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 ! May i just ask how many cups of chopped/mashed bananas is approximately equal to 3 large ones ? Thank you
Hi. I do not have this measurement but a quick google search says 3 bananas equals 2 cups chopped or 1-1/2 cups mashed.
Question, i don’t have a loaf pan . Can i use a square pan ?
Hi Rosalinda, I haven’t tried this cake pan. A 9″ cake pan may work, but it would take less time than a loaf pan to bake.
Hi, I’m making this for the first time. I would prefer to make muffins. Have you ever used this batter to make muffins? If so, what temperature do I need to bake them at and for how long? Thank you!
Hi Stacey, you sure can do muffins. We love this recipe so much that we created Banana Muffins from this recipe. You can find them HERE.
This was perfect! It was so good I didn’t miss not having chocolate chips which I have used with other recipes. It came together so easily which is also a plus.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Susan!
Thank you for this recipe. I made. It last night just omitted the raisins. It was just like Starbucks banana bread! When I toasted the walnuts I added a little of the butter and brown sugar to the pan that was left over in bowl. Yummy!! This is going to be my go to. Thanks again.
Love it! Thank you for your great comments and feedback.
Hi. Thanks for this. Havent tried it yet. My mom’s used oil instead of butter, and we are from the South! And there was baking powder too. (?) But this is the closest to the receipt that I can remember. We put cream cheese on ours sometimes but you need weight and density for that. I hope this is the answer to my memories.
The cream cheese sounds amazing! I hope you love this recipe, Shannon. 🙂
Excellent moist recipe…I’ve been searching for one this good, and happy I found it. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed and found it, Gail!
This is by far the best banana bread I ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rain!
Hi Natasha, I just finished baking your recipe for Banana nut / raisins bread and it was moist and just have the right sweetness. Thank you! Helen Palmer
That’s great! Thank you for your feedback Helen!
I would appreciate all ingredients w measurenents at beginning of recipe. Including oven temp, grease pans or not. Found myself going back or forward countless times. Love your recipe blog. Just a small tweak! 👍🏻
Hi Joan, we made this easy on every page. If you are at the top of the recipe page, click “jump to recipe” where you will be sent to the print-friendly recipe card and everything is there. I hope you love this banana bread.
hi! Natasha, I would love to try your recipe.. how many loaf can I bake in 1 batch?
Hi Carla. This recipe makes 1 loaf. I baked it in a 9.25 long x 5.25 wide x 2.75 deep pan. If you want to increase the recipe to make 2 loafs that would be fine. I hope you love this recipe.
Hi Natasha! Can I omit the walnuts and raisins? Planning to replace them with choco chips. How much do I put? Thank you!
Hi Rai, I’m sure that will be just fine. I hope you enjoy it!
HELP!! We’re addicted lol So moist, makes great French toast. We even made into banana bread cake pops. Always asked to make. Thank you for sharing your recipe
You’re so welcome, Missy!
Do I need to use toasted walnuts or can I just add chopped walnuts?
Can I use 1/4 cup light brown sugar and a 1/4 cup regular sugar?
You can just add the walnuts but toasting them does elevate the flavor. I have not tested this recipe with just 1/2 cup of sugar. The recipe calls for 3/4 cups. One of my other readers commented that they used 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar and it turned out great.
WOW!!! Absolutely perfect!
If you’re looking for a recipe for banana bread…. THIS IS IT!!
Thank you, Briana! I’m so glad you loved it!
Could you use this recipe and make muffins instead of the loaf?
Hi Deanna, yes, you sure can. We love this recipe so much that we created Banana Muffins from this recipe. You can find them HERE.
Based on the ratings, I expected to be wowed. The bread isn’t anymore moist than the recipe I’ve followed for years. Additionally, it lacked in flavor. Recipe was followed to the letter, fully ripe, almost full brown bananas. Disappointed.
Hi Cynthia, this has been one of our most popular recipes for years and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. I wonder if maybe not enough bananas (using small banans) were used or if there were any substitutions in the recipe (ie using less butter)? Also, make sure not to overbake which could result in a dry banana bread (it’s important to note this recipe is not written for a convection oven). I hope that helps.
You must have left it in the oven too long. I always check 10 min before the bake time to see how the bread is doing in the oven. Most of the time I’ll take it out earlier so it stays moist. Good luck next time 😊
I have been searching for a good banana bread recipe. I FOUND IT. I love your recipe. Doubled the batch, so we can enjoy one and freeze the other. This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
That’s great, Evelyn! You’re very welcome. I’m glad you found a new go-to recipe for banana bread. 🙂
Enjoy your recipes ~ I used Oat flour, left the raisin out and cut back a bit on sugar. In the Oven and the kitchen smells wonderful. I know it will be moist, flavorful and enjoyed ~ thank you ~ CP, TN
That’s great! Thank you for sharing your substitutions, I’m sure my other readers will find this helpful.
Thank you for sharing this! I was wondering if I could make this recipe with gluten free flour, and it’s super good to know that oat flour worked well! 🙂
I dont like banana bread but my partner loved it so I baked this recipe. Surprisingly I actually enjoyed it myself, especially the crunchy outer area.
This is now my go to recipe.
Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Manjit!
Banana bread is always simple to make but this was so moist and delicious. It is a keeper for sure. No need to freeze it because it disappeared in a flash.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mary Ann! I’m so glad this was a hit!
Made this twice this week already. I adjusted the sugar to 1/2cup and still came out good. Been making banana bread many times and wasn’t expecting that raisins would complement a banana bread too. Thanks for this recipe which for sure is a keeper.
That’s great to hear. So glad you enjoyed my recipe. Thank you for the review.