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.







Hi Ms. Natasha. Thank you very much and proud watching your video in different recipe’s. . Actually this i my first time to bake choco chips banana cake which my grand daughter love most. I did follow all your instruction in making the messurement, how to bake till done. I will show you my creation.
Sounds great, Corazon. You may share photos of your creation, on our Facebook page or group.
To be honest, I never did like banana bread, until I came across this gem of a recipe.. from granny to kids, hit with everyone!!
That is so awesome. Thank you so much for your great feedback, Reeti!
Thank you so much for sharing and I love all your videos and postings. May I know the estimated weight of the 3 bananas please? The bananas here where I’m from are not as big as those used for your cake. Thanks again.
Hi Hani, I wish I had measured it that way. This Ingredient Weight Chart can be useful.
Hi Ms Natasha, it’s my first time to bake actually.. tried your banana cake.. i’m not sure what happened on mine!haha texture was too fine not the normal but still delicious.. is it because i used glassware? I really dont know what happened..
Hi Angelia, did you possibly use cake flour? That could cause a very light crumb. We have baked with glass before without problems so I don’t think that is the issue.
Thanks Ms Natasha for the reply.. I will try again this weekend and I should make it right!
Hi Ms Natasha, just an update.. I figured out why my first try was too fine. My glassware a bit small.. it didn’t rose well.. Bought a bit bigger and it turned out perfectly delicously yummy!😍 Thank you sooo much! My kids really love it and asking for more! I want to try all your recipes! Thankful I found you!😊
I am so happy to hear that you all loved the banana bread recipe .
This was my first time making banana bread, it came out great! I just forgot to add the butter and flour to the pan.
So great to hear that, Patricia. No worries, you make sure to remember to add those ingredients next time so it can taste perfect!
I used honey instead of sugar and it came out in the flavor. It was amazing. I used a one to one and ended up nearly using up all my honey!
Fantastic! I’m so glad to know that Izzy, thank you for sharing that with us.
I was looking for a quick and easy banana bread recipe that would be moist and delicious. Let me tell you, this recipe delivered. This was the best banana bread I’ve ever had/made.
I omitted walnuts and raisins because I didn’t have any on the shelf and I didn’t have a loaf pan that I could find. Instead I had two mini loaf pans. I made two mini loaves and they cooked for 15 mins.
They were a hit!
That’s awesome that they baked so quickly (only 15 minutes) in two mini loaf pans! Thank you for sharing your lovely review. I’m so glad you loved the banana bread recipe.
I am a big fan of your recipes and they all turned out great, except for this one. I tried it twice and both turned out raw. it rose a little bit and was the same color as shown in the video but when I cut it, it was raw. I followed the exact recipe so I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Thank you!
Hi Emma, could you possibly be using a different size or shape pan? Also, you might check that your oven is reaching the correct temperature and make sure to put it in the oven after the oven is fully preheated. If it didn’t rise much, it could be the leavening that is expired. If leavening expires, it won’t activate to make the bread rise properly which could be a culprit. I hope that helps!
I’ve baked your choc chip banana bread and it’s delicious. I have to make one every week now because it’s so delicious. But my son asked me today if I could add some porridge oats to it. Would that be possible and if so…how many grams do you think I could add to the mix?
So great to hear that Michele. Regarding your question, I haven’t personally tried that yet to advise on the ingredients you might need to experiment on it. If you try, please let us know how it goes!
Wow, if you want a buttery, decadent piece of banana bread, this is it! I made some adjustments based on what I had:
– omitted raisins and nuts
– replaced one banana with 1/3 cup fruit puree
– used 1/3 cup of the sugar to caramelize two banana before mashing and adding
Baked at 170 C for 50 minutes. Edges were a bit brown but the inside was perfect, and every bite was delicious!
So nice of you to share that with us, Kendall. Thank you so much! So glad that you loved this recipe too.
It looks delicious! I am going to try it with dates instead of raisins. Just an idea. I love dates and you can buy them already cut with sugar on them so they don’t stick to one another.
Hi Jean, I love the idea of using dates! Let me know how you like the banana bread.
