The 5-Ingredient Banana Bread I Make Once a Week

My family is bananas for bananas. The only way I can keep up with their consumption is to buy several bunches each shopping trip and cross my fingers. This aggressive approach keeps the banana fiends satisfied but also results in the regular appearance of overripe bananas. I find myself making banana bread nearly every week. 

I’m not complaining, because I have the perfect recipe for using up bananas to make a deliciously wholesome loaf my whole family loves, using less than five minutes of my time.

Blender Magic

This banana bread recipe has you simply blend up five ingredients, pour the batter into a loaf pan, and bake until golden. Instead of flour, the batter is thickened by partially blended old-fashioned oats, resulting in a hearty, but not heavy bread. 

I find some banana bread recipes to be overly sweet, but this maple-kissed version is less cake-like and more what I want a quick bread to be. Because it’s not too sweet and made with a whole grain, my weekly banana bread helps fill out our meal plan as a satisfying snack or breakfast, especially welcome on busy weekday mornings.

How To Make My Blender Banana Bread

Adapted from The BakerMama

For one loaf, or 8 to 10 servings, you’ll need:

• Cooking spray
• 3 overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch or 8 1/2×4 1/2-inch loaf pan and line the bottom and long sides with a piece of parchment paper.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender in the order listed (bananas first, then eggs, etc). Blend just until the banana and eggs are homogenous and the oats are partially incorporated but the batter is still coarsely textured with oat pieces. Don’t over-blend or the loaf can become gummy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake until the top is a deep, golden brown and firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes (the smaller the pan, the longer the cook time). Allow to cool completely before removing from the loaf pan and serving.

Tightly wrap any leftovers and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Play Around with the Recipe

Though you only need a handful of ingredients, and I often make the banana blender bread with just the five required, the recipe is a great canvas to play with or to use up other languishing ingredients. My most frequent additions are a big pinch of salt plus spices, especially cinnamon and nutmeg. 

If I have toasted nuts left over from another meal, I’ll add those as well. A cup of nuts or seeds (or a mix of both) adds nice flavor and texture and makes this banana bread even more filling. And although I’ve praised this recipe in part for not being too sugary, I do sometimes add a half cup of chocolate chips. 

My kids are glad any time I make this banana bread, but I’ve noticed their enthusiasm kicks up a notch anytime I surprise them with the chocolate-studded variation.