3 Ingredient Banana Bread

This easy 3 ingredient banana bread recipe is easy enough to whip up for weekday breakfasts when you don’t have the time or energy to make a complicated, ten ingredient recipe, or when you’re out of most of your usual ingredients. No matter how or when you serve it, this quick bread is soft, tender, and moist.  

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This delicious banana bread is naturally Egg-Free, Butter-Free, and Oil-Free!

You stare at a mountain of ripe bananas, ready to bake your regular banana bread, when you suddenly realize you’re missing the usual ingredients.  Don’t panic—without cake mix, no egg, no butter, and even oil. Today, you’re going to learn how to make the perfect 3 ingredient banana bread—easy, clean, and super yummy.

Here’s Why You’ll Love It:

• Quick prep time—less than 5 minutes
• Only 1 bowl needed
• Moist, tender, moderately dense, and packed with visible, flavorful banana pieces.
• No butter, oil, or eggs needed
• Excellent plain, but you can easily fold in any leftover chocolate chips or nuts you have.
• Freezes wonderfully

Key Ingredients to Use & Why

Don’t let this short ingredient list fool you, each item below plays a crucial dual role in making today’s banana bread moist, flavorful, and perfectly sweet.

• Bananas: This recipe requires 3 large or 4 medium ripe bananas— the more ripe bananas, the better the bread. You can also use frozen bananas after thawing them. If you don’t have ripe bananas, you can place them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 25-30 minutes or until they are soft and their skins are brown.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk is the star ingredient in this 3 ingredient banana bread, as it does the job of more than three traditional ingredients in banana bread, such as sugar, liquid, and fat, all by itself, which contributes the necessary sweetness, moisture, and richness.
• Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is the key ingredient in this recipe, as it acts as a convenient base that simultaneously provides structure, ensures the bread rises, and enhances the overall flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, check out this self-rising flour recipe to learn how to make it. If you are unfamiliar with this ingredient, this article provides a full introduction to what self-rising flour is.

How to Mash Bananas?

There are a multitude of ways and tools that you can use to mash your bananas in this recipe, including a fork, a potato masher, a food processor, or even an electric mixer. For more ease and simplicity, I use a fork to mash my bananas in this banana bread recipe. Simply place the ripe, peeled bananas in a mixing bowl and mash them until they form a smooth, pudding-like base that still retains a few small, visible chunks before you add the remaining 2 ingredients.

Overview: How to Make 3 Ingredient Banana Bread

You will need one mixing bowl, a balloon whisk or metal whisk to whisk the liquid ingredients together, and a silicone spatula to fold in the flour. Whisk the mashed bananas with sweetened condensed milk. Combine everything together and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes.

What Does This 3 Ingredient Banana Bread Taste Like?

Bananas are like a fire that sweeps through a dry forest in hours. Have you ever tried chocolate chip banana bread or 4 ingredient banana bread? The banana is the basic flavor, and this bread is all about it.

Today’s banana bread is made only from self-rising flour, sweetened condensed milk, and mashed bananas, so expect a minimal cozy, comforting, sweet flavor. In terms of texture, its crumb is not moist and soft like apple cinnamon quick bread, it strikes a balance between dense and light—it’s certainly not heavy.

While the base flavor is simple, this banana bread warmly welcomes optional add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, blueberries, strawberries, or even warming spices (ground cinnamon for example). You can also turn it into a dessert with a simple vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting.

3 Ingredient Banana Bread

Hafedh Garfa

Self-rising flour and sweetened condensed milk make this three ingredient banana bread uniquely moist and tender, effortlessly achieving a rich, cake-like texture without the need for added eggs, butter, or oil. Feel free to add any leftover chocolate chips or nuts you have in your pantry. See recipe notes for freezing instructions and substitute options.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Bake Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Quick Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

• 1 and 2/3 cups (375 grams) mashed bananas, about 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup (310 grams) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups (240 grams) self-rising flour

Instructions

 

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Spray an 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mashed bananas and condensed milk together until they become smooth but not perfectly homogenous.
• Add the self-rising flour and gently stir together until thick and chunky, and just combined (avoid overmixing).
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking times vary between ovens, so keep an eye on yours after 35 minutes.
• Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before removing it from the baking pan. You may slice the bread at this point, but the center may not slice neatly. For the cleanest, neatest slices, wait until the bread is completely cool before cutting.
• Store leftover bread, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf for up to 1 week.

Notes

Freezing instructions: For longer storage, allow the bread to cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Special Tools (affiliate links): 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Kitchen Scale & liquid measurement cup or Measuring cup & spoons | Balloon or Metal Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Glass Mixing Bowl | Wire Rack.

Self-rising flour: If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can easily make a substitute by mixing 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. For complete details, refer to the full self-rising flour recipe.

sweetened condensed milk: I have tested this recipe with plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, and even whole milk. Although all of these alternatives work, I found that the loaf is more dense and less sweet than this one.

Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas in this recipe. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash the bananas, then use as instructed above. Do not over-mash! Leaving some chunky pieces is ideal for the bread’s texture.

Can I substitute self-rising flour with cake mix? No, cake mix cannot be used as a substitute for self-rising flour in this recipe. Instead, you can make a separate three-ingredient banana bread by combining one box of cake mix, two medium eggs, and the same amount of ripe bananas. Keep in mind that the bread texture will differ significantly.