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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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.
It is great, made it several times.
Left the nuts out, young ones don’t like em. Only lasts a few days.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kuba! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How long can it stay for in the refrigerator?
Hi Annah, I think it will keep well in the fridge for about a week if stored well.
I only have salted butter available. How much would you say that I should use? Would I keep the same amount or not.
Hi Izzie, we always use unsalted butter, especially in baking, to control the amount of salt in the recipe. If using salted butter, you would use less or no salt, depending on how much salt is in your butter.
Hi Natasha if i substitute the sugar to honey the measurement is the same with sugar? Thank you
Hi Anabella, one of our readers mentioned the following about using sugar “I used a half cup of honey, as my bananas were very ripe and added enough sweetness.” I hope this helps
Try adding almond flour and regular flour 50/50, it tasted even better. Kids approved. One extra egg will make the texture more like a cake. Delicious.
Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Valentina!
You mentioned in answer to a review about buttermilk. I don’t see it in the banana bread recipe. Was it inadvertently left out?
Hi Sheila, I believe that was for our banana pancakes, not the banana bread recipe. This recipe does not have buttermilk in it.
Can you convert the 3 ripe bananas into “cups”? I would find that helpful. You did that in the Banana Pancakes recipe.
Hi Roger, it’s about 1 3/4 cups mashed.
Hi Natasha, this recipe looks great! Can I skip adding nuts and raisins and still bake for the same duration?
Hi Ayesha, yes, absolutely you can make them without nuts. The base of my chocolate chip banana bread is the same as this one, and we often make it without nuts because of an allergy also. I recommend a toothpick test at the end, though, to make sure the bread is fully cooked through. I hope you love the banana bread!
I ace the banana bread and added cranberries and walnuts and I think it’s probably the best banana bread I have ever made. This will become my standard from now on and it was even easier than my original recipe that I have used for years. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
That’s so great, Paula! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
I’m planning to make banana bread cake on my son’s bday. I will be using a 6” pan. Should I use the same oven temperature to bake it?
Hi Emma, a 6″ pan is about 10 sq inches smaller than the loaf pan we used. I worry if it’s not tall enough, it will overwhelm a 6″ pan since it needs room to rise. But if you happen to experiment, it would keep the temperature the same but adjust the bake time since it will be a shorter bread. I hope you love this recipe.
Haven’t tried it yet, still in oven. But I was confused about a step. When you “add” the flour, etc. to the wet stuff do you mix it? I did because I could not image not doing so, but it might be a good thing to clarify in the recipe. Thanks and will report back
Hi MB, I recommend reading the section in the recipe titled: “How to Make Banana Bread.”
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.
I hope this is helpful!
MB, I read it the same way, but Natasha is right. It is there, I just hurried through it I guess.
Wow! This is a fantastic recipe! I will start by saying, I do not bake. I made this because I saw some really overripe bananas in the store and got inspired.
I made a double batch and used 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup white sugar. It was still very sweet because my bananas were so ripe, so keep that in mind. I used 1 1/2 cups bread flour and 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour, just because I had it. I did not add nuts or raisins because my family doesn’t like them, but I’m definitely going to make myself a loaf just for me next time! Thanks, Natasha!
Hi Michele, yes, we have that note in the recipe, over rip bananas will make this much sweater. I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!!
I had some bananas that I bought at a big box store and I knew my husband and I knew we couldn’t eat them all before they became too rippened. I went to culinary school and worked in different aspects of the baking business. I am always trying new recipes and I saw this one online. Interesting toasting walnuts on the stove rather than in the oven. I never toasted walnuts for banana bread.
I made the easy recipe and OMG! This is freaking good banana bread. Something I would have made at a small cafe or large pastry shop in a luxury hotel.
I omitted the raisins. So simple
the toasted walnuts added a tasty flavor.
I wish I could attach a photo. It baked faster than 50 minutes in my oven. It was beautiful. The flavor was way better than I expected.
Love it! I’m very happy to read your comments and fantastic review, Carmen. It is inspiring for me to read such good feedback, thank you for sharing that with us!
Made this yummy cake today using the 1/2 cup honey instead of sugar method, & tried dried cranberries as not fond of raisins, & it was the most deliciously moist, yummy cake……thanks again for another great recipe Natasha xx
You’re welcome, Julz! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Natasha!
I really loved this recipe and I made 6 loafs and in one day I ate 2 loafs! Anyways your recipes are amazing and I appreciate you making all these recipes. Stay home and stay safe…
Love,
Lia
Thanks for your appreciation, Lia. Wow, that’s a lot, seems to me that this going to be your favorite bread at home!
Yeah…. Ate the remaining bread for breakfast….
Love,
Lia
Amazing and simple recipe.
I used mutigrain flour n refined flour in 50:50 ratio n used raw sugar.
Thank you for your great review and feedback!
My favorite banana bread recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Joanne!
Hi Natasha.
This is recipe looks delicious will definitely try. I wanted to ask if I use oats flour instead of all purpose and brown sugar instead of white, will it turn out good?
Hi Smrz, without testing that out myself, it is difficult to make that recommendation. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Can I use vegetable oil instead of unsalted butter.?
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tested that substitution but it should work great. Here’s what one of our readers wrote “I made the same recipe but I just replaced the butter with the oil … It is very successful and delicious … Thank you Natasha …” I hope that helps.
Way too sweet especially if you add raisins. I never use more than 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups flour in my breakfast breads. It is after all not a cake. Just my opinion. Lots people like extra sweet. Thank you for recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Rebecca. We don’t like overly sweet recipes, and we feel we found the perfect balance. Keep in mind, Overripe bananas will give you a sweeter flavor, but just ripe ones are fine.
I did substitute dried cherries for the raisins. I only tasted the batter so I posted above prematurely. I gave it to my cousin & family. They loved it so I will be making again. Forgive me for earlier post!
Can I double/triple the recipe cuz I want to give to people? Or should I just prep them like you say here and bake them all together? I’m just worried the baking soda can’t sit for too long. Thank you
Hi Nhu, our readers have doubled the recipe just fine in the past. When making a double batch, we usually just double all of the ingredients and divide into 2 separate pans then bake together. They may need slightly more bake time so be sure to check with a toothpick and remove when there is no wet batter sticking to the toothpick. We place leftovers in a large ziploc bag (or cover with plastic wrap) and refrigerate.