One Banana Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts ~ when there’s just one banana left on the counter, this one-banana, one-bowl quick bread recipe steps up to the plate.
Only got one banana? Make this fabulous one banana banana bread!
This bread makes great use of that one lone banana that got left a little too long on the counter. It’s got a wonderfully moist texture and even though it only uses one banana it still has that classic-banana bread aroma and taste.
It’s perfect for those of you who appreciate banana flavor but don’t want to be hit over the head with it.
The scent of banana bread baking in the oven has to be one of the most comforting smells in the world. I love the idea of making the batter for this bread the night before, and baking it up fresh the next day. Just be sure to add the mashed banana just before baking, so it doesn’t brown. You can basically roll out of bed and enjoy thick slices of fresh-out-of-the-oven banana bread ~ score!
check to see that you have everything:
- banana ~ just one!
- butter
- egg
- milk
- flour
- sugar
- vanilla
- baking soda
- salt
- chocolate chips ~ optional
- walnuts ~ also optional
Tips for the perfect banana bread ~
- Ripe bananas yield the best flavor, although you can use bananas at any stage.
- Don’t over mix your batter. Blend it just until everything is combined.
- Use a heavy duty aluminum loaf pan. I don’t like glass or dark coated pans, which tend to cook too quickly or unevenly.
- Line your loaf pan with a long sheet of parchment paper so you can lift the cooked bread out for cooling and neater slicing.
- Invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer so you can be sure of your oven temperature. A few degrees either way can make a big difference in the success of your banana bread.
- A little bit of good vanilla extract really brings out the banana flavor.
- Did you know that you can make this batter the night before, and bake it fresh in the morning? Just leave out the banana and add it in the morning to prevent browning.
- Banana bread freezes well, just cool it completely before wrapping. I like to double wrap my bread, first in plastic or foil, and then in a sturdy zip lock freezer bag.
Reader Raves ~
“I absolutely loved this recipe! It is a great mixture of banana and chocolate. I tried making it with half brown sugar and half white sugar instead of all white and I think this will be our family’s to go chocolate chip banana recipe.” ~Nazanin
“Thank you very much for this recipe for my lone banana. I think this is the way I’m going to make it from now on. I made this recipe last night and everyone loved it.” ~Hilary
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One Banana Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 egg
- milk Note: you'll add the milk to the egg to equal one cup.)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips optional
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Add the softened butter and banana to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix until blended and smooth. (Or, if you don't have a stand mixer, mash the banana by hand with a fork, and add in the softened butter along with the rest of the ingredients)
- Add the egg to a liquid measuring cup and then add milk to make one cup.
- Add the egg and milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no lumps remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan, and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until risen and golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out without batter clinging to it. (Moist crumbs are fine.)
Cook's notes
notes:
- The add-in's are optional, so feel free to choose your own mix! Pecans would be great in place of the walnuts, and peanut butter chips can be used for that classic banana-and-peanut butter vibe. Try 1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut, too.
- Use tangy buttermilk or yogurt in place of the milk.
- Got 2 bananas? Try chopping an additional banana and folding it in with the chips and nuts.
- Bake the batter in a muffin tray for delicious banana bread muffins. Reduce the cooking time and keep an eye on them in the oven.
Nutrition
90 Comments
Julie Ann
June 25, 2021 at 8:36 amI opted to make muffins with this recipe. I reduced the sugar to 2/3 cup to balance the sweetness of the ripe banana and chocolate chips. The sweetness was just right. I baked the muffins at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. They came out perfect.
Sue Moran
June 25, 2021 at 8:52 amThanks Julie Ann, I haven’t tried this as muffins, so that’s great to know 🙂
Nadia Sayeed
June 13, 2021 at 4:41 pmHi /Salam,
Nadia here,I tried this recipe and it made my day.Thank you so much for such an excellent recipe.Have a good day.
Love
Renee
May 25, 2021 at 8:54 pmJust made some in an 9×7 glass Pan (I recently moved and can’t find my loaf pan LOL). I used white chips and added some cinnamon. I’m curious if the chips clumped together or went to the bottom like many mentioned. But I did sample a corner piece and I love how it’s got a crispy edge but a soft, fluffy center. Looking forward to sharing with my family tomorrow. Yum!
Sue Moran
May 26, 2021 at 6:26 amYour flavor profile sounds interesting!
Minnie
April 8, 2021 at 8:41 pmI love this recipe, and usually make muffins. (12 muffins take 19 minutes in my Breville toaster oven, at 350.) I had a double batch ready to go, this afternoon, and decided to add a dollop (guessing 2-3 Tbs for the double batch) of sourdough discard. Worked really well, and the muffins had lovely high domes.
Sue Moran
April 9, 2021 at 6:02 amSounds wonderful!
