We’ve been on a big banana bread kick in my house. But the problem was… every time I make a new loaf, it’s gone in a couple days! So I needed a quick, easy, and SIMPLE recipe to get in our banana bread fix without spending too much time in the kitchen. *enter 4 ingredient banana bread.*
And if you’ve been around here a while, you know I’m all about the easy sweet treats! This time last year I went through a huge 3-ingredient oreo mug cake phase (major pregancy craving!) and over the summer, I couldn’t stop making my healthy no-bake cookie dough bars. There’s just something about having a healthier sweet treat on-hand that leads to happier days and a happier life.
Something else I always have on-hand? Bananas. I pretty much buy a bunch of bananas every week because, again, we just love them in this house. However, we often find ourselves with a few overly ripe bananas by the end of the week. But thanks to this 4 ingredient banana bread recipe, I always have a way to put them to good use!
I made my banana bread gluten-free, but you totally don’t have to! This recipe is also naturally dairy-free which I LOVE. And I should mention, it’s easily made refined sugar-free as well. For all dietary swaps, check out the “adjust this recipe to your dietary needs” section below. Happy 4-ingredient baking, friends!
What You’ll Need to Make 4 Ingredient Banana Bread
Bananas: The star of the show! These bananas bring natural sweetness and moisture to the bread. The riper, the better – those speckles on the peel are a sign of maximum flavor.
Eggs: Eggs play a crucial role in binding the ingredients together, providing structure to the bread. They contribute to the moist and tender texture we all love.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a rich caramel flavor and sweetness to the banana bread. It complements the bananas perfectly, creating a delightful depth of taste.
Self-Rising Flour: The key to keeping it simple! Self-rising flour contains baking powder and salt, eliminating the need for additional leavening agents. It ensures your banana bread rises beautifully. But if you don’t have self-rising flour, feel free to use regular flour instead, then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the recipe!
Tips and Tricks
- The riper your bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your banana bread will be. Don’t shy away from those brown speckles!
- Mix the ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can affect the texture, so keep it simple and stir until everything is blended.
- Allow your banana bread to cool slightly in the pan before transferring it to a wire rack. This patience ensures a neater slice and preserves the bread’s texture.
Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs
Make it Gluten-Free: Swap out the self-rising flour for a gluten-free alternative to make this banana bread gluten-free. I used Beth Blends Grain-Free Flour Blend in my 4 ingredient banana bread and it worked great!
Make it Refined Sugar-Free: Opt for coconut sugar as a substitute for brown sugar for a refined sugar-free option.
Incredible 4 Ingredient Banana Bread (gluten-free!)
Ingredients
- 3 large and overripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease or line a 9×4-inch loaf pan.
- Place the bananas in a large bowl and mash well with a fork, until mostly smooth.
- Add the eggs to the bowl and whisk to combine. Then, dd the brown sugar and flour, then mix again until fully combined and no pockets of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted down the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Remove the banana bread from the oven, then let it cool completely before slicing.
15 Comments
Delish! Cant wait to try the other gluten free recipes. Ty
The Real Person!
I’m so happy you loved it!
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Delicious banana bread!
Made it, loved it!
Thank you so much for the recipe.xx
The Real Person!
I’m so happy you loved it! 🙂
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Did you use all 3 bananas in the mix or did you use 2 and the third was the decorative topping?
The Real Person!
I used all 3 in the mix! Then I added a 4th banana for decoration on top, totally optional though. 🙂
The Real Person!
Can you use apple sauce instead of eggs?
The Real Person!
How is it gluten free when self rising flour has gluten? Is there a gf self.rising flour?
The Real Person!
Yes! There are a few brands of gluten-free self rising flour. I purchased mine on Amazon. Or, as explained in the blog post, you can use gluten-free all purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder in place of the self-rising flour.
The Real Person!
Have you ever used this recipe for muffin tins?
The Real Person!
Can you use almond flour and baking powder? Also can you use another sweetener like coconut sugar or monkfruit?
The Real Person!
Whoops just saw about coconut sugar, but still curious about the almond flour!
The Real Person!
Hi Molly, great question! I can’t say with 100% certainty that almond flour would work in this recipe since I haven’t tried it myself. However, I can imagine that it will work to some degree, your banana bread might just turn out slightly more dense since almond flour is a heavier flour. If you give this variation a try please let me know how it turns out!
p.s. I also have an almond flour banana bread recipe on my site, linked here in case you’re interested. 🙂