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    Home » Breads » Biscuits, Scones & Loaves

    Simple 6-Ingredient Banana Bread (With Shortening)

    4.95 from 17 votes
    Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— September 2, 2019 (updated January 20, 2023) — 20 Comments

    194 shares
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    This post may contain affiliate links

    This simple banana bread recipe will never give you up, let you down, run around or desert (dessert?) you. It’s super easy to make and even easier to adapt.

    An overhead shot of a loaf of banana bread still in the pan. A white napkin sits to the right. The loaf pan is on top of a metal wire cooling rack.

    With minimal ingredients, this easy banana bread is so easy to make on busy weeknights and lazy weekend mornings. The shortening makes it super soft and tender, and also makes it "accidentally" dairy free which is great for anyone who is lactose intolerant.

    If you like this banana bread recipe, check out my double chocolate banana bread recipe which uses this as a base!

    Serve this six ingredient banana bread at brunch with a basket of toasted hazelnut chocolate chip muffins and a cinnamon and walnut fruit salad.

    Jump to:
    • 🍌 Why I Love This Recipe
    • 🧂 Ingredient Notes
    • 🥣 Instructions
    • 🔪 Preparing the Loaf Pan
    • 📖 Variations
    • 📋 Why Vegetable Shortening?
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Practical Tips & Recipe Notes
    • BONUS: Making Banana Bread Muffins
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🍌 Why I Love This Recipe

    Long before I ever made my first batch of bagels, I made this super simple banana bread.

    The recipe is originally from a booklet that came with an Oster "Kitchen Center Food Preparation Appliance" my parents got as a wedding gift in 1984 and, while the machine crapped out somewhere around 1991, the banana bread recipe has truly lasted the test of time.

    the cover of the oster kitchen center cookbook

    Every now and then I try a different recipe, curious if different ingredients, more ingredients — honey, brown sugar, orange marmalade, bourbon, maple syrup, whole wheat flour, etc. — will produce a superior loaf of banana bread. But this is the banana recipe I always come back to.

    A super simple six ingredient banana bread made with shortening.

    It's moist and flavorful with a slightly sticky, perfectly cracked-open top, and flecked throughout with evidence of the bananas that make up the batter.

    The recipe itself is beautiful in its simplicity: Six ingredients, mixed together in a bowl, then baked for exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes. No more, no less.

    If you're a beginner baker, this is an ideal recipe to familiarize yourself with. It's endlessly customizable and incredibly forgiving. Start with those key six ingredients, and from there you can experiment to your hearts content.

    🧂 Ingredient Notes

    As promised, just 6 ingredients! These are very easy to find in just about any grocery store. See recipe card for quantities.

    A photo of the 6 ingredients needed to make banana bread as well as a large silver bowl for an electric mixer.
    • Brown bananas - The ideal bananas for banana bread are the ones you bought to eat for breakfast but forgot about on your counter for a week (or more). The bananas should be brown and slightly mushy, but not deeply bruised and definitely not moldy. Some recipes call for you to mash your bananas in advance but I've found that this recipe works best when you just toss whole banana chunks right into your mixer and let the paddle do the hard work of breaking them down. See PRACTICAL TIPS below for how to speed up the browning process.
    • All-purpose flour - Nothing fancy! I use King Arthur Baking's Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
    • Sugar - Plain white granulated sugar. You could also swap in brown sugar for a bit more flavor, or use a combination of brown and white sugars. In the interest of simplicity and keeping this at just 6 ingredients, I usually just use white sugar. But brown sugar will work if that's all you've got!
    • Eggs - Large eggs, ideally at room temperature. If you use Jumbo or Extra Large eggs, you may find your banana bread is a little tougher or even rubbery in texture. So do keep an eye out for large eggs!
    • Shortening - I keep a small container of Crisco in my pantry specifically so I can make banana bread on a whim. Store brand vegetable shortening will also work.
    • Baking soda - This is the chemical leavener! It's what makes the banana bread rise.

