Banana bread recipe that uses just one banana. Small batch banana bread recipe made in a mini loaf pan, perfect for two people, and for using up that one lonely brown banana on your counter!
You will love this One Banana Banana Bread
Anytime you have one banana covered in brown spots, staring at you on the counter, I want you to think of me! I hope you have a mini loaf pan so you can make this, but if you don't, you can use the disposable mini loaf pans easily found in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
I also use mini loaf pans for storing make ahead mashed potatoes in the freezer for two people, too! The mini size is perfect for serving two people any side dish.
Because I have kids, I frequently have one banana that we all forgot about in the pantry. I love baking with one banana because it provides so much natural sweetness and moisture to any baked good! If you're looking for something bigger to use more bananas, you'll love my chocolate chip banana bread recipe.
I scaled this recipe down from my Mom's Eggless Banana Bread, which uses almost melted butter, wheat germ and chopped pecans. Personally, I'm leery of banana bread recipes that don't use butter. Oil is great for moisture, but butter is better for flavor. The wheat germ is optional, just for bonus nutrition.
Another thing that this recipe has that many others lack is honey! My mom swears by honey in her banana bread recipe. She still uses regular sugar, too, but the honey brings a floral sweetness to this bread that I love! Plus, honey brings moisture to the batter!
Never make another loaf of banana bread again without using butter or honey, ok? And promise me you'll make chocolate banana muffins for a chocolate version at least one time..
Mini Banana Bread ingredients
- one banana: One brown spotty banana, forgotten about in the pantry, that measures 6-7" long. The darker the banana, the better!
- unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter, use it and omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- granulated sugar
- honey: This recipe uses 2 tablespoons of honey for sweetness and moisture.
- egg yolk: We only need the egg yolk; here are recipes to use up leftover egg whites.
- all-purpose flour
- wheat germ: Wheat germ is totally optional, but it is a great source of micronutrients, like folate.
- baking soda
- salt
- pecans: You can use any type of chopped toasted nuts; we like pecans the best, but walnuts or almonds are equally welcome.
How to make Banana Bread with One Banana
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 350, and generously grease a mini loaf pan with extra butter.
- Mash: First, mash your one banana in a medium bowl.
- Wet ingredients: add the room temperature butter, sugar, honey, and egg yolk to the bowl with the banana. Mix everything together very well using a fork to break things up. This only works with very soft, room temperature butter. Melting the butter is fine, too!
- Dry ingredients: Finally, stir in the flour, wheat germ (if using), baking soda, salt and pecans. Pour this mixture into your well-greased mini loaf pan.
- Bake: bake the one banana bread for 35-40 minutes, testing with a toothpick to see if it's done in the middle of the loaf.
Isn't this mini banana bread loaf the cutest thing you've ever seen? It slices up into 6 mini slices, and I happen to think it makes the best breakfast for two. If you like sweet banana treats for breakfast, you might also like my peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies in the morning.
How to serve One Banana Bread
I like to slice this banana bread once cool, and serve individually slices along side a cup of coffee or tea.
Banana Bread One Banana storage
To store leftovers, first slice the loaf into thick slices. Place the slices flat in an air-tight container. They will keep for up to 2 days on the counter at room temperature. You can extend this to 4-5 days if you store them in the fridge. You can also freeze the slices for up to 3 months, and defrost them in the microwave as needed.
Mini Loaf Banana Bread FAQs
How many mini loaf pans equal a regular loaf pan?
The batter from four mini loaf pans fit in one regular loaf pan. If your regular loaf pan is 9-inches, it requires 4 mini loaf pans worth of batter to fill.
At what point should you not use bananas for banana bread?
While we love a dark brown and black banana for banana bread because they contain the most sugar, ensure your that your banana isn’t rotten. It should still smell like a banana and it should not be overly liquidy when cut open.
How far do you fill mini loaf pans?
Mini loaf pans should be filling ¾ of the way full, typically. This recipe makes enough to fill one mini loaf pan, so the entire recipe goes in the pan.
Other Banana Recipes You Love:
Mini Banana Bread with One Banana
One banana bread made in a mini loaf pan.
Ingredients
- 1 small (6-7”) over-ripe banana
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature/ very soft (plus extra for pan)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 5 ¾” x 3” x 2” mini loaf pan with extra butter. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana into a puree using a fork.