Sunita Pattanayak
March 28, 2021 at 7:14 pmWorked wonderfully. I replaced 1/2 cup all purpose fl I ur with wheat flour and it turned out still yummyyy…
Kathleen
March 26, 2021 at 10:10 amWhat size loaf pan did you use?
Thanks!
Krista S,
March 23, 2021 at 9:02 amI love this recipe! I usually double it and freeze the extra muffins for another day. Thanks for sharing!
Jenn
March 17, 2021 at 8:26 amTurned out wonderful. I did not put in nuts or chocolate chips. Will make again.
Susan
March 1, 2021 at 2:59 pmThis is absolutely the best banana bread, especially with the added chocolate chips! I am so glad I found ur website. I have made ur orange cake and tangerine scones. Both are easy 2 make and equally delicious. I will definitely making more of ur recipes!!
Sue Moran
March 1, 2021 at 3:15 pmSo glad you found us Susan, thanks!
Betty Streff
February 21, 2021 at 9:30 amYou are the coolest! ???
Sue Moran
February 21, 2021 at 9:35 am🙂 thank you!
Fran READ
February 21, 2021 at 8:21 ami usually put my over ripe bananas in the freezer…then they are really mushy…are those suitable
Sue Moran
February 21, 2021 at 8:28 amYes, I sometimes do that too.
Fran READ
February 21, 2021 at 8:17 amHello Sue…do any of your recipes have a Weigh Watchers point value?.
thanks, Fran
Sue Moran
February 21, 2021 at 8:28 amI’m so sorry they don’t Fran, I bet there’s a calculator somewhere on the web.
Fatima
February 3, 2021 at 2:23 pmHi. I got 6 full muffins from it … perfect for 1 over ripe banana left behind… delicioso
Sue Moran
February 3, 2021 at 2:32 pmNice!
Heather
January 26, 2021 at 2:37 pmSo good! I made this vegan with a flax egg and used about 6 tablespoons of earth balance. Ran out of milk and sugar so substituted the milk with the forgers probiotic cashew “yogurt drink” and sweetened with 1/4 cup of sugar and about 1/2 tablespoon of liquid stevia… followed everything else and still turned out so great and moist!! Also added poppyseeds and almonds instead of walnuts and chocolate chips – highly recommend
Karen
January 14, 2021 at 8:55 amTastes good, but I had to cook it nearly twice as long as recommended. It was just liquid inside even after an hour.
Sue Moran
January 14, 2021 at 9:36 amKaren that sounds like an oven temperature problem, is it possibly yours is running low?
Martha
January 14, 2021 at 7:02 amSo good, I made some last night super sweet I did not have to add any nuts or chocolate chips it was good just like that, Thank you.
Allison
November 1, 2020 at 4:40 amSuper easy and tasty but alllll my chocolate chips sunk and hardened on the bottom of the pan. Any tips?!
Sue
November 1, 2020 at 6:24 amWow, I’ve never had that happen. Was your batter thin? Remember that you’ll use an egg and then only enough milk to make a cup, so crack the egg in a liquid cup measure, and add the milk up to one cup. Hope that helps!
Mike McKeon
April 6, 2021 at 8:15 amHi, had the same issue with chips running to bottom. Mrs. loved it anyway, but I’d rather have them floating around. Looked up few suggestions, flouring chips lightly, toss on top instead of mixing in. Would over or under mixing contribute to this problem? (New to the whole baking thing) tia
Sue Moran
April 6, 2021 at 11:21 amHey Mike ~ not sure why the chips sank, but you can certainly try lightly flouring them, that should help next time. Also heavier chips will sink more, so you could use minis. In my experience banana bread has a fairly thick batter that should keep the chips suspended, but there are so many tiny variations in every batch, it’s hard to generalize.
Alisha Wells
May 6, 2021 at 8:59 pmTry dusting your chocolate chips in flour before adding to the mix
Steve
October 18, 2020 at 1:08 pmThank you for the this recipe. Put my one ripened banana to good use. Had to use some milk chocolate had no dark chocolate . Still tasted great.
L Eshete
October 14, 2020 at 6:42 pmLoved this recipe. The cake was very airy and fluffy which I appreciated. A bit light on the banana taste- but I could have added another banana if necessary.
Danielle
October 7, 2020 at 10:37 amThis is the only banana bread recipe I use now! Works great as muffins as well, just adjust baking time! Thank you for sharing this with us all!
Helen
October 5, 2020 at 11:40 amnot much banana flavor it was more like butter cake. I didn’t care for it to be honest.
Sue
October 5, 2020 at 2:44 pmSorry this wasn’t your cup of tea Helen, I have lots more banana breads on the blog, and one that actually roasts the bananas first to give it an extra rich flavor.
