Tasty 3 Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe – Delicious & Easy!

Have you ever been faced with overripe bananas and an urgent desire for a sweet, warm, and cosy bake? Imagine turning those well-spotted fruits into a delightful banana loaf using merely two additional common items. It truly can be done! We’re thrilled to introduce you to the wonders of 3 ingredient banana bread – a method so straightforward, we believe it will quickly earn a top spot in your baking repertoire.
Why You’ll Love This 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
We understand that life moves at a fast pace, and there isn’t always the leisure or a well-stocked cupboard for intricate baking projects. This is precisely when our wonderfully straightforward 3 ingredient banana bread proves to be a saviour. Allow us to share a few reasons why we’re certain you’ll adore it:
- Astonishingly Simple: Requiring just three items, the preparation is incredibly brief. Simply mash, combine, and pop it in the oven – it truly is that easy!
- Speedy Preparation: You’ll find this banana bread ready for the oven in less than ten minutes.
- Economical Choice: Employing common, cost-effective ingredients means this delightful bake is kind to your wallet.
- Minimises Waste: Spotted those browning bananas on your worktop? They’re ideal for this recipe, transforming them into something wonderfully tasty.
- Delightfully Tasty: For all its ease, this banana bread boasts a lovely, moist texture, pleasant sweetness, and a full banana taste.
This is the sort of bake that can make anyone feel like a culinary champion, minus the typical effort. Moreover, the scent that wafts through your home as it bakes is utterly divine – a far more rewarding experience than looking up “banana bread near me” when such deliciousness can be homemade!
Your Shopping List: The Magic Trio for 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
As you might expect, for this delightful creation, our needs are modest: just three key components. Each one is vital for achieving that perfect bake.
- Well-Ripened Bananas: These are the true heroes! The more mature the banana, the greater the natural sweetness and depth of flavour in your bread. Aim for bananas displaying ample brown speckles; they’re also much simpler to mash. Generally, around three to four medium bananas will suffice.
- Self-Raising Flour: This is our key to keeping things wonderfully uncomplicated. Self-raising flour conveniently includes a raising agent (such as baking powder), ensuring your bread achieves a light and airy texture. We’ll discuss alternatives in our FAQ section if this isn’t readily available to you.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This versatile ingredient imparts sweetness, moisture, and a lovely richness to the banana bread. It cleverly takes the place of individual sugar, eggs, and butter often found in more conventional recipes.
Ingredients:
- 400g mature bananas (roughly 3-4 medium ones), thoroughly mashed
- One 397g tin of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (about 250 g- 300 g, varying with your specific flour) self-raising flour, passed through a sieve

Equipment You’ll Need:
- One generously-sized mixing bowl
- A fork or a potato masher (to prepare the bananas)
- A flexible spatula or a traditional wooden spoon
- A typical loaf tin (around 9×5 inches or 23×13 cm in size)
- Some baking parchment, or butter/oil to grease your tin
Step-by-Step to Baking Your Easy 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
Are you prepared to begin baking? Let’s dive in. We assure you, the process is every bit as simple as we claim!
- Warm Up Your Oven: To begin, set your oven to preheat at 175°C (or 160°C for fan-assisted ovens / Gas Mark 4). Prepare your loaf tin by greasing it and then lining with baking parchment. This step greatly simplifies turning out the banana bread once baked.
- Prepare the Bananas: In your large bowl, use a fork or potato masher to thoroughly crush the ripe bananas until they reach a mostly smooth consistency. Don’t worry about a few minor lumps; they actually contribute nicely to the final texture.
- Incorporate Condensed Milk: Add the full contents of the sweetened condensed milk tin to the mashed bananas in the bowl. Stir thoroughly until all ingredients are well blended.
- Introduce the Flour: Sieve the self-raising flour straight into your wet ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the flour through. Take care not to work the mixture too much; continue only until no dry flour patches remain. A batter with a few lumps is preferable to one that’s overmixed (which can lead to a tougher bread).
- Transfer and Bake: Decant the batter into your ready loaf tin, ensuring it’s spread evenly. Position the tin in the middle of your preheated oven.
- Achieve the Perfect Bake: Allow to bake for 45-55 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the top is a lovely golden brown and a skewer pushed into the middle emerges without any wet batter. Should the top appear to be colouring too rapidly, a loose covering of foil for the final 10-15 minutes of baking time can help.
