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 recipe is simple and delicious…always moist and full of banana flavor…family favorite!
I’m glad you loved it, Deena! Thank you so much for sharing.
The hubby at one of my “put aside for banana bread bananas”. Can I make this with only 2 bananas?
Hi Lori! To use 2 bananas in this recipe, you’ll want to cut the recipe down. You can change the number of servings in the recipe card to 7 instead of 10 and it will convert the ingredient list for you.
Great recipe. Swapped out raisins for chocolate chips. Family loved it
Great to hear that everyone enjoyed it!
Love to make this nanana bread. Even buy extra bananas so I can make it when they ripen. Have a question about the nutrition info. I dont see what a serving size is for the supporting info. Thanks. Will be trying other recipes.
Hi Roy! I’m glad you love this recipe. This recipe serves 10, so the nutrition facts are for each serving.
Made this recipe butbadded a quarter cup of brown sugar and a short can of crushed pineapple with juice and it was very yummy. Caution! Share with freinds and neighbors because you will be tempted to eat it all!
That sounds wonderful, Myra! Thank you for sharing.
I normally do not like banana bread. But this recipe changed it for me. Over 3 days I ate the whole loaf myself. Now I am making another loaf, this time I might share with my husband. Loved this recipe.
That’s wonderful, Patti! I’m so glad this recipe changed that for you. 🙂
Turned out delicious! I don’t even like bananas but I love this banana bread!
Thats wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing.
Hey Natasha,
Great recipe babes! Just one small tweak – I think the baking soda should be 1 tsp not 0.5 tsp hun. But 10/10 would smash.
Lots of love,
Maya
Hi Maya, thank you for your review and feedback. It has always worked for us this way but feel free to do some experiments and minor changes.
I made this banana bread last night and it was delicious! This is going to replace my other recipe for sure!!!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you found a new favorite.
Made this recipe many times and my family loves it. I did reduce sugar to 1/4 cup since I also add either raisins or chocolate chips, and replaced 2 tbsp of flour with flax meal. End result is always moist and yummy. Next time I’ll try reducing flour and substitute with oat flour like another reviewer suggested.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Roro!
I have made this recipe several times now. I’ve started to experiment with it, a bit, by adding dates and some various spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or cardamon). Each gives a slightly different aroma and taste. All of them good. Thanks for all of your great recipes. You are my “go-to” online recipe website. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mike! I’m so glad you found what works for you! Thank you for your lovely comment!
Can you bake this without the nuts and raisins ? And have it come out the same
Hi Allisa! Yes, you can. Many of my readers also replace the raisins or nuts with cranberries or chocolate chips.
Absolutely fantastic!!!! Four of us wiped out my first loaf in minutes!!!
That’s great, Brian! I’m so glad it was a hit! 🙂
I found this recipe and I will never go back to any other. Reading some of the reviews, I can’t believe anyone would give it a bad review by stating certain ingredients aren’t in it. It was PERFECT, moist and I wouldn’t change a thing!!!
Thank you for your kind words, Julie. We appreciate it!
Hello, I am wondering if you can freeze this bread? Thank you
Hi Mackenzie, yes, Banana Bread freezes wonderfully and still tastes great. My husband uses Food Saver bags and seals them before putting them in the freezer. But freezer friendly zip-lock bag would work as well.
My family loves this recipe. Thank you Natasha. I did not have walnuts so I substituted toasted pecans. The pecans were from the tree out in the yard, so yummy.
I made another slight change to make it diabetic friendly. Instead of 1 1/2 cups of flour. I used 3/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup oats ground in my food processor. It was so good and did not cause high blood sugar levels in my son, nor myself.
This substitute idea was shared with me from Mary Ellen with Milk and Honey Nutrition.
Hi Theresa! That’s amazing. Thank you for sharing that with us. 🙂
I live in Colorado, nearly 7,000 ft above sea level. And I doubled the recipe for 2 loafs. No nuts, no chocolate, no raisins.
To prevent drying out (at high elevation), I added 1 cup of cinnamon applesauce, removed 1 egg (used 3 eggs total, with the “double” recipe), and then reduced the baking soda to only 1 tsp, and added 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
Also increased the temp to 375 degrees, and reduced the time to 40 minutes. Let stand in the oven “off” with the door open, for another 15 minutes.
Both loafs turned out perfectly moist, yet cooked through.
Some of the other “mistakes” may be elevation and weather related.
Almost forgot… Instead of the 1.5 cups sugar, I reduced to 1 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of honey, to also help with the high altitude conversion. … With the bread drying out quicker, sugar tends to be “stronger” flavor with high alt baking. Wasn’t too sweet with the conversion I used.
Great to know, thank you. 🙂
Hi Ryan! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this recipe. I’m sure many will find this information very helpful.
This recipe is the best I’ve ever had, very moist. I didn’t think I’d like the raisins & walnuts but was pleasantly surprised. Everyone loved the bread. I prefer golden raisins & added 2 teaspoons of chia seeds with ground flax seeds & cut the sugar. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!👩🍳🥰
That’s wonderful to hear, Anna! Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad it was a hit!
Smoothest batter for banana bread I’ve ever made. I love that it has raisins it, too. I made muffins. It made about 18 and baked for 20 minutes.
Hi Nancy! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
I personally don’t see how this recipe gets a 5 ⭐ rating, when it doesn’t include BROWN SUGAR, CINNAMON, NUTMEG, and ALLSPICE. I added them all to this recipe. NOW, it’s a 5 star recipe
Hi Lennie, this is the exact recipe that we love but feel free to make some changes according to your preference.