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    Home » Recipe Index » Breakfast

    Single Serve Banana Bread

    April 9, 2023 By Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD Breakfast, Cooking for One, Desserts, Snacks

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    round banana bread with peanut butter and knife

    Single serve banana bread is a great easy recipe to use if you have just one ripe banana to use up. It's a great breakfast or snack recipe for one person, especially when it's topped with peanut butter.

    round banana bread with peanut butter and knife

    Table of contents

    • How will this dish make your life easier?
    • Other good snack recipes:
    • What makes this banana bread with one banana so good?
    • How to make single serving banana bread?
    • Substitutions/Tips
    • FAQ
    • How can I repurpose?
    • What can I make with leftover ingredients?

    How will this dish make your life easier?

    My mom has a great banana bread recipe, she bakes it in a cake pan instead of a loaf pan, it's so tender and delicious. But I can never get through it, or remember to freeze the bread before it starts to mold. It's time for a single serve banana bread recipe.

    Throw it together while you dinner is in the oven, and bake it after for a delicious treat or snack for later. Double or triple it for a couple servings. This recipe is great for breakfast or a snack, especially with a slather of peanut butter on top.

    I'm not always the first to want to use the oven for 1 serving something, but this single serve banana bread recipe is so easy and uses pantry ingredients, especially if the oven is already in use. Plus prepping the batter takes about 5 minutes.

    This recipe also uses 1 medium very ripe banana, so no need to figure out what to do with the second half. Depending on your hunger level, save some for later or top with peanut butter. Either way, you'll love this single serve banana bread with 1 banana.

    Other good snack recipes:

    • Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
    • M&M Popcorn
    • Air Fryer Popcorn
    • Coffee Chia Pudding
    • Protein Bites with Peanut Butter
    • Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

    What makes this banana bread with one banana so good?

    ripe banana, flour, other ingredients on baking sheet
    • Very Ripe Banana: Adds sweetness and tender texture to this single serve banana bread. Make sure to use a very ripe one, the texture of this bread and sweetness will be different with a less ripe banana.
    • Butter: Adds to the tenderness of the recipe and helps it rise while adding a nice buttery flavor.
    • Sugars: A mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar adds sweetness and holds onto moisture in this banana bread. Brown sugar adds a slight rich molasses flavor too.
    • Flour: Regular all purpose flour is easy to find and makes for a tender cake. You can substitute part of it for whole wheat flour, if desired.
    • Yogurt: Protein in Greek yogurt will help keep your single serve banana bread together aka: it helps with structure. The protein and fat in yogurt helps blend all the ingredients together (emulsify) and keep it tender vs chewy.
    • Baking Soda: reacts with liquid, acid (yogurt), and heat to help the bread rise.
    • Salt: A small amount of salt enhances the banana flavor and balances out this sweet bread.

    How to make single serving banana bread?

    melted butter in glass bowl

    To start making your single serve banana bread, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in medium mixing bowl. I like to do this in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

    fork in mashed bananas in glass bowl

    Add very ripe banana to melted butter and mash with a fork until there are no chunks left. You can leave chunks, but the texture changes and the banana bread won't brown as evenly from my experience.

    banana bread batter in glass bowl

    After mashing the banana into butter, add flour, brown and granulated sugar, yogurt, baking soda, salt. Whisk until combined. Don't overmix.

    unbaked banana bread batter in white ramekin

    Spray small ramekin with cooking spray. Pour batter into ramekin. Spread top so it's even. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until center is cooked through. It's not jiggly/toothpick comes out clean.

    baked banana bread in white ramekin

    Cool completely. Enjoy your single serve banana bread with peanut butter, if desired. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. You can store it for longer in the fridge, but it will dry out faster.

    Substitutions/Tips

    • Use a very ripe banana in this recipe, it mashes up easier, is sweeter, and will mix into banana bread more easily than a less ripe banana. I see that you can bake a banana to create the same texture as a very ripe banana. Try these instructions.
    • Placing bananas in a bag to ripen still takes days.
    • Substitute granulated sugar for brown sugar or visa versa. You don't have to use both kinds.
    • You can substitute an egg yolk for the yogurt in your single serve banana bread.
    • If you like sweet banana bread, double both sugars.
    • Other great add-ins: this single serve banana bread is great with ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, added chopped nuts, chocolate chips added to the batter, and definitely peanut (or other nut) butter on top.

    FAQ

    What can you serve with banana bread?

    Regular and single serve banana bread would be great with scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit. I like to smear peanut butter on top, like frosting. And add chocolate chips too.

    Can you use frozen bananas in banana bread?

