Banana Bread With Pancake Mix
When you make your banana bread with pancake mix, baking is a breeze! This pancake mix banana bread is tender, moist, and oh-so-easy to make.
Just like Bisquick, pancake mix is a kitchen multitasker! Sure, you can use it to make pancakes for breakfast, but you can also use it as a base for muffins, breads, cookies, and other baked goods. Case in point? This banana bread with pancake mix recipe!
It’s got that intense banana flavor and moist texture we all love in a banana bread, and it even has chocolate chips for good measure. (Chocolate chip banana bread is the best banana bread, right?) But unlike other banana bread recipes, it starts with a box of pancake mix.
About this pancake mix banana bread
Pancake mix has all of your dry ingredients covered, which means there’s no need to haul out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, no need to measure them all, and definitely no need to dirty a separate bowl so you can whisk them all together before adding them to the wet ingredients.
Just combine the standard wet ingredients for banana bread with the pancake mix, pour it into a loaf pan, bake, and you’ve got yourself a warm, soft loaf of pancake mix banana bread to slice and enjoy.
Oh, and a quick note here—while we love our homemade pancake mix, whole wheat pancake mix, and keto pancake mix, they’re not going to work for this recipe. You’ll need a box of complete pancake mix, the kind you just add water to. Think Krusteaz or Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima).
If you’re loving bananas, make sure to check out our banana chocolate chip pancakes and our banana blueberry pancakes.
What you need
- Dry ingredients – Complete pancake mix
- Wet ingredients – Ripe bananas, milk, canola or vegetable oil, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla
- For mixing in and topping – Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to make it
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350℉ and coat a loaf pan with nonstick spray, then line it with parchment paper overhanging the edges so you can pull them it to remove the loaf.
Tip: The nonstick spray will keep the parchment paper from shifting when you pour in the batter.
Make the batter. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl.
Add the pancake mix, milk, oil, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine, but don’t overmix.
Fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center has only a few crumbs clinging to it.
Tip: If you notice the top is browning too quickly, you can tent the pan with foil.
Cool. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then use the parchment sling to transfer the bread to a cooling rack.
FAQs
You can’t use pancake mix instead of flour because pancake mix has additional ingredients added to it, which will throw off your recipe. Only use pancake mix in recipes where it’s specifically called for!
Yes! Always let banana bread cool after baking. Although it’s tempting to slice and eat it right away, the bread actually continues to “bake” inside as it cools. It’s more likely to fall apart and it won’t be as moist if you cut it before it’s cooled.
It’s possible that your oven runs hot, which can cause the outside of the bread to be browned while the inside remains raw and doughy. Another option is overmixing; because this recipe uses pancake mix, overmixing can cause the gluten to over-develop, leading to batter that’s gummy and doesn’t bake up fluffy.
How to make this pancake mix banana bread your own
Here are some ideas for customizing banana bread with pancake mix!
- Add nuts. Use half the chocolate chips and substitute the other half with chopped walnuts or pecans. Or, use nuts in place of all of the chocolate chips. Try spreading almond butter on top!
- Glaze it. We love this pancake mix banana bread with our cream cheese glaze!
- Marble it. After pouring the batter into the pan, add a few dollops of Nutella, then swirl them with a butter knife.
Storage Suggestions
Store pancake mix banana bread at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the bread in a layer of plastic, then either wrap it in a layer of foil or place it in a freezer bag. The bread will keep for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Reheating Tips
Let the frozen banana bread thaw at room temperature before serving; it can be eaten that way or warmed up in the microwave a bit.
More banana breakfast recipes
Get the Recipe: Banana Bread with Pancake Mix
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe bananas (or 3 small bananas)
- 2 cups Complete Pancake mix (the add water only version)
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Spray loaf pan with nonstick baking spray and line with parchment paper in a sling style (with the ends overhanging on the long sides of the pan). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas until smooth.
- Add pancake mix, milk, oil, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla, and mix together until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Let cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, then lift from the pan using the parchment paper sling and transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Make sure to use the COMPLETE pancake mix – the one that says, “Just add water.”
- The amount of mashed banana needed for this recipe is about 1 cup. This will vary with the size of the bananas that are used.
- This can be mixed with an electric mixer or by hand. If using a mixer, combine on medium-low speed just until there are no longer streaks of dry ingredients. Overmixing can cause the bread to sink in the middle or it to be tough.
- If you want a little extra crunch, top the banana bread with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar or plain sugar before baking.
- If the bread is getting too brown, gently place a piece of foil over the loaf (don’t wrap it tight).
- This bread is wonderful toasted and also can be served topped with ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce for a quick dessert.