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.







Can I use peacons instead of walnuts? Can the peacons be toasted?
Hi there! Yes, pecans work great and they can be toasted beforehand.
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and it’s baking now. This recipe looks great as written, so I followed it, but left out raisins and added 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp Mexican vanilla. It looked yummy going into the oven. I’ll come back and let you know if it was a hit in my house!
Can I use disposable pans and is it ok if the only ones I can find are 8in X 3/4in X 2 1/2
Hi Rebecca! Yes, you can. You’ll want to make sure not to overfill them or they won’t bake up properly.
Pour the extra batter in a smaller dish to bake separately. Since it’s made of thin foil it has poor heat regulation and can bake unevenly, especially if the foil buckles in. The bread browns fast on the outside but stays gummy or underbaked inside so you’ll need to lower your oven temp by 25 degrees and bake it longer.
Can I substitute brown sugar for regular sugar?
Hi Veronica! Sure, you can replace with the same amount.
Great recipe!! If you want to know a secret, you can substitute Almond extract for the Vanilla extract. But it’s a secret…
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your secret with us!
I turned this batter minus nuts and raisins add chocolate chips and banana chocolate chip MUFFINS were born!
Wonderful! We have a Banana Muffin Recipe too.
I i’m in the middle of making it right now and I realized I didn’t have any baking soda and only baking powder… is it possible for it to still turn out if I use baking powder??
Hi Lex! It can work with baking powder too, but it’s less potent so you’ll need to use more.
Love this recipe! Just what I’ve been searching for, flavorful & moist!!!
So glad you found this recipe, Nancy!
Do you know how many grams or cups of bananas is needed for this recipe? My bananas are somewhere between small and medium so I would rather have the amount in weight if possible. Thank you in advance!
Hi T! I do not have the exact amount, it’s fairly forgiving to use a little more or less. A medium banana is about 118 grams (4.2 oz) peeled or 135–140 grams (4.8–5 oz) with the peel. I hope that helps.
A little extra banana only makes it better, I always add a little extra, personally. I just made a double batch with 7 large bananas 🤷🏼♀️ I’d try 4 medium, or 5 small bananas?
Very good and tasty! It lasted about 5 minutes. Everyone had to have more.
This recipe is the best I’ve ever used! It’s moist and delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness. I bake several loaves to take to team meetings, and I don’t have leftovers🤩I was wondering if I could make muffins with the batter?
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit with the team, Aaronda! Here’s my recipe for Banana Muffins. Hope you love them!
Natasha this banana bread is fantastic! I love that it is loaded with nuts and raisins! Your recipes are always scrumptious. Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing, I’m so glad you loved it!
The best banana bread recipe…period. I skip the raisins and walnuts because we don’t like them but add chocolate chips to half the batter. It’s so moist and delicious. It’s definitely my go to recipe whenever I make banana bread. Thank you for sharing it with us!!
Wow! So delicious and easy to make. I threw in a handful of chocolate chips and crushed nuts. Will make again for sure.
Oh that defilinite sounds delicious. More chocolate sounds more fun! Glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was so easy to make and came out delicious. I toasted the walnuts but also added a few chocolate chips. It was moist and flavorful.
Best banana bread I’ve ever made. I didn’t change a thing about the recipe. Moist and delicious.
Hi! Can I substitute sugar with maple syrup? What would be the amount if so?
Hi, One of my readers reported great results substituting sugar with 1/2 cup maple syrup.
This is delicious, I add applesauce with cinnamon to add to the moist
I also added applesauce with cinnamon for moisture. It’s in the oven now! I believe it will be AMAZING!!!
WOW
The best I’ve ever baked
Thank You
VERY delicious, and easy to make! Thank you for this recipe, my family and I LOVE IT!