Banana Bread with Oil (No Butter Banana Bread)

This banana bread with oil recipe is tasty and simple to make. Your family will love this delicious no butter banana bread. Our easy recipe simply replaces the butter used in most banana bread recipes with vegetable oil. It is the perfect solution if you have run out of butter late at night (“$@&%! No more butter in the fridge. How do I make banana bread now?“), can’t get to the store (due to snow, rainstorms, etc.) and/or want to reduce the saturated fat associated with butter. Moreover, this no butter banana bread tastes just like a traditional old fashioned banana bread.

Moist & Delicious – Banana Bread with Oil (No Butter Banana Bread)

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Recipe Video
• Helpful Tips

This no butter banana bread recipe takes me about 10 minutes to prepare and clean up. Please be aware that this is an oven-baked banana bread recipe. It is not made with a bread machine. You will find a printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of this page.

You can also “tweak” this moist banana bread recipe to make no butter chocolate chip banana bread, no butter banana nut bread, etc. See the tips section below for more information on how to easily modify this banana bread recipe.

You Can Also Make Variations such as No Butter Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients – Banana Bread with Oil Recipe (No Butter Banana Bread)

• 3 – Bananas (ripe & large sized) – 345 grams – Use 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas to be exact.
• 1/2 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 115 milliliters – Use a neutral tasting vegetable oil such as corn or canola. Do not use strongly flavored oil or old oil. For more info, see the tips below.
• 2 – Large Eggs – 114 grams – Large eggs (not extra large or jumbo eggs).
• 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar – 200 grams – Some visitors prefer to use 1 cup of light brown sugar (215 grams). See the tips section below for more sugar ideas (i.e. using less sugar).
• 2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 240 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 5 milliliters
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams
• Optional – Add 1 Cup of Chocolate Chips (170 grams) or Fresh Cranberries (100 grams) or Chopped Walnuts (115 grams), etc.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.

Recipe Video – Watch How My Recipe Is Made

Instructions – Banana Bread with Oil Recipe (No Butter Banana Bread)

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Mash bananas with a fork.
• Lightly beat eggs.
• Mix bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Stir until completely mixed.
• Mix in the remaining ingredients. Stir until the batter is fully mixed. FYI – I prefer to use a large spoon to mix the batter. An electric mixer can overmix the batter and this can lead to gummy & rubbery banana breads.
• Optional – If you want to enhance this “basic” no butter banana bread, you can stir in a cup of your family’s favorite dessert ingredient (i.e. chocolate chips or chopped walnuts) after you have mixed the batter.
• Pour the finished batter into a nonstick bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan.
• Bake in the oven at 325 F for 65-70 minutes or until golden brown.
• Take out of the oven and let the banana bread cool down in the bread pan for 10 minutes. Do not remove the banana bread from the bread pan during this 10 minute cool down period. Use oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot coming out of the oven. FYI – Do not skip this step as the “cool down” completes the baking process.
• After 10 minutes, remove the banana bread from the bread pan. Place the banana bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1-2 hours. Gently slide a silicon spatula between the banana bread and the bread pan walls if the banana bread is stuck in the pan.
• Please READ the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common banana bread problems. You also can watch my recipe video to “see” how to perform each recipe step.

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• Bread Machine Cookbooks
• Bread Machines – My favorites!
• Bread Mixes – Buttermilk, rye, sourdough, French, etc.
• Bread Tools – Bread slicers, etc.

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No Butter Banana Bread Coming Out Of Oven

Key Ingredients – Vegetable Oil & Ripe Bananas

Tips – Vegetable Oil Banana Bread Recipe

• The tips below are designed to help banana bread “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience. This no butter recipe results in a moist banana bread with lots of banana flavor.
• Click on our “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 our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• If you would rather “see” how this recipe is made, please watch the step-by-step recipe video on this page. It is a short & simple video that shows you how to make this recipe.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Banana Bread Recipes such as walnut banana bread, Greek yogurt banana bread and blueberry banana bread.

