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.
I “discovered” you a couple of months ago and am TOTALLY HOOKED !! Your recipes are perfect. I love your quirky humour and fun.. it all adds up to a beautiful person. Hey! I’m 70 years old and can get away by calling you beautiful which you are ! Cherry pie recipe was superlative ! I made 5 pies in one day! Not bad hunh! Greetings and all the best from Islamabad, Pakistan 🇵🇰 😀 😊
Aww, thank you Raana! That is very kind. So glad you enjoy my recipes.
HI Natasha, I love your recipes! I’ve tried the banana bread a couple of times and it doesn’t cook through in the middle. I’ve obviously baked it longer, but then the rest of the loaf is dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Wendy. Did you make any substitutions in the recipe, or use a smaller pan? If the batter is too much for the pan, it will bake faster towards the outside and be undone in the middle causing it to be over-baked overall if you bake it until the middle sets as well. It could also be that your oven overheats or bakes unevenly. You might check the inside temp of your oven by using an Oven Thermometer. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
I’m excited to make this banana bread. I’d like to bake it in a silicone baking pan the makes 8 small loaves. Do you have any idea how long the baking time would be for 8 small loaves? And does the silicone pan make a difference?
Hi Jean, I hope you love this recipe. I have not made these into small loaves so I cannot advise how long but they will get done quicker than a large loaf so you will half to watch the time. I think the silicone molds will be just fine.
Natasha I used the smaller 6×3.5” disposable tin pans and baked 4 of them for about 40-45 minutes and they came out perfect for me.
That’s great to know, Will. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
I made this at the weekend and it was delicious. I love your recipes . Thank you for putting metric instructions as I am never sure about cup measures. The loaf was really moist even after a few days
Hi Fiona, you’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes. Thanks for appreciating the metrics too!
Hi,
I have a couple banana trees in my backyard and had some ripe bananas. Found this recipe and made it without raising, reducing sugar to only 1/2 cup and with no raisins. Also used 1/2 cup of buckwheat 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. The result was amazing. I love this recipe for its simplicity and the final result. Unfortunately the banana bread only lasted a couple of hrs 🙂 Thanks.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mercy!
So delicious and easy to make
After I hour of making it I come to the kitchen and half is gone
My husband – you can not find more delicious one in The best bakeries – yes because it is Natasha’s Best Bakery❤️
Thank you for this and other delicious recipes I am and I will try 🤗
I’m so happy this was a hit, Bozena! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome feedback with me!
Hey, I am not doing the nuts or raisins so should I change any of the recipe or just don’t add them and follow everything else?
Hi Stephanie. No, you do not need to make any adjustments. Just leave them out.
Just made this recipe for the first time. I did 2 bananas per load instead of the 3 just because that’s what I had available. I also substituted stevia in the raw for sugar bc my boyfriend is diabetic. It smells amazing! Only issue I had with it is that the recipe says to bake for 1 hour, but if I did that, my load would’ve been burnt… I only baked mine for 35 minutes and it came out perfectly clear in the center, lightly golden brown on the top! I followed the instructions to the tee other than those couple of things.
Hi Amy, sometimes it depends on the equipment but I’m glad it was a success!
This is very good, except (and I can see it in your pics too) the bread is a little overdone on the edges. It is still very good, Although a little tougher. Any way to cure that- like lower temp and longer or tenting the bread? Also, how do I incorporate cinnamon into the recipe?
Thanks a lot for sharing. Feel free to make some minor changes according to your personal preference. I have not tested that but I saw one of our readers shared this “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!” I hope that helps!
Please ingredients into gram..🙏
I dont understand,,, 8 table spoon or 1 1/2 cup..🥺🙏
Hi there, you can convert the ingredients to grams. Just click Metric and it will change automatically. Hope that helps!
Could you please let us know how much banana in cups to use? I have small and really large bananas. Then I put them all in the blender and now I have a lot of mush lol.
Hi Felicia, it is about 1 3/4 cups of mashed bananas.
Hello I was introduced to your blog by my sister and I love it! I am glad to be a part of your blogger family 😊 you for making the art of cooking fun, easy and educational.
I’m so glad she told you about my blog, Tina! Welcome! I hope you try more of our recipes soon and find some favorites!
This is the 3rd time I’ve made this bread this month.
Everyone how has had it has raved about the taste.
BUT I’m going to rave about the simplicity of making the banana bread.
So few ingredients and such big flavor.
My sister-in-law is going through chemo and was craving banana bread, and wasn’t able to get it at the grocery store.
I told her I’d see what I could do.
Less than 2 hrs later, I presented her with a piece fresh from the oven. HUGE hit, thank you for sharing 🙏🤩👍
That’s great! So glad it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing, Ann.
My husband is an EMT, I always bake for his station, they all called me and said is was the best banana bread they ever had. I added mini chocolate chips to it. Thank you for your delicious recipes. I make many of your recipes
That’s really some lovely feedback, love it! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
How do you add raisins and keep them from all falling to the bottom of the loaf?
Hi Pamela, toss them through some flour. This will coat the fruit and it helps the fruit to grip the cake batter and rise better with the cake.
Hi my names Tina,
Can you please give me your recipe in grams as it’s confusing for me to convert 3/cups into Italian or English grams, so many of your delicious recipes I can’t do ☹️Congratulations on your ideas and recipes TOP 👏👏
Hello Tina, you can convert the ingredients to grams in the written recipe. Just click Jump to recipe then click Metric to do that. I hope that helps!
Super Recipe! I made it without the raisins though, just a personal preference and Put the walnuts on the bottom of the pan before adding the batter. I have to admit I was a little worried about the nuts burning, but as it turns out, it was quite good. Moist and delicious. It is a keeper. Thanks
That’s great, David! So happy you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Natasha, will this work with bread flour ? cos that’s all i have in the pantry.
I don’t recommend using bread flour especially on your first try, I recommend following the ingredients exactly as written to achieve great results.
Question….could you double this recipe and put in in bundt pan?
Hi Judy, I one of our readers shared this “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! The only recipe I will use for banana bread!” I hope that helps.
Bake this banana walnut raisin bread turn out very good. Smell good taste good thank you natasha.
That’s great!
Excellent and very moist! So good with butter on it warm and a glass of cold milk. I like simple so this definitely will be a keeper.
I’m so glad this was a hit, KB! Thank you for your excellent review!