An easy and moist Banana Bread Recipe that is loaded with bananas, tangy-sweet raisins, and toasted walnuts. This is one of our favorite overripe banana recipes with hundreds of 5-star reviews.
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Banana Nut Bread Recipe:
This is my husband’s recipe which he has perfected over the years and he is known for his Banana Bread. He makes it frequently and it always disappears fast! It is simple to make and our favorite way to use up overripe bananas so they never go to waste. It’s super moist and makes a great breakfast on-the-go. We even created Banana Muffins from this recipe.
This loaf stays moist for days and also makes for a thoughtful and delicious gift idea for the holidays (I’ll take banana bread over fruit cake any day).
Banana Bread Video Tutorial:
Watch Natasha make this moist banana bread. You will be surprised at how easy it is. We will never stop loving this recipe. Now go forth and bake!
Ingredients for Banana Bread:
This is everything you need to make the best banana bread: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, softened butter, eggs and of course very ripe bananas. Adding walnuts and raisins is optional but adds great taste and texture, turning it into a banana nut bread.
Can I Omit Walnuts and Raisins?
YES! The recipe will still work if raisins and walnuts are omitted. We make it nut-free all the time due to a walnut allergy in the family. You will still have the softest, super moist and scrumptious loaf. You can also replace them with some chocolate to make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
How to Ripen Bananas:
- Quick Oven Method: If your bananas are a little green and you want them to ripen quicker, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 250˚F for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the initial ripeness of the bananas.
- 24 Hour Counter Method: If you are willing to wait 1 day, you can place the bunch of bananas (without separating them) in a paper bag, cover and leave at room temperature. Bananas emit ethylene which causes ripening. Adding an apple to the bag will speed up the process.
Can I Freeze Overripe Bananas?
If you have overripe bananas and aren’t ready to bake with them, DO NOT throw them away!
How to Freeze Bananas: place them un-peeled in a freezer-safe bag, remove any excess air and freeze up to 3 months. You can use thawed bananas for banana bread. You can also freeze them peeled and cut into pieces for easier use in smoothies. P.S. You can also freeze a whole banana bread with the same method!
How to Make Banana Bread:
This is the easiest banana bread recipe. We mix it in a stand mixer because it’s easy, but you can use an electric hand mixer and can even make it work with a hand whisk. There is no fancy equipment required. Watch the video tutorial below and you will be a pro in no time!
- In the mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
- Mix in mashed bananas and eggs.
- Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking soda and add to batter.
- Stir in vanilla, walnuts, and raisins, transfer to prepared loaf pan and bake.
Substitutions for a Healthy Banana Bread:
- My sister Anna made this into a honey banana bread; replacing sugar with honey.
- Use organic whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Replace 1 Tbsp of flour with 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed.
- Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup when using very ripe bananas; they add plenty of sweetness
Love Sweet Breads? Try these Popular Bread Recipes:
We love sweetbreads because they are easy to make and are such a treat, especially when you top them with Honey Butter! Don’t miss these reader favorites:
- Apple Bread – a pull-apart moist apple bread
- Pumpkin Bread – so easy and we love it year-round
- Banana Chocolate Chip Bread always disappears fast
- Persimmon Bread – great way to use ripe persimmon
Moist Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas, (medium/large)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp) at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a bread loaf pan (9.25 long x 5.25 wide x 2.75 deep). Lightly roast walnuts on a skillet, continuously stirring so they won’t burn. Coarsely chop and cool to room temperature.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together 8 Tbsp softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar (or honey if using honey).
- Mash bananas with a fork until the consistency of chunky applesauce and add them to the batter along with 2 eggs, mixing until blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt then add to batter.
- Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix in chopped walnuts and raisins. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let banana bread rest for 10 min before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This banana bread recipe was first published in 2009; one of the very first recipes on our blog! It has been a reader and family favorite ever since.
This makes the most wonderful banana bread in the most perfectly shaped loaf that I have ever made. It is foolproof. It does not have that heavy banana taste. It is wonderfully rich and moist. It tastes the same from the first bite to the last bite even if separated by several days. Thank you!
Aaaw thank you for this lovely review! I’m really happy to have seen your feedback!
Every time I make banana bread, I use this recipe. The guys at work in receiving go absolutely nuts for the bread!
Thank you for the excellent feedback!
I can confirm this recipe is fantastic. I didn’t have raisins and don’t really enjoy them anyways and the recipe was still perfect. 10/10!
Love it! Thanks for the prefect review!
