This quick and easy banana bread recipe made with 4 bananas and oil is moist and delicious. Only one bowl required, no mixer needed and less than 10 minutes prep! This is one of the best ways to use overripe bananas.
4 Banana Bread Recipe
This banana bread recipe for 4 bananas is a simple one with few ingredients, very easy to make, and beginner-friendly.
Because of all that ripe goodness this loaf is packed with so much flavor; so much so that I like to call it banana banana bread. And that’s why even though this recipe is completely dairy-free you won’t even be able to tell!
How do you make banana bread moist? You do so by using lots of ripe bananas and oil or butter. I prefer banana bread with oil.
This is a banana bread recipe without nuts because I hate nuts in baked goods! Yuck. But feel free to add them if that’s your thing.
The amount of sugar in this recipe is perfect in my opinion because it gets plenty of its sweetness from all the bananas, but if you prefer it more on the sweeter side increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.
There’s no butter and no milk, but you won’t miss either of them.
There’s just a touch of cinnamon. You can add more or omit it completely depending on your personal preference. I absolutely love cinnamon so it’s never an option for me to leave it out.
This recipe actually yields a tender and moist banana bread because compared to other recipes this one has more wet ingredients that don’t include milk or water which stretches the batter thin and there’s also less flour.
Just by looking at the ingredients you know that this is a banana bread recipe that is moist.
Why is it necessary to cover the bread with foil?
You’ll notice that in the instructions it says to cover the loaf loosely with foil. This is because the crust for this bread gets very dark very quickly. Loosely covering it with foil at the 30 minute mark ensures that the crust doesn’t burn.
Often times I find that when you don’t use the foil the crust will be dark brown way before the bread is done baking therefore naturally causing you to pull the bread out of the oven before it’s done. And then you usually end up with a crust that’s fully baked or burnt and a middle that is mostly raw.
Fortunately, this ‘foil trick’ is a quick and easy solution.
How ripe should Bananas be for Banana Bread?
The best bananas for banana bread are overripe bananas that are speckled and half black or dark brown.
Besides the salt, vanilla, and spices, bananas are the main contributor of flavor in a banana loaf. So if you want your loaf to come out great every time, use overripe bananas.
How to quickly ripen Bananas for Banana Bread
Ripening bananas in the oven – Place the unpeeled bananas spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 – 20 minutes until black or dark brown on the outside and soft to the touch. Allow them to cool before using.
Ripening bananas in the microwave – Using a fork, poke straight through the banana peel multiple times on all sides to allow the heat to easily penetrate then microwave for 30 seconds at a time, checking each time for doneness. This can take up to a couple of minutes depending on how green the bananas were to begin with. The bananas are done when they have the soft texture of a ripe banana. Cool before using.
Ripening bananas in a paper bag – Place the bananas in a loosely closed paper bag to help trap the ethylene gas (that is responsible for ripening) to help speed up the process. Check the bag once a day and remove the bananas when they have reached your desired ripeness.
These methods aren’t just useful for this recipe, they’re also useful for all the other ripe banana recipes that you’ll try.
How to Store Banana Bread
Store it in an airtight container, food-safe resealable bag, cover with foil, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
How long does banana bread last? If stored correctly it should last for 2 – 3 days at room temperature and up to 1 week in the fridge.
How to Freeze Banana Bread
Wrap tightly in foil, plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag. You can also wrap tightly and place in a freezer bag for maximum protection.
How long does banana bread last in the freezer? For about 2 months.
More Easy Banana Recipes
- Coffee Cake Banana Bread Muffins
- Cake Mix Banana Muffins
- Cinnamon Sugar Banana Muffins
- Banana Brownie Muffins
For those times when you only have 2 bananas try my 2 banana bread recipe and my 3 banana bread recipe for when you have 3 bananas!
Both are also no mixer banana bread recipes just like this one!
You can find the nutrition facts for this loaf at the very bottom of the recipe.
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Banana Bread Recipe for 4 Bananas
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Ingredients
- 4 overripe bananas, mashed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (3/4 cup if you prefer it sweeter)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5 inch bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, grease with oil or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine bananas, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat in the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and baking soda and gently mix until incorporated. DO NOT over mix.
- Pour the batter into the bread pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil, then continue to bake for 20 – 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.*This method prevents the crust from burning.
- Cool in pan 15 minutes then remove to cool completely.
Notes
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37 comments
I love your recipes, just tried this one and the loaf cake out great !
Thank you! I’m glad it came out great for you. ? Enjoy!
