Not-Too-Sweet Banana Bread

Here's a recipe that lets the banana flavor come through without being cloying. Three ripe bananas is the perfect amount.

Not-Too-Sweet Banana Bread

Prep: 10 min | Bake: 55–65 min | Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 3 overripe bananas (mashed, ~1¼ cups)
• ½ cup neutral oil (or melted butter, cooled)
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed (lightly packed — this is the trick for less sweetness)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional, but nice)
• 1 Tbsp milk or buttermilk (if batter feels too thick)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or line with parchment.
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine).
3. Whisk in the oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. If the batter seems stiff, stir in the tablespoon of milk.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil at the 40-minute mark.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool fully.

Tips

• Ripeness matters: The blacker the peels, the sweeter your bread will be naturally — so you can get away with less added sugar.
• Add-ins: If you want texture, fold in ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans. Chocolate chips will push it sweeter, so skip them if that's a concern.
• Storage: Wrapped tightly, it keeps 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. It also freezes well sliced.

The flavor deepens on day two, if you can wait.