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.
I followed the recipe and watched the video, yet the bread never fully baked on the inside & was overdone on the outside. Is my oven possibly too hot?
Hi Elizabeth, it could definitely be the oven or the pan. Did you use a smaller pan by chance? I highly encourage the use of an Internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to see if your oven is heating correctly.
Very good & very easy, but next time I am going to add a half cup of unsweetened applesauce to increase moistness as this was slightly dry.
Hi Mel! I’m glad you loved the recipe. It’s generally very moist, not dry. But using too much flour or baking it for too long can cause it to be dry. I have a tutorial on here.
This is a great recipe and very simple. I added walnuts and pecans and a few raisins. I used vanilla paste and threw in about 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar I had left over from something else. I topped it with pecans before baking.
I didn’t use a traditional loaf pan. Instead, I used a vintage Pyrex rectangular casserole dish 6×9.5in. I baked it at 350 for 40 minutes and it turned out wonderful. I’ll never use a box mix again!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kimberly! Homemade is so much better than box mix! So glad you loved the recipe. It’s our favorite.
Perfect easy and very tasty. A lot of pop ups make it hard to get to the recipe but it is well worth the time
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, David!
This is a very good recipe. Being a pastry chef myself, I changed your recipe to what I think is the perfect banana bread, moist, filled with nuts and fruits and delicious any time of the day.
I’ve made this banana bread so many times over the past few years that I felt compelled to write a review!! It’s so moist and flavorful, not dense at all! I usually drizzle some honey on top and use less sugar because I like to add chocolate chips but it’s delicious no matter what, and the walnuts are such a yummy addition!! I’m actually about to bake this again right now which is why I thought to leave a review. I would definitely recommend this!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Danie. We appreciate it!
I am planning on doubling this recipe and baking in a very long loaf pan. Are there any adjustments to the temperature or directions? I believe it would take longer but any input will help
Hi Tara! I have not tested it in different size pans to provide exact instructions on how to adjust the ingredients or time. Likely you can keep the same temperature but will have to experiment with the time.
Turned out wonderfully moist, with no issues of uncooked centre that some others experienced…I shingled bananas on the sides, and sprinkled granulated white sugar on top prior to baking, to infuse with a bit more banana flavour, as well as create visual interest…thank you for your recipe!
Yay, wonderful to hear that, Edward! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Is it okay to leave out nuts and raisins or should i replace it with something else
Yes, you can leave them out.
I forgot to toast the walnuts LOL! After 45min toothpick was clean but center was definitely not done. I think the batter just doesn’t stick with the butter in it? Can you link to the pan you use? Using a stoneware bread pan and I’m not sure it’s the best for this.
Hi Dave! It’s linked in step one on the recipe card (click on the red font). The material of the pan can affect how this bakes, since different materials distribute heat differently.
I love this recipe but every time I make it my banana bread doesn’t seem to get done in the center when the time is up and if I leave it in the oven for longer, it gets hard and crusty on the top and all dried out! Thought
?!
Hi Kristie, Did you use the correct size loaf pan? If it was smaller the there would be too much batter and it won’t bake properly without adjusting the time/temp. I would also encourage the use of an Internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to verify your oven is heating correctly. If it runs too hot, the outside will burn while the center remains raw. The type of pan used can also affect how it bakes, different materials distribute heat differently. I hope that helps for next time.
This recipe “Rocks”!!! this will be a frequent flyer recipe in my house…. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for that awesome feedback!
This is by far the best banana bread recipe I’ve baked. I replaced the raisins with just walnuts. Absolutely delish!
That’s wonderful, Robin!
Turned out fabulous, I added maple syrup and buttermilk. Super moist and super flavorful, will definitely make again!!
Sounds delicious!
This recipe was really tasty! I made some minor adjustments like using 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar, then split the batter in half and added fresh blueberries to one and chocolate chips to the other. I made muffins and they took about 22min to cook in my oven. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
That sounds amazing, Shelby! Thank you for sharing your experimentation with the recipe.
Delicious! Made two loaves one with honey the other with white sugar and chocolate chips. Both were great. Daughter raved about chocolate one (of course)! Simple, moist and will make it our regular go-to banana bread recipe. Baked closer to 65 minutes.
Hi Dale! That’s great to hear. Thank you for sharing that with us.
My husband loves banana bread (I’m not a fan 🙃). I made a loaf (different recipe) a couple of weeks ago that he enjoyed but when he asked for another, he requested that it be “softer” (read: moister and less dense – he doesn’t bake LOL). I tried Natasha’s and it’s a hit!
I omitted the raisins (because eww) and forgot to toast the walnuts (doh). I replaced the sugar with the same amount of Splenda and I converted all dry ingredient measurements to weight vs. volume. I also doubled the recipe to reduce the frequency with which I have to make a new batch 😂. I did not have the issue with underdone centers that others reported though I might have used slightly larger pans as the finished product wasn’t very “tall.”
I did a taste test and I can confirm that the moisture level was spot on. I do have (what’s left) wrapped in plastic in an effort to keep them from drying out.
Overall, a big win! Thank you!! 🍞
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing. It;s good to know that you were able to make this recipe work using the ingredients that you like to use.
This is the best recipe I have ever found and have shared with everyone. Banana bread comes out moist and perfect every time. Thank you for sharing
Hi Heather! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing with us.
This was a solid 4 star banana bread. Good but not as moist as advertised. I made two separate batches and they both turned out to be slightly disappointing. The raisins overpower the banana in flavor. Shocked to see this recipe holds 5 stars.
Hi Abbey! I’m sorry this recipe didn’t meet the mark for you. The raisins can be omitted or even replaced. This bread has always been very moist. If it’s dry, it’s likely due to the ratio of ingredients being off, like using too much flour, or even over-baking. Be sure not to scoop our flour directly out of the container with your measuring cup. I recommend watching my tutorial on How to measure ingredients . I also recommend the use of an In oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure the oven is calibrated. I hope that helps.
I’ve tried many different recipes for Banana Bread and this is the best one I’ve tried. Just popped two pans in the oven and wanted to post my thanks. From right down the road in Meridian!! Thanks Natasha!
Thank you for your excellent comments and feedback, Glenn! Great to hear that this is the best one that you have tried.
Came out well. Added a tsp of wine. Blown away. Aroma in house, priceless!
This recipe was easy to follow. The banana bread was very moist and a big hit with the family.
That’s wonderful to hear, Bonnie! We love this recipe too. I’m glad it was a hit!