Banana bread Made Without A Loaf Pan is lighter and fluffier and tastes even better than banana bread made in a loaf pan. When it is made in a square ceramic baking dish it is fluffier and more cake-like in consistency than banana bread made in a loaf pan, which is usually dense. Both ways are great, but a square dish is my preference.
I have made this recipe at least a hundred times over 10 years. It is a recipe that we use over and over in our home, and it is the one that I hope, the most, that our kids make for their kids (or even college roommates) when they get older. Banana bread has such a nostalgia associated with it… weekend breakfasts, after school snacks, cold winter days and sunny spring days. There is so much good emotion wrapped up in banana bread. It is by far one of my favorite recipes.
Choosing Bananas
The key to a great banana bread is choosing bananas that are the right amount of ripeness. I choose bananas that are overripe, to the point where you probably wouldn’t want to just peel one and eat it as a snack. But equally important, you don’t actually want them to be too overripe. If they are SO brown, that they’re kinda falling apart and pretty unpleasant to look at on the counter, that’s too ripe. If they are too overripe then the bread actually turns out to have a mushy and unpleasant texture. Choose bananas (or wait to use your bananas on the counter) until they have started to turn brown, have some brown spots, but not so ripe that they are completely brown all over.
Use 4 ½ medium sized bananas for this recipe (about 2 cups mashed). Choose bananas that are not huge, not tiny, but somewhere in the middle.
Not Too Much Sugar
Bananas have plenty of sugar in them, and when you choose bananas that are starting to brown they will be extra sweet. For that reason, banana bread does not need that much sugar. This recipe calls for ½ cup sugar, which is definitely less than typical, but I find is just the right amount. It is still plenty sweet but tastes a little more appropriate for breakfast or a snack, rather than just as a dessert.
I also only include ¼ cup butter. That’s all that it needs. There are plenty of wet ingredients in the batter with all the bananas so it doesn’t need a ton of butter. Any more than ¼ cup and you can start to taste the butter distinct from the rest of the ingredients.
If you tried this Banana Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
If you're looking for another sweet bread recipe, you may love these:
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread
Banana Bread without a Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4½ medium overripe* bananas (see note above) about 2 cups of mashed bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Butter and flour an 8x8 square ceramic baking dish.
- Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the bananas and use the mixer to mash the bananas on low speed. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine. Add the baking soda and salt and combine.
- Then with a spoon, mix in the flour by hand until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Timing may vary if using an aluminum or glass dish, or a 9x9 dish, and depending on how hot your oven runs.A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Tiffany says
first time ever making banana bread and it was amazing! Will definitely make again. the recipe for perfect.
Lauren says
Hi Tiffany, I'm so glad to hear it!! Thanks so much for your kind note!
Katie says
Any thoughts on how to make the bread less moist?? I have run into this issue multiple times where the flavor is on point but the bread is always too moist. I followed this recipe specifically using an 8x8 pan as I don’t have a loaf pan, but still running into the same issue. Outside is crispy brown/golden, inside is borderline wet even when a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the bread is cooled.
Lauren says
Hi Katie, I have a few things that you can try. First, you can measure the exact amount of mashed bananas. I usually do this by adding the bananas to a 4 cup measuring pitcher, then using a hand mixer to mash the bananas. Then check to make sure the total volume comes up to the 2-cup line. If you don't have a hand held mixer, you can also mash with a fork and measure with a measuring pitcher or cups. Second, you can measure the exact amount of flour. I use a ratio of 1 cup of flour equals 140 grams. I have a post that discusses measuring flour in more detail (see tip A Guide to Making the Best Homemade Cookies). For this recipe the total amount of flour would be 210 grams (1 1/2 cups). If you don't have a kitchen scale, try adding roughly 2 tablespoons more of flour to the batter. Third, if you want to cook the banana bread a little longer, but you don't want the top to get too dark, cover the 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and bake it for an additional 5 minutes (up to 7 minutes). Sometimes, its possible that if the top is really crispy it can "clean" the toothpick of any wet batter as you remove it from the banana bread. Let me know if this helps, and I'd be happy to chat more about it!
Serena says
Hey! This was really yummy. I always forget that I bought bananas and encounter the problem of not knowing how to use them all up frequently, so this was perfect! I'm student in a very empty kitchen but I was able to mix everything together without a mixer. I also added some raspberries for some extra sweetness. Super easy and turned out really yummy! I will definitely use it again, thank you!!!
Lauren says
Hi Serena, Thanks for your note! I bet it was great with the added raspberries. It's definitely a great recipe when you don't have a mixer - I made this recipe a ton before I had a mixer too. I'm so glad you really enjoyed it!
Kat says
As a girl without a loaf pan or a hand mixer, this recipe will definitely join my rotation!
I really like how banana-heavy it is, I needed to use 5 bananas and had the perfect amount with a little baker’s snack. Super simple with pantry ingredients, and super substitutable (I used browned butter, added cinnamon from the comment recommendations, used half raw and half brown sugar. I might try to add in some whole wheat flour next time). It is lovely and I’m excited to share it with my uni mates.
Lauren says
Hi Kat, Its definitely a great recipe to use when you don't have a loaf pan or hand mixer. Thanks so much for the kind review and your feedback! I loved hearing how you used different substitutions!
Deborah W. says
Perfect banana bread! I added 1tsp cinna.on and 1/2 c finely chopped pecans to the batter. My toaster oven is small, so the door didn't close completely with an 8x8" square cake pan in it. I baked it for about 30 minutes at 350°. The toothpick came out clean, but the cake wasn't golden on top. It was a bit underdone. Two days later, it was still in the cake pan, so I put it back in the oven (!) on 300° for about 20 more minutes, turned it once, and tried to cover the gap in the door of the toaster oven with a length of aluminum foil. It worked!! It is perfect now!! Excellent recipe, but add cinnamon and pecans to make it leap ahead of the other recipes!
Lauren says
Hi Deborah, Thanks so much for the feedback! Thats so great to hear that you found a way to make it work in your toaster oven. I bet the cinnamon and pecans were great! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Elise says
Just made this today with my preschooler, it came out so delicious and was easy and fun for us to do together! Lauren has the best recipes!
Lauren says
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this! Its so nice to hear that you made it together with your preschooler! ❤️