This olive oil banana bread recipe is made with olive oil, Greek yogurt and ripe bananas. It has antioxidants, calcium, protein and lots of extra goodies! Making banana bread with olive oil is also super easy and quick. Moreover, the use of olive oil in banana bread (instead of butter) helps make banana bread taste even moister.
Your family will love the taste of this olive oil banana bread… and you will love how you are sneaking in the benefits of olive oil and Greek yogurt into an easy dessert.
Olive Oil Banana Bread
Recipe Sections
Excluding the baking time, this banana bread with olive oil recipe generally takes me about 10-15 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 can also easily convert this banana bread recipe into olive oil chocolate chip banana bread, olive oil banana nut bread, olive oil blueberry banana bread, etc. Please see the “helpful tips” section below for more information on how to easily modify this olive oil banana bread recipe.
Olive Oil Banana Bread Loaf
Ingredients – Olive Oil Banana Bread
- 1 1/2 Cups – Mashed Bananas – 345 grams – Use RIPE bananas for best results
- 1/4 Cup – Light Olive Oil – 57 milliliters – Use “light” olive oil. Do not use stronger-tasting virgin or extra virgin olive oil. For more info, see the tips section below.
- 1/4 Cup – Plain Greek Yogurt – 57 milliliters – If you do not have Greek yogurt, you can replace this with “light” olive oil. See the tips section 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).
- 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), Chopped Walnuts (115 grams) or Fresh Blueberries (100 grams)
Servings – Roughly 12 slices
Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 metal bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.
Recipe Video – How To Make Olive Oil Banana Bread
Instructions – Olive Oil Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mash bananas with a fork.
- Lightly beat eggs.
- Mix mashed bananas, olive oil, Greek yogurt 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 banana bread, you can also stir in a cup of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, etc. 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.
- 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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Other Bread Dad Sections
- Bread Machines – My favorites!
- Bread Mixes – Buttermilk, rye, sourdough, French, etc.
Key Ingredients – Ripe Bananas & Light/Mild Olive Oil
Olive Oil Banana Bread Before Being Baked
Helpful Tips – Olive Oil Banana Bread
- The tips below are designed to help banana bread “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
- 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 banana bread with olive oil.
- 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.
- Why use olive oil to make banana bread? A banana bread made with olive oil (instead of butter) results in a moister-tasting banana bread. This is because olive oil is a liquid at room temperature whereas butter is a solid at room temperature. In contrast, banana bread made with butter (instead of oil) generally tastes a little drier than banana bread with oil.
- Olive oil also has extra benefits such as it is low in saturated fat, is high in monounsaturated fats (which are considered more heart-healthy than saturated fats) and contains a number of antioxidants. For more information on possible olive oil health benefits, you might like to read the American Heart Association article “The benefits of adding a drizzle of olive oil to your diet“.
- Another advantage that olive oil has over butter – It has a much longer shelf life. I don’t know about you but I tend to run out of butter frequently whereas I almost always have a giant bottle of olive oil available!
- Why use light olive oil to make banana bread? Light (or mild) olive oil is best for making baked goods such as banana breads. Light/mild olive oil is neutral-tasting or very lightly flavored. Therefore, it does not negatively impact the taste of the bananas in banana bread. Stronger-tasting olive oils (many virgin or extra virgin olive oils) can negatively impact the flavor of the banana bread.
- What is light/mild olive oil versus virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil? Light/mild olive oil has a lighter color and more neutral flavor than virgin & extra virgin olive oil. Light/mild olive oil is often used for baking whereas virgin & extra virgin olive oil is used more frequently for salad dressings, in baked goods where you want the taste of olive oil (e.g. focaccia), pesto, etc. For more information, you might like to read this MasterClass Complete Olive Oil Guide.
- 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.
- Why use Greek yogurt to make banana bread? Greek yogurt is slightly acidic. This “tenderizes” gluten and creates a softer banana bread. In addition, Greek yogurt adds moisture, protein and calcium to a banana bread.
- You can use either whole milk Greek yogurt or nonfat Greek yogurt. If you use nonfat Greek yogurt, the banana bread might taste a little bit drier (than a banana bread made with whole milk Greek yogurt). The whole milk Greek yogurt adds some extra fat to the banana bread.
