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.
I’ve baked many banana breads in my lifetime, and this is by far the best banana bread ever! Thank you Natasha for another great recipe!!! Keep them coming, looking forward to making your next recipe!
Love your feedback! Thank you so much for your good words, so happy that you enjoyed this so much!
Hi, Natasha, I would like to ask you him much time I have to add to make three banana breads on one time?
Hi Lyubov, we have tested two loaves at once and it didn’t affect the cooking time. I haven’t experimented with three but I would suggest doing the toothpick test at the recommended time in the recipe to ensure they are all fully baked.
Thanks
Love banana bread. My whole family does too. Thank you for the recipe.
Isn’t it amazing! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!
REALLY a nice banana bread! It’s lighter than most–which is a nice difference–and I’ve never had a banana bread with raisins in it. Loved the additional layer of flavor. A unique banana bread! I’ll be making this again!!! Thank you Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Cheryl!
Hi Natasha, the banana loaf is our family favourite, especially my husband who loves to have it on hand for his snacks & tea, I have to make two loaves at a time so it’s always available. We live in New Zealand.
That’s so great Maddy! Thank you for that awesome feedback.
My sister and I are British and live in California. We travelled home and made this cake with our Mom. We didn’t have walnuts but used sliced almonds instead. It was absolutely delicious and will become a regular for my Mom to make for her friends in the UK!
Thanks for sharing that with us and for the great feedback! Hope they love this recipe too as this has also become our favorite.
10 Stars !!! Sooo delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for that great review!
How much would the “mashed bananas” measure in cups?
I would think it would be about a cup or so of mashed should equal to 3 bananas.
I have to say this was so moist and wonderful. I made 4 small loafs to share and just wanted you to know how much I loved it.
So happy to hear that Karen. Thank you for such a wonderful review!
It was my first time to make banana bread and it was soooo yummy, thank you for your recipe 🙂
Do you have apple bread recipe please share it with us. Thanks
You’re welcome and I’m glad that you loved the banana bread recipe. Here’s the apple bread recipe.
Hi Natasha
Love love love this recipe! Thanks so much. I have made this three times and it is a hit. I added chocolate chips replacing the nuts.
Love all of your recipes
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Rae!
Hi Natasha I love your recipes i did a few Of them, but can you do some recipes for people who have diabetes i love sweet stuff but they can kill me.
Hi Angel, thank you for stopping by & for that suggestion.
I just tried this today, and it came out perfect. It’s soft and oh so yummy.. My husband loved it.. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe..
You’re welcome, Gerlie! We love this recipe also!
Does this have to be refrigerated?
Hi Robert, yes, this one needs to be stored in the fridge.
Made this with my granddaughters! Outstanding
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Robert!
Do I need to do any recipe modifications if I use regular salted butter? I don’t ever have unsalted on hand.
Hi Kevin, yes that should work fine but I would suggest using a little less salt in the recipe, maybe 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp.
Awesome! Thank you! I turned out so well. It’s my “new” banana bread recipe…forever!
Thanks again!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha, I love following you and all your recipes. I followed the recipe exactly as listed, great taste but not as moist as I’d like. Any tips on what I may have done wrong? I baked for exactly 1 hour
Hi Yvonne, 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. Altitude may have something to do with it also, did you adjust the bake time any?
Nearly the same as the recipe I have made for decades, but mine calls for 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of buttermilk or 3 tablespoons of sour cream. Also, I usually only have self-rising flour on hand, and it comes out perfectly, even though I still add the baking soda and salt. I don’t use raisins but think dried cranberries would be good – less sweet. It’s a family favorite!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Tricia!
I followed your recipe and it turned out to be super delicious. The only downside was when I was slicing it, the slices tend to break like crumbling a little. My question is; if I use the same recipe and measurements but I make muffins instead, how many muffins would that batter make?
Hi Ricardo, I already have the muffins versions on my blog. Get the banana muffins recipe here.
I teach children with special needs so its important that the procedure for baking is simple for them to follow. Me and my student tried out this recipe and it was certainly a hit.
I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
Excellent recipe. I tried it and the taste is second to none. There’s only one thing I noticed; when I sliced the bread, the slices would not stay together as a whole slice but it breaks like in the middle. Kind of crumbling. Maybe I should add another egg to the batter to keep it together? I have another question; if I use the same batter to make muffins instead of the loaf, how many muffins would that recipe make? I want to make 24 muffins.
Hi Ricardo, I haven’t noticed that happening unless the bread is cut while it is too warm. Were there any other substitutions in the recipe? Also, we have already converted this to a banana muffin recipe. I hope you love it!