    Yes, just let them thaw at room temperature before using, or they won't mash well and you'll have chunks of banana in your bread and less even baking.

    round banana bread on black plate, ingredients surrounding

    How can I repurpose?

    • Use 1 inch-ish slice(s) of this single serve banana bread as bread in this French Toast recipe.
    • Enjoy leftovers with different toppings. You can slather peanut (or other nut) butter over a slice, or top it with chocolate chips, or both.

    What can I make with leftover ingredients?

    • Banana: Baked Oats for One, Spinach Apple Banana Smoothie, Strawberry Banana Milkshake, and Pineapple and Cucumber Smoothie.
    • Yogurt: Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip, Broccoli Salad with Greek Yogurt, and Chicken Pecan Salad with Apples.

    Did you make this single serve banana bread? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!

    round banana bread with peanut butter
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Single Serve Banana Bread

    Single serve banana bread is a great easy recipe to use if you have just one ripe banana to use up. It's a great breakfast or snack recipe for one person, especially when it's topped with peanut butter.
    Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 1 person
    Author Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN

    Equipment

    • medium mixing bowl
    • fork
    • whisk
    • rubber spatula
    • 5-7 ounce ramekin or 2 smaller ones

    Ingredients

    • 1 Tablespoon butter
    • 1 medium banana very ripe
    • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar heaping
    • 1 Tablespoon dark or regular brown sugar heaping
    • 1 Tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
    • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Add 1 Tablespoon butter to medium mixing bowl. Microwave for about 15-20 seconds, to melt butter.
    • Once melted, add very ripe banana. Mash well with a fork.
    • Add ⅓ cup all purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon plain Greek yogurt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk together until all incorporated, don't overmix.
    • Spray 5-7 ounce ramekin with cooking spray. Pour batter into ramekin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Center will not be jiggly, and/or toothpick will come out clean.
    • Cool and spread peanut butter over banana bread, if desired. Enjoy.
    • Store in airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or for about up to 7, in the fridge. Again, sniff the banana bread and look for mold. If it smells and looks fine it will be safe to eat.

    Video

    SINGLE SERVING BANANA BREAD

    Notes

    • Use a very ripe medium sized banana in this recipe to get the right sweetness and tender texture in this banana bread. You can bake bananas to get them to soften up. Ripening them in a bag will probably still take a few days+. 
    • Substitute the butter for neutral oil if you don't have any.
    • You can just use granulated or brown sugar in this recipe. Either works.
    • If you like sweet banana bread, double both sugars in this recipe.
    • Substitute ¼-1/2 of the flour with whole wheat, if desired.
    • You can substitute the yogurt for an egg yolk.
    • If desired, add any of the following ingredients to the batter: ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, chopped nuts, chocolate chips.
    • Top with peanut butter, if desired.

    Want to get more single serving recipes like this single serve banana bread delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Single Serving Cookbook.

    Recipes are great, but you’ll need a simple 3 step process to create a meal plan that make cooking easy & helps you stop wasting food. Check out this expertly developed meal planning guide to get started. 

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    About Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD

    Welcome! I’m Rebecca, a food loving dietitian. On Nourish Nutrition, you’ll find real, quick, and nourishing recipes for one that'll get you to want to cook for yourself, because you deserve it.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Liz says

      April 10, 2023 at 8:32 am

      5 stars
      I love banana bread so it was nice being able to make a single serving! I'll make this again, for sure!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        April 10, 2023 at 8:40 am

        great to hear! enjoy

        Reply
    2. Ned says

      April 10, 2023 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      I made this on Friday night and it was absolutely delicious - I can't wait to make it again!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says

        April 12, 2023 at 2:02 pm

        great to hear!

        Reply
    3. TAYLER ROSS says

      April 10, 2023 at 8:55 am

      5 stars
      I made this banana bread for breakfast this morning and it was perfect! Moist, delicious and easy!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says

        April 12, 2023 at 2:02 pm

        great to hear!

        Reply
    4. Min Shien says

      April 10, 2023 at 9:01 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe for when you have that ONE old banana left hanging around and you don't want to make a whole loaf!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says

        April 12, 2023 at 2:02 pm

        totally!

        Reply
    5. Carrie Robinson says

      April 10, 2023 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      What a genius idea! Can't wait to make this for myself soon. 🙂

      Reply
      • Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says

        April 12, 2023 at 2:02 pm

        enjoy

        Reply

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    At Nourish Nutrition, you'll find bold, flavorful recipes for one. Most are single serving, and all have suggestions to use up the leftover ingredients so you can stop throwing away unused ingredients & leftovers!

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