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Enjoy a warm, moist single serve banana bread made with just one ripe banana and baked in a small ramekin. This quick and easy recipe delivers classic banana bread flavor in the perfect portion – no leftovers, just a delicious, homemade treat whenever you want it!
Featured Comment
“I’ve made the Banana Bread recipe many times. It’s a winner. Delicious. I’ll buy bananas just to make this. Very moist and flavorful.”
– Michele
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: Minimal prep and bakes in no time.
- Perfect for One: Enjoy homemade banana bread with no waste.
- Soft & Moist: A single ripe banana keeps it perfectly tender.
- Customizable: Add your favorite mix-ins or toppings.
Banana bread has always been one of my favorite ways to turn simple ingredients into something special. With just one banana and a few pantry staples, this recipe bakes right in a ramekin, giving you a warm, flavorful treat without the need for a full loaf.
I love this small banana bread for breakfast, especially with a breakfast bowl for one and small batch potatoes O’Brien. For more breakfast ideas for one, try a blueberry muffin for one, French breakfast puff, or our waffle recipe for one.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this mini banana bread recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base. If you need a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute.
- Baking Soda: Helps the bread rise. For the best results, make sure your baking soda is fresh.
- Butter: Adds richness. You can substitute with coconut oil for a dairy-free alternative.
- Egg Yolk: Binds everything together. Hang onto that egg white and use it in one of our egg white recipes like mini Texas Sheet Cake and small batch Coconut Macaroons.
- Banana: The key ingredient! Use an overripe banana for the sweetest, easiest-to-mash texture.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Want to change things up? Try one of these simple one banana-banana bread variations:
- Banana Nut Bread For One: Stir in chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Mix in chocolate chips.
- Chocolate Banana Bread: Add chocolate chips and cocoa powder.
- Warm Spices: A pinch of nutmeg or cardamom adds extra depth.
- Berry Banana Bread: Fold in blueberries or raspberries for a fresh, fruity option.
How To Make Banana Bread For One
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make banana bread with one banana. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly grease a 10-ounce ramekin. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mash the banana with a fork and add to a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and whip the banana and sugar together with an electric mixer or a wire whisk.
- Add the melted butter, the egg yolk, and the vanilla; mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour into the ramekin and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly before eating.
Expert Tips
- Use Ripe Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter the bread. Look for bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best flavor.
- Freeze Overripe Bananas: Keep a stash of ripe bananas in the freezer. If you have some on the counter that are turning brown, freeze them unpeeled. The skins will darken, but the banana inside stays perfect for baking.
- Keep the Batter Lumpy: When mashing, leave a few banana chunks for texture. Avoid overmixing the batter to keep your bread soft and tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bananas should be very ripe, with skins that are heavily spotted or mostly brown. Overripe bananas are softer and sweeter, which makes the bread moist and flavorful.
At room temperature, it usually lasts 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. In the refrigerator, it can last up to a week.
You can use a small 10-ounce ramekin or a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet in this mini banana bread recipe.
Yes, double the ingredients and use either two 10-ounce ramekins or one 5×5-inch baking dish.
Yes. Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More One Banana Recipes
Try these easy recipes made with one banana:
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this one-banana banana bread or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Banana Bread For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium banana , mashed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salted butter , melted (plus more for greasing the ramekin)
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly grease a 10-ounce ramekin. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
- Mash the banana with a fork and add to a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and with an electric mixer or a wire whisk whip the banana and sugar together.
- Add the melted butter, the egg yolk, and the vanilla; mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour into the ramekin and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly before eating.
Notes
- Use ripe bananas. Ripe bananas make the sweetest banana bread. When bananas have plenty of brown spots on the skin, they’re perfect to use. The browner the skins, the sweeter the banana bread.
- Buy bananas and freeze them. It’s a great idea to keep overripe bananas handy in your freezer ready for baking. If you’ve got a few forgotten bananas on your counter, freeze them, unpeeled. Freezing bananas will turn the skin black, but once peeled the flesh will be perfect for making banana bread or our easy banana muffin recipe.
- Leave the batter lumpy. When mashing the banana, leave some of the banana chunks. Overmixing the batter can also result in a tough bread.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Best Banana bread that i ever made. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly except doubled everything except the Banana. and used whole egg. My kids loved it.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed the banana bread. Thank you so much for your feedback.
I had two over ripe bananas so I just made two of the little banana breads for one & they came out super-dee-lish! (: Soooo moist & full flavor. Best banana bread I’ve ever made (: Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Followed the recipe as stated, but added walnuts. Turned out great. Thank you so much!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious.
I only wish you could make a recipe that I could microwave so no waiting. LOL
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback, Joanne.
I follow the Weight Watchers program, and made two simple substitutions to make this into a low points treat: I replaced the butter with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, and the sugar with two packets of stevia sweetener. The 1/4 cup flour was the only remaining ingredient that had WW Smart Points (3). This single portion of banana bread was very big and very delicious, and for a mere 3 Smart Points, I had a special and satisfying Christmas morning treat! Looking forward to adapting more of your one-serving recipes to fit into my food plan. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread, Wendy. Thank you so much for your feedback and your substitution recommendations for those following Weight Watchers. This information will be so helpful to others.
I made this today and it was perfect. I put it on a plate to take a picture and my husband was already cutting it in half because he said it smelled so good and assumed there was no way I intended to eat the whole thing!
Just made this with the kids today! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly! The bread was moist and tasted great! I had one very brown banana left and was very glad I found this recipe, instead of throwing the banana away! I didn’t have a ramekin so I just used a tiny little loaf pan I had. Great recipe and will definitely make it again!
I’m so glad you and your kids enjoyed the banana bread. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
I’ve made this 3 times and have used regular oven and toaster oven. Always comes out great. Yesterday I doubled it, using a whole egg instead of 2 yolks, and made in a small square casserole dish. Turned out perfect. I keep forgetting to add nuts, and I also want to try it with chocolate chips.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the banana bread, Kathy. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Hi!
This is the 1st time in my life that I followed the steps of an online recipe as it is and man! Not only were they so accurate but it was a ‘hit’ at home 😀
I’m happy I stumbled upon this wonderful recipe. I’ll definitely try your other recipes too.
Keep up the good work!
Your comment made my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed the banana bread, thank you so much for your feedback. I hope you find many new recipes here that you love.
Your recipes are fantastic!
Thank you so much!
Hello!
I would like to know if it’s possible to make this egg free? I’ve been using flax seeds but I’ve recently run out and I’ve wondered if an egg yolk is even needed?
I haven’t tested this recipe without the egg or with flax seeds so I can’t tell you for sure. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Quick and easy as promised! I foil-lined a mini springform pan and buttered the foil, turned out perfectly with no mess. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the banana bread. Thank you so much for your feedback.
My wife has become disabled and unable to do cooking so we look for small recipes and this site is so helpful…I am on a very steep learning curve and just did the bananna bread with added chopped pecans. Very good. saving this recipe
Hi Arley, I’m so glad you are finding the recipes helpful. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.