Easy Banana Bread without Baking Soda (2024)

This easy banana bread without baking soda relies on baking powder for its light, fluffy, and tender texture. It's moist, flavorful, and the best way to use up overripe, brown bananas on your counter. With no special equipment required, this is a great banana bread recipe for beginner bakers!

Picture this- you realize you have some overripe bananas on your counter and decide to go to the grocery store to pick up ingredients to make banana bread. You get home and suddenly realize that you forgot the baking soda!

Believe it or not, you can make a delicious loaf of banana bread without baking soda that is moist, soft, and fluffy with the help of baking powder! It won't rise quite as much, but it will still be absolutely delicious and tender packed with flavor from brown bananas and ground cinnamon.

If you love quick bread recipes, try honey banana bread, banana bread with oil, sour cream pumpkin bread, or banana bread with cream cheese frosting next!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• One bowl banana bread- You only need one large mixing bowl to make banana bread with baking powder; no mixer or any other special equipment is required!
• Use up overripe bananas- Instead of throwing out your brown bananas, you can use them for this recipe! Brown bananas are sweet and fragrant, making this banana bread more flavorful and moist.
• Great for beginners- Like my Nutella banana bread, this is a great recipe for beginner bakers. You don't need a mixer or any other special equipment for this recipe, the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store, and the instructions are straight-forward and easy to follow (especially with the process shots below).

Step by Step Instructions

Before you begin baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius, line your loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

STEP 1: Start by mashing the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork or potato masher. They can be as smooth or chunky as you want.

STEP 2: Whisk the melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar into the bananas until well combined.

STEP 3: Next, fold the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients. Gently fold with a rubber or silicone spatula until the dry streaks of flour disappear into the batter.

STEP 4: Pour the banana bread batter into your prepared loaf pan. Top with coarse sugar if desired and bake for 65-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The batter takes a long time to bake because it's very thick and wet! Be patient if it's still raw in the middle and keep baking.

STEP 5: Once it's baked through, remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Let it cool completely for an hour, then slice and serve!

• 450 grams bananas 4-5 overripe bananas
• 56 grams melted unsalted butter
• 56 grams neutral oil
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 40 grams apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 240 grams all purpose flour
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 3 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

• Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl, making them as smooth or chunky as desired

  450 grams bananas

• Add melted butter, oil, eggs, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla to mashed bananas. Whisk until well combined.

  56 grams melted unsalted butter, 56 grams neutral oil, 2 large eggs, 40 grams apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Fold the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until no dry streaks of flour remain.

  240 grams all purpose flour, 200 grams granulated sugar, 3 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Pour the banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth out the top, sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired, and bake for 65-80 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

• Remove from the oven and let the banana bread cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

• Let the banana bread cool completely, slice, and enjoy!

Use overripe bananas for the best flavor. They should be brown or speckled. Don't use green bananas.

Storage: Store banana bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then on the counter for 30 minutes before enjoying.