    🥣 Instructions

    This banana bread is literally SO SIMPLE TO MAKE. Start by putting all six ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer. You'll want to use the paddle attachment here.

    the ingredients for banana bread in a mixer bowl before mixing

    Then mix everything together on medium speed until combined. This should only take about a minute. Maybe a minute and a half.

    Scrape down the bowl and scrape off the beater. You just want to make sure there's no sneaky clumps of shortening or banana that haven't been broken up.

    Mix again for another 30-40 seconds. That's it! That's literally it. I told you this was simple! If you want to stir in any mix-ins like chocolate chips or chopped nuts, do so now.

    banana bread batter in a mixing bowl after being mixed

    HINT: Because this six ingredient banana bread is so simple and the batter is so quick to make, you'll want to make sure your oven is pre-heated and the pan is prepared before you start mixing.

    🔪 Preparing the Loaf Pan

    In order to successfully remove the bread from the pan after it bakes, you need to grease and flour your pan. Just grease alone won't be enough to keep it from sticking.

    Spray the inside and the walls of a 8.5x4.5" (1 lb) or 9x5" (1.25 lb) loaf pan with nonstick spray. Or use a paper towel to spread canola oil in the pan, making sure to get into all the corners.

    Then, scoop 1-2 tablespoons flour into the pan, and hold it upright or tilted slightly forward. Rotate the pan while tapping it lightly against your hand or the side of your sink until a thin later of flour coats the sides and bottom of the pan. Dump out any excess flour.

    Tip 1: Always do this over your sink or a trash can.
    Tip 2: Use hot cocoa mix instead of flour for a yummy chocolate exterior.

    📖 Variations

    There are so many ways you can take this simple banana bread and dress it up to make it your own. Here are some of my favorite things to do with it:

    • Loaded Double Chocolate Banana Bread - My double chocolate banana bread recipe uses this simple recipe as a base with a few additional tweaks to support the added chocolate chips and cocoa powder.
    • Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread - After mixing the batter, pour ⅓ of of the batter into a small bowl, add ⅛th cup cocoa powder, and mix well. Pour half of the plain batter into the prepared pan, then dollop in a layer of the chocolate batter, then cover it with the rest of the plain batter. Insert a knife or a skewer straight to the bottom of the pan, and draw a few continuous figure-8 shapes across the width of the pan to create a swirl.
    • Nutty Banana Bread - After mixing the batter, stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Top the banana bread with additional chopped nuts before baking.
    • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - After mixing the batter, stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
    • Peanut Butter Banana Bread - Replace ¼ cup shortening with ¼ cup peanut butter.

    📋 Why Vegetable Shortening?

    Because shortening is 100% fat (unlike butter which is about 80% fat and 16-18% water) it produces very soft, very tender baked goods. Banana bread made with shortening is very soft and very tender and the banana flavor truly shines.

    I generally don't think of banana bread as a "buttery" quickbread. So I prefer shortening for the added tenderness and moistness, and because it doesn't add that buttery richness that I expect from cakes.

    In the 80s and 90s shortening was popularly promoted as a "healthy alternative to saturated fats." These days it's seen far less often due to an increase in concern about trans fats (just another reminder that what we consider "healthy" is often the result of successful marketing campaigns).

    As with just about any ingredient diet culture has championed and/or vilified, shortening does have its place in the kitchen. And it's great for making a super simple, tender quickbread.

    This recipe has been so good to me over the years; I have no desire to bend to the whims of diet culture trying to fix something that's not broken. If you'd like a banana bread that doesn't use shortening, there are hundreds of other recipes out there to choose from.

    A close up down the length of a loaf of banana bread in still in the loaf pan. The top is golden brown and covered in chopped walnuts. A metal cooling rack is visible under the pan.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

