Easy Five Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe

This 5 Ingredient Banana bread Recipe is so good and easy to make! It makes for a great dessert or snack for anytime!

Vanilla cake mix (1 box, 16.25 oz): This is the shortcut that makes this recipe genuinely five ingredients. The cake mix contains the flour, sugar, and leavening the bread needs — all in one box. Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker vanilla mixes all work. Butter recipe golden cake mix gives a slightly richer flavor if you want to try a variation.

Overripe bananas (1.5 cups mashed, about 3 medium): The riper the better — brown-spotted to fully brown bananas are sweeter, more moist, and mash more smoothly than yellow bananas. Yellow bananas will work but the bread will be less flavorful and slightly less moist.

Baking soda (1 teaspoon): The cake mix already has leavening, but the extra baking soda gives this bread more rise and a lighter texture than the cake mix alone would produce.

Butter or oil (3 tablespoons): Either works. Butter gives a richer flavor; oil keeps the bread moist longer since oil stays liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies. If using butter, measure after melting as the recipe specifies.

How do you make it?

1. This is genuinely one of the easiest breads you’ll ever make. Five ingredients, one bowl, and the whole thing is in the oven in about fifteen minutes.
2. Start by mashing your bananas in a bowl — you want them smooth with no big chunks left. Mix in the eggs and your melted butter or oil. In a separate larger bowl, whisk the cake mix and baking soda together.
3. Here’s the one step worth paying attention to: add the banana mixture in two stages, not all at once. Pour in half, beat it for a couple of minutes, then add the rest and beat again until the batter looks light and a little fluffy. This is what makes the bread come out lighter than standard banana bread — it’s building air into the batter. Don’t skip it and don’t rush it.
4. Pour everything into a well-buttered loaf pan and bake at 350°F. Start checking at 30 minutes. Stick a butter knife or toothpick into the center — wet batter means it needs more time, so check every five minutes after that. My oven takes about 38 minutes. Everyone’s is different.
5. Once it’s done, let it cool completely on a rack before you cut into it. I know that’s the hard part. But slicing into warm banana bread gives you a gummy, squished result — wait the full 45 minutes and it slices clean. Butter and honey on top and that’s it.

This easy banana bread recipe is made with simple ingredients such as mashed bananas and it’s a quick bread you can make first thing in the morning. If you have some brown bananas hanging around let’s get a prepared loaf pan ready for a quick breakfast!

This banana bread recipe makes an entire loaf and you can turn these into banana bread muffins or mini muffins if you like! This 5-ingredient banana bread uses basic ingredients and uses overripe bananas. The perfect snack to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Related: Easy and Yummy Cranberry Walnut Zucchini Bread

I get it too, I have personally had these kids request bananas only to find them in the corner overripe and abandoned. Apparently you can freeze them, but I’m not even sure if I had the energy to do all of that to be honest.

What I love about a good banana bread is that it’s a fun way to sneak healthy foods into the kids daily diet.

What five ingredients do you need for this easy banana bread?

What I love most about this recipe is that with a little bit of cooking magic, you can make easy banana bread with half the ingredients. This innovative recipe calls for banana mash, eggs, one box of vanilla cake mix, butter OR oil and a teaspoon of baking soda.

You won’t need any pumpkin seeds, old fashioned oats, peanut butter or melted coconut oil. You can feel free to add dark chocolate chips if you want!

This is one of the best banana bread recipes! There is a natural sweetness in this loaf of banana bread and it’s an easy way to make dessert. You won’t need any leavening agents just a basic hand mixer–no food processor needed. The minimal ingredients makes this the kind of recipe you can make anytime, anywhere!

Some folks use almond milk, agave syrup or even coconut sugar but you won’t need any of these wet ingredients or dry ingredients. If you have some extra banana hanging around grab your loaf tin and save the leftovers next time in an airtight container.

Is this banana bread recipe vegan?

This 5 ingredient banana bread recipe is not vegan. It calls for eggs, butter or oil and a box of vanilla cake mix which are all animal-derived products. If you want to make this recipe vegan you can use an egg replacer such as flaxseed or chia seed, vegan butter, and a box of vegan cake mix.

What are some easy tips for making this banana bread?

• Raw frozen overripe bananas: If your bananas are in the freezer, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or microwave in 30-second intervals until soft. Frozen and thawed bananas are wetter than fresh — drain any excess liquid before mashing.
• Cool the butter first: Melted butter should be slightly cooled before mixing with the eggs — very hot butter can start to cook the eggs when they’re combined.
• Don’t overmix: Once the batter is thoroughly combined and has air and fluffiness to it, stop mixing. Overmixing develops gluten in the cake mix flour and produces a denser, tougher loaf.
• Grease the pan generously: Banana bread sticks aggressively. Butter every surface including the sides and corners, or use parchment paper with overhang for easy removal.
• Cool completely before slicing: The interior of banana bread continues to set as it cools. Slicing into a warm loaf produces a gummy, compressed texture. Let it cool at least 45 minutes before cutting.

Can you freeze this banana bread?

Absolutely! This banana bread freezes well. Let the loaf cool completely before wrapping it in an airtight container or plastic wrap and then freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy later on, thaw the banana bread overnight in the fridge and warm it up in the microwave or oven.

What are some fun variations for this banana bread?

Throwing in some mix-ins can make this banana bread even more delicious. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Chocolate chips
• Walnuts or pecans
• Dried cranberries
• Coconut flakes
• Raisins and cinnamon for a tasty twist
• Adding yogurt for texture

Where can you serve this 5 ingredient Banana bread?

This banana bread is a delicious dessert that can be served at any occasion. It’s great for birthdays, brunches or just to have as part of an afternoon snack. You can also serve this easy banana bread with a scoop of ice cream or top it off with some melted butter and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

That’s it! Easy Peasy. This is even a super easy recipe for those that might not consider themselves good bakers. This recipe is hard to mess up!

Can I use unripe bananas for this recipe?

The two-stage banana addition is the step worth not rushing — give the mixer a full few minutes between additions and you’ll notice the batter get noticeably lighter and airier before the second half goes in. Check it at 30 minutes but don’t pull it early — mine consistently takes closer to 38 minutes. Leave a comment and tell me if you added chocolate chips, because that version deserves its own conversation.

If you are looking for a super simple banana bread recipe this is it! Enjoy!

What are some other amazing sweet bread recipes to try?

If you are looking for some more amazing cake recipes be sure to check out this comprehensive list: The Most Delicious Cake Recipes For Dessert!