bread/recipes/small batch

Small Batch Banana Bread Recipe

Posted January 13, 2019 by Stephanie

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you’ll know that I have a banana bread obsession. I hardly ever make it or let myself buy it though. If I make it, I’ll inevitably eat the whole loaf. And buying it just doesn’t seem right for some reason. Although I will admit to having boughten the odd slice here or there while at the airport. There’s something about airports that makes me feel like the calories don’t count even though they probably count even more. Anyway, that was just a rambling way of saying I like banana bread and I can eat a lot of it.

Which brings me too: small batch banana bread! After my small batch cookie victory, I started thinking about all the other things I could small batch and banana bread rose to the top of the pile pretty quickly. Now that I’m writing this post, in retrospect, I probably should have made even a smaller batch because the half batch that I made (2 bananas, 1 egg) made just a tiny bit too much batter for my mini loaf pan. While the loaf was baking, the batter rose up over the sides and instead of doming (like a good banana bread should do), it just fell down the sides. But, I ate those pieces, so no great loss, I guess.

Anyway, this is a small batch recipe of Flour Bakery’s famous banana bread. I’ve made this on the blog before and talked about how it doesn’t dome when baking. It also annoyingly requires a mixer. So I’m not sure why it’s the recipe that I decided to do the math on. Oh wait. I know why. It’s cause it tastes AMAZING. I can’t get over this recipe even though I want to. I want to find the perfect small batch banana bread recipe that uses 1 banana and maybe 1/2 an egg. One that doesn’t require a mixer and will make a nice tall dome.

But until that time, here is the Flour Bakery banana bread recipe, conveniently halved. Heck, I even did the math for you guys and quartered it just incase you want to make the flattest, smallest, most delicious loaf-esque banana bread ever. At that point maybe it should be small batch banana cake? But then, is banana cake a thing?

Happy banana breading!
xoxo steph

Small Batch Banana Bread Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Small Batch Banana Bread Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Small Batch Banana Bread Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Small Batch Banana Bread Recipe
makes 1 small loaf or 10 muffins


  • 1/2 + 1/3 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (115 grams) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) canola or other flavorless oil
  • 2 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 3/4 cups or 170 grams mashed bananas)
  • 1 tablespoons sour cream or greek yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: This recipes make 1 small mini loaf and 2 muffins or about 10-12 muffins. I tried to get all the batter into just a mini loaf pan but it overflowed in the oven, so make sure to just fill the loaf pan 3/4 of the way.

With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour pan a mini loaf pan (6×3 inches or a pan that fits 2 cups liquid) or line 10-12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.

With a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the oil, taking your time.

Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown on top and the cake will spring back when you press it.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack. Enjoy!

For 1/4 of the recipe:

1/4 + 1/6 cup (52.5 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 cup plus 1.5 teaspoons (57.5 grams) sugar
1/2 large egg (whisk a large egg and weight out 13-14 grams or measure out 1.5 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) canola or other flavorless oil
1 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 6 tablespoons or 85 grams mashed bananas)
1.5 teaspoons sour cream or greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Follow the instructions above and bake for about 20-30 minutes.

 

25 Comments

  1. denise says:

    Love this but your “BEST BANANA BREAD” recipe is the one i make at least once every 2 weeks and it’s really the BEST. So little ingredients required and so easy to come together – only requires ONE banana and still has so much flavour pay off.

    1. Stephanie says:

      hey denise,
      i haven’t made that recipe in forever but now i feel inspired to do it again…gonna go and get some bananas :)

  2. Davena Zhang says:

    I’m loving the small-batch recipes – please keep em coming!

    1. Stephanie says:

      absolutely!! it’s gonna be a thing :)

  3. Eleana says:

    Love this! I like to throw some chocolate chips into the batter sometimes for a more decadent treat =)

    1. Stephanie says:

      oooh yes to chocolate chip banana bread!!!

  4. Carrie says:

    I just made these as muffins and they were incredible! The small batch was the perfect amount for my family.

  5. Sri says:

    I am excited to use this recipe. I am going to try and bake 20 loaves of this size. Hope I succeed. Any tips and tricks appreciated.

  6. Jackie says:

    These came out super yummy! I am not a baker at all (hate measuring) but had some overripe bananas and a craving for warm banana bread. I didn’t have a sifter or stand mixer (again- not a baker!) so I just whisked my dry ingredients and used a hand mixer and they came out perfect! There are only 2 people in my house and 4 are already gone 30 minutes after they came out of the oven. Will make again and experiment with chocolate chips and nuts!

  7. Priscilla says:

    I made this recipe tonight and it was the perfect size! I swapped out 1/3 cup of the white flour for whole wheat, cut the sugar to 1/3 cup and it was perfect! Thank you!!!

    1. Stephanie says:

      yay! and yay for substitutions :)

  8. Haiwen says:

    This came out delightfully tasty and moist. I added some walnuts on top for a nice crunch.

    1. Stephanie says:

      yay! so happy you liked it and walnuts are a great idea :)

  9. Kate says:

    Wonderful recipe. Perfect little cake size and beautiful soft, dense texture with healthy rise. Not too sweet either. For the record, I used light brown sugar and mixed by hand. Kept an eye on it at 45 mins. Put it on for 7 more. Came out with a nice bounce when touched; light top that was ever-so-slightly wet while being totally cooked; and slightly darker edge giving a nice chewiness when cooled. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Served warm with salty butter. Absolutely delicious.

  10. Mikayla says:

    Could I possibly leave out the sour cream/yogurt and instead of the oil could I do unsalted butter???

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi mikayla,
      i haven’t tried so i can’t say with confidence that it’ll work or turn out the same

  11. Esha says:

    Thank you for this amazing recipe! I have been looking for small batch bakes, since I am baking in a toaster oven!

    I added walnuts and dark chocolate chips to the batter, and the family loved it!

  12. Mary R. says:

    Perfect quarantine recipe when you want to use very few of the precious baking ingredients. The muffins turned out light AND moist.
    DH asked if I had saved the recipe as he was biting into a third muffin!

    I used a handmixer with the whip attachment and sprinkled chopped walnuts to the top of each muffin. Perfection!

  13. Allison says:

    Phenomenal! I love to cook but baking normally makes me nervous haha so when I don’t botch something it’s very exciting. I made mine in a normal sized single-use pan from the store, and it turned out perfectly. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi allison,
      yay! that’s so much for taking a chance on this recipe and happy it turned out for you! ::)

  14. Andrea Litchfield says:

    Hi Mikayla,
    A good substitute for melted butter is almond/soy/rice milk. They give moisture and a touch of a different flavor. You may also want to try baking this in an 8″ by8″ pan. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean from being poked in the middle.

  15. Tammy says:

    5 stars
    This was delicious!! I added chopped pecans; then I sprinkled a few expresso chocolate chips on top of half the muffins before baking. Recipe made 1 dozen muffins.

  16. Charlene says:

    Could i double the recipe?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi, yes, for sure! here’s the post for the regular size – just put it in a regular loaf pan: https://iamafoodblog.com/flour-bakerys-banana-bread/

  17. Jean says:

    I added walnuts, turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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