    • If you don't have brown bananas and need to make banana bread ASAP, you can brown ripe bananas in the oven. Arrange the bananas on a lined sheet pan and bake at 300°F for 30-40 minutes until the skins are browned and the bananas are slightly soft to the touch.
    • If your bananas are going brown faster than you're ready to use them, peel and freeze them in a bag until you're ready to use them. Defrost in the fridge overnight. When you defrost bananas, you'll notice there's some excess liquid in the bag which you can discard. While the standard recipe calls for 3 non-frozen bananas, if you're using defrosted bananas, you may want to use 4 bananas to make up for the liquid weight lost in defrosting.
    • Don't over mix your batter. It's okay if it's a little bit lumpy.
    • To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
    • GLUTEN FREE/ALMOND FLOUR/WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR - Cup-for-cup gluten free flour should work just fine here. Almond flour is just ground almonds, it will not work in this bread. Whole wheat flour will make the bread very dry, I don't recommend it.
    sliced banana bread

    BONUS: Making Banana Bread Muffins

    To use this batter to make 12 banana bread muffins, line the wells of a standard-sized muffin tin with muffin papers. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Portion the batter into 12 muffin wells. The banana bread batter should come to the top of each muffin well. Add any toppings you like (I recommend a generous scoop of sparkling sugar and some chopped walnuts), then bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

    For extra-tall, extra-domed banana bread muffins, leave every other muffin well empty, so you're only baking 6 muffins per muffin pan.

    📖 Recipe

    a loaf of simple banana bread in a baking pan

    Simple 6-Ingredient Banana Bread

    Rebecca Eisenberg
    This banana bread recipe literally never fails. Shortening makes it moist and tender, and it always comes out with a perfectly cracked top. It’s super easy to make and even easier to adapt.
    4.95 from 17 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved! Email
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 loaf

    Equipment

    • 9x5" Loaf pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 large brown bananas (or 4 small brown bananas)
    • 200 grams sugar (1 cup)
    • 240 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups, loosely scooped and leveled off)
    • 95 grams shortening (½ cup)
    • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda

    Optional Additions

    • 1 cup chocolate chips
    • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoon cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top)
    • 1 tablespoon orange zest
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Set aside.
    • Combine bananas, shortening, eggs, baking soda, sugar, and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about one minute. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Mix 30-40 seconds more. If adding any mix-ins (nuts, chocolate chips, etc.) stir them in at the end.
    • Pour banana bread batter into the pan, tapping it against the counter a few times to release air bubbles.
    • If using any toppings (cinnamon sugar, chopped nuts, etc.) sprinkle them on top.
    • Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes (70 minutes) until a toothpick or paring knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
    • Remove from oven and run a paring knife around the sides to release, then let cool in pan on a wire rack. When mostly cool, release from pan and continue cooling on wire rack. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

    RECIPE NOTES

    • To make banana bread muffins, portion the batter into 12 lined muffin cups and bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it.
    • If using defrosted bananas, discard any excess liquid in the bag and use 4 bananas instead of 3.

    YOUR NOTES

    Click here to add your own private notes. Only you can see these.
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let me how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.95 from 17 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Auferre

      April 02, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best banana bread recipe I've ever used - super easy, incredibly versatile, and the taste and texture are great! After making it half a dozen times, it has a permanent place in my mental recipe file.

      Reply
      • Rebecca

        April 02, 2021 at 5:28 pm

        Thank you so much!!! I’m so glad you love it as much as I do! 💕

        Reply
    2. Em WR

      April 07, 2021 at 5:18 pm

      5 stars
      This banana bread is amazing! It's a perfect combination of fluffy and chewy. I really like that it isn't too sweet, even with the chocolate chips. We used butter instead of shortening and it turned out just fine. Next time we might add just a little bit of salt, but we'll definitely be making it again!

      Reply
      • Rebecca

        April 07, 2021 at 5:19 pm

        So glad you like it, and glad to hear it works well with butter instead of shortening!! Thanks for leaving a comment! 💕💕 enjoy the banana bread!

        Reply
    3. Laura

      July 07, 2021 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      So easy, so good. Many banana bread recipes out there, but this wins!

      Reply
    4. Haley

      September 15, 2021 at 12:19 am

      I love this recipe! I keep coming back to it over and over, it’s so uncomplicated and soooo tasty. I used Cup4Cup flour because I’m gluten free. I usually add walnuts if I have them. I’ve done the loaf plenty of times, tonight I made the batter into muffins instead. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!

