Easy Banana Bread Recipe (UK Measurements)

Are you looking for an easy to make banana recipe?

We always seem to have a few bananas left over each week that are perfectly ripe for turning into tasty banana bread.

Banana bread is perfect to eat as an afternoon snack or to pop in the kid’s lunch boxes for a special treat. 

How To Make Banana Bread

There are plenty of banana bread recipes to choose from, from ones without eggs to those that include chocolate chips.

Ingredients Needed For Banana Bread

There are many banana bread variations; I’ve tried a variety of combinations and cooking times but have found these ones to produce the best results.

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for measurements and full instructions.

Bananas

The bananas I use tend to be medium-sized. If you use larger bananas, you might find that the bread turns out ‘wetter’ in texture, perhaps even a little soggy. I either use two or three bananas,

Butter

Make sure this is at room temperature, or if need be, you can melt it. I make it with unsalted butter but you can use salted butter.

You can substitute the butter for vegetable oil if you prefer. As a general rule of thumb, substitute with 3/4 oil for the amount of butter in the recipe (in the case of this recipe, you’ll put in 90ml of vegetable oil).

Sugar

I usually make it with brown sugar but it can be made with caster sugar if that is all you have. You can also reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe if you wish; bananas can provide quite enough sweetness sometimes!

Side Note: if you would rather leave out the sugar, you can bake with honey or maple syrup instead.

Eggs

The eggs are beaten before they are added to the mixture. You can make this recipe without eggs, whether that’s for health reasons, or you just don’t have any eggs available.

What you should know if you don’t include eggs is that the banana loaf will turn out denser and not as moist but it will still be a tasty recipe.

Some recipes include applesauce as a substitute or increased bananas. I’ve never made an eggless one before but this one looks pretty amazing if you want to give it a try.

Flour

If you don’t have any self-raising flour you can substitute it with plain flour and add in some baking powder. If you have bread flour, this can also be used instead, as can whole wheat flour. 

Cinnamon

If you’ve used any of my other recipes from this blog before, you’ll know that I love using cinnamon when I bake! This is an optional extra in the list of ingredients, but well worth adding. I stir it into the mixture when I’m sifting the flour in.

Other Extras

You can also experiment with adding some sultanas, and nuts (walnuts are a good option).

You might also enjoy my Quick and Easy Banana Muffins

Preparing Banana Bread

Start by mixing the butter and sugar together – make sure the butter has been softened, or melted, before mixing in.

Once the butter and sugar is combined, stir in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon followed by the beaten egg.

If the bananas you are using are ripe enough you will be able to easily mash them using either a fork or a potato masher.

Add the mashed banana to the bowl and stir it, making sure it is well mixed.

You’re now ready to transfer it to the greased loaf tin before putting it in the preheated oven, ready to be baked.

Cook for between 45 minutes and 1 hour at 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

After the cake is ready – between 45 minutes and 1 hour, take it out and leave it to cool for around 20 minutes before removing it from the tin.

Leave it to cool for a little longer on a wire rack before slicing it up ready to eat and enjoy!

Banana Bread Hints and Tips