Hello Natasha,I am from Omaha ,Nebraska. Cold and Rainy.I am making your banana nut,raisin ,bread for the fourth time. Made your Apple Cake yesterday-to die for. I am a law student and your receipes are my bible. Every recipe has been delicious. I am glad you are my cook.Blessings to you and your family.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Beth! I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha, if I leave out the raisins do I need to change the measurements for any of the other ingredients?
Hi Tee, several of our readers left out raisins and reported great results without any adjustments.
I was really craving the banana bread from starbucks & decided to make some myself w this recipe. the first time I’ve baked banana bread and WOW. someone else suggested using brown sugar along with the white so I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar (i’m a sucker for brown sugar :P) I omitted the raisins but did include walnuts in AND on top (just like how starbucks has em). This adds a wonderful crisp to the outside layer with a moist DELICIOUS inside. wow. I am 100% making this again.
it’s my first time living alone so I had bought way too many bananas & some of them are now overripe. So I’ll be baking some more soon !!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Casey! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Just throw your extra bananas in your freezer. They will be ready and waiting!
This recipe worked perfectly. I am currently living in a high altitude location so I was nervous about the result. But I didn’t modify the recipe or instructions and it turned out great. Well, I did replace the raisins with 1/4 cup of chocolate chip, lol.
I’m so happy that worked out, Sonya! That’s so great!
My granddaughter who is 5 is a great fan of your and her favorite night time story is to look at your videos. Your brownie is household favorite. Please keep posting your recipes I so enjoy watching them. My granddaughter says you are so funny.than you
Aww! That’s the best! I’m so inspired to read this review, Yasmin! Thank you!
Hi Natasha, can I use coconut oil instead of butter? in the same measurement?
Hi Lucy, I haven’t experimented with anything else, but one of my readers wrote in with the following helpful review: “The bread turns out rich and moist and wonderful!!! I have tweaked it a bit (as all bakers do) by using virgin coconut oil instead of butter, and using 1/2 cup of white sugar & 1/2 cup brown sugar in place of just white… Finally, I use milk chocolate chips instead of raisins or nuts. It is to die for!!!!
I wish to make it, but I am allergic to eggs and wheat. Can I use gluten free flour? I will try the flaxseed and water for the eggs, but I didn’t know about the flour
Hello Rebecca, someone shared this “I used Pamela’s gluten free all-purpose flour, replacing 1 tbsp of flour with ground flax. I replaced the sugar with coconut sugar and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup, since I used overripe bananas. I divided the batter between two 4×8 loaf pans and baked for about 50 minutes. Forgot to toast the walnuts but it still came out amazing!
The texture was super soft, no one could tell it was gluten free! I know we’ll be making this banana bread for years to come.”
I’ve made this recipe over 100 times and it is excellent every time. I tried freezing the baked loaf for the first time for my postpartum ease and then baked it at 325 to thaw and it tasted even better than fresh baked! Foolproof recipe
That’s just awesome Yelena! Thank you for that wonderful review!
I am 61 years old and have been making banana bread for years. This is the best one I have ever made! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Wow! I’m so inspired reading your review, Mary! Thank you!
Easy and my new “go to” banana bread recipe.
Thank you so much for your good comments, Kimberly.
Made about 5 loaves and they have never survived an entire day, its a fool proof recipe that will always taste great
Btw there will be more banana bread baking on its way
Wow, sounds like this is a family favorite already! I’m so glad everyone loves this banana bread.
I made your recipe last night for the first time; just couldn’t recall my regular one. I always add chopped apricots and toasted pecans (sometimes walnuts). Baked in mini muffin pan and one mini loaf pan. They were wonderful. I suggest you try apricots as the tangyness marries well with sweet bananas.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! That sounds delicious!
Just tried it today, it came out oh, so yummy! I used 4 overripe bananas, raisins but decided to forego the walnuts. I followed the rest of the recipe to a T! It came out so moist with just the right amount of sweetness! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Cristina!
Aloha Natasha!
Is it ok to have regular butter instead of unsalted butter? Do I need to alter any of the other ingredients because of the butter? Please let me know. Love you! TY!!
Hi Keyla, you could use salted butter and just omit the salt in the recipe.