• You should use a NEUTRAL flavored vegetable oil (i.e. corn or canola oil) in order to make this no butter banana bread recipe.
• Stronger flavored oils (i.e. peanut oil or olive oil) may NEGATIVELY impact or change the taste of banana bread. You want to use an oil that has very little flavor (so it does not interfere with the banana flavor).
• If you want to use olive oil, I would recommend using “light” or “extra light” olive oil as they would have the least impact on the banana bread. Unfortunately, extra virgin and virgin olive oil have stronger flavors and are more likely to negatively impact the taste of your banana bread.
• You should also consider using fresh oil when baking as some oils spoil faster than others. Old oil can go rancid and taste bitter, stale, funky, etc. Old oil can leave a bad aftertaste in your baked goods.
• Oils also spoil faster when exposed to air (oxidation), light, heat, etc. Vegetable oils should be stored in a tightly sealed container and in a cool & dark pantry. Some people like to refrigerate their vegetable oils in order to extend their shelf life.

• When selecting a vegetable oil for this no butter banana bread, please read the label on the vegetable oil container if you are trying to reduce the saturated fat in your diet. Be aware that some vegetable oils (such as coconut oil) may contain a lot of saturated fat. For information on the levels of saturated fat in various vegetable oils, you might like to read this Wikipedia article.
• FYI – Banana breads made with oil tend to taste MOISTER than banana breads made with butter. The main reason is because vegetable oil remains liquid at room temperature whereas butter turns back to a solid at room temperature. Therefore, the use of vegetable oil helps to create a moist banana bread.
• Economic Benefit – A number of our visitors (Cindy & others) have pointed out that it is cheaper (in some cases) to use basic vegetable oil instead butter (on an ounce to ounce basis) to make banana breads. Therefore, banana bread with oil recipes may help to lower your baking bills during times of economic uncertainty.

• Use RIPE bananas for the best results!! If you use unripe green or hard yellow bananas, your banana bread will come out bland (with little 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. FYI – A beautiful pure yellow banana (without any spots) is not fully ripe!!
• Make sure to use 3 large bananas (not 3 medium bananas). Otherwise, the banana bread might turn out to be a little dry.
• For the most consistent & best results, you should use a measuring cup and measure out EXACTLY 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas. This will help to prevent your banana bread from being too dry or too wet. Given the variability in banana sizes, you are more likely to have problems if you use 3 random bananas (as you might be adding too much or too little liquid) versus using exactly 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas.
• FYI – 3 medium-sized bananas equal roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of mashed bananas. 3 large-sized bananas equal roughly 1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups of mashed bananas. Of course, banana sizes can vary greatly… and my version of medium and large-sized bananas may differ from yours!

• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. 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. Using baking soda from an open container (that has been deodorizing your refrigerator for months) may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking soda/powder may lead to rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your banana bread.
• Old flour can affect the taste of banana bread. Old flour can spoil and taste bitter, sour, musty, etc. Banana bread made with old flour does not taste great!
• Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life and avoid spoilage (i.e. exposure to moisture, pests and dust).

• Visitors – What additional ingredients have you added to this recipe to make it more unique or special? Do you add chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, extra spices (i.e. cinnamon), etc? Please post your ingredient additions in the comment section below. Your suggestions & comments are a great help to beginning banana bread makers.
• In case you need some ideas, here are some of our visitors’ great recipe variations (from the comment section below) – Add pecans & mini chocolate chips (thanks Edie), add semi-sweet chocolate chips & chopped walnuts (thanks Kathy), add avocado oil & mini chocolate chips (thanks Margi), reduce the oil by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup of apple sauce (thanks Nela), add tiny chunks of chopped up dried apple (thanks Janet), add honey on the top during the last 10 minutes of baking (thanks Tete), add two tablespoons cocoa powder and some cinnamon chips (thanks Kirsten), add “a bit of grated nutmeg, a dash of Angostura bitters and mixed essence in place of vanilla” (thanks Michele for your “Caribbean” banana bread version), chopped pecans & raisins (thanks Donna), ginger and mixed spice “to give it a warmer flavour” (thanks Cat), C Bell likes to add “few tablespoons of chocolate Nutella” (via their Youtube comment for this recipe), tiny toffee bits (thanks Freda), etc.

