Easy Moist Banana Bread with Oil (No Butter)

This banana bread loaf is a classic, old-fashioned recipe. Made using oil instead of butter, this is a super easy recipe and has a perfectly moist texture for the best ever banana bread!

You only need 5 main ingredients to make this banana bread loaf - flour, oil, sugar, banana, and egg. And of course, there is also baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract, but these are not the main ones.

I kept this banana bread recipe as classic and old-fashioned as possible. This is a quick recipe you can whip up any time when you are overripe bananas at home.

The recipe requires only 4 bananas and the bread is made using oil which means there is no butter in it. The recipe is also without milk and without baking powder and makes a single loaf banana bread, perfect of those who are looking to make a small loaf of delicious banana bread.

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Banana Bread vs Banana Cake

Banana bread is not the same as banana cake. Very often, we see the term banana bread being used for banana cakes baked in loaf tins too. While both the bread and the cake are made using mostly the same ingredients, there is an obvious difference between these two types of banana treats, at least in my recipes.

Ingredients

• Both the banana bread loaf and banana cake use flour, oil or butter, eggs, sugar and bananas. While cakes often use self-raising flour and have added baking powder and baking soda to it, the banana bread contains only baking soda and made using plain flour.
• Also, banana cakes have more liquid added to them (in the form of milk, or buttermilk), but in the case of banana bread, the only liquid that goes into them is the oil or melted butter. Even then, it is in smaller quantities compared to that used for cakes (like my banana pound cake here which does not contain any additional liquid added to it but has a ratio of butter to flour of 1:1. My banana bread has a ratio of oil to flour of 1:3.75).

Texture

• Banana cakes are soft, and fluffy. Banana bread, on the other hand, is heavier and denser. It is soft and moist nevertheless but has a sturdier structure than a cake.

Taste

• Unlike normal bread made with yeast, banana bread loaf is sweeter and has a prominent banana taste. Overall, it tends to sway more towards a cake rather than a bread if not for its dense texture.
• In comparison, banana breads are slightly less sweet and not as buttery as a cake. This makes it suitable for breakfast, and is excellent when served warm with some butter on it.

Baking time

• A banana bread loaf requires a much longer baking time. Typically, for a small-sized bread loaf (like in my recipe below), the baking time is between 55 minutes to 1 hour. Cakes normally require 40 to 50 minutes to bake.
• The longer baking time is because these bread are often baked in loaf tins and rise considerably well during baking. Given the taller size of the banana bread loaf, a longer baking time is necessary.

Serving

• Both the banana bread and banana cake can be served plain.
• Other than being served plain, banana cakes are typically served with frosting (either buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or ganache). Banana bread loaf on the other hand almost never has any icing or frosting. In fact, the loaf is best cut into slices and eaten warm with some butter (like a toast) or spread with peanut butter or Nutella, or drizzled with honey or maple syrup.

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How to Make

Ingredients

• All purpose flour + baking soda + salt
• Brown sugar
• Oil
• Egg
• Bananas
• Vanilla extract

Mixing the batter

1. Start by peeling all the 4 bananas.
2. Place them on a plate and mash them up with a fork or a potato masher. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the brown sugar and mix it into the flour until well combined.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
6. Add the mashed bananas mixture.

1. Next, add the oil, egg and vanilla extract.
2. Beat the wet ingredients and dry ingredients mixture briefly with an electric mixer, starting from the center, until the ingredients are just combined.
3. Scrape the sides of the bowl and use a spatula to mix in any streaks of flour that is left un-mixed.
4. Pour the banana bread batter into a well-greased loaf pan measuring 8 inches by 4 inches. Level the top.
5. Bake the banana bread loaf at an oven temperature of 165°Celsius for 55 to 60 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the baked bread from the oven and let it rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Slice the loaf only when it's completely cool, for neater slices.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

Notes

How to choose bananas?

• This old-fashioned and basic banana bread loaf is best made with well-ripened yellow bananas (those with plenty of brown spots). These are the best bananas as they are most flavorful, easy to mash, and work best for this banana bread.

Can you substitute oil with butter?

• This banana bread is best made with oil. For best results, you can use vegetable oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil or canola oil. The oil is the secret ingredient in making this banana bread really moist.
• If you do not want to use oil, you can also substitute it with butter. However, take note to melt the butter first.

How to store the bread?

• To ensure your banana bread remains moist, keep it covered with a kitchen towel when cooling on a wire rack. Also, once it is completely cooled down, keep it in a covered container. This will prevent it from becoming dry and retain its moistness.
• The banana bread can be kept at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days. If you wish to keep it longer, refrigerate it. Always ensure you put the bread loaf in an airtight container in the fridge and never leave it open as that will dry it out.

Can you substitute brown sugar with white sugar?

• Yes, you can. Do note that white sugar tends to be sweeter than brown sugar and you may need to adjust the amount slightly if you do not want your bread to be overly sweet.

How to ensure the bread loaf slices are neat?

• The best tip to ensure the banana bread slices are cut neat is to allow the bread to cool down completely.
• Also, using a serrated bread knife to slice the bread helps too.

Recipe Variation

• For flavor variations, you can add some chocolate chips into the bread batter to make chocolate chip banana bread.
• You can also add some toasted nuts into your banana bread batter before pouring it into a loaf tin to make banana nut bread.

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Like this recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Homemade White Bread Loaf
• Banana Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Fudgy Chocolate Banana Cake - A Perfect Snack Cake
• Banana Pound Cake
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my basic banana bread loaf recipe.

And that's that. My super moist, super easy, great recipe for banana bread with oil.

Enjoy!