Whenever I have bananas that are starting to brown, homemade banana bread is my go-to recipe to use them up. It’s the easiest way to prevent food waste and it makes a delicious dessert! I’ve brought this to family events and gotten so many compliments on it, I just knew I had to add it to my blog’s growing list of homemade recipes. There’s magic in making things from scratch – not only does it save money, but it also reduces a lot of waste. And baking in general is typically easy to do plastic-free – you can find a lot of ingredients in paper or cardboard packaging which I love! Here’s how to make the best homemade banana bread recipe from scratch.
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase one of these items I will make a very small commission at no extra charge to you. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
The Best Homemade Banana Bread Recipe From Scratch
Why make desserts from scratch?
You might be wondering why I’m talking about banana bread on a sustainability blog. Well, baking is actually a great way to use up food – and thus, prevent food waste! Whenever your fruit is looking a little sad, you can usually transform it into a baked good before tossing it out, and I love that.
Also – making your own dessert reducing packaging waste. Think about it: You can just transport your desserts in reusable containers. Or, do what I do: Wrap it in recycled aluminum foil, or compostable parchment paper.
Additionally, I believe slowing down and taking the time to cook things ourselves is a huge part of sustainable living. Making things from scratch means we get to control what exactly is in our food, and it reduces packaging waste.
I suggest using up whatever is in your pantry to make this banana bread recipe. But if you’d like to make them and need to go out and grab the ingredients, consider hitting up a refillery! You can probably nab most of the ingredients for it package-free or low waste there.
No access to one? Try opting for paper, cardboard and glass packaging whenever possible – these tend to get recycled more.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bread loaf pan (I love Caraway – no toxic Teflon coating!).
- In a bowl, mash your bananas before adding the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until just blended – and compost the banana peels and egg shells!
- In another bowl, cream the (softened) butter and sugar together. I like to add the butter to a microwave for thirty seconds if I’m pinched for time and can’t leave it out at room temp to soften. You can use a wooden spoon to cream the two ingredients (that’s what I do – tho my arm always hurts a bit afterwards), or a hand mixer.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda together. Then add all the wet ingredients in, combining until just mixed. Add the chocolate chips, if using. Don’t have chocolate chips? Walnuts and/or raisins could work here too!
- Pour into prepared loaf pan. I like to sprinkle a little extra sugar on top, but this is optional. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Or until a fork inserted comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
So, would you give this homemade banana bread a try? Let me know in the comments!
For more from-scratch baking recipes, be sure to check out my strawberry loaf cake and homemade biscuits.
Enjoyed this post? Be sure to share it! If you like my content, sign up for my newsletter to get notified every time I write a new blog post. To support me even further, please consider buying me a cup of tea to help support my blog.
