Cake Mix Banana Bread (3 Ingredient)

If you find yourself with a few overripe bananas that you don’t want to go to waste, but you don’t want to make an elaborate banana bread recipe, all you really need is a box of cake mix! This 3 ingredient Cake Mix Banana Bread is the perfect solution! You probably have everything you need in your kitchen already!

But if you don’t have cake mix and still want an easy banana bread recipe, try our Bisquick Banana Bread recipe for another simple option!

Scroll down for a printable recipe or read on for full directions with tips and tricks!

CAKE MIX BANANA BREAD

Cake mix banana bread is one of the easiest ways to make banana bread! It only needs 3 ingredients and you’ll have a deliciously sweet loaf of bread perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert!

My family loves the almost cake-like texture from this recipe. And I love how moist this bread always comes out! 

So grab those overripe bananas and a box of cake mix and start baking!

CAN YOU MAKE BANANA BREAD WITH UNRIPE BANANAS?

To make banana bread using cake mix, you really need to use bananas that are fully ripe or overripe. With ripe or overripe bananas you get fruit that is super easy to mash up and incorporate into the banana bread batter. They’re also sweeter and have a great banana aroma which leads to even better banana bread.

So I recommend waiting until your bananas are at least fully ripe before using them to make banana bread or muffins.

HOW DO I RIPEN BANANAS IN THE OVEN?

If you want to make cake mix banana bread but your bananas aren’t fully ripe, you can try ripening them in the oven. You can do this as long as your bananas are still in the peel and they are no longer green.

Heat your oven to 300°F and place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Cook them for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the bananas are black in color and shiny. Then they’ll be ready to use in this recipe!

CAN I PUT UNDERCOOKED BANANA BREAD BACK IN THE OVEN?

I’ll admit that I’ve undercooked my banana bread on more than one occasion. The great thing is that it often works well to put an undercooked loaf back in the oven and save it.

Heat the oven 350°F and put the loaf of bread back in the oven. Bake it for another 15-20 minutes to cook the inside of the bread. This approach has worked for me even after my banana bread loaf has cooled down too. It’s always worth a try!

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF BANANA BREAD IS UNDERCOOKED?

Before you take your banana bread out of the oven, be sure to check to see if it’s cooked so you can avoid having to deal with an uncooked center in the load. You can use a toothpick, knife, or skewer to check.

Insert it into the center of the load and if it comes out clean or with just a crumb or two on it, your banana bread loaf should be completely cooked! You’re also looking for an internal temperature of about 200°F – 205°F.

3 INGREDIENT BANANA BREAD

To make this easy banana bread with cake mix you really only need 3 ingredients!

• 3 ripe or overripe bananas
• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 2 large eggs

If you don’t have a yellow cake mix, you can also make banana bread with spice cake mix or white cake mix. The great thing about this simple banana bread recipe using cake mix is that you can play around with the type of cake mix you use and see how it turns out!

HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD WITH YELLOW CAKE MIX

Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a loaf man with non-stick cooking spray. You can use one large loaf pan, 2-3 smaller loaf pans, or muffin tins. 

Peel and mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Add the yellow cake mix and two eggs to the bowl. Combine until the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. Use a toothpick to check to see if the loaf is fully cooked.

(For smaller loaf pans, you may need less baking time. Check the loaves at 45 minutes to see if they’re fully cooked. If you’re making cake mix banana muffins, I usually have to bake them for 25-30 minutes.)

Insert it into the center of the load and if it comes out clean, you know it is fully baked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove it from the pan and allow the banana bread to cool on a wire rack.

Slice and enjoy!

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR FEW INGREDIENT BANANA BREAD RECIPE

While you only need three ingredients to make basic banana bread with cake mix, you can easily tweak this recipe to make plenty of variations on banana bread!

• Banana Nut Bread with Cake Mix – Banana nut bread is one of my favorites! You can add chopped pecans or walnuts to your banana bread batter to make a delicious banana nut bread with your cake mix!
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – Add chocolate chips to the top of your banana bread loaf before putting it into the oven. You can also mix them into the batter before baking. You can also try peanut butter chips for tasty quick bread.
• Mixed Fruit Banana Bread – Add dried fruit like cherries or cranberries to your mix before baking for extra flavor.
• Cake Mix – Change the flavor of cake mix banana bread by using different cake mix flavors. Some great options to try include spice cake, white cake, butter pecan cake or even lemon cake!

STORING BANANA BREAD

You can keep banana bread wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

You can also freeze banana bread for 2-3 months. Make sure it is completely cooled and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. I usually do two layers of plastic wrap and then cover it with one layer of foil.

When you’re ready to defrost your banana bread, unwrap the loaf and let it sit out on a wire rack at room temperature for 3 hours or until fully thawed. Then be sure to store it in an airtight container or plastic wrap.