1 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread (and 1.5 lb too!)

This bread machine recipe shows you how to make 1 lb bread machine banana bread & 1.5 lb bread machine banana bread. It is designed for small compact bread machines (and NOT for most larger bread machines).

1 lb and 1.5 lb bread machine banana breads are perfect for singles or people with small families. They are also nice if you don’t want a lot of banana bread leftovers hanging around forgotten in the freezer!

Sliced 1.5 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

This recipe is NOT for bread machines that have a 2 lb (or more) capacity (even if the manufacturer says the 2 lb capacity machine can handle 1 lb banana bread loaves). The bread machine banana bread will come out looking like a pancake. Moreover, the 1 lb loaf will be overbaked in a larger machine because the cake/quick bread setting is usually designed for a larger 2 lb loaf (which means a 1 lb banana bread will be baked for too long).

Sliced 1 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread

Recommendation – I would try making the 1.5 lb version first because many small compact bread machines seem better designed for making a 1.5 lb banana bread (versus a 1 lb banana bread). Read the tips section below for more information.

Ingredients – 1 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread

• 1/2 Cup – Mashed Bananas (ripe) – 115 grams
• 1/4 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 59 milliliters – Use a neutral-flavored oil such as corn oil, canola oil, etc.
• 1 Egg (large) – 57 grams – Use large eggs (not extra large or jumbo eggs).
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 2.5 milliliters
• 1/2 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 107 grams
• 1 Cup – All Purpose Flour – 120 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 2.5 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 2 grams
• 1/4 Teaspoon – Salt – 1.5 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon – 1.5 grams
• Optional – 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips

Ingredients – 1.5 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread

• 3/4 Cup – Mashed Bananas (ripe) – 173 grams
• 3/8 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 89 milliliters – Use a neutral-flavored oil such as corn oil, canola oil, etc. FYI – 3/8 cup equals 6 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 Eggs (large) – 86 grams – Use large eggs (not extra large or jumbo eggs). If you are having trouble with 1 1/2 eggs (I do!!), you can replace the 1 1/2 eggs with 1 egg plus 1/8 cup of milk. See tips section below for more info.
• 3/4 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 4 milliliters
• 3/4 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 161 grams
• 1 1/2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 180 grams
• 3/4 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 4 grams
• 3/4 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 3 grams
• 1/3 Teaspoon – Salt – 2 grams
• 3/4 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon – 2.3 grams
• Optional – 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips

Servings – Roughly 9 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, soft flexible spatula, oven mitts, wire cooling rack… and of course, a bread machine!

1 lb Banana Bread – Flatter than the 1.5 lb Version

1.5 lb Banana Bread – Rises Higher than 1 lb Version

Instructions

• Bread Machine Settings – Cake/Quick Bread, Light Color, 1 lb or 1.5 lb
• Lightly beat the eggs.
• Mash bananas with a fork.
• Add the mashed bananas, oil, eggs & vanilla extract into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Try to follow the order of the ingredients listed above so that liquid ingredients are placed in the bread pan first and the dry ingredients second. Be aware that the bread pan should be removed from the bread machine before you start to add any ingredients. This helps to avoid spilling any material inside the bread machine. The bread machine should always be unplugged when removing the bread pan.
• Put the bread pan (with all of the ingredients) back into the bread machine, close the bread machine lid and then plug in the bread machine.
• Enter the bread machine settings (Cake/Quick Bread, Light Color, 1 lb or 1.5 lb) and press the start button. FYI – Before making this recipe, please READ the tips section below for more information regarding the sweet quick bread setting used to make banana breads. On your machine, this setting might be called “cake”, “quick bread”, “quick bread/cake”, etc. However, be aware that some manufacturers use the “quick bread” setting for rapid sandwich-type breads that use yeast (and not for quick breads such as banana bread that use baking powder/soda). Therefore, this setting can be very confusing… but the tips section below will help you to find the right setting to use on your machine. You need to enter the correct banana bread setting used by your SPECIFIC bread machine model or the banana bread could be under or over baked.
• Optional – If you want to add chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips to enhance this banana bread recipe, please add them after the first bread machine mixing cycle and before the second mixing (final mixing).
• When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine, remove the bread pan and place it on a wooden cutting board. Use oven mitts when removing the bread pan because it will be very hot!
• After removing the bread pan from the bread machine, you should let the banana bread stay inside the hot bread pan on a wooden cutting board for 10 minutes (as this finishes the baking process). Wear oven mitts.
• After the 10 minute “cooldown”, remove the banana bread from the bread pan and place the banana bread on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Use oven mitts.
• You should allow the banana bread to completely cool before cutting. This can take 1-1.5 hours. Otherwise, the banana bread will break (crumble) more easily when cut.
• Please READ the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully and to avoid common bread machine banana bread problems (e.g. flour stuck to side of pan).

