A healthier and dairy free twist on banana bread! This Molasses Banana Bread has lots of bananas, dark molasses, brown sugar, and ginger for a super tasty banana bread! Easy to make (only one bowl) and perfect for an anytime treat. Molasses is a great source of iron! {First posted March 26, 2020. Last updated January 11, 2022}
If there was ever a time to be making banana bread my friends—this is it.
This stuck-at-home-armageddon situation is the perfect storm of anxiety meets baking and banana bread is the cure.
You’ve probably found yourself searching the internet lately for the perfect banana bread recipe (which quite possibly is why you’re here).
Turns out, there are a mountain of them out there. But I want to assure you, this Molasses Banana Bread, with it’s dark, caramel undertones and soft crumb, is the only one I make.
Why Molasses Makes The Best Banana Bread
It was by necessity really that I started swapping molasses for granulated sugar in my banana bread recipe. I was looking to pack as much iron into Hiro’s diet a few years ago when he was anemic. Turns out 1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses has 20 percent of the daily value of iron.
While I loved that I could turn my son’s favorite treat into something a bit better for him, I was actually even more thrilled that I had stumbled upon the secret to banana bread perfection.
The molasses guarantees a moist (sorry) bread that is never tough or chewy no matter what you do to it. You could mix the hell out of it or bake it a little too long (and believe me I’ve done both) and it’s still springy and tender with every slice.
Not to mention the flavor. This is homemade banana bread of the Gods. It is dark and lusty with tinges of bitter from the molasses that somehow enlightens the banananess of it all. If you think you’ll slice yourself off one piece and be able to walk away, think again.
What Kind Of Molasses To Use
If you are going for health-factor you should use Blackstrap Molasses in this recipe. It is the only one with the significant amounts of iron as well as several other vitamins and minerals. That being said, if you’re going for flavor, I’ve used every kind of molasses available to make this bread, and all with great results.
There’s also dark brown sugar in this recipe which is brown sugar that has double the amount of molasses added back in so we are really getting a double-whammy on the good stuff here.
A Healthier Banana Bread
I’m not going to say this Molasses Banana Bread is good for you. It’s no kale salad. But it does have some redeeming qualities that are a bit more nutritious than some other banana bread recipes:
- We already mentioned the molasses benefits.
- This is a banana bread with no butter, which makes it dairy-free.
- It has an obscene amount of bananas. More fruit is always better for you, right?
- You can substitute whole wheat flour for half of the all purpose flour for even more fiber and vitamins.
How Ripe Should Bananas Be For Banana Bread?
Basically the riper the better. Do you have bananas sitting on your counter with black speckles? Are they starting to get mushy? Perfect! Those are the ones you want to use to make banana bread.
It’s unusual to have four bananas be in that condition all at once (which is how many you need to make this recipe). Therefore, I add bespeckled bananas to my freezer as they ripen until I have enough to make a batch of bread.
You can freeze them in the peels if you want, but you will have to wait for them to thaw out before you can begin making the bread.
The quickest way to turn frozen bananas into bread is to peel them and slice them before placing them in the freezer. Lay the slices in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet until they are frozen. Once they freeze, transfer them to a freezer bag, but remember to label how many bananas are in there—it’s a bit hard to tell after they are all sliced up.
When you’re ready to make banana bread just toss the frozen banana slices in your bowl and mash them up! They’ll thaw right before your eyes.
A One-Bowl Wonder
Do you have a large bowl, whisk and a spoon…okay, and a fork? Then you have banana bread! This is seriously the least fussy baking recipe you’ll find. It’s great for beginners, kids, lazy bakers, tired parents, basically anyone. Here’s how to make it from scratch:
- Mash the bananas in the largest bowl you own with a potato masher or a fork. You can mash them as little or as much as you want. Mash less if you want chunks of banana.
- Add the eggs and mash those in too. Break up the yolk and mix it in to the bananas. It’s much easier to get the eggs mixed before you add the oil and other wet ingredients.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir well. Use a whisk if you have one, or a wooden spoon if you don’t.
- Add all the dry ingredients right on top. That’s right, no separate bowls needed! If you are a super finicky baker you have my permission to mix all the dry ingredients separately in a different bowl first, but in my mind it makes little difference.
- Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The baking time will depend on the pan you use and your oven but it generally takes 50-60 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.
More Banana Breads To Love
While this Molasses Banana Bread is the one I make on a regular basis, there are other recipes I occasionally turn to when I want something different. They are both unique and delicious in their own right.
More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Authentic Tres Leches Cake
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Dairy-Free Concha Recipe {Mexican Pan Dulce}
- Blackberry Bread Pudding with Cajeta Sauce
- Three Kings Bread {Rosca de Reyes}
- Jalapeño Beer Bread
Banana Bread Bakers Unite!
I don’t know about you but banana bread is my baking Xanax. Whenever I am anxious or tired or stressed beyond belief, banana bread is my drug of choice. Give it a try! Let me know when you do by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Our Favorite Molasses Banana Bread
There are a mountain of banana bread recipes out there, but this Molasses Banana Bread with it's dark, caramel undertones, is the only one I make.