Can I double the recipe, the bread is excellent nice and moist.😋
Hi Cindy! Yes, it can be doubled.
After following all the ingredients my loaf was mushy inside but almost burnt on the outside. Any suggestions?
Hi Sidney! Did you use the correct size loaf pan? If it was smaller the there would be too much batter and it won’t bake properly without adjusting the time/temp. I would also encourage the use of an Internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to verify your oven is heating correctly. If it runs too hot, the outside will burn while the center remains raw. The type of pan used can also affect how it bakes, different materials distribute heat differently. I hope that helps for next time.
Also- this recipe is written for a conventional oven, on regular bake mode. If you’re using a convection oven, it would require adjusting time/temp.
Your recipe was by far the simplest and best banana bread I’ve ever made! I’m printing and keeping it in my binder. Thanks, Natasha
You’re so welcome!
If I don’t have unsalted butter is it ok to use salted butter and I want to add chocolate chips
You can use salted, just omit the salt called for in the recipe. Adding chocolate chips is fine. I hope you love the recipe!
This was so good that my husband has asked every day “when are you going to make some more of that banana cake? “. He thinks it’s dessert 🎂!
Hi Natasha.
To reduce the cholesterol from butter, can you replace the butter with oil?
Kim
Hi Kim! I haven’t tested this with oil but some of my readers reported good results using oil in its place.
Yeah you can. I have done that too. I was using canola oil, olive oil sometimes also sun flowers oil. It’s work awesome.
Could I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour as a substitute for the all-purpose flour that you use in your recipe, in the same proportion (1.5 cups), and achieve the same effect? Any other suggestions re: making the banana bread gluten free?
Hi Lydia, I haven’t tried this with a 1:1 gluten free substitute, but here’s what one of my readers wrote. I hope it helps: “Absolutely delicious! Substituted All-purpose flour with 1cup 1-1 gluten free baking flour and 1/2 cup almond flour and made it with pecans because I didn’t have walnuts. Yummmmy”.
Thank you so much, Natasha. Looking forward to trying a gluten free one!
Delicious recipe Natasha. It was moist and so flavourful. I had never used raisins in banana bread before and found it more moist. Did add 1 1/2 c mashed bananas (3 thawed & 2 ripe) which was so tasty. May try chocolate chips when no nuts can be used re allergies. Thanks. A keeper for sure.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, France! I’m so glad this was a keeper!
Hello!!! I can’t wait to try this recipe! It’s in the oven now! I made a loaf and muffins, is there a different time to cook the muffins? I was just thinking about poking the middle until done but you seem responsive, maybe you will answer in time! 😉
Hi Jennifer! Yes, the muffins will definitely bake a lot faster than the loaf.
Great recipe. Make it quite often. My grandchildren love it! I sometimes add mini chocolate chip.
Hi Donna! I’m so glad you’re all loving this banana bread recipe. Thank you for your awesome review.
Can I use a different size loaf pan as I don’t have the size specified.
Hi Joanna! You can experiment with different pan sizes but it can affect the baking time. The thinner the batter, the faster it will bake. I would not recommend a smaller pan because there would be too much batter.
I made this bread today and it’s perfect! Moist and delicious banana flavor. I try other recipes that adds yogurt, brown sugar, and spices. Equally good, only difference I notice is, Natasha’s bread the bananas flavor shine and is not overshadowed by spices.
We truly believe we found the perfect balance with this one, Johanny! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me.
Hands down the best banana bread recipe I’ve used. I do cook it at 325 towards the front of my oven, for 55 minutes. If there was a way to post a picture I would. Top was perfectly golden brown with a nice shine. Smells amazing, very happy and I’ve tried a lot of banana bread recipes. 5 stars
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the excellent feedback. You will not be able to share some photos here but you can do so when you go to our Facebook page or group.
Can you use margarine instead of butter? i’m lactose intolerant so i have no butter in the house
Hi Chantel! I haven’t tested margarine. Some
of my viewers have reported using oil with good results.
would i do a 1for1 measurement of oil? or is it a different measurement compared to the butter?
Hi Chantel, Several of my readers reported using oil in the same amount. If you use olive oil, I would use light olive oil which is neutral tasting, not virgin.
Thank you so much for showing us this recipe! I cant wait to try it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️
Its Amazing. I have had a lot of bannana breads, but this one is better than all of them combined!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you use olive oil instead of the butter? And if so, how much?
Hi Elisa! Several of my readers reported using oil in the same amount. If you use olive oil, I would use light olive oil which is neutral tasting, not virgin.