• This is also a dairy-free banana bread recipe. It does not use dairy products such as milk, butter, etc. However, this banana bread is not a vegan banana bread because this recipe uses eggs. In addition, if you add chocolate chips to this recipe, please be aware that regular chocolate chips often contain dairy-based ingredients (such as milk fat). You will need to use vegan chocolate chips if you want to make a dairy-free chocolate chip banana bread.
• Optional – This recipe helps you to create a delicious “basic” moist banana bread. However, if you want to “enhance” this banana bread recipe, you can add 1 cup of your family’s favorite dessert ingredient (i.e. chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, blueberries, etc.) after you have completely mixed all of the other ingredients. Stir in the extra ingredient (i.e. chocolate chips) until it is even spread throughout the batter.
• Optional – For a slightly richer & mild “molasses” taste, you can substitute light brown sugar for the white granulated sugar in this recipe. My thanks to Melissa & Stefanie for this tip!
• FYI – Sugar is “hygroscopic”. This means that sugar helps to retain moisture in baked goods and thus helps to create a moist banana bread. If you replace sugar with sugar-free substitutes, you may impact the moistness of the banana bread.
• Optional – Some of my visitors like to make this recipe with a little less sugar (because they prefer less sweet banana breads). If you prefer LESS SWEET banana breads then you should consider adding only 2/3 to 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar (instead of the 1 cup of sugar called for in the recipe).

• Optional – You can improve your banana bread by adding a variety of toppings (i.e. sprinkling chopped walnuts on top of the batter before the banana bread is placed in the oven). One of our visitors (thanks Carol!!) left a great suggestion about mixing ground cinnamon & sugar together and sprinkling it on top in order to create a delicious “crunchy” topping.
• Optional – In order to add a little variety to their banana breads, some people like to add extra spices to the batter when making banana bread. One of our visitors (thanks Pamela!!) suggested adding 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Of course, you should pick the spices that your family loves and you should not add too much (or you will overwhelm the taste of the bananas).
• Adding ground cinnamon can be a great help if your bananas are not totally ripe (because the cinnamon helps to “hide” any missing banana flavor).
• A few people have asked if you can replace the all purpose flour with bread flour when making this moist banana bread recipe. I wouldn’t. For the best results, I would stick with all purpose flour in order to make a banana bread. Bread flour will work but it is likely to change the taste and texture of the banana bread. For example, since bread flour has more gluten than all purpose flour, you will get a tougher and more rubbery banana bread if you use bread flour (instead of all purpose flour).

• This doesn’t happen often but if the top of the banana bread looks too moist or undercooked, you should try the “toothpick test”. Gently push a wooden toothpick or wooden skewer into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the toothpick. If batter is sticking to the toothpick then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread pan back into the still hot oven for another 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan will be very hot. After the 3 to 5 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the banana bread again with a toothpick.
• Instead of the “toothpick test”, some people like to use a bread thermometer to test if their banana bread is done. Generally, a “quick bread” (i.e. banana bread or pumpkin bread) is done when the internal temperature reaches 200-205 degrees F. Just make sure to measure the temperature in the center of the loaf for the most accurate reading.
• To prevent your banana bread from sticking to the bottom of the bread pan, you should consider either “greasing” the bottom of the pan with butter or vegetable oil, using a cooking spray, using a nonstick pan or lining the interior of the bread pan with baking parchment paper.
• Baking parchment paper is probably the best solution to prevent sticking (especially if you are using really sticky ingredients such as chocolate chips or fresh cranberries). It also allows you to lift the banana bread out of the pan without disturbing the top of the banana bread… in case you have added any special ingredients (such as chopped nuts or chocolate chips) to the top of the banana bread.
• However, don’t grease the bread pan near the top of the pan. There will be nothing for batter to cling to as it rises. This could cause the bread top to collapse as it rises.

• Do NOT use an electric mixer to mix your ingredients (when combining the wet and dry ingredients). I prefer to use an old fashioned wooden spoon. An electric mixer can easily overmix the ingredients if used too long. Unfortunately, overmixing batter can result in a rubbery & gummy banana bread.
• Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, this quick bread could come out undercooked.
• It takes roughly 15-20 minutes to preheat most ovens with some variability due to the size of the oven, planned baking temperature (hotter takes longer), etc.
• If your oven does not have a built-in thermometer, you can buy an inexpensive hanging oven thermometer that you can place inside your oven (in order to correctly gauge the temperature & see if the oven has been preheated to the correct temperature). Moreover, some built-in oven gauges can be 25-50 degrees different than the actual temperature inside the oven. For the best results, you should know the actual temperature inside your oven (as this reduces the potential for over or undercooked baked products).

