Incredibly moist banana bread without baking soda or baking powder?! Don’t mind if we do! With buttery brown sugar flavor and a tender crumb, you can make it in just a few minutes with ripe bananas and staple ingredients.
No baking soda? Not a problem! No baking powder? You don’t need it to make this amazing Banana Bread!
You can make this easy banana bread recipe without baking soda or baking powder. It is light and fluffy – packed with bold banana flavor and a touch of warm cinnamon.
Don’t waste brown bananas! Turn them into a delicious banana bread! Creaming the butter and sugars gives this bread incredible volume and texture without leavening agents. It creates air pockets inside the batter that expand when the bread is baking, lifting it to make a soft and tender crumb.
Banana bread is a staple sweet bread for breakfast and brunch. It’s perfect for Mother’s Day, Easter, bridal and baby showers. It freezes well, making it great for a quick snack, too like my other quick bread recipes including Apple Bread and Lemon Poppy Seed Bread!
It’s wonderful plain or you can serve with a smear of butter for an even richer flavor. Chocolate Butter, Strawberry Butter, or Sweet Butter are all flavorful pairings.
You’ll love the combination of butter, brown sugar, bananas and cinnamon in this baked good. It is fluffy, light, and irresistible.
You’ll love the combination of butter, brown sugar, bananas and cinnamon in this baked good. It is fluffy, light, and irresistible.
The Secret to Making Banana Bread without Baking Soda
- Cream Butter and Sugars – This process aerates the butter – the sugar whips through the butter and creates pockets of air. When heated, the air expands and lifts the batter, creating rise in your bread.
- Sift the Flour – While this step is not required, it makes the bread lighter and fluffier. Pour measured flour into a sifter or strainer. Flour will fall softly into batter as you pull the handle on the sifter or gently shake a strainer. This process will help to avoid clumps and make the batter less dense.
- Don’t Over Mix – Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated for a soft and tender sweet bread. A lot of mixing develops the gluten in flour and produces a more dense and bready texture.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Recipe without Baking Soda or Baking Powder
- Easy
- Delicious
- Great for Breakfast, Brunch, Snacks, and Gift Giving
- Doesn’t Use Baking Soda or Baking Powder
- Luscious Banana Flavor
Banana Bread Ingredients
- Bananas – Use ripe bananas for best results.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. If you us salted butter, omit the salt in this recipe.
- Sugar – I like to use a combination of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar. It sweetens the bread while adding a hint of caramel flavor.
- Eggs – Large eggs, at room temperature, if possible.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds a hint of flavor.
- All Purpose Flour – If possible, sift your flour for the lightest, fluffiest bread. This will prevent you from mis-measuring, making your bread dense.
- Cinnamon – A hint of cinnamon adds quintessential warm flavor to this bread.
- Salt – A hint of salt brings out all the other flavors in baking. Omit if you are using salted butter.
Variations
- Fold in ½ cup of toasted walnuts or pecans for Banana Nut Bread
- Dust with cinnamon sugar
- Add a thinly sliced banana on top
- Drizzle with glaze or cream cheese glaze
How to Make Banana Bread Without Leavening Agents
Watch the video to see just how easy it is!
- Prep – Preheat the oven and grease loaf pan.
- Cream Butter and Sugar – This step adds air to the batter giving it rise in lieu of baking soda or baking powder.
- Add Eggs, Vanilla and Banana – Fold in until just combined.
- Make the Batter – Add flour, cinnamon and salt until just combined.
- Bake – Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake. When a toothpick comes out clean, it is done. Allow to cool on a wire rack before inverting. Slice to serve.
How to Serve
- Spread butter on warm bread.
- Try varieties of butter – Strawberry Butter, Honey Butter, Sweet Butter.
- Spread with your favorite jam.
- Cover with a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Serving Suggestions
- At a breakfast or brunch with Egg Strata and your favorite smoothie.
- As a side for Easy Tomato Soup.
- As an afternoon snack with a dish of blueberries or other fruit.
Banana Recipe Collection
If you love bananas, don’t miss this guide! We’ve gathered all our best banana recipes – you’ll never let those brown bananas go to waste again.
Tips
- Cream that butter and sugar! You are making banana bread with no baking soda or baking powder for leavening agents. You compensate for that omission by fully creaming the butter and sugar.
- Cook for the entire time so that the bread is fully cooked. The center will fall and be doughy if it isn’t cooked through. To be sure, poke the center with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.
- Don’t miss my complete guide to Loaf Pan Sizes. This will help you choose the perfect pan for your quick breads or pound cakes!
Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!
Shortcuts
- To reduce bake time, pour batter into miniature loaf pans and reduce the cook time to 40 minutes.
- If your bananas aren’t ripe, you can peel then microwave bananas for 1 minute. Continue microwaving for 15 seconds at a time until bananas are soft and mashable. Or bake bananas at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on a cookie sheet, add more time if needed.
- To reduce bake time, pour batter into miniature loaf pans and reduce the cook time to 40 minutes.
- If your bananas aren’t ripe, you can peel then microwave bananas for 1 minute. Continue microwaving for 15 seconds at a time until bananas are soft and mashable. Or bake bananas at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on a cookie sheet, add more time if needed.
Frequent Asked Questions
If you prefer to make them into muffins, grease miniature muffin tins and fill each to ⅔ full. Bake 12 minutes. Or just try my Banana Muffin recipe.
To prevent banana bread from sinking, ensure it is thoroughly baked. Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. When it comes out clean, the bread is done. Allow to cool on a wire baking rack.
How to Store Banana Bread
- At Room Temperature – Allow bread to cool and store in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerate – Allow bread to cool and store in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap refrigerated for up to 4 days. If you need to store it any longer than 4 days, you should move it to the freezer to maintain the fresh flavors.
- Freeze – Wrap whole loaf or individual slices in a couple of layers of plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, bring to room temperature. A full loaf will take a few hours, but a slice will take about a half an hour. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds or warm in the oven for a few minutes.
What to Do with Leftovers
- Slice and freeze leftovers to have a delicious snack later.
- Cube pieces and serve in a banana split – ice cream, Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce, and nuts.
- Turn into banana bread French toast.
Dietary Considerations
- Nut Free
- Vegetarian
More Breads
Banana Bread without Baking Soda or Baking Powder
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups all purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1 pound loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes. They'll become light in color and fluffy.
- Add eggs, bananas and vanilla until just combined.
- Gradually add flour, cinnamon and salt until just combined. Do not over mix. Optional: Fold in nuts or chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack. Invert to remove. Slice and serve!
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
What size loaf pan/pan do you use when dividing recipe in half? I don’t have mini loaf pans and just 2 bananas.
Can I use 1 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener as a substitute for the 1/2 cup sugar and the 1/2 cup brown sugar?
I haven’t tested it – if you do, please let me know!
I substituted the sugars with Stevie extract sugar and honey, so you shouldnt have any issues substituting. 👍
Hi Tess!
Thanks so much for the comment, I know that helps other readers! I really appreciate it.
Have a great week,
Julie
So yummy! I added about a quarter cup of heath pieces. Just enough to give a bit of toffee flavor. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Ellen,
I love the idea of adding heath pieces, we’ll have to note that in the recipe for others.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, so glad you enjoyed!
Julie
can i substitute butter to oil?
Absolutely! It will simply offer a different flavor profile. Enjoy!
Great recipe
Thanks Ellen!
Have a lovely day,
Julie
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF I KNEW THE MEASUREMENTS. And times plus temp ?!
Hi! You can find all of that in the free printable recipe card in the post.