Everyone knows by now never to throw away an overripe banana. The sweetness of a ripe banana is everything you need to make some mouth-watering banana bread.
It’s simple, easy, and delicious. With a few ingredients, you’ll have a fresh loaf of banana bread ready in no time. All you need to do is heat your oven to 350 degrees, prepare your batter, pour it into a buttered pan, and pop it in the oven for about an hour—give or take five minutes.
As simple as it is, if you swap out anything, like the pan size or the type of oven, your baking time will differ. But don’t worry; no loaves of banana bread will burn on our watch.
How Long Do You Bake Banana Bread in a Convection Oven?
Regular ovens heat up from the top and bottom surfaces. The bottom surface usually does most of the baking, and the top does the browning or broiling part of the process. For that reason, you need to position your pan in the middle of the oven to ensure that your loaf bakes evenly.
If you’re using a convection oven, which is the one with a fan, you won’t need to worry about where you put your pan. That’s because the fan of a convection oven helps spread the heat evenly to all corners of the oven.
That way, you won’t have to worry about positioning your pan precisely in the middle of the oven. Your loaf will bake evenly, regardless of where it sits on the oven rack.
Since the heat is distributed differently in a convection oven, the baking time will differ too. If you bake your banana bread loaf at the same temperature as a regular oven, it’ll finish faster. So make sure to check in on it after about 45 minutes, not an hour.
Another option is to lower the heat from 15% to 25%. This means setting your oven’s temperature between 260 and 300℉. That way, your loaf will bake in the same amount of time as a regular oven.
How Long Do You Cook Banana Bread in an Air Fryer?
Baking your banana bread in an air fryer will help you get your loaf ready in less than an hour, including all the preparations. Just make sure to use a pan that fits in your air fryer basket.
If this is your first time baking in your air fryer, then we recommend you set the heat to 310 ℉ and bake your loaf for 30 minutes. Then, stick a toothpick in your loaf to see if it’s ready yet. Your toothpick should come out clean without any batter smudges.
If your loaf isn’t ready yet, give it another 5 minutes and check again. Average air fryers bake banana bread in 30 to 37 minutes. It generally depends on the size of your loaf and how moist and sugary your bananas are. The riper your bananas are, the more time they need.
Don’t feel like baking a whole loaf? Well, you don’t need to. You could always make mini banana bread loaves or muffins for a quick snack.
How Long Do You Bake Banana Bread Muffins?
Banana bread muffins are the ultimate grab-n-go treat, or even breakfast, for every banana bread fan.
Like their loaf version, these muffins pair well with many sweet and savory sides. Or you could pair your muffin with your morning cup of coffee on your way to work.
Since they’re smaller, banana bread muffins need much less time to bake in your regular oven—almost half the time that a whole loaf needs. Set your oven to 350℉ and let your muffins bake for 35 minutes.
When they’re done, pull out your muffins and check with a toothpick to see if they’re ready.
Because not every oven is the same, if the toothpick comes out smudgy, pop your muffins back in for an extra 5 minutes.
How Long Do You Bake Mini Loaves of Banana Bread?
Alternatively, if you still want the shape of a banana bread slice minus the leftovers, then try making mini banana bread loaves. They’re cute and tiny, yet you could still slice them and enjoy them topped with your favorite spread.
Just like muffins, mini banana bread loaves are much smaller than the original loaf. This means that they’ll bake much faster than the bigger version.
Unlike the muffins, the mini loaves bake in less than 30 minutes. That’s why this version of banana bread is the best option for a quick treat to satisfy your sweet tooth.
With the temperature at 350 ℉, let your mini loaves bake for only 25 minutes. You could leave it a little longer if it still needs some extra time, but don’t let it stay in there for more than 28 minutes. When it’s done, let it cool for a while before you go in and slice it up.
Final Thoughts
As the saying goes, “When life gives you overripe bananas, bake banana bread!” Or was it lemons? Anyway, you get the idea.
Now that you know how long it takes to bake each version of banana bread, you’ll be able to enjoy this heartwarming treat at any time. So the next time you have a brown banana in your kitchen, warm up your oven—or air fryer—and bake that banana.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.