- Next, add the butter, sugar, and honey to it and stir well. Stir in the egg yolk well.
- Finally, sprinkle the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Stir in the pecans, if using.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan slightly before moving it to a wire rack.
Notes
one banana: One brown spotty banana, forgotten about in the pantry, that measures 6-7" long.
honey: This recipe uses 2 tablespoons of honey for sweetness and moisture.
egg yolk: We only need the egg yolk; here are recipes to use up leftover egg whites.
wheat germ: Wheat germ is totally optional, but great here.
pecans: You can use any chopped roasted nuts; we like pecans the best.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 62mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g
Hanna says
Found this recipe today. Made it today! It was delicious! I took it out a bit early, and that made it ooegy gooey banana delicious. Cant wait to make it again. Maybe tomorrow :) With coconut!
Mia says
I came back from my vacation to a hungry husband and a single, overripe banana. This was the perfect recipe to take care of both! I used whole wheat flour and the entire egg. It came out divine and it was the perfect dessert portion for two of us. I will make this again and again. Thanks!
Kris says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I thought I had 1 lonely banana in my counter but I guess my lil monkeys can't resist them. They don't last long but I surely know now what to do next time with 1 banana.
Vivian says
Any way to reduce the butter? Has anyone tried substituting with coconut oil or apple sauce?
Ivona says
Hello Christina, do you perhaps have a small Black forest cake recipe?
june says
Will the fact there are some comments FIVE years after your post convince you to do mini this and that?
My question is can we get rid of the "one egg yolk" kinds of recipe ingredients please? I'm not going to tell myself that I'll use that egg white, I know I won't, or worse yet, other HALF an egg (yes I've seen that).
I'm using one whole egg for this cute little sensible and just right recipe.
And whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, and wheat germ: Because that's what I've got.
Christina Lane says
Hi June,
Yes, I read all comments, no matter which post they are posted on!
So, I don't recommend using an entire egg when a recipe calls for part of an egg. Since we're small-batch baking, the addition of an extra egg white when not called for is an extra 2 tablespoons of liquid. If an egg yolk is added when it is not called for, it represents an extra tablespoon of fat. These are substantial things to a recipe, especially a small one. For your convenience, I have compiled and sorted all of my recipes by 'egg yolk only' and 'egg white only.'
Also, pastry flour and wheat germ aren't interchangeable...they have significantly different levels of gluten (which affects binding and texture in a recipe). Let me know if the substitutions work; sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. But I can't be held responsible for recipes failing when serious substitutions are made.
Thanks,
Christina
Annie says
I just made a batch in a cupcake pan (this yielded four). I added a bit of cinnamon to the batter as well. They turned out wonderfully! I can't wait to make it again!
Tiffany says
I thought I would share that I have made this receipt many times now, and it's become a frequent breakfast for my two girls on school days. I have two loaves in the oven right now! It's so easy to make even on a busy weeknight and only dirties two small bowls and tiny loaf pans. My youngest daughter loves chocolate, so I swap half of the flour out for unsweetened cocoa powder (so 1/4 c flour and 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder) and change the nuts out for chocolate chips. It turns out perfectly! My older daughter loves the regular version. They each end up with a mini loaf that lasts for several mornings and pairs great with a green smoothie. It would probably last longer but my husband loves both versions! Thank you so much for a lovely one banana mini recipe!
Mital Burkland says
Hello! I don’t have a mini loaf pan and came across your comment from a couple years ago haha! How long did you bake them in the cupcake pan and what temp??
Dawn says
So i had just one lonely brown banana and didn't wanna throw him away and then found your recipe. I made two very mini loaves with the help of my 3yr old and holy moley it was good. I didn't have wheat germ so used ground flax seeds instead. They were moist and delicious. Kinda wished it wasn't small batch now because they were gone in under 5mins lol.
Helena Holton says
Every year in the 1950s my mother used to bake me a banana loaf for my birthday. I couldn't wait for it to cool down on a windowsill. I missed her terribly as my recent birthday approached. Found this and made it at around midnight for a birthday breakfast. What joy. Delicious. I felt my mother's love. Thank you.
Christina Lane says
So sweet, Helena. Glad I could help :) <3
Maria says
There are so many times I have just one banana left. This recipe has solved that problem. I made it this morning, yummo - it's so good. I love the pecans in it. Thanks a bunch.