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 a wonderful recipe! I did add 1 tsp. cinnamon. Everyone is the family is ‘tripping’ over ‘my’ banana bread. They think I am a genius! Love it.
Love it! Thanks for sharing, Shirley. So glad that this recipe was a hit!
Can I make any of these bread recipes in small little loaves and if I can what temperature do I bake them at and how long do I bake them for
Hi Virginia! I’m sure you could but I haven’t tested that to give exact instructions. You’ll have to experiment with it. You may find my banana muffin recipe HERE helpful for reference.
Other mini loaves I’ve made take about 30 minutes.
Like she said above, just experiment.
Keep an eye on the loaves and do the toothpick check around 25 minutes and see if it needs more time. Good luck! It should work fine 🙂
Happy thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha.
Can I use self raising flour as I don’ t have plain ?
Regards
Sue
Hi Suzanne, without testing that substitution, I’m not sure how it will work with the leavening that is in the recipe.
Hi! Can anyone tell me what temperature would it be if I want to make them smaller?
TIA
Diana
Hi Diana! You can follow my banana muffin recipe instead. 🙂
Hi, wonderful recipe! Could you please tell me how many grams are there in on serving of this bread. Thanks.
Hi Patti, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
I made this banana bread recipe and it is exactly as you described it – very moist and delicious. I improvised and used Cup for Cup gluten-free flour and I imagine it’s just as good as regular flour. The family loved it! 👍
Yay, love it! Thanks for sharing that with us, Martha.
I understand why this has such high ratings, it came out perfect.
Thank you so much!
This recipe is such a hit! Instantly became a family favorite. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Delicious recipe! Thankyou for sharing! I substituted clove for pumpkin spice because I didn’t have clove on hand and used 1 cup brown & 1 cup granulated sugar & it is so delicious. Practically all gone straight from oven!
Great to hear that you loved the results!
This looks delicious! If I want to make muffins instead of the bread, how long do I bake them?
Hi Mary, you could use my banana muffin recipe HERE instead.
Hi! I love your recipe- I made this a while ago and really enjoyed it. I tried again but this time I substituted Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle mix instead of flour, and also used almond extract instead of vanilla (because we were out of both flour and vanilla!) and it turned out GREAT. 100% recommend.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad it turned out!
Thank you for sharing this easy, delicious recipe. Packed with flavor and great ratio of fruit and nuts. I substituted with white whole wheat flour and no one noticed. I enjoy your recipes and videos.
That’s wonderful, Rita! I’m glad you loved it.
This is my go to recipe for my banana bread. I make it every month for family. They really enjoy it. Thanks Natasha for all the yummy recipes.
That’s wonderful! So glad you enjoy it!
Hi Natasha, thank you for your recipe. I got rid of all the sugar a couple of weeks ago and I don’t have any sugar at home. Do you think I can use vanilla ice cream instead of sugar by any chance? I am trying not to buy sugar if possible. Thank you.
Hi Friday, I have not tested using vanilla ice cream to advise.
I made this recipe sans nuts/dried fruit. I also substituted honey for sugar. Overall, the texture is similar to a sponge cake, and it took 80 mins at 350F to bake completely. I would definitely decrease the honey to 1/2C or less next time.
Thank you for your comments and suggestion, Anna!
Thank you!! I don’t have white sugar in my house so I’m going to try it w honey but I was worried about sweetness. I’m so excited!!
just made. looks burnt. kinda disappointed. iv made before but it’s been a while. not the authors fault ovens do vary but i had 12 minutes left on timer and thought i’d look at it and glad i did …..maybe the middle part will be good 🤦🏻♀️although as i look at your pics it also looks burnt so we shall see it’s cooling
HI Heather, make sure you are using a regular conventional oven setting. It sounds like maybe your oven might be a convection oven (or it just runs hot) in which case, an adjustment would be needed.
Made this recipe with gluten free flour, and also browned the butter. Only added the 1/2 cup of sugar and it was delicious, the perfect amount of sweetness! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad that worked well, thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
i baked it just now and it’s the best banana bread i’ve ever baked. surprisingly it is super fluffy, like spongecake! super tasty!
Yay, that’s awesome feedback. Thanks for sharing!
Quick question…
Is it good to double? Are there any ingredients that would not work if doubled? (ie: baking soda)
Thanks in advance!
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.
ok lol this is my first comment on a recipe website ever BUT i spent some time making your banana bread recipe and i just took a bite after it cooled off. it’s so beautiful and kind of moist, not dry at all. The only thing is I didn’t add any raisins/nuts/anything else, just the base recipe; I also used a round pan ’cause that’s all I have right now haha, and I put the oven on 180 C (i think that’s 356 °F but not sure, I’m from Europe) and only had to bake it for around 36 minutes – the toothpick came out clean and it browned nicely without being bitter. Thank you for this recipe, goes straight in my favorites, super yuummyyy!!!!
So glad you loved it! Thank you for the feedback.