3-Ingredient Banana Bread

3-ingredient banana bread with a golden, tender, cakey crumb made from mashed ripe bananas, self-rising flour, and honey or sugar. This easy banana bread bakes to a perfectly set center with simple mixing and a clean toothpick test.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

3 bananas Use ripe bananas for sweetness and moisture.

Flour

1.5 cup self-rising flour Or use 1.5 cups all-purpose flour + 2.25 tsp baking powder + 3/4 tsp salt.

Sweetener

3 tbsp honey or sugar Choose honey for flavor or sugar for classic sweetness.

Equipment

1 sheet pan
1 Dutch oven

Method

Prep the oven and pan

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan or an 8x8 square pan.
Mash the bananas until completely smooth, noting the riper the bananas, the sweeter the bread.

Mix the batter

Stir in the honey and self-rising flour until just combined and no dry flour remains, stopping as soon as the last streak disappears.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top so it bakes evenly.

Bake

Bake for 30–35 minutes if using a square pan, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Bake for 50–60 minutes if using a loaf pan, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and slice

Cool the bread for 10 minutes before slicing, then serve with butter if desired.

Notes

For the cleanest crumb, mix just until the dry flour disappears—overmixing can make the loaf tougher. Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a dietary swap, use maple syrup instead of honey for a similar sweetness level.