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oven and prepare pan. Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Grease a 9 x 5 inch baking pan.
- Combine ingredients. Mash together bananas and eggs in a large bowl until almost a puree. Add brown sugar, oil, and molasses and whisk to combine. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, and salt. Stir together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until combined and all flour is mixed in.
- Bake. Scrape into prepared pan and bake until golden and baked through, about 50-60 minutes. Insert a skewer in the middle, if it comes out clean the bread is ready. Let bread cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before slicing
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Can you give a more accurate estimate for the volume/weight of bananas needed? Bananas vary so widely I’ve been struggling with recipes that only give a number count for them.
Hi! I don’t have a weight for the bananas but I do encourage you to trust that you really can’t screw this recipe up. I’ve made it with 3 bananas and 4 very large ones and it has worked every time.
This banana bread is gorgeous. Love the fact of adding molasses and using oil instead of butter. I always use olive oil to make mine and never been back to out butter on it.
I never miss the butter. Armando is lactose-intolerant so I try to make all my baked goods with oil or coconut oil so he can enjoy them too.
Wow! tiene muy buena pinta y como estamos en un buen momento y con tiempo para experimentar en la cocina, no descarto comprar algunas cosillas que me faltan el próximo día que vaya al súper e intentar hacerlo jejeje gracias!!!!
Claro Mavi! Dime si te gusta!
Owww pan de banana es mi favorito del mundo mundial. The banana bread me atrapó cuando vivía en Toronto Canadá allá es muy típico así que me has animado a hacerlo ahora en Madrid.
Gracias Yasmari! Espero que estas bien.
Oh por Dios!! Leo pan de babana y se me hace agua la boca. Que delicia de receta. Pensé que era mas complicada. Pero veo que no! Gracias por estos trucos.
De nada Adriana! Espero que te gusta!
OMG Kate! I need this molasses banana bread in my life NOW!
You will love it Enri!!
Would wheat flour work? And if I only have two bananas is there no point? Also only have coco it oil or olive. Haven’t grocery shopped in a long while. I do have molasses! Thanks
Hi! Yes, you can use wheat flour, but I would try to use a mixture of wheat and white flour if possible. Wheat flour has very little gluten and the bread may be a bit gummy, so even if you have bread flour or pastry (cake flour) mix a little of those in, if not, give it a go and see how it turns out. If you only have 2 bananas, just cut the recipe in half and make into muffins instead of a loaf. Bake muffins for 20 minutes. You can use either coconut or olive oil, the flavor of those two are stronger, so that’s why I didn’t use them, but they would totally work. You’ll need to melt the coconut oil first. Let me know how they turn out!
Ok! So I risked life and limb to get white flour at the supermarket and alas the shelves were bare but today at the flower shop the guy kindly sold me some white flour too! I made the bread with a mix of wheat and white, half and half, because I want to get rid of the wheat (which I bought a ton of by mistake). It came out well! It took an extra 25 minutes to cook so the crust was a bit overdone. I felt it needed a lot more ginger but mine might not have been a good one. Next time I’ll also add some raisins and nuts. I did your slices on top and sprinkled with powdered sugar so it would Caramelize. All in All very good. Thanks!
Oh thank goodness! You don’t know how terrible I would’ve felt had you gone to all that trouble for the flour and it was awful. 🙂 The raisins and nuts would be delicious—kind of like a fruit cake.
This sounds amazing! I’ve got tons of natural molasses sugar that i need to use up. Can I substitute all sugar for the molasses sugar, and skip the cinnamon and ginger…?
Hi Roxy! I’m not sure what you mean by molasses sugar. Do you mean brown sugar? You can try using 1 cup brown sugar and leaving out the molasses. You can still add the cinnamon and ginger, they are there for flavor and don’t add much to the overall texture of the bread. Unless you don’t like them of course, in which case you can add other spices like cardamom, clove, vanilla beans, or even a pinch of black pepper.
I dont have 9 x 5 inch baking pan. Any other size suggestion?
The pan I use in the images is a Pullman loaf pan which is 12 x 4x 3inches. You could try baking them into muffins too. Check after 20 minutes to see if they are done.
WOW this is good!! I used three very ripe bananas and replaced half the oil with applesauce, and replaced 1/2 C of regular flour with whole wheat flour, and it is SO delicious and moist!
I made this today! It’s so good! When I first was mixing in all the ingredients for some reason I got confused and almost put 11 1/2 tsp of baking soda in 😅😅 but I caught myself at the last min.. it would have been a disaster, but this recipe was literally so good. I think next time I’ll add more cinnamon and ginger. Maybe put chucks of dark chocolate in.
Hi Ruth! That’s a lot of baking soda. 🙂 I’m glad it didn’t end in disaster. I was thinking about making another loaf today, maybe I’ll try with the chocolate—sounds delicious!
Wondering if you do anything to the sliced bananas before placing them on top to keep them from browning too much. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
Hey Stacy, No I just put them on right before popping in the oven. You could also always leave them off. Let me know how it goes! Kate