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1.5 lb Banana Bread Made with my KBS Bread Maker (Model # MBF-016)

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and those who haven’t touched their bread machine in years.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include my tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• The 1 lb & 1.5 lb banana breads on this page are “mini” versions of my popular & larger 2 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread.
• Of course, if you want to make an oven-baked banana bread, you should visit my Banana Bread Recipes section. It has easy recipes for banana nut bread, chocolate chip banana bread, eggless banana bread, blueberry banana bread and many more.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy 1 lb Bread Machine Recipes such as 1 lb white bread, 1 lb oatmeal bread and 1 lb whole wheat bread.

• As I stated above, this recipe is NOT for bread machines that have a 2 lb (or more) capacity (even if the manufacturer says the 2 lb capacity machine can handle 1 lb banana bread loaves).
• Making making a moist banana bread with a bread machine is tougher than making drier sandwich breads with a bread machine (as many machines have a problem mixing wetter “quick bread” recipes). Moreover, making a 1 lb bread machine banana bread can be tougher than making a “regular” 2 lb bread machine banana bread. Why? Because most bread machines are designed to make only 2 lb banana breads.
• Warning – The number # 1 error when making this recipe is using a bread machine that is too large. This bread machine recipe is designed ONLY for small compact bread machines. It will NOT work in 2 lb capacity machines as the banana bread will either come out like a pancake (as the pan is too big) or overbaked (as the machine is designed to bake a larger banana bread). If you have a machine that has a 2 lb capacity, you should make my larger “regular” Bread Machine Banana Bread.
• Warning – The number 2 error that people make when creating a bread machine banana bread is using the WRONG setting. The people who have a problem often use the “quick” or “quick bread” setting designed for fast/express sandwich bread recipes that use yeast… and NOT the “quick bread” or “cake” setting designed for moist quick breads (e.g. banana bread & pumpkin bread) that use baking soda/powder. These are two totally different settings with different mixing & baking lengths. You need to find the correct baking soda/powder “cake/quick bread” setting used with YOUR specific make & model of bread machine.
• To more easily find the “cake/quick bread” setting names used by many of the most popular bread machines, you should visit my Bread Machine Quick Bread Settings page. I set this up to help people find the correct banana bread setting for their particular machine. I have also posted setting information for some popular small compact bread machines a little further down in this tips section. FYI – I have also put the setting information for some of the most popular small compact bread machines a little further down in this tips section (e.g. details for Briskind, Compact Cuisinart, KBS & Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker).

• Another common error – Not using RIPE bananas. Banana bread made with unripe bananas tastes very bland! Ripe bananas are soft and the yellow peel has many small brown/black spots.
• Another common error – Not premixing or scraping the sides of the bread pan. If you do not premix/scrape, you are very likely to have flour stuck to the sides of the bread pan and banana bread. For more information, please read the premixing/scraping tips lower down on this page.
• As I stated before, making making a moist banana bread with a bread machine is tougher than making drier sandwich breads with a bread machine. Moreover, making a 1 lb banana bread is tougher than making a “regular” 2 lb banana bread because most bread machines are designed to make the 2 lb version (and thus can overbake a 1 lb version).

