Easy Banana Bread with Oil & No Butter Or Eggs (Bananenbrot)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust—rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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Are you looking for a banana bread, Bananenbrot, that's incredibly moist, packed with flavor, and easy to make? Look no further! Here's my easy banana bread recipe that's perfect for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.

By using vegetable oil instead of butter, I've created a foolproof recipe that gives a tender, flavorful loaf every time. Since it doesn't have butter or even eggs, everything is just stirred together and it tastes wunderbar!

No folding or creaming or whipping. Just use a wooden spoon and mix. Bake and enjoy. Mega lecker!

With one of my grandkids choosing a vegan lifestyle, I need to be able to make foods that everyone can enjoy when the family gets together. That means, I've needed to include vegan recipes in my recipe box. And THIS recipe is "accidentally" vegan! 

So, this I call my veganes Bananenbrot von der Oma! And since I'm German and have German taste buds, this is also my German banana bread recipe! 

That was actually the basis for creating this recipe. I needed something easy and quick. I needed something vegan and delicious. I needed something to use the over-ripe bananas I had. I NEEDED an EASY banana bread recipe with no butter or eggs!

Why Choose Oil Over Butter in Banana Bread?

While many classic banana bread recipes call for butter, using vegetable oil or other neutral oils like light tasting olive oil has several advantages:

• Oil doesn't contain water like butter does, which means it doesn't evaporate during baking. This results in a moister final product that stays fresh longer.
• The oil actually coats the flour proteins more effectively than butter, leading to a softer, more tender crumb.
• Using oil simplifies the mixing process, as there's no need to cream butter and sugar together.
• Oil-based quick breads tend to stay moist and fresh for a longer period compared to those made with butter.

Oma's Tips for Perfect Banana Bread

Never too ripe for banana bread!

1. The best bananas for banana bread are those that are overripe with plenty of brown spots or even mostly black skins. They're sweeter and more flavorful.
2. Stir the batter until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing can lead to a tough, dense bread.
3. Make sure to check with a wooden toothpick to see if the banana cake is done. If there is any moist cake stuck to the toothpick, leave the cake in for about another 5 minutes. Use a new wooden toothpick to check again. It should come out clean. If not, add another 5 minutes.
4. The extra-strong coffee adds depth to the banana flavor, but if you prefer, you can use water instead.
5. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing for the best texture and easier cutting.

Variations and Substitutions

• For a heartier version, replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. 
• This recipe already uses light tasting olive oil, my favorite to use for almost anything. You can experiment with extra-virgin olive oil for a more pronounced flavor, or use your favorite neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola oil. Even avocado oil should work.
• If you prefer a less sweet bread, you can reduce the white sugar by up to 1/4 cup. Using less sugar won't significantly affect the texture.
• Try chocolate chips or dried fruit as mix-ins instead of or in addition to the walnuts. I've also used dried cranberries, raisins, salted mixed nuts and, I've also just left it plain.
• Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free version.
• Instead of a Bundt pan, you can use a loaf pan. To see the pans I like, take a look at my Amazon Shop.

Storage and Freezing Tips

To keep your banana bread moist and fresh, follow these storage tips:

• Room Temperature: Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
• Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep the wrapped bread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freezer: This banana bread freezes beautifully! Wrap individual slices or the whole loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or airtight container. It will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Why I love This Recipe

I made this banana bread as the birthday cake for my grandson. Everyone enjoyed it. It was so wonderfully moist and nutty!

Baked in a Bundt form makes a pretty looking cake. Fill that center with berries ;)

I was really amazed at how easy and quick this banana cake was to make. Even though I normally make it in a loaf pan, using a Bundt form made this one look special. All it needed was a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top. 

I had run out of strawberries, but adding them to the center 'Bundt' hole of the finished cake would have looked amazing! Next time!

This easy banana bread recipe is a family favorite for many reasons:

1. With minimal dishes to clean, this recipe is perfect for those busy days or unexpected company.
2. It's easy to customize with different mix-ins or flour substitutions.
3. This recipe is naturally vegan. My hubby is absolutely not vegan, and yet this is among his favorite desserts.
4. It's not too dense and not too light – just the right balance for the perfect banana bread.  
5. When I want a loaf shape that's easy to cut in slices, this recipe works great for that. It tastes wonderful with a swipe of fresh butter on the slices. Hubby loves it spread with black currant jam.

Make it as a loaf if you want slices that wrap up easily for lunch bags or picnics.

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Another 'veganized' cake to try:

I've been trying out various vegan recipes after my first attempt of this really simple Chocolate Cake turned out to be a winner. Its texture and flavor are similar to the chocolate portion of my German marble cake. 

In fact, I used the same recipe and turned them into mini-muffins that tasted almost like brownies and only took 15 minutes to bake.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Banana Bread

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Easy Banana Bread Recipe with Oil (no butter or eggs) - Bananenbrot

Oma's easy Banana Bread with oil—moist, flavorful, & vegan-friendly! No butter, no eggs—just stir, bake, and enjoy this wunderbar treat!

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Bake Time:

50 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour

Servings:

8-10 servings

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ripe bananas
• ¼ cup light tasting olive oil or  other vegetable oil
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup extra-strong coffee (or water)
• 2 teaspoons rum
• ½ cup broken walnut pieces (optional)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar for sprinkling on top of finished cake

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your Bundt pan by spraying with a vegetable spray.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Stir the oil, sugar, coffee, and rum into the mashed bananas until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. If using walnuts, stir them in now.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top of the batter. The baking time is 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely.
6. Once cooled, put 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar into a small sieve and dust over the top of the banana bread.

Notes/Hints:

• Check with a wooden pick to see if the cake is done. If there is any moist cake stuck to the toothpick, leave the cake in for about another 5 minutes. Use a new wooden pick to check again. It should come out clean. If not, add another 5 minutes. 
• Use a greased loaf pan instead of the Bundt pan.​
• Additional mix-ins are chocolate chips, raisins, mixed nuts, dried cranberries, raisins, etc.
• Add any or all of 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ginger.
• Replace the rum with 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

08.28.2024 revision update

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Easy Banana Bread Recipe with Oil (no butter or eggs) - Bananenbrot

By Gerhild Fulson

Oma's perfectly easy Banana Bread recipe with oil. Moist, flavorful, & vegan-friendly, this no-fuss recipe uses simple ingredients for a delicious homemade treat.

Ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, bananas, oil, sugar, coffee, rum/vanilla, walnuts, powdered sugar,

For the full recipe, scroll up ...

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.