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 banana bread recipe. Nice and super moist. I used 4 teaspoons of date syrup instead of sugar, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of walnuts and raisins and they’re a hit with my husband and son. I’ve already made this 2x this month! Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing, I appreciate it!
I substituted sweet potato for banana and cut the sugar by one third and it was delicious!
Nice idea, I’m glad that worked out well too!
Such a great recipe! This is probably one of the best (if not best!) banana bread recipes I’ve ever tried. Thank you so much! Super moist, perfect sweetness level and delicious!
That’s great to hear, Ivy! I’m so glad you love this. It’s a family favorite in our house. Thanks for sharing.
I made my first comment/review about this scrumptious Banana Bread on April 19, 2023; but I forgot to rate it. I’m truly sorry. This recipe is 5 stars (no doubt), and I would give 10 stars or more if I could. Also, I forgot to mention before that instead of butter, I used Country Crock margarine (still moist & delicious). Because of that, I’ve been baking this bread for 4 consecutive weeks.😊 We can’t have our full week without this banana bread. So again, thank you!❤️
Haha! That’s amazing! I’m so glad you love this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave another review. I appreciate that.
Great recipe as is, but I never leave good enough alone! I always roast bananas before using in banana bread. They taste great and with the sweetness they get by roasting I can lower the amount of sugar. This is my favorite banana bread recipe I’ve tried.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Sally! I’m glad you like the recipe.
Gonna make it tomorrow! But can someone tell me for how much time do we have to preheat the oven?
Hi Allie! It can take up to 15mins but it also depends on the oven. I highly encourage using an internal oven thermometer.
Easy but super delicious i also love your chewy chocolate chip cookies among many other of your recipes!!
Hi Michael! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you.
Plan to make it tomorrow. It’ll either be in a stone bread pan (Pampered Chef) or a ceramic one. Do I need to adjust the cook time? last time I made one, it was too dry. Obviously, cooked it too long
Hi Martha! Based on my research, it may require a few extra minutes but I have not tested it myself to advise. Just keep an eye on it in the oven. Also, be sure to measure ingredients correctly. Baking for too long can cause it to dry out but so can using too much flour. I hope that helps. Let us know how it turns out.
What a lovely taste.
I made this, not my wyfy.
Mixed up a step, so a tad flat.
TASTES LIKE Chicken…
No, perfect, going to add some coconut to top next time.
TYVM for this.
We make lots of your recipes.
Sounds good, thanks for trying this out and we’re glad that you liked it!
PS: adding to my review that I did sub monk fruit for the sugar and was great!
Nice, thank for sharing!
Delicious! I subbed chopped dates for the raisins.
Wondering why mine came out dark brown on top and sides?
Hi Anna! I’m glad you loved the recipe. It could be the pan that you used (the material it is made of and how it distributes heat) or even the oven temperature being too high causing the outside to bake too fast. I recommend using an internal oven thermometer to ensure your temperature is just right. I hope that helps!
This recipe is great! I put a little more than 1/2 cup white honey, turned out great! You can’t even tell that there’s honey 😋
Hi Anita! That’s great to hear. Thank you for the feedback!
Yum. I used some whole wheat flour, oat bran, and ground flaxseed to sneak in more goodness. Very tasty and moist.
Sounds delicious, glad you enjoyed it!
It would be great to offer bake time for smaller bread pans. Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I like to reference this post on adapting recipes for different pan sizes. I hope this is helpful!
So simple and delicious! I opted to use some local raw honey instead of sugar and it’s sooooo good!
Hi Genevieve! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
FANTASTIC recipe. So easy and flexible. I use coconut blossom sugar due to its lower GI content. This is such a crowd winner and can either be great healthy breakfast option (when using low-GI sweetener and spelt flour – spelt flour keeps you full for a long time) or a fancy dessert/high tea item (when add a dollop of whipped cream and extra nuts/dried fruits on the side). Thanks for this amazing recipe!
P/S: I appreciate the metric option since I’m based in Europe. 🙂
I’m so glad you love this recipe. Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback and for sharing your experimentation with the recipe.
I use a similar recipe but up the ripe bananas up to 5 and add a whole bag of fresh cranberries that I have stashed in the freezer after the holidays. I leave the cranberries frozen. The extra bananas make it sweeter and then the fresh! of the cranberries is a wonderful combo. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Thank you for sharing, Carolyn!
Banana Bread Bonanza! When I told my family I put raisins in the bread they were aghast. Yes, aghast. But one taste and they were won over. This is a simple, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious banana bread. I used frozen bananas that looked like and had the texture of giant slugs. If I ate giant slugs. But the bread came out exactly the same as if I used fresh, though old, bananas. However, mashing the frozen bananas, once thawed, was a snap. Family rated it 10/10!
Hi Gail! I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you so much for the review.
Hello Natasha, this is absolutely wonderful banana bread! It is now my go to recipe. Thank you for all of your tips. They really help as well as the videos. I followed the recipe. Very delicious!
That’s amazing! I’m so glad to hear that.
I’ve tried different banana bread recipes over the years, and this is my absolute favorite! Will be making another one today.
That’s wonderful, Max! I’m so glad to hear that.