• Many bread machines do not let you set the weight of the quick bread/cake. This causes problems because it can overbake the banana bread if the recipe is smaller/lighter than the setting weight. You may have problems if you can’t input a correct weight setting (either 1 lb or 1.5 lb) in addition to the cake/quick bread setting (as many bread machines are preset to a 2 lb “quick bread” loaf).
• Therefore, here is the correct setting information for 4 popular compact or smaller bread machines:
• The Briskind Compact Bread Maker (model # BM8605) that I use allows you to make a 1 lb banana bread (1 lb setting & “cake/quick bread” setting) as well as a 1.5 lb banana bread (1.5 lb setting & “cake/quick bread” setting). The pictures near the top of this page show you examples of 1 lb and 1.5 lb banana bread loaves made with my Briskind machine.
• FYI – My Briskind bread maker has a square bread pan (and does not have a rectangular pan like many bread machines). With the Briskind, my 1 lb recipe creates a 1 lb bread machine banana bread with dimensions of roughly 2 1/2 inches high, 4 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long. With the Briskind, my 1.5 lb recipe creates a 1.5 lb bread machine banana bread with dimensions of roughly 3 1/2 inches high, 4 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long.
• For the KBS 19-in-1 (model # MBF-016), you should use the “cake” setting (setting 15) in order to make my 1.5 lb bread machine banana bread recipe. However, given the pan’s width, the KBS will not work well with my 1 lb version (the 1 lb banana bread would come out as a thin pancake). Also I couldn’t set the weight on my KBS when using the “cake” setting. Let me know in the comment section below if you have any different KBS banana bread tips.
• There is a picture of a 1.5 banana bread on this page (just above this tips section) that I made with my KBS machine. Be aware that the 1.5 lb banana bread loaf is only about 2 1/2 inches tall due to the width of the KBS pan. FYI – I removed the paddle & I premixed the batter by hand (since the batter does not rise very high in the wider KBS pan & I didn’t want paddle to potentially poke through the crust).
• Based on the company’s internal recipes, the Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker (model # BB-HAC10) looks like it is better designed for my 1.5 lb banana bread recipe (and not the 1 lb recipe). You should use this machine’s “cake” setting. However, it looks like you can NOT adjust the weight setting on this machine when using the “cake” setting. Let me know in the comment section below if this is correct.
• FYI – One of my visitors (thanks Rosie!) in the comments below said that she made my 1.5 lb recipe with her Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker and used the “cake” setting. She said “it came out amazing”.
• Based on the company’s internal recipes, the Compact Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine (model # CBK-110P) looks like it is better designed for my 1.5 lb banana bread recipe (and not the 1 lb recipe). You should use this machine’s “cake” setting. However, it looks like you can NOT adjust the weight setting on this machine when using the “cake” setting. Let me know in the comment section below if this is correct.
• Panasonic SD-PN100 Mini Bread Maker – One of my visitors (thanks Leah!!) stated in the comments below that “I baked the 1.5 lb recipe in my Panasonic SD-PN100 (cake setting 16) and it turned out absolutely perfectly”.
• Visitors – What compact bread machine did you use to make the banana bread recipes on this page? Also do you have any great bread machine banana bread tips related to your machine (e.g. special setting info or crust color tips)? Please post your compact bread machine tips & banana bread thoughts in the comment section below.

• Be aware that the setting name used for banana bread recipes can VARY by bread machine manufacturer. Here are some examples of the setting names used to make banana bread on various bread machines – the Sunbeam Breadmaker 5891 uses the “Quick” setting, the Hamilton Beach Bread Maker 29881 uses the “Quick” setting, the Black & Decker BOOONJBYXO Bread Maker uses the “Quick Bread” setting, the Breadman 2lb. Professional Bread Maker (BK1050S) uses the “Quick Bread” setting, the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Bread Maker uses the “Cake” setting and the Cuisinart CBK-100 Bread Maker uses the “Cake/Quick Bread” setting. Therefore, you must check your bread machine’s instructions for the exact setting name used to make banana bread by YOUR specific bread machine model.
• IMPORTANT – Be aware that some bread machine manufacturers even label the rapid/express sandwich bread setting as “Quick Bread”. This can cause a lot of confusion!! because they use the “quick bread” name in order to describe a setting that makes a rapid sandwich-type bread with yeast. This setting is not used to make a sweet quick bread recipe (such as banana bread) that uses baking powder/soda. In general, a setting used for yeast breads can NOT be used to make quick bread recipes (such as banana bread) due to different rising & baking lengths.
• Moreover, in many bread machines, the “sweet bread” setting is used for sweet breads that use YEAST (not banana breads that use baking soda/powder). “Sweet bread” recipes are different from sweet quick bread recipes (e.g. banana bread) and utilize different rising & baking times. Therefore, a bread machine banana bread recipe is unlikely to work on the “sweet bread” setting.

• In case you are looking at getting a bread machine to make 1 lb recipes, here are some of the benefits of a small compact bread machine; 1 lb loaves are perfect for single people or people who don’t want a ton of bread, a compact machine takes up less space in the kitchen (so more convenient for an apartment versus buying a giant bread machine), it uses less energy than a large bread machine, it creates smaller sandwich slices (sometimes, in my opinion, the slices from 2 lb loaves are too large – especially for kids), etc.
• The disadvantages of a small compact bread machine; small bread pan capacity (so you can’t make a larger loaf if you have guests coming over), not many online recipes are focused on 1 lb loaves, sometimes 1 lb loaves have more uneven crusts (vs bread made with larger horizontal bread pans), etc.
• Visitors – What compact bread machine did you use to make this recipe (such as Briskind Compact Bread Maker or Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker)? Please post your machine & any compact bread machine tips in the comment section below.

