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.







My first banana cake and everyone loves it. It’s soft and moist and not too sweet. I used brown sugar and almond instead of raisins and walnuts.
I’m so glad you all love it, Jorene! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I tried many recipes. But this is the perfect one. Came out super tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe! I followed the instructions but instead of raisins and nuts, I used chocolate chips. I also added cinnamon/sugar on top! Delicious!
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Samantha!
Delicious very moist and light, I added chocolate chips along with raisins, didn’t have pecans. 😀
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Marsha!
I made the recipe with these changes.
1-No raisins because my husband hates them,
2- salted butter and then no added salt. That’s all I had handy.
3- 1/4 cup butter instead of 1/2 to cut down on calories.
It was fabulous anyway! Thanks
By far the BEST banana bread ever! My husband and kids devoured it.
Awesome, thank you for the great comments and feedback, April!
This banana bread recipe is one of the best I’ve tried! And I’ve done several. I make it without the raisins & nuts, let it rest overnight to let the flavors concentrate, trust me on this one. And then I warm it up and spread Nutella, it’s soooo good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Tammy!
Brilliant and foolproof recipe. The banana bread turned out super moist. Used brown sugar and baked in a mini loaf pan. Was baked to perfection in 20 minutes.
That’s great to hear, Sharon! Thank you for sharing.
Update tried one, its so soft and yummy! Waiting for my family to provide a feedback.
will definitely save it to my favourites.
Thank you!!
Sounds great, I hope it becomes a hit with them too!
Just baked the banana bread. Didn’t have resins so just added almonds.
As I doubled the recipe I made half into muffins.
Haven’t tried as its just out of the oven. Will keep you posted as I’m sure they will taste yummy!
Please do, we’d love to hear how you liked the recipe!
I just made 4 loaves of this bread came out great ….. I added a bit orange juice…thanks for a magnificent awesome recipe
Hi Richard! That sounds like a great addition, thank you for sharing!
WOW…….it was Fantastic…..I added an extra banana(VERY) ripe and a little extra sugar and a tad more vanilla…..the BEST I have had. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Richard!
All in my family agree this is the best Banana Nut bread I have ever made! I told them it is all about the recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it, Marjorie! It sounds like you made it perfectly!
This is the Banana Bread recipe I’ve been looking for forever. It’s so very moist. It’s almost like a bread pudding. I didn’t have any raisins and I used pecans instead of walnuts but I’m sure it would be just as delicious with those ingredients. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Hi Doris, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you found your new go-to recipe. It is so versatile so feel free to try that next time.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Doris!
I love it when people try a recipe, but then throw in their own inane (stupid, silly) twist. If they are so astute at baking, why are they using someone else’s recipe? Anyway, I followed the recipe exactly as written. The result was awesome. Thanks for a recipe that I will make again EXACTLY AS WRITTEN!!!
Thank for following the recipe, Ricky. I’m so glad you loved it!
Ricky, recipes are not commandments. Good cooks and bakers know that a good recipe can be tweaked to your own tastes. I’m sure Natasha doesn’t mind people using her recipes as a guide and changing some things around.
Thank you for commenting on that post. I looked at all the comments and found some “tweaks “ that I want to try. I love cinnamon and I will try that next! I also think that brown sugar would be a welcome addition. This is a HOBBY, not a test on who can follow directions. Lol
Natasha, I just made your banana bread. I know I will love it. I changed it a bit, I used pecans ( because I had them ) and dried cherries. Even unbaked it tasted yummy. Thank you for my new recipe. Can’t wait to try more from you !
Susan
Sounds good, I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Awesome! We made it with gluten free flour (King Arthur GF all purpose) and no raisins. Turned out fantastic! Thanks much for the great recipe. 🙂
That is wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reporting this, using King Arthur GF, as I needed to be sure the substitution would work OK for our family.
I made this for my father a week ago and he is asking for it again just put one one the oven. We love the Banana Nut Bread
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
Just finished up with your banana,raisin and nut bread. I used pecans but followed the recipe and after cooling on the rack I used my orange frosting on both loaves. I have a trick that most people don’t know and that is when using a citrus frosting take your zest and a small amount of that juice and microwave it for 15seconds that will release the oils in the zest. Every body who tries this say WOW. Love to cook.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe. That is a great tip. Thank you for sharing with us.
I doubled the recipe. Used less sugar and added some light brown sugar. I had leftover dates from my Italian fig cookies, so I chopped them and threw in as well as raisins and craisins and the toasted walnuts. I made two loaf pans and half dozen muffins. So good! Only recipe I will use for banana bread!
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing with us, Darlene.
Hi Natasha,
I followed the recipe but my banana bread didn’t rise. It’s about half the height of yours. Please help!
Hi Jenny, check that your rising agents are not expired and also that you didn’t accidentally switch baking soda with baking powder.
So this recipe has no baking powder?
Thanks .
Erlinda Rojas
Hi there. We used baking soda in this recipe.