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.
Excellent! This makes a great snacking cake for a holiday weekend.
Thanks for the awesome feedback!
Perfect! I made this yesterday and it is just like my mom use to make!! No raisin’s, I used walnuts but didn’t roast them. 😋😋😋
This will be my go to from here on out!! ❤️
I’m happy to hear that you loved this recipe!
Great recipe, thank you very much! This is the first banana cake I’ve made, but totally the best of all I have eaten so far.
I made it with egg substitute (lupine based), coconut oil instead of butter and used 1/3 of the amount of sugar + some stevia. It turned out great, my guests were delighted 🙂
Yay, great job to you for doing a good job on your first try!
Another different level of banana bread! Natasha, this is the best banana bread I have ever made. Super moist and the sweetness is perfect! Thank you♥️
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback.
Is all purpose flour plain or self rising flour please email didn’t send said I needed at least 50 words but have seen comments with less than 50 words
Hi Sue, we used All-purpose flour for this recipe.
Love this recipe.
I tweak it with gluten free flour and add sour cream :)!
Delicious
Made it into muffins today.
Ty
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Debra! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Debra…Did you use the same amount of flour as the recipe called for? How much sour cream did you use ?
Thank you…
OMG this was sooo good. I even used it on an essay for school
Hi Ella! That’s wonderful. So glad you found this recipe.
Made this recipe today,best banana bread I have ever ate.within 1 hour my daughter and granddaughter ate half the loaf.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Rebecca! I’m happy you and your daughter loved it!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use brown sugar instead of white? Will the recipe turn out the same?
Hi there, I saw one of our readers shared this comment ” It’s soft and moist and not too sweet. I used brown sugar and almond instead of raisins and walnuts.” I hope that helps!
Hi natasyakichen…is it good if I use baking powder instated use baking soda???
Hi May, Baking soda is three times stronger than baking powder, so you will need three times the baking powder allowing this to rise properly if using that. Substitutions may hinder the recipe outcome. I always suggest making a recipe as written the first time around.
I do not know why but my banana bread seems to acidic. it tastes slightly citrusy and takes a lot longer to cook.
Hi Romeo, I haven’t had that experience, Did you possibly change any of the ingredients or maybe your bananas have gone bad? There is nothing in the recipe that would make it seem citrucy.
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
Hi Natasha, could I use almond meal in place of flour? Would that work?
Thanks!
Hello there, I have not tested that to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it turns out.
This banana bread was fantastic! I made it exactly per the recipe except I only added 1/2 cup sugar as Natasha suggested if you have very ripe bananas and that was perfect. It stayed in the oven 55 minutes. The outside crust had the perfect amount of crispiness and the inside was moist and so delicious! Prep time is listed as ten minutes but it took me 20-30 mins (I didn’t watch the clock) for prep but maybe I am just slow in the kitchen. Worth every minute though! This one is a keeper. Thanks, Natasha!
You’re welcome, Linda. Thank you for the nice feedback, I’m glad you enjoyed this banana bread recipe!
Omg, this is such a yummy recipe. I had only two bananas so I added 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. It took about 1:05 to bake, probably because I live at a higher altitude (6500′).
Hi Zane, glad that worked out well! Thank you for your good comments and feedback.
This is one of my favourites…..
It never lets me down….
Love it !!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I add frozen cranberries instead of raisins. Keep bags in freezer all year.
Thank you for sharing, Franceen!
I made one this week with pecans and cranberries, turned out great!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I made this recipe 4 times now. I is the best and easyestI have ever made in 43 years. It comes out consistently moist and flavorful. I use “almost black” bananas for a full banana flavor and this time I only had 3 small bananas so I added a touch of applesauce to make up the difference. Natasha, you’re the best! Thanks you for all your great recipes!
Hello Mary Jean, love the awesome feedback! Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
Perfect Reciepe! Made several times! Being an amateur baking enthusiast, your site helped me a lot.Made muffins tons of times and all my co workers loved it!
You’re doing a wonderful job, keep it up and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Made this last night with raisins. I added some extra raisins since I didn’t have nuts. My first time putting raisins in banana bread and loved it! Exactly 50 minutes at 350 degrees.This will now be my go too recipe for banana bread. Thanks!
Awesome feedback, thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Made banana bread 4 times different ways turned out great with bananas and apples bananas and cranberries bananas and apple sauce yum !
That’s great Paul! Thank you for sharing.
Was dry and took FOREVER to bake. Way More then an hour. Outside was hard before the inside was cooked. Also not very sweet, was more on the salty side.
Hi Annon, did you by chance make any substitutions? Sounds like the oven could be the problem. An internal oven thermometer will check the temperature of your oven to see if you need to make any adjustments. If it runs too hot, the outside will crust and bake before the inside so you may need to adjust your temperature. Dry banana bread is usually due to overbaking or using too much flour. Here is how to correctly measure your ingredients. I hope this helps.
Super amazing recipe! Very versatile! I didn’t have any raisins or walnuts in the pantry so I just omitted them. I did one cup of all purpose and half a cup of whole wheat flour and I added cinnamon and sugar on top. 100% recommend!
Love it! Thanks for sharing your experience trying this recipe, Elliot. Glad to know that you loved it!