4 Ingredient Banana Bread

a loaf of banana bread cut into slices on a bench.

5 from 5 votes

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: baking

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

385 grams bananas (peeled) approximately 4 medium, brown and spotty bananas, peeled. (weighed without peel).
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup light tasting olive oil mild olive oil or another neutral-tasting oil
235 grams self-raising flour 1 ½ cups

Optional

1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 180 °C/356 F (160 C fan forced). Coat a 24 x 13cm rectangular loaf tin with a light oil spray and line the base with baking paper. Leave the sides of the paper overhanging to help remove the banana bread later.
Place the peeled bananas in a bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth.
Add the brown sugar and oil and stir until combined.
Add the self-raising flour and fold until just combined. Don't overmix.
Place the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
Gently remove the banana bread from the tin and cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean towel. The banana bread will be soft when warm, so allow it to cool completely before slicing with a sharp, serrated knife to serve.

Video

Notes

Do you have a lot of ripe bananas in the fruit bowl you’re 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 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.
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. 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 more brown sugar over the top to caramelise them slightly.
This banana bread does not contain any eggs and while it holds together nicely with the help of banana and oil, it can be more delicate when slicing and handling. Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting and gently cut with a sharp, serrated knife.
Serving suggestions – spread the slices with real butter, jam, Nutella or honey.
Storage; Banana bread tastes even better 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.
To freeze; Wrap the bread (whole or in individual serves) and place them into an airtight container before freezing for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer to thaw before serving.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the banana bread being cut into 8 pieces, with one piece being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the banana bread.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition