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.







All I have is salted butter. Can I use that and omit the salt?? Idk. Please advise
Hi Sam. That would be fine. I hope you love the recipe.
Want an extra moist and ooey-gooey textured loaf? I add approx 2 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise to the batter while mixing and when you remove bread from loaf pan, immediately wrap the loaf in Saranwrap and let cool!.
So yummy! Quick to whip up. I baked without the add ins the first time. I’ve just mixed one up with chocolate chips. Can’t wait to try. Smells amazing!
Sorry, I mean what is the “baking” time for mini loaves?
I have not tested this in mini loaves to advise of the exact cooking time but I would just watch out for it and check every now and then before it completes the cooking time.
Can I use pecans and roast them as well?
Hi Karen! Yes, that would work great.
My absolute favorite banana bread recipe. Always turns out moist and amazing.
Hi Sandy! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe!
Excellent! Made a double batch! My husband is not a raisin or walnut fan so I omitted the raisins and walnuts in the first loaf and substituted chocolate chips for the raisins in the second loaf. Both were delicious!
Can you use self rising flour & omit baking soda
Hi Mary! I haven’t tested self rising flour but likely you’ll need to add baking soda.
Excellent recipe, and thank you for putting the amount of ingredients in the steps, so I didn’t have to scroll up. Also, I used this recipe to make muffins. In muffin pan, I cooked for 25 minutes and tested center with a toothpick. They are delicious.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad that was helpul, Caroline!
I was wondering if I could turn this recipe into muffins so it would be easier to grab and go for the kids if so, would I use the same temperature and how many minutes would I bake them for?
Hello Stefani! I have another recipe for Banana Muffins. Hope you love it!
…my go to recipe for banana bread… I do add tons more raisins, oatmeal, Cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds… and others to this…
Such a yummy recipe! I turn this into what I call banana split bread and add a handful of chocolate chips and swap out the raisins for dried cherries.
If I want to use honey instead of sugar for a healthier option, what is the amount I should use?
Hi Melissa, you would use the same amount of honey as sugar. I hope that helps.
Is the cook time the same if I’m making muffins instead of the loaf? Thanks!
Hi Iviana! They would bake much faster. Please reference my Banana muffin recipehere.
This is the best recipe for banana bread that I’ve ever come across 😋 tried mine today and it was soooo good, super moist and delicious. Thanks for this 💕
You are so very welcome!
I made so many time banana it’s so good only thing it gets very dark and doesn’t cook in the middle. Can u please tell me what can I do to fix this problem
Hi Farida! Are you using a fan (convection) oven? This recipe was tested in a conventional oven so if you are using a fan oven, you will need to lower the temperature and bake it for longer since it bakes faster. Are you using the same pan size that I recommended in the recipe? Also, the type of pan you are using in the material that it’s made out of can affect how it makes sense materials distribute heat differently.
Best ever banana bread recipe and I use this recipe for life absolutely delicious moist and soft
Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you loved it.
Used this recipe for the first thing I ever baked from scratch! Thanks! It’s fall and I believe I’m going to wear this recipe out!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe for banana bread was really delicious. I followed the recipe, except I didn’t have any walnuts, so I added chopped dates along with the raisins and it came out wonderful!
I really like how easy this recipe is, and the banana bread was delish! I started with 50 minutes (5 less than suggested) and my bread came out a bit dry (I have a thermometer in my oven so I know it was at the proper temp). I’ll be reducing my cook time in the future to make sure it’s nice and moist!
Hi Paige! I’m glad you’re liking this recipe. Every oven bakes differently, and it could also be the type of pan used since the heat can be distributed differently based on the material the pan is made of. I would definitely decrease the time a bit to see if that helps. Also- make
sure to measure your flour correctly and not scoop it from the container with your measuring cup. Either use a food scale to weigh it, or fluff and spoon it into your measuring cup, then level it off. I hope that helps!
Just made this and we are enjoying a slice with our coffee. Next time I will make sure I have golden raisins.
It is delicious!