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.
this is the best and most moist banana bread i have ever had i used honey about half a cup with walnuts and raisins and i have another in the oven now thank you
That’s wonderful! I’m happy to hear that, Sandy. Thank you for the feedback.
I’m using spaghetti to test the doneness. It’s still soft in middle how much longer should I bake it
Hi Mary. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe of use a smaller pan than I recommended in the recipe? It’s hard to tell without being there. It could also be that your oven bakes unevenly or that you may need to bake at a lower temperature for longer if it’s burning on the outside and not getting done in the middle with the recommended time in the recipe. You can use an internal oven thermometer to gauge what the cause could be. I hope that helps.
I want to make muffins with this recipe which I have made before and loved. How long should I bake the regular sized muffins for?
Hi Lynn, I have a recipe for Banana Muffins
Hello, I can’t find our loaf pan anywhere (due to our kitchen being remodeled) all I have is a cake pan. Will this work?
Hi Eriq, 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.
I have run out of eggs and going on a trip soon so don’t want to buy eggs before I go. Would a vegan egg replacer work (for example, a flax egg mixture)? The egg is just a binder, right?
Hi Helen, I have not tested that to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
This recipe is so moist. I added one cup of craisens too. The bread was gone in a flash. Thanks for the perfect easy recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Clara!
Best banana bread ever,
I made it for first time and my partner LOVES it. He is toasting it with more banana and honey on it…delicious…loves it fresh as well..
That’s great feedback, Brenda. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This recipe is the bomb! Made it 2 weeks ago for hubby who enjoyed eating slices of banana bread for 4 days with his coffee every morning. It’s moist, flavorful and so easy to make. Just got rid of a different banana bread recipe at my husband’s request – your recipe is the keeper!!!! THANK YOU!
Yay wonderful feedback, thank you for sharing that with us, Melissa!
The best banana bread recipe i turn it into muffins. I use imperial butter stick. They turn out wonderfully. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome, I’m happy to know that you loved it!
Absolutely love this recipe, I’d rate it a 10/10! Most banana bread recipes are a little dry in my opinion, this one comes out perfect and moist every time! And it also stays that’s way for several days 🙂
Question: if I were to make banana bread muffins out of these, how long would I keep it in the oven?
Hi Stacy! I’m glad you loved this recipe. Be sure to check out my banana muffin recipe for instructions on this. 🙂
I left out raisins and put one extra banana (just because I didn’t want to waste it). I came out so moist and delicious. I cooked it for about 50 min on 350.
I sprinkled it with powdered sugar on top / looked beautiful. Best banana bread recipe I’ve tried and simple too.
Lovely! I’m happy to know that you loved the result of this recipe, Olga.
I added chocolate chips and pecans to mine instead of raisins and walnuts. It was The Bomb.com!
Good to know that you loved the result!
Can you send me your recipe for homemade vanilla flavouring? Thanks.
Hi Connie, here’s my Vanilla Extract recipe.
I made the banana nut bread. I used banana flour instead of regular flour. I also used honey instead of sugar. The banana flour gave it a darker color but was really good.
Hello Jannie, thank you for sharing! Good to know that the substitutions that you used worked so well too!
Awesome recipe, delicious turnout AND I adore that the measurements were included IN the recipe directions! This should be standard! It was so helpful to not have to go back and forth between the ingredients and the instructions! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Amanda! Good to hear that you loved and enjoyed it!
Amazing information. I will highly recommend your blog to my students
Thank you! So glad you enjoy my recipes. 🙂
3bannanas is equal to how many cups or grams? i need to have an exact measurement for the banannas?
Hi Vivian, it is about 1 3/4 cups of mashed bananas.
Great easy recipe. I left out the raisin and nuts and added cinnamon. It was delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kristal! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s super easy to follow for someone like me who’s making banana bread for the first time and it was super moist and delicious! However, I did encounter some problems when mixing in the bananas and eggs with the creamed butter and sugar. I think it was because I used thawed frozen bananas and they were still too cold to properly blend with the butter. Everything still turned out great in the end though, it didn’t affect the final product!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Sophie! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Just made your banana bread please keep it going love everything you make
I’m so happy you loved it, Janie!
Phenomenal the toasted walnuts make all the difference. Such a nostalgic and perfect loaf! Thank you this will be my forever banana bread recipe
That’s wonderful, Megan! So glad it was enjoyed. Thank you for the review.