• In case, you didn’t see this in the “equipment used to make this recipe” section, this recipe is based on using a standard 9 by 5 bread pan. This means that the interior of the bread pan (not exterior) measures 9 inches in length, 5 inches in width and 2 1/2 inches in depth/height. Of course, Bread Dads are crazy about exact measurements… thus the use of measuring tapes! Ha!
• Please use the suggested 9 x 5 bread pan to make this recipe. If you start using different sized pans, there is a greater potential for bread top collapses (potentially less bread pan “wall” support for the quick bread as it rises), different interior batter to exterior bread ratios (thus the need for different baking lengths), smaller pans are more likely to overflow, etc.
• When making this recipe, many international bakers prefer to use a kitchen scale versus using measuring cups. A kitchen scale provides greater accuracy because the amount of ingredients in a measuring cup can vary somewhat (i.e. a cup of fluffed flour vs a cup of densely packed flour). Therefore, this recipe also includes gram/milliliter measurements.
• 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.

• Since this moist banana bread recipe uses eggs, it is not a vegan recipe. If you are looking for a completely vegan dessert (that does not contain butter, milk or eggs), you should try out our Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe.
• If you are looking for a fun project for kids, you can turn this recipe into No Butter Banana Bread Muffins. Your kids can help you to make the no butter banana bread batter and pour/scoop the batter into the muffin trays. They will enjoy making (and eating!!) these muffins.
• If you like “no butter” desserts, you should also try our No Butter Oatmeal Cookies and No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

• If you would like to watch more Bread Dad recipe videos, please visit the Bread Dad YouTube channel.
• If you have a problem with a banana bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (i.e. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (i.e. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• Problem with sinking middles? Then check out my Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle? page for reasons & potential solutions.
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a hot oven and bread pan.
• Warning – Do not add the optional chopped walnuts if anyone who might eat this banana bread has peanut and/or tree nut allergies.
• For more banana bread ideas (i.e. chocolate chip banana bread, vegan banana bread or blueberry banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s main Banana Bread Recipes or Quick Bread Recipes sections.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. Beginning bakers learn a lot from your baking comments, tips & recipe variations. Jump to comment section

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Questions & Answers – No Butter Banana Bread

Can I use olive oil to make banana bread?

Yes. If you really love olive oil, you can use olive oil as a substitute for butter in order to make banana bread. However, I would suggest using a more neutral flavored vegetable oil such as canola oil or corn oil. Vegetable oils with more distinctive flavors (i.e. olive oil and peanut oil) can interfere with the sweet taste of bananas in the banana bread… and your guests might not like these more “unique” tasting banana breads!

Can I make no butter banana bread with other ingredients such as chocolate chips?

Yes. You can make almost any variety of banana bread since you are just substituting vegetable oil for butter. For example, you can create no butter versions of chocolate chip banana bread, blueberry banana bread, cranberry banana bread and many more. If you like nuts, you might like to make our Pecan Banana Bread recipe. It is also a no butter banana bread.

Why do people make banana bread without butter?

There are many reasons that people like to make banana bread without butter. For example, they don’t have any butter at home (i.e. ran out of butter), want to reduce the saturated fat in their diet, don’t want to eat animal-sourced ingredients, have allergies, don’t like the taste of butter, etc. Many people think that vegetable oil banana breads taste similar to butter-based banana breads.

Can I make banana muffins from this banana bread with oil recipe?

Yes! It is easy to turn this banana bread with oil recipe into banana muffins. You are basically just pouring/scooping this recipe’s banana bread batter into a muffin tray in order to create banana muffins. However, be aware that muffins bake more quickly than banana bread (due to their smaller size).

Please see our No Butter Banana Muffins recipe for more information on how to make no butter banana bread muffins.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. We LOVE to hear from people who have enjoyed our recipes!! Jump to comment section

Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Banana Bread
• Wikipedia, Butter
• Wikipedia, Vegetable Oil

Related Recipes

• Dairy Free Bread – No butter & no milk
• Eggless Banana Bread
• No Butter Banana Muffins
• No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Banana Bread

I want to thank everyone who shares their baking knowledge below. Visitor suggestions, recipe variations & baking tips are a great help to beginning bakers.

Please leave a comment & recipe rating in the comment box below.