- Allow to cool: After baking, remove the banana bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.. Following this, gently move it onto a wire rack to cool down entirely prior to cutting. This stage is quite crucial, as the bread will slice much more neatly once cool.
And just like that, you have created something beautiful, a home-baked loaf of 3-ingredient banana bread! We wouldn’t be surprised if you’re already contemplating when to make it again.
Watch: How to Make 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
Occasionally, a visual demonstration makes all the difference! We’ve included a useful video that illustrates just how simple it is to produce a tasty 3 ingredient banana bread. This particular demonstration also features condensed milk, making it quite comparable to our own method:
Tips for the Absolute Best 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
Although this recipe is wonderfully straightforward, a few small pointers can elevate your banana bread to even greater heights:
- Maturity of Bananas is Crucial: We really must emphasise this! The more speckled and soft your bananas are, the superior the result. They provide increased natural sugars and a more pronounced banana taste. Discover more about the incredible banana from Harvard’s School of Public Health.
- Avoid Over-Combining: Upon adding the flour, mix just until it’s incorporated. Excessive mixing can overdevelop the gluten, leading to a bread that’s tough or overly dense. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly acceptable!
- Sieve Your Flour: Passing the self-raising flour through a sieve introduces air and eliminates any clumps, contributing to a lighter final texture in your bake.
- Verify it’s Cooked: Oven performances differ. We suggest beginning to check your banana bread from about the 45-minute point. The skewer method (inserting a fine skewer or cocktail stick into the middle) remains the most dependable test for thorough cooking.
- Cooling Requires Patience: We understand the urge to cut into it immediately, but allowing the banana bread to cool thoroughly aids in its setting, resulting in tidier slices.
Variations and Add-ins (Beyond 3 Ingredients, But Delicious!)
Although the true charm of this recipe is its effortless nature, should you find yourself with a few additional items and a desire to add a little something extra, we have some suggestions:
- Chocolate Morsels: A beloved addition for good reason! Gently stir in approximately 100g of milk, dark, or white chocolate pieces to the batter.
- Chopped Nuts: About 50-75g of roughly chopped walnuts or pecans will introduce a delightful textural contrast.
- Warming Spices: A teaspoonful of ground cinnamon or a small pinch of nutmeg can bring a comforting warmth and complexity to the taste.
- Vanilla Essence: One teaspoon of vanilla extract can subtly lift and round out the overall flavour.
Do keep in mind that incorporating these will extend your ingredient list beyond three, but they offer wonderful opportunities to personalise your bake!
What if I only have 2 bananas? Banana Bread Made with Two Bananas
Concerned about not having a sufficient quantity of bananas? If you’re hoping to create banana bread with 2 bananas, this recipe can certainly still work, particularly if your two bananas are quite substantial.
Should they be of a medium or smaller size, your resulting loaf may have a slightly milder banana taste and be a little more compact. To maintain a good batter consistency, you might consider a small reduction in both the flour (perhaps to 1.75 cups) and the condensed milk (using about three-quarters of the tin, for instance). Nevertheless, to achieve the optimal flavour and texture with this ultra-simple method, targeting the 400g banana weight (typically 3-4 medium bananas) is preferable for a standard-sized loaf using an entire tin of condensed milk. When preparing a more modest loaf using banana bread 2 bananas, remember to also shorten the baking duration slightly and begin checking for doneness a bit sooner.
Healthy Options and Sugar Considerations
The 3 ingredient banana bread recipe we’re showcasing here relies on sweetened condensed milk. While this contributes to its delightful moisture and sweetness, it also means there’s a notable amount of added sugar. For those seeking healthy banana recipes or a dedicated sugar free banana bread, this specific approach might not be the most suitable. Fortunately, the realm of banana bread offers plenty of alternatives!
To achieve a healthier bake, one could investigate recipes employing alternative sweeteners such as maple syrup or honey (used sparingly), or those that depend entirely on the inherent sweetness of exceptionally ripe bananas. Certain recipes also incorporate wholemeal flour or oats to boost fibre content. If your primary goal is to lower sugar intake, we strongly suggest exploring recipes specifically formulated for this. For example, you may discover some excellent ideas in this Sugar-Free Banana Bread recipe, which is crafted with reduced sugar in mind.
Whilst the main appeal of our fundamental recipe is its profound simplicity, it’s wise to acknowledge its level of sweetness. It is, after all, intended as an indulgent treat!
