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.
Another great recipe, thank you, Natasha!
You’re so welcome!
Pl for banana bread can u pl give the measurements in grams…
Hi there! Hi, we are slowly working through all of our recipes to add nutrition info but it is a time consuming process as they have to be added one at a time. Thank you for being patient! 🙂
Hi Natasha! This is my favorite banana bread recipe and I would like to add Nutella to it. Any suggestions on how I can do that?
One of my readers said she baked a strip of Nutella in the center of the dough and loved it! 🙂I haven’t experimented myself so I can’t say. Anyone else try this?
Hello Natasha, this is the best Banana bread recipe I ever came across. I had previously been skeptical about banana bread on the whole but you helped to change my mind.
I made a few changes by I reducing the sugar by 1/4 cup and swapped out the raisins for cranberries and adding some almonds.
The results were fantastic !!
Thank you.
You’re so welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Have you tried adding cinnomon or pumpkin spice into it to give it a little kick of fall flavors?
Hi Liz, I haven’t tried but I think it’s worth experimenting! If you try that out, let me know how it goes 🙂
Great recipe thanks for sharing
Will always use this one can’t go
Wrong
I’m so happy to hear that Mary!
So Yummy and very moist! The BEST BANANA I HAVE EVER TASTED.
Thank you for this amazing compliment, Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
THIS WAS THE EASIEST/GREATEST RECEIPT EVER!!!! Thank you for this recipe!!!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you loved it!
I don’t generally leave reviews, but I’ve just made the banana bread (I’ve swapped walnuts for chocolate chips 😅😅🙈) and it came out absolutely perfect, moist and the flavour is just amazing, sooo pleased!! Thank you so much for the recipe! 😘❤️
Thank you so much for this amazing review, Cristina!
I made mine gluten free and added dark chocolate chips on the top. It came out super moist and delicious.
That sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with me!
What kind of flour was used for the gluten free recipe and how much compared to normal flour?
Use a ‘cup for cup’ of gf flour!
Thank you Natasha for your recipe of Banana Bread. It is excellent and super simple. I tried it as my sister insisted after she had tried.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Neha!
How do you prevent the cracking in the top of the bread ?
Thanks !
Hi Marlene, the cracking is normal and expected in banana bread.
Hi Natasha! Great recipe, now I’m pondering if I can make a muffin version of this bread? How to adjust the times and ingredients? What do you think? Thanks!
Hi Iga! Several readers have reported great results using muffins. The bake time will need some adjusting and close watching. Enjoy!
I love watching you on Facebook but today as I tried to open the link to your banana bread, I got inundated with spam messages galore😡. FYI 👍
I’m so sorry to hear that. Definitely check your security blockers and make sure that all and any spam gets blocked.
I made it exactly as the recipe calls and it was dry.
Hi Kristina, I haven’t had it come out dry following the recipe – the only thing that comes to mind is – did you possibly use a convection oven setting which would cause it to over bake? Or does your oven tend to run hot? Or did you possibly use a larger pan which would require less baking time? I hope that helps to troubleshoot.
Hi Natasha, I made banana bread and made a mistake and put baking powder instead of baking soda,what will happen is it still good,
Hi Theresa! I have not tested it this way and since baking is so much a science, I can’t make that recommendation without first trying it. Also, baking soda is 4x stronger than baking powder. I would love to know how it turned out with the powder!
Excellent blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many
options out there that I’m completely confused ..
Any ideas? Kudos!
Hi Tracey! Those are all great questions. We have a post here with some awesome blogging tips.
I’m traveling out of state to a reunion and wonder if I can take this as it is, or put it in a cooler on ice. Thanks in advance. I love your recipes!
Hi Neva, this recipe is to be stored in the fridge so having it in a cooler may best.
I’ve tried a number of banana bread recipes and for some reason they were raw inside or not fully cooked. Finally this recipe worked! It’s great and love the walnuts/raisin additions! And so easy to make 🙂
YESSS!! Your amazing review on our banana bread just makes my day. I’m smiling big. Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
Hi Anna! I’m so happy this recipe worked for you! Thank you for the great review!
Ive just made this and couldn’t wait for it to cool to have a slice, it is lovely and light. I wasn’t sure what all purpose flour was so I used self raising flour and it is perfect, thank you for the recipe.
You’re so welcome Sheila. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Hi there!
So, if I add extra banana, do I need to increase anything else?
Hi Lexington, I haven’t tested it that way but I suspect you’d have to increase everything proportionally and use a larger pan or the banana bread might be dense from too much moisture. Again, I haven’t tested it that way but that is my best guess.
Assuming Natasha’s recipe is for a single banana, you need to double ingredients for 2, triple for 3 etc. A slight increase in banana numbers won’t hurt, either.