This very simple 4 ingredient banana bread needs no cake mix, no sugar, no butter and no oil: ripe bananas bring the sweetness and peanut butter replaces the fat. All you need are ripe bananas, peanut butter, eggs and self-rising flour, stirred together in one bowl, and there's a tested gluten-free version too.
I wanted a treat with as few ingredients as possible, made mostly from whole foods and sweetened with nothing but banana. The problem is that banana bread sweetened only with bananas often isn't sweet enough for my taste. This one is.
Most 4 ingredient banana breads you'll find are made with a box of cake mix, or with brown sugar and self-rising flour. I didn't want either. Here, the peanut butter adds fat for a moist crumb, a nutty flavor and a bit of extra protein.
Even with much less flour than a classic loaf, it still bakes up quite firm, but super moist. It doesn't taste like peanut butter, but if you don't like the flavor at all, use almond butter instead.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Ripe bananas. Use bananas with plenty of brown spots; they're sweeter and mash easily. Sizes vary, so measure the mash: 1 ⅓ cups (370g), which was 3 bananas for me.
- Peanut butter. Use a natural peanut butter made only from peanuts (a little salt is fine), smooth or crunchy (I used smooth). Good options are Smucker's Natural or Crazy Richard's; "no-stir" versions usually contain added sugar and palm oil. If the oil has separated, stir the jar well before measuring. My homemade almond butter works instead, too.
- Eggs. Two large eggs. I haven't tested egg replacements like flax eggs.
- Self-rising flour. No self-rising flour? Use ⅔ cup (80g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder. Gluten-free self-rising flour should work too, but I haven't tested it.
- Gluten-free option: Instead of buying a gluten-free self-rising flour blend, I came up with my own gluten-free version, and it works beautifully: 80g millet flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon baking powder. I made the millet flour myself by blending hulled millet (a heaped ⅓ cup of grains) in my blender until fine. If you'd rather buy it (about ½ cup), choose a millet flour made only from whole grain hulled millet, like Bob's Red Mill. If you bake for someone with celiac disease, use certified gluten-free millet and baking powder.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make 4 Ingredient Banana Bread (Step-by-Step Photos)
Step 1: Mash the bananas with a fork and add the peanut butter. Preheat the oven and line the pan before you start.
Step 2: Stir in the eggs. Keep going until no streaks of peanut butter are left.
Step 3: Fold in the flour. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain; a few small lumps are fine.
Step 4: Fill the pan and bake. Smooth the top with the spatula. The top turns quite brown, which I like; if you prefer it lighter, cover the pan loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes. It's done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool before slicing.
Top tip
Weigh the banana and flour if you can. This recipe has very little flour, so small differences matter more than in a classic banana bread. When I tested it, my half-cup measure held quite a bit more flour than the standard US conversion, which is why the recipe lists grams. If you use cups, spoon the flour in and level it off without pressing.
Optional add-ins
Fold in up to ½ cup with the flour:
- Chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Chopped peanuts, for extra crunch
- ½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- A sliced banana on top before baking
Storage & Freezing
- Store: I keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. I like popping the slice into the microwave only for a couple of seconds before serving it.
- Freezer: Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.
More banana bread recipes
- 5-Ingredient Vegan Banana Bread: egg-free and sweetened with maple syrup.
- No Butter Banana Bread with Oil: a classic, sweeter loaf with brown sugar and oil instead of butter.
- Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread: with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, perfect for fall.
Prefer muffins or brownies? Try my banana date muffins, banana muffins with oil or healthy banana brownies.
📖 Recipe
4 Ingredient Banana Bread
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl or soup plate + fork
- 1 8x4-inch loaf pan (20x10 cm)
- 1 spatula
- 1 Kitchen scale or measuring cups
- Parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas (1 ⅓ cups / 370g mashed)
- ¾ cup (180 g) natural peanut butter *see notes
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cups (80 g) self-rising flour *see notes for substitution + gluten-free option
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the loaf pan (8x4 inch) or line it with parchment paper.
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. For best results, measure out 1 ⅓ cups (370g) of mashed banana. That's usually 3 medium bananas, but it could be 4 if yours are small.3 ripe bananas (1 ⅓ cups / 370g mashed)
- Add the peanut butter and eggs. Stir with a spatula until smooth and fully combined. Then add the self-rising flour and fold it in until no dry streaks remain. Don't overmix.¾ cup natural peanut butter, 2 large eggs, ⅔ cups self-rising flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then lift it out and let it cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Measure the banana. Use bananas with plenty of brown spots; they're sweeter and mash easily. Bananas vary a lot in size, so 3 bananas won't always give you the right amount. For the best results, weigh or measure the mashed banana. A kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure all the ingredients.
- Peanut butter. Use a natural peanut butter made only from peanuts (a little salt is fine), smooth or crunchy (I used smooth). Good options are Smucker's Natural or Crazy Richard's.
- Pan size. I use an 8x4-inch (20x10 cm) loaf pan. A 9x5-inch pan works too, but the loaf will be flatter and may be done a few minutes sooner.
- No self-rising flour? Use ⅔ cup (80g) all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder instead.
- Whole wheat option. Whole wheat flour works too. Use ⅔ cup (80g) whole wheat flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- Gluten-free: Replace the self-rising flour with 80g millet flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon baking powder. I made my own millet flour by blending hulled millet (a heaped ⅓ cup of grains) until fine. If you buy it (about ½ cup), choose one made only from whole grain hulled millet, not a gluten-free blend. The millet gives it a slightly nutty aftertaste. For celiac, use certified gluten-free millet and baking powder.
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