      Reply
    5. CYNTHIA

      April 02, 2022 at 12:57 pm

      5 stars
      Had only two bananas (i think my husband leaves them over on purpose so I’ll make treats), so I added some applesauce to make up for it, and I’m told (because I am allergic to bananas) that it is delish! Love flexible recipes!!

      Reply
    6. Portygal406

      March 04, 2023 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve lost track of the recipes I’ve tried for a really good banana bread. Always seemed to fall in the middle, despite best efforts. Right now, this beautiful golden loaf, with the perfectly raised top, and the perfect crack in the middle is cooling on a wire tray; can’t wait to try it!
      Thank you….my search is over!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        March 06, 2023 at 7:31 am

        Hooray!!!

        Reply
    7. Kaitlin

      March 06, 2023 at 8:30 pm

      5 stars
      This is perfection! I have made a lot of banana bread in my life but the shortening is a game changer! This is now my go-to banana bread recipe!

      Reply
    8. Kim

      April 20, 2023 at 5:00 pm

      5 stars
      Tried this today and was very happy with it!

      Reply
    9. Jocelyne

      June 22, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      Made this for the first time today and it's absolutely perfect! I was in a "need banana bread immediately" mood so of course I looked here first for a recipe and I was not disappointed! I did use a combo of 1/4 cup salted butter and 1/4 cup margarine because that's what I had on hand and it's still perfect, so if you're also in a "need banana bread immediately" emergency (it happens, you know?) but don't have shortening at home, I'd say don't let that hold you back!

      I also chopped up half a milk chocolate bar that I had in the fridge and tossed it in (because who doesn't want chocolate in their banana bread) and it worked great!

      Reply
      • Jocelyne

        June 22, 2023 at 4:56 pm

        5 stars
        Forgot to click the star rating, so I'm adding that here!

        Reply
    10. Anne

      November 11, 2023 at 8:51 pm

      5 stars
      Really good! First time making quick bread with shortening and was happy with the results. And, I used the half shortening/half lard that I bought by mistake so wasn't sure how it would turn out as it didn't completely dissolve in the mixing. So, I way overmixed and it still came out fine with and excellent rise and crack at the top. I wonder if creaming it with the sugar like you do with butter would be useful? Not sure. Definitely needed a pinch of salt and some vanilla, but otherwise a fabulous recipe, thank you! Next time will add some spice and nuts.

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        November 13, 2023 at 1:26 pm

        I've actually tried using the creaming method with this recipe and I can't explain the science but it just didn't turn out as great as when you just mix everything together and call it a day. And yes, it's such a great blank canvas — you can absolutely add vanilla and nuts and spices to dress it up!

        Reply
    11. Sunny

      November 18, 2023 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      Had three very “mature” bananas so made this recipe on a whim. Per one of Rebecca’s options, replaced half the shortening with peanut better. So easy, and all the ingradients were readily on hand.

      In a word: YUM!!!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        November 18, 2023 at 5:45 pm

        yum!! love the PB swap, so good in banana bread!

        Reply
    12. Anne

      December 04, 2023 at 6:55 pm

      5 stars
      You are so right. Last time -when it turned out perfectly - the shortening was cold from the frig. This time I warmed it up and creamed it like you're supposed to do in other recipes and it did not rise to the same beautiful level. Just another example of over-complicating things, right? :->

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        December 05, 2023 at 9:46 am

        Exactly! I usually use room temperature shortening, but I've found it definitely doesn't work the same if you try to cream it the way you do with other recipes. It only works if you mix everything together all at once!

        Reply
    13. Liz

      December 05, 2024 at 4:09 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best, easiest banana bread recipe, and the result is spot on every single time. Whenever I make it, I just giggle to myself on how easy it is - you just dump everything in one bowl, mix, and you're on your way! I use one stick of butter instead of the shortening and it works perfectly. Obsessed!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Rebecca! I'm a pastry chef with a home cook mentality. I'm on a mission to make spending time in the kitchen fun and accessible — that's why so many people love my beginner-friendly bread recipes. I'm always looking for new and creative ways to get the most out of my favorite ingredients and flavors!

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