This recipe is the best for banana bread! My daughter is gluten free and it didn’t crumble like most gluten free baked goods.
That’s so great to hear, Nanci! It’s good to know that this recipe works well with gluten free flour. Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
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Delicious banana bread! I added in half a container of cream cheese because I had some left over from a big order of bagels. Came out great 🙂
That’s great! I’m gonna have to try that some day. Thank you for the 5-star review.
This may actually be the best banana bread I’ve ever had. I cut the sugar with a Splenda / brown sugar split making it slightly lower in calories. The technique to cover with foil after 30 minutes is really the key in baking. Fantastic! Great way to use up brown bananas!
Awesome! I’m thrilled to hear that. I bet the brown sugar gave it even more flavor. Yes, that foil trick has saved many of my breads. Thanks so much for leaving a review, Amanda.
I had 4 ripe bananas and found this recipe and am glad I did, and because I had lots of blueberries I added a cup and it came out amazing. It didn’t last for the day, yum!
I am looking forward to trying other recipes from “Beat Bake Eat”
Wow, that’s really great! I can’t tell the last time I had blueberry banana bread. Thank you for your feedback and support too. I really appreciate it.
I had 4 ripe bananas and found this recipe…added crushed cashew nuts and vanilla chips..plus added brown sugar instead of white.. and my house smells like cake.. yummy..
That sounds delicious! I’ve never heard of vanilla chips before. Are they the same as white chocolate chips? I love using brown sugar in banana bread recipes too. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
I’ve made this a few times and it always turns out great. I’ll add nuts or chocolate or raisins or nothing and it always comes out delicious.
That’s great! I’m glad this has become a go-to recipe for you and thanks for taking the time to rate it.
Garbage! Not sweet enough although the bananas were, had a moist but also dry taste to it simultaneously, worst banana bread ever. Never doing 4 bananas again either. Tempted to toss it out
I’m sorry you didn’t like it! Some prefer my Banana Bread Recipe for 2 Bananas.
One of THE BEST banana bread recipes I’ve ever had!! Moist, nice crumb, perfect sweetness, and adapts well to alterations (I added 1 c. Chopped pecans and 1/2 c. Shredded coconut). I saved this one to my file!!
Wow, thank you so much! Those additions sound wonderful. I’m happy you like my recipe this much.
Absolutely loved this recipe! By far the best, easiest and tastiest banana bread we’ve had. I’ve actually got another one in the oven now, cant wait to dig in to. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe with us Crystal.
Thank you so much!
Excellent. My only problem is the flour lumps. It’s the cook not the recipe. Any suggestions as to what I’m doing wrong
I sift my flour before I mix the baking soda in. I have gotten little pockets of unmixed flour because I’m trying not too over mix it, but the bread texture is very smooth overall. Unsifted flour can put lumps into your finished product. Try sifting, and then see if the texture improves.
Use a whisk!
Definitely very moist! I think either my bananas were TOO ripe or something happened due to substituting for Almond flour because at 50 minutes in the oven, the middle was still basically liquid. I left it in another 15 minutes and the middle firmed up, but is still pretty mushy.
I’m still giving this 5 stars because the recipe is good — I messed it up.
So good???????? moist delicious and scrumptious ???????????? I added chocolate chips????????
So good???????? moist delicious and scrumptious ???????????? I added chocolate chips????????
Great!
This receipe works without fail and taste so good. Thanks for saving my over ripped bananas !
Happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the feedback.
Very light and moist! Wish the quantities were in grammes and millilitres as well as cups though
Thank you. I know, I know. I need to work on that soon.
Nice!
Great recipe! If anyone is interested in more detailed nutritional value of this recipe I calculated it using nutriely recipe builder.
It depends a bit on how much of each ingredient you use, since the recipe is not entirely set. I decided to use olive oil (80ml), 160g sugar, eggs total weight 100g.
This is what I got calculated it for you:
Serving Size: 111.25g
Energy 317kcal (1,325 kj) 9%
Carbohydrates 50g 24%
Protein 6g 6%
Fat 10g 19%
Cholesterol (gc) 36 mg
Sterols 36 mg
Iron 1mg 11%
Calcium 15mg 2%
Chromium 2ug 5%
Sodium 247mg 16%
Iodine 15ug 0%
I didn’t like this cake at all. And I followed directions to a T. Looked perfect but lacking in body and taste. I’ll never make it again.
Tastes like oil 🙁
you should advise folks that this is not a “cake like” banana bread they are typically used to.