If you love banana bread (don’t we all?) but don’t want a huge loaf of it lying around to tempt you all week, then this mini banana bread recipe is for you!
I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t enjoy a slice of banana bread, ideally still warm from the oven.
No one would deny that freshly baked banana bread is amazing, but I’m not the biggest fan of the creaming of butter and sugar you need to do to get it.
And you don’t always want huge hunks of cake hanging around your kitchen, constantly tempting you to have that second (and third and fourth?) slice.
So here’s why you should make THIS banana bread recipe, and not one of the 1 million other Internet recipes (literally!) you could use:
- It’s just a teensy-weensy little loaf, perfect for last minute entertaining or an emergency banana bread craving. No temptation to scoff the leftovers all to yourself.
- It’s a one bowl banana bread recipe – just mash a ripe banana in a bowl, whisk in an egg, then add sugar, oil, and flour.
- It’s super quick to prepare. I made it today and it literally took me about 5 minutes to whisk up the batter.
- It’s really quick to bake too. Banana bread usually takes about an hour to bake, but this small batch version takes about half of that time, whether you bake it in the oven or in your air fryer.
Erm… so can you make banana bread in an air fryer?
Yes, you read that right. This can be AIR FRYER banana bread! How cool is that? You save energy, time, and power if you make it in your air fryer.
To make this mini cake in an air fryer, you just need to use a really small baking pan or dish. I used a really small glass baking dish that fits into my small air fryer. It’s about 5.5 square inches, but if you don’t have a square pan that’s small enough, a round or rectangular one that fits into your air fryer will be fine.
I lined my little glass pan with baking paper and trimmed the edges, then sprayed it with oil to prevent sticking.
Moist and crunchy!
You’ll find that the top of the banana bread gets browner than it would in the oven. If this bothers you, tuck a bit of aluminium foil over the top during the second half of the cooking time.
Personally, I don’t mind. On the contrary, I love the contrast of the crunchy top with the moist cake below!
Needless to say, the top cooks really quickly in an air fryer. So to check that your banana bread is fully cooked, simply turn it upside down and poke a skewer or fine knife into the bottom. If it comes out virtually clean, it’s done!
How to make banana bread healthy
This small batch banana bread is very adaptable, and very easy to ‘healthify’. Not that the recipe is that bad in the first place (hello bananas!!), but there are definitely ways to make it healthier.
You can change this mini banana bread recipe up by:
- using different oils. I’ve already used canola, olive and coconut oils to make this banana bread!
- varying the flours. Once I used a mixture of whole wheat flour, coconut flour, and hemp seed flour. This one was delicious!
- drastically reducing the sugar, or using maple syrup or date syrup instead.
- adding things like chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and raspberries. All delicious!
Somehow however I adapt it, my banana bread always tastes good. It’s different each time, but good different!
‘Wild card’ suggestion: Feeling extra lazy? Make these healthy banana bread breakfast waffles instead. You need just 3 ingredients (bananas, oats, eggs) and 10 minutes to make them! They’re life-changing…
Got brown bananas? What are you waiting for?
Next time you have brown bananas sitting on the counter top that your significant other is threatening to throw away (mentioning no names, Mr Scrummy…), make one of these mini banana breads!
Just see how smug you feel when you take the first bite of your delicious warm-out-of-the-oven treat!
MORE RIPE BANANA RECIPES FOR YOU…
THIS life-changing banana bread breakfast waffle recipe is not to be missed!
Pineapple, coconut and banana cake (just divine!)
Peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip cake (my favourite!)
Banana and pistachio loaf with white chocolate cream
Tempted to buy an air fryer?
I have a super cheapy Kmart air fryer and it does the job just fine, but I hear this Ninja air fryer comes highly recommended!
Really easy mini banana bread (air fryer + oven)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 1 banana small to medium, mashed – the riper the better
- 1 egg
- 2 – 3 tablespoons brown sugar (2 tblspns is enough for me)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil I’ve also used olive and coconut oils
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup plain flour mixed with ½ teaspoon baking soda (I’ve used white, wholemeal, coconut flours, or a mixture + hemp flour. I've also used self raising flour instead and skipped the baking soda.)
Instructions
- Line a very small baking tin or oven safe glass dish (about 5 to 5.5 square inches) with baking paper and trim. Spray with a little oil. If baking in the oven, preheat to 320F / 160C.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg into the mashed banana. Then whisk in the sugar, oil, and milk.
- Add the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.
- If using an air fryer, pre-heat to 320F / 160C for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared tin/dish and bake in your oven or air fryer for 25 to 35 minutes or until a skewer poked into the bottom of the cake comes out clean. A little bit of sticky-ness is fine. For me it takes 30 to 35 minutes in my air fryer and 25 minutes in my oven.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the tin/dish, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Eliza says
Thank you for this recipe. It was what I needed since I do not have an oven for baking. Can I bake the bread in AF without the parchment paper? Just oil the sides of the baking tin or glass dish. And can I use stainless stain tin instead?
Thank you.
Helen says
Hello Eliza! So good to hear this! I think you’ll be OK getting the loaf out of the tin if you spray it well with oil or butter it. Good luck!
Elizachan says
Thank you Helen.
