If you're looking for an easy banana bread recipe then look no further. Banana loaf is such a great way of using over ripe bananas, the fruit adds moisture and sweetness to your bake making it a healthier snack option.
Why Bake Our Easy Banana Loaf Bread?
This banana bread recipe is easy to follow making it perfect for both beginners and experienced bakers. It is delicious in flavour and can be frozen once baked. Just slice beforehand so you can defrost a slice at a time. If love the warming undertones of spice in your loaf, try replacing a tbsp of flour for ginger. It's a gamechanger! Love a loaf? Explore our full range of loaf recipes next.
10 ingredients10 steps
Vegetarian
Ingredients
MetricImperial
For the banana bread
125gUnsalted butter (softened)
175gBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
2Eggs (medium)
2Ripe Bananas (mashed)
1 tbspMilk
1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
225gAllinson's Self Raising Flour
1 tspBaking powder
1 tspGround cinnamon
For the Decoration
1Banana (sliced length ways)
Utensils
2 lb loaf tin
Stand mixer
Large bowl
Skewer
Cooling rack
Nutritional information per 113g serving
Energy 379cal
Fat 16g
of which Saturates 9.3g
Carbohydrates 52g
of which Sugars 29g
Protein 5.5g
Salt 0.33g
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4)
Step 2
Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
Step 3
In a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and golden caster sugar on a high speed until light and fluffy (around 3 minutes)
Ingredients for this step
125gUnsalted butter (softened)
175gBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
Step 4
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking together between each addition.
Ingredients for this step
2Eggs (large)
Step 5
Add the bananas and vanilla extract to the bowl and combine.
Ingredients for this step
2Bananas (mashed)
1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
1 tbspMilk
Step 6
Sift the flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon into the bowl and beat together for a few seconds until all the ingredients are combined.
Ingredients for this step
250gAllinson's self-raising flour
1 tspGround cinnamon
1 tspBaking powder
Step 7
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and top with the third banana, sliced in half to decorate.
Tip: If you prefer the banana on top to remain light in colour coat each slice in a little sprinkling of lemon juice.
Ingredients for this step
1Banana (sliced length ways)
Step 8
Bake in the preheated oven for around 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Step 9
Once fully baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out to cool fully on a wire rack.
Step 10
Once cooled, slice and serve.
Tip: If you can wait, then this banana loaf is even better the next day!
Top Tips
It's best to use ripe bananas for banana bread for several reasons:
Sweetness: As bananas ripen, their starches convert into sugars, making them much sweeter
Moisture: Ripe bananas are softer and contain more moisture, which helps keep the banana bread moist
Ease of Mashing: Ripe bananas are easier to mash, which helps them blend more smoothly into the batter, ensuring an even texture throughout the bread
Flavour: Overripe bananas have a stronger banana flavour, which intensifies the taste of the banana bread
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
If you're looking for a vegan and dairy free banana bread recipe, try our vegan banana bread developed by British baker and writer, Juliet Sears. We also have a delicious gluten free banana bread recipe which is vegan and a great alternative to the classic banana bread. We even have a low sugar banana bread recipe using a no sugar, low calorie sweetener.
Yes, adding too much banana to banana bread can make it heavy, damp, and potentially under-cooked. It can also throw off the balance of wet to dry ingredients, leading to a mushy texture.
For best results follow our recipe.
If you have too many bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.
What are the ingredients of banana loaf?
A basic banana loaf (also known as banana bread) typically includes:
Ripe bananas (mashed)
Sugar (Billington's golden caster is what we recommend)
A fat source (butter, oil, or margarine)
Eggs
Self raising flour, and a leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder)
Vanilla extract, salt and optional ingredients like nuts or spices can also be added
