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 Natasha,
I noticed there’s no baking powder in this recipe. I added a tsp. and made muffins with this recipe. They turned out great.
Glad to hear that it was a success!
I made these as muffins and they turned out great! I baked them for 30 minutes and they came out perfect, it made about ~15 muffins and I added chocolate chips!
Thank you for the feedback, Jenna! So glad they were great.
so good! i altered this just a bit by making them into muffins and baking for 20/25 minutes at 375 and they were delicious!
That’s wonderful, Michelle! Thank you for sharing your experiment. 🙂
Best banana bread recipe I’ve made and super easy. I’m not a baker but this is really easy for me to make. My husband likes it too. He gets excited when he sees very ripe bananas.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Shauna!
This is my first banana bread. I use 90gr sugar . Turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rhina!
I used frozen super riped bananas (I didn’t want to throw them). Used 1/2 cup of honey instead of sugar. Also used whole wheat flour then added some chia seeds and flax seeds. I also added the toasted walnuts but no raisins. It turned out moist and tasty. Thank you for the recipe, my family really loved it.
Hi Lhen, thank you for sharing the substitutions that you used and I’m glad it worked!
Fantastic! I couldn’t find my loaf pan so I used my 8×8 pan. Sooo good! This is my go to recipe. You won’t be disappointed. There was no way I was going to toss my over ripe bananas! I only used walnuts and no other extras.
So glad you loved this recipe, Audrey. Thank you for the review. I’m glad you found a go-to. 🙂
I skipped raisins, but added a hint of Nutmeg and Cinnamon. Just came out of the oven…haven’t tried it yet but smells wonderful! Thanks for the recipe Natasha.
You’re welcome, Mary. I hope it becomes your new favorite!
Hi, love your recipes, especially the tres leches. I wanna ask if is it okay if i add vinegar, and if I triple the recipe, should the vinegar added be also tripled?
Hi Cess! I have not tried vinegar in this recipe to advise.
There is a nutritional guide with the recipe. Do you know about how many serving you get out of one loaf according to the 350 cal/serving? Thank you
Hi Kitt, the serving is for 10 people.
Hi Natasha… this has become my best bread, I bake it alsmot once a week. I change the nuts for blueberries or strawberries. Sometimes I even add carrots to the batter.
That’s wonderful, Vivian! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. The addition of carrots and fruit sounds great! 🙂
Hi!! Thanks for all your delicious recipes. Is it possible to use stevia or monk fruit and how much?
Hi Cynthia. I have not tested that to advise. One of my readers commented using stevia in place of sugar just fine. Hope that helps
absolutely delicious.
Used half cup of sugar and walnuts.
thank you!
Can I use bread flour in place of Ap flour? Will it alter the texture?
I love all the recipies I’ve tried on your website, the only one with a problem was the banana bread. The taste was outstanding but my loaf did not raise and I ended up with a totally flat loaf. There just wasn’t enough batter for the 9″x5″ pan. Any suggestions of what went wrong? I followed the recipe to a “t”. Help!
Hi Jeanne! I used a 9.25 long x 5.25 wide x 2.75 deep pan. I have not had a problem with the batter not being enough. Did you make any substitutions? I would also watch my tutorial on how to measure ingredients to make sure this was not the issue. I hope that helps.
It might be your baking soda… how old is your stock? Also, creaming the butter and sugar properly can affect the aeration and texture in the loaf..
I read the flour as a 1/2 cup the first time because the 1 and the 1/2 were on different lines for my screen. Almost went ahead but realized that just didn’t seem right. Just sharing in case I’m not the only one!
Amazing banana bread! I am not a very good chef or baker by any means, but my first time making this I followed the recipe perfectly and it turned out amazing! So moist and delicious. Definitely a keeper!
That’s wonderful, Emmy! I’m so glad to hear that.
I used light brown sugar instead of confection sugar. Awesome outcome.
I meant I replaced granulated sugar with light brown sugar, the results were fantastic..!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Hello Natasha – I’m your GREATEST fan and I’ve cooked almost all your recipes! I’d like to ask why my banana bread NEVER rises; nor does it come out moist. I follow every measurement religiously with fresh, room temperature ingredients. My oven is brand new (2 of them), so what’s my problem?
Hi Jeannie! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes. The most common issue could be that you are using too much flour. Watch my tutorial on how to measure your ingredients, HERE to make sure you are doing this accurately. Also, be sure to let your oven fully preheat and I highly recommend using a internal oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven temperature. I hope that helps.
I’m using this recipe but making some changes. I’m using a sunflower and flour buffer. Instead of walnuts. I’m using hazelnuts minced, reeses peanut butter chips, and cinnamon toast crunch cereal minced. Wish me luck! Should be a good breakfast slide with peanut butter.
Hi Ryan! I hope it turns out well, would love to know you’re outcome. 🙂
do i do anything different if i don’t want the walnuts in the mix?
Hi Barara, Yes! PLease see the “Can I Omit Walnuts and Raisins?” section in the recipe. I hope that helps!
I added a chopped apple to the mix along with a little fresh ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and a teaspoon of honey. Was really good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Bruce!
Has anyone tried using Golden raisins? How did it turn out?
Thank you Natasha for such a fabulously easy, versatile & delicious recipe!
You’re welcome! I haven’t tried that yet but let’s see if others have something to share.