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
RossC says
So I'm looking at 2 very ripe bananas, when I put together my breakfast cereal, and thought what a shame to have to throw them away.
My inner voice said, "Check out Christina's site for banana bread for two."
YUP. There's a recipe for that.. Double it for my two small loaf pans and there ya go.. :O)
Prity Khan says
I love love love this recipe. Have made this several times and am planning to make this as gifts ( party favors) to give away
Wondering how to scale up the quantities. I am planning to make 40 of them. If I make a couple of big batches of batter would I multiply the quantity of baking soda exactly. Wondering how to scale it up!
Christina Lane says
Um, I haven't scaled it up that large before, so I'm not entirely sure. Multiply by 40 exactly, and don't try to combine egg yolks & egg whites, ok? For example, when a recipe calls for 1 egg yolk and you want to double it, use two egg yolks, NOT a whole egg.
And good luck! If it were me, I'd start smaller and do 10 loaves at a time.
Krystle says
Loved this recipe! Looking to make smaller versions, but how many 4x2x2 pans do you think this recipe can make?
Christina Lane says
I have no idea. I only test the recipes as you see written here. Try this recipe for a mini banana bread: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/banana-bread/
Linda from Boston says
Since I found this recipe a few weeks ago, I’ve made three!! Delicious!! I’m now buying extra bananas to have on hand. I did add pecans and a bit of mini chocolate chips and a dash of cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe!
Madison says
Excellent banana bread! I left out both 1 tbsp sugar and honey as the banana is sweet enough for us. Didn't have a mini loaf pan so I used a cupcake pan (makes 4). Fast & easy & yummy recipe, thanks Christina!
Robin L Smith says
If I were to make this pumpkin instead of banana, how much pumpkin puree should a use? 1/2 a cup?
Christina Lane says
I'm not sure, I'm sorry! Try equal amounts, and then go from there? My pumpkin bread recipe (entirely different from this recipe) uses 3/4 cup for a large loaf.
Meagan says
Delicious!
What's your moms not scaled down recipe? Like, for a regular size loaf for when we have company.
My guess would be multiply by 3, but wanted to check!
Christina Lane says
Great question! I finally shared it here: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/eggless-banana-bread/
David says
Great recipe! I recently bought a used Mini Dutch oven from the thrift store and the batter from this recipe fit to about the 1/2 way mark, then rose from there.
I made the decision others did and used the whole egg, didn't hurt a bit. When I put the "butter" in, (the family only keeps becel around) I actually put in more than 3 TB. Maybe more like 4. Baked it at 350 in my toaster oven for 30 mins and let it sit for an extra 5. (Dutch ovens will continue to cook as cast iron retains heat.)
Perfectly done, only a small bit of black on the top, doesn't taste burnt so that's just a little extra browning. When you look at it, it looks undercooked, but the extra butter/becel essentially made it super moist as if you drizzled melted butter all over it while it was still hot!
Well worth it!
Candice says
Hi Christina, I tried to replace the egg yolk in this version with 1/4 cup of apple sauce and it collapsed in the middle while cooling. How can I fix this?
Maria says
This recipe has saved me many times as somehow I always seem to have that one lonely rotting banana. Today I made four muffins with the recipe - adding walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Yum! Thanks