Simple 4 Ingredient Cake Mix Banana Bread

Ingredients You'll Need

• Yellow cake mix. I like using Betty Crocker, but whatever your favorite brand is would be great in this recipe.
• Overripe bananas. Spotty, soft, and mushy bananas are best. See the tips below to ripen your bananas quickly.
• Large eggs. To keep the banana bread together.
• Melted butter. Vegetable oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil can be used as well. You want a neutral oil for this recipe.

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

What Bananas Should I Use?

We all buy that bunch of bananas, and there are inevitably two or three left over that get too soft and brown to eat. I know my kids refuse to eat them unless they are perfectly yellow. A little brown and forget it!

To make banana bread though, those bananas are perfect! Brown, spotty, and a little mushy have the perfect amount of sweetness and are easily mashed, to make the most delicious banana bread.

Let's Make 4 Ingredient Cake Mix Banana Bread!

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with melted butter or cooking spray. Set that aside.

Step Two: Peel the bananas, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Mash them well.

Step Three: Add the eggs and melted butter to the bowl. Mix well.

Step Four: Open the box of cake mix, and mix all the ingredients together until fully combined. Do not overmix, it's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.

Step Five: Pour the banana bread batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the middle of the loaf and comes out clean.

Step Six: Allow the banana bread to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• This banana bread recipe with cake mix is known to stick to the sides of the loaf pan. So, it's really important to grease it well. To make it even easier to get the banana bread out of the pan, line the loaf pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper will make it really easy to lift out the bread when it's done.
• If the top of the banana bread is browning too fast in the oven, take a piece of aluminum foil, and tent it over the loaf pan. That will stop the browning on the top of the bread.
• Though it might be tempting to cut this bread as soon as you take it out of the oven, it's really important to let it cool. If you don't allow the bread to cool, it will likely fall apart when you cut into it.

How To Ripen Bananas

To ripen bananas faster than they normally would, place the bananas in a brown bag with an apple. The gases from the skin of the apple speed up the ripening process. This way will take about a day to ripen.

If you are in a pinch and want to ripen bananas quickly, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the whole banana on a baking sheet, and place them in the oven for 15 minutes. When the skins turn completely black they are ready! Carefully peel the banana and let it cool, then proceed with the recipe.

Otherwise, you can do what we do, leave them out on the counter until we forget about them and then make banana bread!

Variations

• This is really just a base recipe. You can include your favorite banana bread add-ins to the batter! I love adding chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and more!
• Use a different cake mix! A chocolate banana bread would be delicious and simple to make by just using a devil's food cake box instead of a yellow cake mix. You can also spice up the banana bread by using spice cake mix.
• Swirl in some peanut butter right into the batter. There's no more classic combination than peanut butter and bananas!
• Top it with a streusel topping! For an even sweeter banana bread, sprinkle on a streusel topping just like on these apple muffins! Or, add a simple sprinkle of brown sugar.

Storage Tips

Place the leftover banana bread in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, and it will stay fresh on the counter at room temperature for up to 4 days. 

Banana bread also freezes beautifully! Allow the banana bread to cool, wrap the bread in plastic wrap, and then place the loaf of bread in a Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, take the banana bread out of the freezer and allow it to defrost on the counter.

Frequently Asked Questions