• Use RIPE bananas for the best results. If you use unripe green or hard yellow bananas, your banana bread will be bland or lack a lot of banana flavor. Unripe bananas have more starch and less sugar than ripe bananas. The natural sweetness of ripe bananas works best when making banana bread recipes. Ripe bananas are soft and have many small brown & black spots on the exterior of the yellow banana peel.
• For even more banana flavor, some people like to use banana extract (instead of vanilla extract) to make their banana breads. You can also change the flavor of your banana bread by using different flavored extracts such as maple extract or lemon extract.
• This recipe uses vegetable oil (instead of butter) because it adds some extra moistness. Smaller banana breads seem to dry out quicker in a bread machine (thus the need for the oil).
• If you want a little more height to your bread machine banana bread, you can add some chopped walnuts (which not impact the moisture ratio of the recipe).
• However, I would NOT add extra flour, bananas, sugar, etc. in order to get more height as this will negatively impact the baking process. Why? These extra ingredients might cause the batter for the banana bread would become too wet or too dry. Moreover, these extra ingredients would increase the baking time required to finish this banana bread (and thus your banana bread would more likely come out underbaked).

• Use FRESH ingredients (e.g. baking soda and flour) for the best results. For example, if you use stale baking soda and/or baking powder, your banana bread will not rise properly and will be too dense. Baking soda & powder is best if used within 6 months of opening the container.
• Ingredients such as flour & sugar should be stored in airtight containers in order to avoid contamination from moisture (in the air), dust, pests, etc. Airtight containers will also extend the shelf life of some ingredients (when compared to ingredients stored in open bags).
• Flour (when stored in an open bag/container and not in an airtight container) can absorb a lot of moisture from the air. This extra moisture throws off recipes and can lead to underbaked banana breads and/or a sinking middle in your banana bread.

• This recipe uses all purpose flour and not bread flour. If you use bread flour to make this recipe, you will get a tougher and more rubbery banana bread. Bread flour is best for sandwich bread recipes. All purpose flour is best for softer “quick breads” that use baking soda/powder (such as banana bread & pumpkin bread) as well as cakes, cookies, etc.
• You should use large eggs (and not extra large or jumbo). FYI – In the USA, they sell different-sized eggs and they are usually labelled either large, extra large or jumbo.
• Important – If you are having a hard time making a “1/2 egg” (since eggs are super sticky!! & hard to divide) for my 1.5 lb recipe, you can replace the 1/2 egg with 1/8 cup of milk (FYI – 1/8 cup equals 2 tablespoons). Therefore, instead the 1 1/2 eggs called for in my 1.5 lb recipe, you would use 1 egg plus 1/8 cup of milk. However, do NOT replace all of the eggs with milk as eggs help with the banana bread’s overall structure & binding.
• Optional – If you do not have light brown sugar or your family doesn’t like the taste of light brown sugar (which provides a mild caramel-like flavor), you can use white granulated sugar.

• Flour sticking to the sides of your bread machine banana bread? Unfortunately, bread machines have a harder time mixing moister sweet quick bread recipes (versus drier sandwich bread dough). Therefore, after the first mixing cycle has fully stopped (and before the second & final mixing cycle has begun), I like to scrape the sides of the bread pan with a flexible silicon spatula (not a metal spatula). This loosens any flour that may be sticking to the sides of the bread pan (because a bread machine mixing “paddle” doesn’t quite reach the sides of the bread pan). For safety purposes, I do not scrape the sides of the bread pan when the mixing blade is moving. In addition, people should not stick their hands inside bread machines. Moreover, people should always wear oven mitts when dealing with a bread machine because the bread pan & bread machine interior can get quite hot.
• Nevertheless, ALWAYS follow the instructions included in the manufacturer’s manual for your specific bread machine in order to safely scrape the inside of your bread pan.
• Some people get around this issue by PREMIXING their ingredients. They will first mix all of the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl and then add it to the bread machine bread pan (versus adding all of the ingredients to the bread pan and letting the bread machine mix everything). While this is an extra step, premixing the ingredients greatly reduces the potential for any unwanted small flour “clumps” and/or flour sticking to the sides of the finished banana bread. After hand mixing the ingredients, you should just follow the rest of the recipe instructions (e.g. enter proper bread machine settings and so on). However, always remember to add the ingredients (or hand mixed batter) to the bread pan when the bread pan is out of the bread machine and the bread machine is unplugged.
• If you premix the ingredients, you should consider removing the paddles from the bread pan (while the machine is unplugged and the pan is not in the machine). This will prevent the ingredients from being mixed potentially too much. Overmixing can lead to “gummier” banana breads. You also get the benefit of a much smaller paddle hole in the bottom of the banana bread (only from the paddle “pole”).

