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.

Banana Bread on a cutting board with walnuts, raisins and ripe bananas to make healthy banana bread

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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.

Ingredients for Banana Bread with ripe bananas, flour, sugar, eggs, butter, walnuts and raisins

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!

Slices of banana nut bread on a plate

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!

  1. In the mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
  2. Mix in mashed bananas and eggs.
  3. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking soda and add to batter.
  4. 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

Moist banana bread recipe sliced to show banana nut bread center

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:

Moist Banana Bread Recipe

4.97 from 6214 votes
Banana bread sliced on a cutting board
This Banana Bread Recipe is loaded with ripe bananas, tangy-sweet raisins, and toasted walnuts. It is one of our favorite ripe banana recipes and even better with overripe bananas.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 10 people

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

350kcal Calories45g Carbs5g Protein18g Fat7g Saturated Fat57mg Cholesterol243mg Sodium270mg Potassium3g Fiber20g Sugar354IU Vitamin A4mg Vitamin C26mg Calcium2mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
350
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
18
g
28
%
Saturated Fat
 
7
g
44
%
Cholesterol
 
57
mg
19
%
Sodium
 
243
mg
11
%
Potassium
 
270
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
 
45
g
15
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
20
g
22
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
 
354
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
4
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
26
mg
3
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana bread, banana nut bread
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 350
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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.

Moist banana nut bread on kitchen towel

This Banana Bread Recipe is loaded with ripe bananas, tangy sweet raisins and toasted walnuts making it a banana nut bread. One of our favorite ripe banana recipes and even better with overripe bananas! This banana nut bread is super moist, easy and makes a great breakfast on-the-go. | natashaskitchen.com
4.97 from 6214 votes (4,175 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Debbie Russell
    August 2, 2020

    This is my new go to for banana bread! Delish!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      August 2, 2020

      That is so great to hear, Debbie! Thank you so much.

      Reply

  • Tuyen Le
    August 1, 2020

    Omg! This has to be the best banana bread I’ve made. So flavorful and moist. I adjusted the ingredients – added 4 bananas in the mixture, two sliced bananas to add to the top of the bread, added 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar and 2/3 vanilla extract without raisins.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 1, 2020

      That’s just awesome! I’m so happy you loved this recipe Tuyen!

      Reply

  • Patrice
    August 1, 2020

    Hi! I really love your recipe and I’ve tried using it multiple times, but I always end up with a not moist banana bread. I can’t figure out how to make it moist… I even tried lessening the baking time to 50 mins

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 1, 2020

      Hi Patrice, I haven’t had it come out dry following the recipe. The bananas, eggs, and vanilla do the trick. Did you possibly use very small bananas? This post on measuring may help your dry ingredient measurements. If you’re scooping your dry ingredient incorrectly that may be the culprit.

      Reply

      • Patrice
        August 4, 2020

        They were small so I added one more banana to the recipe. I’ll check out the post and try again this Friday

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          August 5, 2020

          Sounds like a good plan. Please let us know how it goes.

          Reply

  • Joyce Neideffer
    July 31, 2020

    Hi Natasha, reading your recipe for Banana bread, gonna make it today. My question is can I use the Monk Fruit sugar instead of granulated sugar. We are trying to watch our sugar intake. Thank you, have a bless day

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 31, 2020

      Hello Joyce, sounds like a good plan. I haven’t really tried using Monk Fruit sugar yet to advise so you might have to do an experiment to find out. Please share with us how it goes.

      Reply

  • Maribel M. Francisco
    July 29, 2020

    Hi natasha im maribel francisco living here in winnipeg manitoba. Im not really good on baking but with your recipes they all turn out so good to think that you made them easy to follow and the ingredients are mostly in the house and i also enjoy watching you not only ur pretty very bubbly too.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      July 29, 2020

      Thank you so much for that thoughtful compliment. I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  • Sharon
    July 28, 2020

    Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted in a recipe?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 28, 2020

      Hi Sharon, you could use salted butter and just omit the salt in the recipe.

      Reply

  • Irma
    July 26, 2020

    Thinking of leaving out raisins-don’t like them-and replacing them with chocolate chips, maybe even replacing the nuts with chocolate chips too. Is there something I can do so they won’t sink to the bottom?

    Reply

  • katrina
    July 26, 2020

    can i use baking flour instead of baking soda, if yes does the amout remain the same

    Reply

    • Natasha
      July 26, 2020

      Hi Katrina, I haven’t tested that so I can’t make that recommendation or if it would be enough leavening for this recipe.

      Reply

  • Maryam
    July 25, 2020

    Hi natasha’s. I love your recepie l am starting to bake but how much is one cup of flour in grams, then thanks

    Reply

  • Mizz Jackie
    July 25, 2020

    Hi Natasha! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. Can I use 4 bananas for this and still use the same measurements for the ingredients?

    Reply

  • Samu
    July 24, 2020

    Thank you for the recipe. It’s so moist and delicious. Love it!!!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 24, 2020

      You’re very welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply

  • Femina Pereira
    July 22, 2020

    Turned out to be the BEST Banana bread recipe I’ve ever made. I omitted the raisins as I am not not a big fan and added more walnuts and some crushed walnuts on the top before popping it in the oven. Yummy!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 22, 2020

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Femina!

      Reply

  • V.
    July 21, 2020

    I used to like coming to ur web to get recipies but now with all pop up advertising and I cant turn it off it makes sad…

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 21, 2020

      Hi V, thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback.

      The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes.

      I appreciate your feedback and I hope you love every recipe you try.

      Reply

  • Irina
    July 20, 2020

    Natasha, I don’t understand measurement in cups. could you please help me? How many grams in cup? 227? 3/4 cup granulated sugar? 1 1/2 cups of flour? thank you, Irina

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 20, 2020

      Hi Irina, if you click “Metric” in the recipe card, you will see the measurements displayed in grams.

      Reply

    • Irina
      July 25, 2020

      Thank you very much.

      Reply

  • mary klitzing
    July 20, 2020

    I enjoy you soooo much. Thank You!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 20, 2020

      I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog! Thank you for sharing that with us.

      Reply

  • Alicia Vizuet
    July 19, 2020

    Thank you Natasha for the amazing recipe. I made this last night and it came out great. I used coconut sugar and some honey. My husband and daughter loved it.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 19, 2020

      My pleasure! I am so happy to hear that you and your family loved it.

      Reply

  • C
    July 19, 2020

    Great Recipe! Thx so much! I added 1 tsp of cinnamon and used Craisins. Made them into 3 mini loaves. Baked for 30 minutes.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 19, 2020

      Yay so awesome! Thanks for your great feedback.

      Reply

  • Olga
    July 16, 2020

    Loved the recipe! Came out better than expected! Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 17, 2020

      That is awesome! Thanks for your good feedback.

      Reply

  • Laiba Waseem
    July 15, 2020

    Came out perfectly and better than any other recipe

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 15, 2020

      I’m so glad you enjoyed that Laiba!

      Reply

  • Patricia R.
    July 14, 2020

    I used total whole wheat flour and replaced the raisins with dried cranberries. It was delicious

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 14, 2020

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me Patricia! That’s so great!

      Reply

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