Can You Add Bananas to Banana Bread Mix? (How to Do It Right)

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Ah, yes, banana bread: moist, flavorful, and easy to make. It’s one of the world’s most popular comfort foods, loved for its semi-sweetness, fluffy texture, and cheap, easy-to-source ingredients!

Depending on the brand, a banana bread mix can cost between $5 to $10. But since the box doesn’t contain fresh bananas, you might find yourself wondering: can you add bananas to the banana bread mix?

The answer is a resounding yes; you can add fresh bananas to a banana bread mix. In fact, we recommend you do so! Adding bananas to the mixture results in richer, more flavorful banana bread.

How Many Bananas Should You Add to a Banana Bread Mixture?

The greatest thing about banana bread is that it’s extremely flexible. You can add anywhere between one to five medium bananas to the mix. The more bananas you use, the more moist and flavorful the bread will be.

The secret here is to use overripe bananas. The bananas should be so ripe that they’re spotty all over. Riper bananas tend to be sweeter, moister, and more flavorful, so many recipes call for overripe bananas.

If you don’t have overripe bananas, don’t worry; any banana will do—as long as it’s not super green. However, unripe bananas might make the bread dry and less sweet. Therefore, you may need to adjust the sweetness of the recipe.

How to Add Bananas to Banana Bread Mix

When adding fresh bananas to a banana bread mix, follow these steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. In a deep bowl, break or slice the spotty bananas into large pieces. Then, use a fork, a potato masher, or a hand mixer to mash the bananas into your desired consistency.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and oil as recommended in the bread mix, then add in the mashed bananas.
4. Add the dry mix and mix just until everything is combined. Don’t add water because the banana will add enough moisture to the batter.
5. If the mixture is too thick, add no more than two tablespoons of water to the mix. The batter should be thicker than a pancake batter but not as thick as a cookie dough. It should be somewhere in between.
6. Transfer the batter to a loaf pan lined with a baking sheet or coated with solid shortening or non-stick cooking spray.
7. Insert the pan into a preheated oven and bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. The banana bread may take 10 or so extra minutes to bake than the time given in the box, so check for readiness by inserting a toothpick into the bread. The toothpick should come out mostly clean and the bread should jump back when pushed in the middle.
8. Let the bread cool and serve with your favorite topping/icing!

How to Make Banana Bread from Scratch

Why buy a banana bread mix when you can make a better (and healthier) one at home, from scratch? The ingredients should all be found in your cupboard/fridge.

You’ll Need

• 2 to 3 overripe medium bananas (1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups when mashed)
• 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup of melted butter, unsalted
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup of sugar (add more if you want it sweeter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda (or 1 teaspoon of baking powder)
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F for 20 minutes.
2. In a deep bowl, mash the bananas in a deep mixing bowl using a fork or potato masher until smooth. Then, add the melted butter. Mix until well combined.
3. Add in the egg, sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract, and flour. You can add cinnamon for more flavor, but it’s not mandatory. You can also add ½ cup of chocolate chips or ½ cup of nuts if desired.
4. Don’t overmix. The more you mix the batter, the more gluten it develops, and the more chewy it becomes. Therefore, you should stop mixing as soon as the flour is combined with the other ingredients
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ -inch loaf pan.
6. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes at 350°F, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool completely to prevent crumbling when slicing. Cut with a serrated knife.
8. Serve with your favorite icing/topping.

Final Thoughts

Can you add bananas to a banana bread mix? Yes, absolutely!

Putting bananas in a banana bread mix will greatly enhance the flavor of the bread. It’ll make it moist and fluffy, with the right amount of bounce.

Just make sure to add no more than two tablespoons of liquid into the batter as the banana will add enough moisture to the banana.

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