Lilian
October 4, 2020 at 4:23 pmMay I ask how much milk do I need?
Julie
November 3, 2020 at 10:52 amIt literally says in the directions to add one egg to a liquid measuring cup and then fill the rest of it with milk until it reaches one cup. So, you only need about 3/4 cup of milk.
Sue Moran
February 21, 2021 at 7:45 amthe milk is added to the egg to make one cup, I’ll try to make that clearer Lilian.
Alice
August 26, 2020 at 10:12 amHello, I am planning on making this tomorrow with my daughter. How many minutes do you bake it for 2 mini loaf pans?
Sue
August 26, 2020 at 10:54 amThe general rule of thumb for mini loaves is reduce the baking time by 1/4, so in this case that would be 30 minutes. I would check them on the early side, though, because mini loaf pans vary in size.
Alice
August 27, 2020 at 10:06 amAwesome! Thank you!
Sanjana
August 12, 2020 at 12:18 pmSorry, pressed enter too soon. What I meant was, this recipe was completely amazing! I used 1/2 cup brown sugar along with white and it was really good. Thanks 🙂
Sue
August 12, 2020 at 1:19 pmYou’re so welcome Sanjana 🙂
Rachita
August 8, 2020 at 11:39 pmJust made this great recipe and it came out beautifully. I substituted 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, reduced sugar to 1/2 cup and added chopped 100% cacao bar. Yummm.
Sue
August 9, 2020 at 6:11 amI love using a little whole wheat flour in baking, bet it was good!
Jennifer Joseph
June 18, 2020 at 6:11 amI made this yesterday and it turned out really well but it was more like cake than bread so that was kind of disappointing but my mom gave a good review so I’m happy too XD
Thanks for the recipe.
Ana
May 31, 2020 at 11:29 amGreat recipe. Eating a pice as I write this review. Had one very ripe banana and looked for a recipe. This was it. And so easy to remove from the loaf pan using the parchment paper. Thank you very much!!
Vera
May 19, 2020 at 7:33 amNice and crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
Thanks for the recipe!
How do I keep the banana bread and how long does it last?
Sue
May 19, 2020 at 7:38 amKeep in covered with foil or plastic on the counter, and it will last several days. It freezes well, too, for longer storage.
Joan
May 14, 2020 at 4:38 pmGreat recipe for one banana, thank you, so good
Sue
May 5, 2020 at 12:34 pmLove this , very flavorful
Lindsey
April 30, 2020 at 5:32 pmSuch a great recipe. I made this and it was eaten up so fast. Any suggestions on how it may need altered if I use almond flour? Thank you!
Hart Lee
July 16, 2021 at 9:30 amI added more leavening agent and used almond flour and it turned out pretty good.
vivian
April 30, 2020 at 9:58 amOMG this is amazing recipe i made it for my parents they loved it
love this recipe
Sue
April 30, 2020 at 10:56 amThanks for coming back to let us know Vivian <3
Traci
April 27, 2020 at 11:58 amMade this yesterday and it is delicious! I used a glass pan so I ended up needing to add 25-30 minutes to the baking time.
Sue
April 27, 2020 at 12:40 pmYay, glad it was a success!
Ash
April 13, 2020 at 8:23 pmLoved this recipe! Substituted milk with Hazelnut Milk and reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup instead (since the Hazelnut Milk was already sweetened), WAS SO GOOD! Favourite banana bread recipe from now on.
Sophia
March 25, 2020 at 11:45 amIt was really good!
Heather
March 24, 2020 at 7:08 amAmazing bread! The batter was much lighter and fluffier than any banana bread I’ve ever made. The only change I made to the recipe was to cream the sugar with the butter and banana, then add dry ingredients, then the milk and egg. I also used a glass baking pan so had to cook longer, closer to 70 minutes. I turned the oven to 325 after 40 mins, based on Google. This bread is divine!! Fluffy inside, crunchy outside. Let it cool for 45 mins or so and eat while it’s still warm!
Sue
March 24, 2020 at 7:09 amYou’re making me hungry Heather ~ enjoy 🙂
Heather
March 25, 2020 at 6:40 amIt was just a delicious the next day! This is definitely the best banana bread I’ve ever made. I can’t believe how good it is! Makes us feel like we are out at a cafe, while we’re stuck inside.
Athena
March 16, 2020 at 9:48 amSo easy and such a moist result! I do, however, have to preface that I did use oat milk instead of dairy milk (#lactoseintolerantlife) so I am unsure of how my banana bread may differ from that of someone who used dairy milk, but other than that I 100000% recommend this recipe!
Katherine
February 27, 2020 at 11:20 amI’m going to make this today but I only have oat milk on hand. Do you think that would do?
