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.
Perfection! I used chocolate disks instead of raisins!
My go to banana bread recipe. My grandson ask for it anytime I have a ripe banana. I do use very ripe bananas and I think that helps with the sweetness and moisture. I have just recently started freezing banana when they get extra ripe so I will have some on hand. Not sure why I didn’t know to do this years ago.
I cooked the bread for an hour and it looked beautiful When I went to wrap it it looked sunken in the middle when i went to taste it it wasnt cooked all the way in the middle What do I do now
Hi Rita! I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. This can happen for a few reasons- oven wasn’t fully preheated before baking, pan was too small for the amount of batter, using a glass or ceramic pan, or if your oven runs too hot and it cooked outwards first and remained undone in the middle.
Did you use a convection/fan oven? If so, the temperature should be lowered by 25° since it cooks faster.
I also highly recommend the use of an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to verify your ovens temperature accuracy.
Made this with sweet potatoes AND bananas! It was phenomenal. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear you loved it with those substitutions.
Did you replace part of the banana for sweet potato?
Hands down the MOST AMAZING banana bread EVER! Has turned out perfectly for me every time! All of Natasha’s recipes have been full proof!
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. I’m so happy to know you love the recipe.
Hello – I made this a few months ago and it was delicious. I only have almond flour today, could I substitute it 1:1?
Hi Ingrid! I haven’t tested it myself but have had several readers reported good results with almond flour in place of all purpose.
My grandson is allergic to eggs so can i substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
for each egg?
I haven’t tested that to advise. Let us know how it goes if you do an experiment!
Did not like it at all it was dry and wasn’t that sweet
Hi Sabrina! Did you measure your flour correctly? I have a tutorial on How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) here. It’s one of our most popular recipes, and I’ve personally made it successfully so many times. If you’re using the right amount of flour, measuring all the ingredients correctly, and not over-baking it, it shouldn’t be dry. Regarding the sweetness, were the bananas ripe enough? If they aren’t very ripe, they won’t add much flavor and will also make the bread less sweet.
Made this and it was so good. I didn’t include the walnuts cause my daughter is allergic to nuts.
Really excellent! Very moist and flavorful. My grandchildren (and their parents) absolutely love this bread. I have been making the bread every week since they come here for dinner every Thursday. The only modification I make is I leave out the raisins since my young grandson doesn’t like them.
I have made this many times and it’s always delicious. It’s a keeper.
That’s so great, Patricia! Thank you for trying this recipe!
Just made this and it is now my only Banana bread recipe, delicious!!
I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog, Wendy!
This is the 2nd recipe I’ve made from your site. Just awesome. My grandkids are picky eaters but this was gone before it had a chance to cool.
I’m so glad the picky eaters loved it too, John! Thank you for your wonderful review.
Very dry. Will not use this recipe again. I usually just love Natasha’s recipes and make them all the time. This time not so good. I measure exactly and my oven is calibrated to 350. I don’t know what went wrong but it certainly did!
Hi Mary Ellen, did you possible have less ripe and smaller bananas? Also, I would double check to make sure you measured everything correctly. If it was dry, it could be due to using too much flour (don’t scoop it out of the container with your measuring cup) or baking it for too long (which will dry out the crumb). I use a conventional oven on regular bake mode. I recommend watching my tutorial on How to measure ingredients.
Can we bake it as muffins and for how long?
Hi Stephanie, you sure can! Please see my Banana Muffin Recipe.
I live in Colorado in high altitude. Do you have any suggestions on oven temp and time?
Hi Ashley, I have not tested that to advise but this guide on High-Altitude Baking can be useful.
This is my go to banana recipe and everyone LOVES it, I don’t add the raisins bc I think raisins ruin everything haha or the walnuts but this recipe is amazing and I highly recommend!
Perfect! Easy, always lots of compliments!
Can you use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
Hi Bonnie! Yes, that works too. It will be more moist and dense with a richer molasses flavor.
This recipe is hands down the best!! My others are going in the trash!