I bake it this morning. I used bread flour , no baking soda. I realised that I did not follow the exact order of your steps as per your recipe.
It turn out to look like a dense cake. Like Asian Kueh.
What could I have done incorrectly?
Helen says
Hello! Try again following the recipe exactly and see how it turns out then. Definitely don’t skip the baking soda – that could be why it turned out dense. Also don’t overmix – just combine until all the ingredients are mixed in. Good luck!
Kristina says
Can you use a sugar substitute for the brown sugar?
Helen says
Hi Kristina! Coconut sugar can usually work well as a 1:1 substitution for brown sugar in baking. I’m afraid I haven’t tried the recipe with any other sugar substitutions. What I’d do is google the specific sweetener you’re wanting to use to find out how the substitution usually works. I hope it turns out well for you!
Julia says
hi may I ask how to flip the cake if using air fryer? sounds delicious and I’m planning on baking it for my dads birthday:)
Helen says
Hi Julia! I usually flip it just for the last 5 minutes, so it’s nearly cooked anyway. As it’s a small cake it’s really easy. Just use an oven glove while you pull out the baking paper with the cake in it and flip it over quickly with a tea towelled hand! You may not even need to flip it. Just check the bottom of the cake just before the end of the cooking time. If it needs flipping for a few minutes, go ahead, if not, all good. It could depend on the brand of air fryer you have – that’s why I say you may or may not want to flip it for a few minutes. In any case this hasn’t been a problem for anyone, so you should be fine. Maybe try a test cake before your dad’s bday? Good luck!
Abby says
I made this 3 times already! I added Cinnamon, Vanilla Essence, and Chocolate! This is perfect with my coffee. Not too sweet.
Helen says
So glad you enjoy this, Abby. I love that you make different variations. I do this too. So easy to adapt according to what mood you’re in 😉
Andy says
I love this recipe! Baked it three times already.
First time I forgot the milk, it was dense but my friends liked it. I used butter instead of oil.
Second time I remembered to add milk, i used soy milk. Still used butter. And added walnuts and chocolate chips. It was really good!
Third time I used gluten free flour. Still with soy milk and chocolate chips but not with walnuts. It was good but the flour was a bit hard to work with cause the bread was dense even with the milk.
I loved mu second attempt so I’ll do that from now on. Thank you so much for this recipe! I live in Japan and my space is too small for an oven so knowing I can bake in the air fryer makes me so happy!
Helen says
Hi Andy! Thank you so much for this great feedback! I love that you experimented and found the exact ingredients that work for you. I’m glad your friends still enjoyed the first version though! 😉 I love that I can bake in my air fryer too. Stops me scoffing a whole normal sized banana loaf too. I find this is just right if you have friends coming over. It’s lovely and fresh and there aren’t too many leftovers to tempt you. Thanks again for taking the time to write! P.S. I recently posted a microwave banana mug cake, too 😉
Erica says
Thank you for this heavenly banana bread, it’s absolutely amazing. I always loved banana bread but the recipe I used before just pales in comparison to this. I made some changes: I used whole grain spelt flour, coconut milk, olive oil, and coconut sugar. Added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and half handful of dark chocolate chips. I have two super tiny loaf pan they were perfect for this amount, and the two loaves baked to perfection in 17-8 minutes. No need to flip or anything. It’s a super versatile recipe and I feel better that I made it a little healthier at least.
Helen says
Hi Erica. So happy you like this recipe! It’s really helpful to hear about the changes you made. The versatility is what I love the most – I find it always turns out well even if I make a few tweaks :-). I’m just about to post a mug cake version of this that is pretty healthy too. I think substitutions will work with that too.
Sonya Colley says
Great mini recipe.Easy & Perfect size for air fryer
Helen says
Hi Sonya. Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m planning other ‘mini cakes’ for the air fryer so stay tuned 😉
Priscilla says
I am so grateful to find a recipe that works! Love the crispy outer crust and soft inner texture! Thank you! ♥️
Helen says
I’m so glad it worked out well for you, Priscilla! Thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂
Ally says
Doubled the recipe, used butter, baked in air fryer at 160 for 30 mins. Bread turned out really well. Thank you so much for this super easy recipe! This is definitely a keeper!
Helen says
Hi Ally! So happy to hear it turned out well for you – it’s very helpful to know doubling the ingredients works well. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Kay says
I just made this banana bread in my new air fryer! I turned it over half way through or it wouldn’t have been nearly as perfect! Great fun and delicious!
Helen says
Hi Kay! Congratulations on your new air fryer! They’re amazing, aren’t they? It’s one of those things I never knew I needed until someone kindly gave me one! So happy the banana bread turned out well for you. It’s funny but sometimes I need to turn mine over and other times not. Easy to check though. Thank you for taking the time to review, and hope you enjoy many more recipes in your air fryer! P.S. Look up my recipe for crispy smashed Greek potatoes – I have an air fryer version of the recipe 😉
Deirdre says
Just made this morning. First time I’ve baked in the airfryer usually just cooking chips, chicken etc. I’m delighted with the result it was so yummy. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe
Helen says
Hello Deirdre! Air fryers are great, aren’t they, and I love that you can make surprising things in it like this! So glad you enjoyed it – thank you for letting me know!