- Optional – If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can replace it with light olive oil. Therefore, you would be adding 1/2 cup of olive oil (instead of the recipe’s 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt). Just make sure to use light or mild olive oil because 1/2 cup of strongly flavored virgin or extra virgin olive oil can overpower the flavor of the ripe bananas.
- Why do you make this recipe with 1/4 cup of olive oil but you make your other “oil-based” banana breads with 1/2 cup of oil? First, I replaced 1/4 cup of oil with some Greek yogurt because the Greek yogurt adds extra benefits such as protein & calcium. Second (and maybe more importantly), I know that some people will use stronger-flavor olive oil (e.g. extra virgin olive oil) despite the recipe telling them to use light olive oil. Therefore, the use of 1/4 cup of a strong-tasting oil will have less of a negative flavor impact than the use of a 1/2 cup.
- Visitors – Do you like to make this banana bread with olive oil & Greek yogurt or with only olive oil? Also what type of olive oil do you like to use when making olive oil banana bread (e.g. light olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc.)? Please post your olive oil thoughts 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 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!!
- 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!
- Optional – This recipe creates a moist & delicious “basic” banana bread. However, if you want to enhance this olive oil banana bread recipe, you can add 1 cup of your family’s favorite dessert ingredient (e.g. chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, fresh blueberries, etc.) after you have completely mixed all of the other ingredients. Stir in the extra ingredient (e.g. 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.
- 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 will impact the moistness of the banana bread.
- Optional – Some visitors like to add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to their banana breads. 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).
- 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. 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! Over time, old flour can also absorb moisture from the air and this extra moisture can throw off recipes.
- Try to keep your ingredients (e.g. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life and avoid spoilage (e.g. exposure to moisture, pests and dust).
- 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” (e.g. 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.
- 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 to use level teaspoons & tablespoons when measuring ingredients (such as flour and baking soda). You can level off the ingredients in a measuring spoon or cup with the flat back of a butter knife or similar utensil. No “mountains” of ingredients in your measuring spoons & cups!! Adding too much of an ingredient can lead to recipe problems (such as too much flour can result in overly dry baked goods).
- 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 (e.g. a cup of fluffed flour vs a cup of densely packed flour). Therefore, this banana bread recipe also includes gram/milliliter measurements.
- 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.
- My recipes are based on using a metal bread pan and NOT a glass bread pan. Glass bread pans bake faster than metal bread pans. If you use a glass bread pan for my recipes, you are more likely to overbake your banana bread (e.g. burnt crust).
- 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.
- My recipes are based on using a regular oven and NOT a convection oven. Convection ovens bake faster than regular ovens and require less baking time than what is stated in my recipes.
- Place your banana bread in the middle of your oven. If you place it on the top or bottom racks, the banana bread may be too near the oven’s heating element and bake faster than expected.
- Problem with sinking middles? Then check out my Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle? page for reasons & potential solutions.
- If you really like to use olive oil in your breads & baked goods, please check out Bread Dad’s Olive Oil Rosemary Bread recipe.
- If you have a problem with a banana bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (e.g. 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 (e.g. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
- Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a hot oven and bread pan.
- For more banana bread ideas (e.g. chocolate chip banana bread, vegan banana bread or blueberry banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s main Banana Bread Recipes section.
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
Highlighted Recipe
- Olive Oil Rosemary Bread Recipe – This recipe creates a great smelling… and great tasting bread!
Reference Sources
- Wikipedia, Banana
- Wikipedia, Banana Bread
- Wikipedia, Olive Oil
Olive Oil Banana Bread – Moist & Delicious
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Mashed Bananas – 345 grams – Use RIPE bananas for best results
- 1/4 Cup Light Olive Oil – 57 milliliters – Use "light" olive oil. Do not use stronger-tasting virgin or extra virgin olive oil. For more info, see the tips section below.
- 1/4 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt – 57 milliliters – If you do not have Greek yogurt, you can replace this with "light" olive oil. See the tips section 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).
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mash bananas with a fork.
- Lightly beat eggs.
- Mix mashed bananas, olive oil, Greek yogurt 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 banana bread, you can also stir in a cup of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, etc. 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Related Recipes
- Banana Nut Bread – with chopped walnuts
- Classic Banana Bread – with butter
- No Butter Banana Bread
- No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Bread Machine Banana Bread
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