This easy and moist Banana Loaf recipe is a family favourite, perfect for using up ripe bananas. With simple ingredients and quick preparation, it’s a “healthy” treat that everyone will love!
Whenever the kids ask me, “what’s your favourite fruit, Mummy?” the answer will always be, bananas! I’ve always been a fan of bananas, in fact anything banana – banana sweeties, banana puddings, banana hair products; I currently have a banana shower gel stood in my shower. So it’s really no surprise that one of my favourite bakes from Granny is her Banana Loaf.
It’s another one of those recipes that Granny can rattle off the top of her head without a second thought – probably because she makes it so much!
Always a popular choice for the mothers that Granny serves at the café she works in, with the reasoning that it’s a healthier choice of snack for the kids asking for sweets. I suppose I can see the logic (fruit = healthy, right?) but given the amount of sugar that also goes in Banana Loaf alongside the 1-of-you-5-a-day bananas, it’s perhaps not the healthiest snack there is.
Let’s just forget healthy for a moment though and appreciate how delicious and moist this Banana Loaf is. Compared to lots of other banana bread recipes I’ve tried, this one is pretty straight forward too – why make something more complicated that it needs to be, especially when simple means so good in this instance!
Because it’s so easy, the kids love getting involved in baking it too. My boys love nothing more than finding a slightly brown banana and waiting for it to become overripe, knowing it’ll soon be time to mash it into a Banana Bread batter.
Granny's Top Tips
• The riper your bananas, they better the flavour! I don’t make Banana Loaf nearly as often as I’d like because banana’s don’t last long in our house but the brown spotted, or even completely black bananas will always give you the best banana loaf.
• Banana loaf can also be frozen. Make in batches, keep within it’s grease-proof lining, wrap in tin foil and freeze for up to a few months.
Love this? Try this:
Banana Loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Bananas ripe
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 55 g Butter or Margarine softened
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 170 g Self-raising Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 190°c (170°c for a fan-assisted oven or Gas Mark 5) and grease & line a 2lb loaf tin with grease-proof paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the sugar, butter/margarine, egg & vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Gradually sift in the flour and baking powder, mixing until all combined.
- Pour into your pre-lined loaf tin and smooth into the corners.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 40 minutes until golden on top. Leave to cool in the loaf tin before serving in slices.
Video
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
Free-from & Vegan
Gluten-free: For a gluten-free banana loaf recipe, simply switch out the self-raising flour for gluten-free self-raising flour.
Nut-free: This recipe for banana loaf doesn’t use any nuts, but be sure to double check your ingredients individually for any hidden nuts.
Vegan: For a vegan banana loaf recipe, simply use a dairy-free margarine instead of butter and a tablespoon of applesauce instead of an egg.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
Originally published in February 2017. Updated in February 2025.
Thank you to Naomi Seiler for creating the updated photos.
42 responses
Made Banana loaf it was so light and moist also empire biscuits were easy to make thay were also very good
Do you know what size the tin was?, can you reply to [email protected]
2lb loaf tin
Hi, what course did you study at the Food Tech?.
Granny studied Breadmaking and Flour Confectionary in 1978 at Glasgow College of Food Technology.
Special I. Want !
Simply delicious, the perfect after school treat. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-Up Editor. :)
This is a really good banana bread! Lovely and moist, will be using this recipe from now on! Thank you. Gave it an extra 5mins in oven.
Made this Banana loaf. It was yummy. Family loved it ❤️
Please could you include suggested cake tin sizes in all recipes.
Many Thanks
What size loaf tin did you use
What size loaf tin did you use? Thank you
Made this banana loaf. It was so simple to make & absolutely delicious even my husband who doesn’t like banana loved it
My nephew loved eating banana cake and also my family, so I used to bake this so much as well
other cakes.
Just made this today, absolutely gorgeous, all hail your granny
Love this! Don’t know if I’ll ever be able to rattle it off like Granny but I’ve made it enough times to get the gist of it without my usual half a shift reading a recipe!
Being Lactose Intolerent I can’t use butter which most recipes call for and every time I use an alternative to use banana bread it never turns out quite right, however with this recipe it was my first success and one of the best banana breads I have ever tasted.
Gorgeous banana bread, thank you for a simple and delicious recipe. This is my new favourite recipe and can’t wait to try more of your recipes :)
My little boy has baked this two days in a row. By far the best banana loaf we’ve ever had!
I’ve made many banana loaves but this has to be the best one :) It was delicious. Thank you.
Yum yum
Absolutely delicious! I’ve tried a few recipes but have finally found the perfect one. I used a gluten free self raising flour and it was so fluffy. Thank you very much.
This has to be the easiest yet so delicious banana bread I have ever made. R
I’ve made so many banana breads from Pinterest recipe pages and they’ve been very hit and miss.
This recipe is the best and will now be my go to recipe. I made one this morning that has been demolished already.
I’ve had to make two more. I know they won’t last long.
Thank you
Simply the best recipe for banana bread and so easy! Try it with walnuts and raisins and a sprinkling of sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top….Delicious
Thank you
Absolutely perfect – and I’m new to baking! Thank you for a delicious recipe.
I made these into cupcakes and drizzled with melted chocolate. Absolutely delicious
Baked for 25mins and split the mixture into 12 muffin cases.
This is the best banana loaf recipe I’ve came across. Occasionally tried other recipes but not as good as this one. Very simple to make and always turns out brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely delicious and easy to follow recipe
Best ever Banana loaf.
Easy to follow recile
I had to increase the baking time by 10 mins. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture, as that’s just my personal taste. Other than that, this recipe is great. My mum said it’s the best banana bread she’s ever tasted.
Delicious Banana Bread
Such a good fail safe recipe. We love it.
Have made the recipe many times and always a winner! Didn’t know I could freeze it so will make a few today and freeze them
This is the nicest banana bread I have ever made, thank you so much for the recipe. It wasn’t soggy and heavy inside as mine usually are, and I love the crispy outside. Absolutely yummy.
I wanted to give it a try. May I ask how to do a self rising flour please? If I will do it with regular flour I have? Thank you
Hi not made this yet. Can I use brown sugar in place of caster sugar?
How much ingredients for banana loaf for a 1000 children
I haven’t even tried to make a cake for over 60 years (the cakes I made as a child were uniformly horrible, so I’ve always believed I couldn’t do it) but I have cautiously tested myself out with this recipe, having a lot of bananas that needed eating up, and it’s fabulous! Solid and chewy, but deliciously moist, and *easy*!
I worried because I couldn’t get the butter to mix in completely – I used an electric whisk because my shoulders are arthritic, and there were tiny lumps of it scattered throughout the mix that I couldn’t blend in, but it didn’t seem to matter. No doubt they all melted soon anyway.
The only thing is, it’s a weeny bit too sweet for me: can I use less sugar, or would that interfere with the engineering of it?
I’ve been using this recipe since 2018 and it hasn’t failed me yet, I also add chocolate chips sometimes!
Made this yesterday, husband loved it, thank you for a great recipe!
This is my go-to base recipe. I add in a handful of sultanas and a teaspoon of cinnamon and bake for an extra five minutes. It doesn’t last more than a couple of days here!
Hi Lindy could you give me an idea of what size banana you used please? They vary so much!!!