Banana Bread with Pancake Mix

This Banana Bread with Pancake Mix recipe is super soft and moist and full of delicious banana flavor. Fast and easy one bowl quick bread recipe with simple ingredients you might already have. 

Craving banana bread, but you're all out of flour?  Guess what? You can use Bisquick pancake mix to make the most delicious banana bread recipe!

After all, Bisquick is made from all purpose flour, vegetable oil, baking soda, salt, and sugar -- things you were going to put in your banana bread anyway. 

Just add a few basic pantry ingredients, and you're minutes away from sliding a pan of banana bread into your oven. 

One bowl banana bread with Bisquick is such an easy recipe, and as moist and tender as any classic banana bread recipe, it just might become your new go-to!

No one will guess pancake mix is your secret ingredient ;). 

Be sure to try Fluffy Banana Pancakes with Pancake Mix, Pumpkin Pancakes with Pancake Mix, and 4 Ingredient Banana Bread Muffins next! 

Why You're Going to Love This Recipe

• Easy one-bowl Bisquick banana bread recipe
• Quick recipe with minimal prep time 
• Great way to make soft and moist banana bread, even if you're out of flour!

Ingredients

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients. 

Ripe bananas. You'll need 3-4 large bananas. Overripe bananas with brown or black peels are ideal for banana bread because they are sweeter and have the best flavor.

⭐If your bananas aren't quite ready yet, you can "ripen" them in the oven. You can also use frozen bananas. Keep reading for tips on how to do both. 

Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and rich molasses flavor to the banana bread. 

Oil. I use canola oil, a neutral-flavored oil. But any kind of vegetable oil will work. 

Cinnamon. One teaspoon ground cinnamon perfectly complements the bananas and adds warm and cozy flavor.  

Bisquick Pancake & Baking Mix. There's no need to add baking powder or baking soda, as Bisquick contains leavening agents. This recipe has been tested with Original and Heart Smart Bisquick pancake mixes. 

Chocolate chips, optional. Chocolate chips are awesome in banana bread. If using chocolate chips, I recommend mini chocolate chips because they disperse more evenly throughout the bread and don't sink. 

Nuts, optional. If you like nuts in your banana bread, stir ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts into the batter at the very end. 

How to Make Banana Bread with Pancake Mix

Step 1: Place bananas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher. 

Step 2: To the mashed banana, add the brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.

Expert Tips

• Overripe brown or even black bananas will give this pancake mix banana bread recipe the most intense banana flavor. 
• Measure Bisquick mix the same way you measure flour -- spoon it into a measuring cup and level off the top. Don't scoop straight out of the bag of pancake mix. 
• Be careful not to overmix the batter, as it can result in a dense texture. 
• Banana bread is even better the next day. Try to save a little for tomorrow!
• Banana bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.

How to Ripen Bananas in the Oven

What to do when your sweet tooth craves banana bread, but your bananas are underripe? With minimal effort, you can use your oven to ripen your bananas. 

• Place bananas (unpeeled) on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment for easy clean-up. 
• Bake for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees until the peels turn completely black. 
• Let the bananas cool completely, scoop out the flesh, and mash. If there's a lot of liquid, strain it off, or it can affect the texture of your baked goods. 
• Use your oven-ripened bananas for banana cake, bread, muffins, and pancakes. 

How to Make Banana Bread with Frozen Bananas

Feeling pressure to do something with all those overripe bananas? No need. Just throw them in the freezer -- whole, with peels on. Because you can use frozen bananas to make banana bread when you're good and ready. Just follow these easy steps!

• Defrost the bananas. Place the frozen bananas on a plate and let them sit at room temperature. Or defrost frozen bananas in the microwave at 50% power for 3-4 minutes or until they're completely thawed. 
• Strain off the liquid. Thawed bananas are very soft and very watery, and all that liquid can make banana bread dense and heavy. Mash the bananas and strain off the liquid (unless you're following a recipe that specifically says otherwise). After straining off the liquid, the remaining mashed banana should be the same consistency as bananas that were never frozen.  

FAQs