Sue
February 27, 2020 at 11:22 amI think that would be nice.
Meryam Popal
January 10, 2020 at 12:19 amLiterally the best banana bread ever. I couldn’t stop eating it!!!
Connie Rankin
December 23, 2019 at 8:56 amThanks for this recipe. I only cook for one days days and always seemed to have that banana in my fruit ball that needs to be used up. I am happy to know that I can turned it into banana bread which is my favorite.
Marylyn Woudstra
December 4, 2019 at 4:59 pmThis was great! It was simple and very yummy. Thanks for sharing.
Andy
May 21, 2019 at 12:34 pmI’ve made this twice in the past week now, and it turned out very well both times. (I hand-mixed the first time; I used a stand mixer the second time–there was no difference as far as I could tell.) I used both walnuts and dark chocolate chips. I only changed two things. First, I used soy milk rather than regular milk as that’s what I had on hand. Second, I changed the baking time (from 45 minutes to about 65) because I was using a ceramic loaf pan instead of a metal one. As I said, it turned out really well both times. I got a nice, light loaf with a delightfully crisp exterior, and it’s indeed a great way to make use of that last banana lying around.
Victoria
May 20, 2019 at 9:59 pmDelicious! Perfect for that sad looking banana left in the fruit bowl 🙂
Hilary
May 7, 2019 at 4:23 amThank you very much for this recipe for my lone banana. I think this is the way I’m going to make it from now on. I made this recipe last night and everyone loved it.
Sue
May 7, 2019 at 5:44 amThanks Hilary! It’s amazing what you can do with a single banana, isn’t it??
Varsha
April 28, 2019 at 2:06 pmTried this today, it came out really good. I added half the sugar and half the butter and it was perfect for my family. Will definitely make it again.
Sue
April 28, 2019 at 2:21 pmThanks Varsha, I’m sure others will be interested to know that it works out with less butter and sugar.
Tathyana
February 24, 2019 at 5:18 pmlaat week I had a single ripe banana in my counter, waiting to go to the trash bin – but then I googled one banana bread and found your recipe! so easy, I made mine with walnuts but no chocolate chip, added some cinamon – turned iut great! Hubby loved it so much that I’m making it again (this time no walnuts but added chocolate chips by his request lol) thank you!
Anne
February 1, 2019 at 3:42 pmSo happy to find this recipe for “one banana”. This loaf is delicious. I have pinned the recipe to my board.
Nazanin
December 19, 2018 at 1:28 pmI absolutely loved this recipe! It is a great mixture of banana and chocolate. I tried making it with half brown sugar and half white sugar instead of all white and I think this will be our family’s to go chocolate chip banana recipe.
Jillian
September 9, 2018 at 7:45 amIf i don’t have a loaf pan, would an 8-inch square pan work?
Sue
September 9, 2018 at 7:57 amI haven’t tried this in a square pan Jillian, but I assume it would work. The cooking time would be shorter, so you’d have to be careful with that.
Nabeela
July 8, 2018 at 5:47 amMade this last night and this afternoon I only have 2 slices left! This has to be the most incredible banana bread I’ve made, I used chopped chocolate chunks instead of chips, and I loved the addition of walnuts. Definitely making it again!
Sue
July 8, 2018 at 7:55 amI’m so happy you liked it Nabeela, and I have to say, chocolate chunks beat out chocolate chips any day in my book 😉
A childress
April 23, 2018 at 3:58 pmWonderful recipe, I have more bananas waiting to become bread, thank you for the recipe.
Joan Lapierre
April 17, 2018 at 1:49 pmdelicious!!!!!
Amy in Hunting Valley, OH
April 8, 2018 at 9:41 amI made this just now! It is much lighter than my usual recipe and I like it better. I was wondering if I could slip an extra banana in there and then I saw in your notes “got 2 bananas?” It’s like you were talking to me! I keep finding excuses to walk back in the kitchen and cut off another little sliver. Thanks for this great recipe! It’s a keeper.
Sue
April 8, 2018 at 9:50 amYay ~ now I’ll feel like a sliver myself 😉
Laura | Tutti Dolci
April 4, 2018 at 6:13 pmBanana bread is just what I’m craving, love this recipe!
John / Kitchen Riffs
April 4, 2018 at 7:34 amOne banana, one bowl? Sounds like a perfect recipe! This looks terrific — love banana bread. Thanks!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert
April 3, 2018 at 5:33 amI always have one super ripe banana on the countertop – this is perfect and so pretty too. I can smell it baking now 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
April 3, 2018 at 5:27 amGreat timing! I just happen to have one lone ripe banana right now and I’ve been wondering what I could do with it. Perfect 🙂
[email protected]'s Recipes
April 3, 2018 at 3:10 amA very practical and delicious banana recipe, Sue.