Storing Your Banana Bread
After your banana bread has thoroughly cooled, it can be kept in an airtight container at ambient room temperature for as long as three days. Should you wish to preserve it for a little longer, placing it in the refrigerator can prolong its freshness to around five to seven days. For extended keeping, freezing banana bread is also an option. Encase it securely in cling film, followed by a layer of foil, or pop it into a bag suitable for freezing. It will maintain its quality in the freezer for up to three months. Just allow it to defrost at room temperature when you fancy another piece.
Is this recipe like Natashas Kitchen banana bread or Smitten Kitchen banana bread?
Numerous talented food writers share superb banana bread recipes. Perhaps you’ve come across methods from popular sites such as those for natashas kitchen banana bread or smitten kitchen banana bread.
Generally, these recipes, though undoubtedly tasty, call for a greater number of ingredients – think butter, eggs, sugar, and occasionally sour cream or yoghurt – to create their distinctive textures and taste profiles.
Our 3 ingredient banana bread recipe, in contrast, prioritises maximum ease and swiftness. It serves as a fantastic, speedy option when you’re craving a lovely banana bread but wish to avoid a lengthy list of ingredients or more involved procedures. It’s a different style of banana bread, certainly, but one that offers its own unique satisfaction through sheer simplicity!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How ripe should my bananas be for 3 ingredient banana bread?
- The more mature, the more ideal they are! We’re talking very ripe indeed – heavily speckled with brown, and feeling soft. Such bananas are naturally sweeter and much simpler to mash, making them absolutely perfect for this method.
- Can I make this 3 ingredient banana bread vegan?
- Our particular recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, which is a dairy product. To create a vegan three-ingredient banana bread, you would need to seek out an alternative recipe formulation. Some vegan approaches might utilise bananas, flour, alongside a plant-derived sweetener or a binding ingredient. Vegan condensed milks are now available (frequently made from coconut), and these could offer an intriguing avenue for experimentation, although we have not specifically trialled this with our recipe’s proportions.
- Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
- It’s possible to attempt replacing the standard self-raising flour with a gluten-free self-raising flour mix. The outcome can differ based on the specific brand of gluten-free flour used, as their make-up varies. A slight adjustment to the liquid content might be necessary. It’s certainly worth a try if you require a gluten-free alternative!
- What if I don’t have self-raising flour?
- Should you only have plain (all-purpose) flour to hand, you can easily create your own self-raising version. For each cup (approximately 125-150g) of plain flour, thoroughly combine it with 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a tiny pinch of salt. Given that this recipe requires 2 cups of self-raising flour, you would therefore use 2 cups of plain flour blended with 3-4 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Why is my banana bread dense?
- A banana bread that turns out dense can be attributed to several factors: insufficient leavening agent (perhaps if plain flour was substituted without an adequate amount of baking powder), over-combining the batter once the flour was added, or employing bananas that hadn’t reached full ripeness. It’s also wise to check that your self-raising flour is still fresh!
- Can I use a different-sized tin?
- Indeed you can, though you will need to alter the baking duration accordingly. A tin that is smaller and deeper will require a longer baking time, whereas one that is larger and more shallow will cook faster. Muffin tins are also an excellent choice for creating individual servings – simply reduce the baking time considerably (we suggest beginning to check them after about 20-25 minutes).
Conclusion: Your New Favourite Quick Bake!
We’ve demonstrated just how remarkably simple it is to prepare a wonderfully comforting and tasty loaf of 3 ingredient banana bread. By combining merely ripe bananas, self-raising flour, and a single tin of sweetened condensed milk, you are only moments from enjoying a delightful bake that will infuse your home with an absolutely gorgeous scent. It’s an ideal choice for those new to baking, for hectic midweek days, or whenever you fancy an uncomplicated yet fulfilling treat. For more conventional methods or different takes, you can always investigate a traditional Banana Bread recipe.
Therefore, the next occasion you notice those bananas becoming overly ripe on your work surface, there’s no need for dismay! Seize the chance to make something genuinely special with very little effort. We wholeheartedly recommend you attempt this recipe – we feel sure it will establish itself as a much-loved staple in your home.
Prepared to start baking? Assemble your trio of ingredients and get that oven warming! We would be delighted to learn how your 3 ingredient banana bread turns out – please do share your results and thoughts in the comments section further down!
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