One Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts is the best banana bread recipe ~ made with just one banana! You’re welcome.
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.
Featured comments on one banana bread
“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
craving more banana?
One Banana Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 large egg
- milk Note: you'll add the milk to the egg to equal one cup.)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose 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. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- 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.)
Video
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
Loved 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.
This 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!
not much banana flavor it was more like butter cake. I didn’t care for it to be honest.
Sorry 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.
May I ask how much milk do I need?
It 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.
the milk is added to the egg to make one cup, I’ll try to make that clearer Lilian.
Hello, I am planning on making this tomorrow with my daughter. How many minutes do you bake it for 2 mini loaf pans?
The 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.
Awesome! Thank you!
Sorry, 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 🙂
You’re so welcome Sanjana 🙂
Just 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.
I love using a little whole wheat flour in baking, bet it was good!
I 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.
Great 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!!
Nice 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?
Keep in covered with foil or plastic on the counter, and it will last several days. It freezes well, too, for longer storage.