• Be careful when removing the banana bread from the bread loaf pan. Banana breads are much softer than sandwich-type bread loaves. Therefore, they can break or “dent” more easily when you remove them from the bread loaf pan. When removing the banana bread from the bread pan, you should also be careful of the movable bread pan handle (because it can swing into the banana bread and cause damage).
• Optional – If the top center of the bread looks too moist when you take it out of the bread machine (or you want to make sure the banana bread is completely cooked), you can try the classic baking “toothpick test”. Gently push a long wooden skewer (or long wooden chopstick) into the center of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the skewer. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan and bread machine will still be hot. If batter is sticking to the skewer then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread loaf pan back into the still warm bread machine for another 5-10 minutes. After the 5-10 minutes, remove the bread pan and retest the banana bread again with the skewer. FYI – Given variability in banana sizes, banana breads tend to have more moistness variability than many other bread machine recipes (and this can lead to excess moisture and the banana bread being potentially undercooked). Moreover, since most bread machines turn off automatically after a specified time and you can not adjust the baking temperature, they are little less flexible than ovens in dealing with baking “variances”.
• Since a toothpick can be too short, I like to use a long chopstick or wooden skewer when conducting the classic “toothpick” test. Remember always wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot bread pan and bread machine.
• After removing the bread pan from the bread machine (and the banana bread successfully passing the optional skewer test), you need to leave the banana bread in the bread loaf container for 10 minutes after you take it out of the bread machine. Denser & moister quick breads take a little longer for the interior dough to be fully baked.
• Long-term storage – If you want to keep your banana bread for more than 1-2 days (depending on your home’s temperature & humidity), you will need to freeze it. Please read Bread Dad’s How To Freeze Banana Bread for more details.

• If you like banana bread then check out my Easy Muffin Recipes section. Banana muffins are basically mini banana breads! Banana muffins make great snacks & are much quicker to bake versus larger banana breads.
• If you start substituting ingredients (e.g. using different types of flour not called for in the recipe), you are experimenting and should not expect similar results to the recipe shown above. Experimenting can be fun. However, you should expect some successes but more potential disappointments when you start to experiment with recipes. For example, if you substitute whole wheat flour for the bread flour, you will probably experience a problem (as whole wheat flour doesn’t rise nearly as well as bread flour). Moreover, whole wheat flour has a totally different flavor.
• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (e.g. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (e.g. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (e.g. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
• For more easy bread ideas, please visit Bread Dad’s sections on Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Main Recipe Sections

1. Bread Machine Recipes – 90+ recipes for banana bread, soft white bread, sourdough bread, pizza dough, cinnamon raisin bread, etc.
2. 1 lb Bread Machine Recipes – Recipes for small compact bread machines.
3. Bread Recipes – Buttermilk bread, French bread, bagels, Italian bread, soft whole wheat bread, etc.
4. Banana Bread Recipes – 60+ recipes for chocolate chip banana bread, banana nut bread, eggless banana bread, cranberry banana bread, etc.

Related Recipe Sections

1. Grilled Cheese & Panini Sandwich Recipes – Turn your homemade bread into air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches, ham & cheese paninis, etc.
2. Muffin Recipes – Chocolate chip banana muffins, eggless banana muffins, cranberry banana muffins, etc.
3. Quick Bread Recipes – Easy desserts such as pumpkin bread, cranberry bread, sweet potato bread, etc.
4. Cookie Recipes – Soft oatmeal cookies, M&M cookies, etc.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Banana Bread
2. Wikipedia, Bread Machine

Related Recipes

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2. Bread Machine Banana Nut Bread – 2 lb version
3. 1 lb Bread Machine Multigrain Bread
4. 1 lb Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
5. 1 lb Bread Machine White Bread
6. 1 lb Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

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