make-ahead snack. Allow the banana bread to cool completely and wrap it (whole or in individual serves) in baking paper or plastic wrap. Place them into an airtight container before freezing for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer to thaw before serving.

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