Easy & Moist Banana Bread Without Baking Soda

An incredibly moist banana bread without baking soda. This simple recipe is easy to make and results in a soft, moist, and delicious loaf of homemade banana bread that you and your family will love.

Freshly baked banana bread on a cutting board. It is surrounded by walnuts and slices of bananas.

However, if you were planning on making delicious banana bread but ran out of baking soda, there’s no need to make a trip to the grocery store! This easy banana bread recipe is made without baking soda.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Very easy recipe to make
VERY moist! The fluffy texture is soft and spot-on
Made with easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have
Not dense like other banana bread recipes without baking soda
Great if you’re out of baking soda

The Best Substitute For Baking Soda in Banana Bread

Baking powder is the best baking soda substitute in banana bread.

If you’re out of baking soda and need a good substitute, you should save yourself a trip to the store and use baking powder instead. Baking Powder is a mixture of baking soda, an acidic ingredient (normally cream of tartar), and a thickener (cornstarch). It is a chemical leavening agent that is found in numerous baked goods.

a loaf of quick bread that was freshly baked. it is on a red tea towel and wooden cutting board. — Baking powder is a great substitute for baking soda in banana bread

Equipment Needed

9×5-inch loaf pan: This is your standard 1.5-pound loaf pan. You can find this at your local grocery store. An 8×4-inch loaf pan would also work in this recipe but you will need to adjust your bake time slightly.

Key Ingredients and Why

Ingredients for banana bread on a table. Bananas, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, walnuts, vanilla extract, eggs, and sugar

All-Purpose Flour: The binder for this recipe.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent. This ingredient makes the banana bread rise and is the replacement for baking soda.
Bananas: The more ripe these are, the better your banana bread will be. Make sure to measure in cups or grams for the best accuracy. If you have any extra banana left over, you can always top off the loaf with banana slices.
Cinnamon: Adds warmth and goes great with the banana flavor.
Eggs: Make sure these are at room temperature. Using cold ingredients can change the outcome of the recipe.
Granulated White Sugar: For added sweetness
Vanilla Extract: The vanilla flavors are so yummy in this baked treat.
Chopped Walnuts (optional): These are optional but highly recommended. Walnuts pair well with the banana flavors in this quick bread.

two slices of quick bread. There are walnuts in the bread. The bread is on a plate. — Nuts are optional but highly recommended!

Ingredient Substitutions

All-Purpose Flour: Bread flour would be a great substitute. You can also substitute with self-rising flour, which already has baking powder (make sure to omit the baking powder).
Cinnamon: Nutmeg would be a great substitution that also adds warmth However, if you have neither, then leave it out.
Baking Powder: Essential ingredient and cannot be substituted. You can substitute with baking soda, but then why use a recipe that specifically states “without baking soda.”
Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar and coconut sugar. I don’t recommend substituting with maple syrup as that will affect the moisture level, which can cause your banana bread to sink.
Vanilla Extract: Leave it out
Chopped Walnuts: You can add in any mix-in that your heart desires. Chocolate chips work well in this recipe. You can even add other types of nuts like macadamia nuts or dried fruit.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Scroll down for the printable recipe

Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celcius).

Flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a glass mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together or mix with a wooden spatula. Set aside.

In a glass mixing bowl: eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. They are being whisked together by hand.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the mashed bananas and mix.

Pouring mashed bananas into a glass mixing bowl. — Make sure to use over-ripe bananas

Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. With a spatula, fold the ingredients together until there are no dry specks of flour.

folding dry ingredients into wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This is for banana bread batter without baking soda.

OPTIONAL Fold the chopped walnuts into the batter.

banana bread batter in a loaf pan. — Make sure to grease the loaf pan so that the banana bread doesn’t stick.

Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Pour batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes until the banana bread is done. Let cool then serve plain or with any of these banana bread side dishes.

A loaf of banana bread that was baked without baking soda. It is on a cutting board.

Helpful Tips For Best Results

Use Over-Ripe Bananas

The more ripe the bananas are, the better your banana bread will be. You want to pick bananas that have a lot of brown spots as opposed to a perfect-looking yellow banana. A very ripe banana is sweeter than a yellow or green banana.

Bake As Soon As The Wet And Dry Ingredients Are Combined

Make sure to place the loaf in the oven as soon as you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Baking powder is a chemical leavener that is used to make baked goods rise.

Because baking powder provides the majority of the rise right when it gets wet (due to the chemical reaction), you need to bake this as soon as possible or else you risk having a flat loaf.

Double-acting baking powder reacts twice in recipes: 70% when it gets wet then 30% when it is exposed to heat. By not baking as soon as all the ingredients are combined, you risk losing the initial 70% rise that the baking powder provided.

Two slices of bread on a plate. There is a loaf in the corner with sliced bananas.

Do Not Overbake

Ah, overbaking! The culprit to every dried-out loaf of homemade banana bread. The good news is that it is relatively easy to tell when this recipe is done baking.

If you want this quick bread to turn out moist, make sure to use a toothpick or cake tester to determine that the banana bread is fully baked and ready to be taken out of the oven.

To check, you can insert a toothpick or cake tester in the center of the loaf. It is ready when there are moist crumbs on the toothpick and no wet batter. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the loaf is overbaked and dry.

Sliced up banana bread without baking sode, with bananas and chopped walnuts

How To Store

It is best to store a loaf of banana bread at room temperature. It should stay moist as long as it is stored correctly. To store at room temperature, let the loaf cool down so that it isn’t warm anymore. Then, place paper towels at the bottom of an airtight container. Put the banana bread in the container and close.

Homemade bread will last unrefrigerated for up to four days. If you need to store it longer than that, then it is best to put in it the refrigerator or the freezer.

To store in the refrigerator, put the loaf in an airtight container. It can be refrigerated for up to one week.

To store in the freezer, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to three months.

Ingredients

▢2 Cups All-Purpose Flour 250g
▢1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
▢½ Teaspoon Salt
▢½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
▢2 Eggs Large
▢⅔ Cup Granulated Sugar
▢1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
▢2 Cups Bananas mashed 460 grams, roughly 3-4 bananas
▢½ Cup Chopped Walnuts optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celcius).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together or mix with a wooden spatula. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the mashed bananas and mix.
Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. With a spatula, fold the ingredients together until there are no dry specks of flour.
OPTIONAL Fold the chopped walnuts into the batter.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Pour batter into the loaf pan.
Bake for 55-65 minutes until the banana bread is done.

Notes

Check my post for detailed step-by-step photos and video of the entire recipe.
Optional Add-ins: Chopped walnuts pair perfectly with bananas. You can add any mix-ins that you desire. Chocolate chips, dried fruit, and other types of nuts would go well in this recipe.
Baking Time: Baking time is dependent on the temperature of your oven. I always recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure that you’re baking at the correct temperature.
Bake As Soon As Possible: Once you make the banana bread batter, pour it into the loaf pan and bake. Baking powder (the levening agent in this recipe) provides 70% of the rise when it comes into contact with wet ingredients. If you wait before putting the batter into the oven, you risk losing some of that initial rise.
Toothpick Test: the banana bread is ready when you insert a toothpick into the center and there are a few crumbs on it. If the toothpick has wet batter, it still needs to bake for longer or else you’ll end up with a sunken middle. Make sure not to bake for longer than needed or else you won’t have moist banana bread.
Storing: Your banana bread will last at room temperature for up to four days. If you need to store it for longer, you can put it in the refrigerator or freezer.