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.
Do you happen to know if this recipe work using a Mini Loaf Pan? I’d imagine I’d have to shorten the cooking time if so.
Thank you for your time and recipe. I will use this today for my very ripe bananas in my loaf pan.
Hi Belinda! Yes, you could use a smaller pan. I haven’t tested different sizes to know how to adjust the ingredients to fit into your pan so you’ll need to experiment with the quantities and then watch it in the oven since it will likely bake faster.
Running low on all purpose flour, can I substitute self rising?
Hi Crystal. I haven’t tested it myself. Self-rising flour does not contain baking soda, so if you are using self-rising flour you’ll need to add it.
Rachel –
This is my first banana bread and the aroma coming from my oven is amazing. My question is if I wanted to substitute honey for sugar how much honey would I use?
Hi Paul, you can substitute it for an equal amount.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Would anything change in the instructions if I leave out the walnuts and raisins?
Hi Rachel! No changes are needed, you can just omit them. I hope you love the banana bread!
I make this cake nearly every month it comes so moist great recipe
I never usually comment on anything, but I’ve been making banana bread using this recipe long enough for me to feel like I should leave a good review. This is one of the best banana breads, if not the best, I’ve ever eaten (let alone made) since I could remember. I’ve made a couple of versions, pure chocolate chip (personal favorite) and walnut, and they both turned out insanely delicious. Everyone who has taken a bite has LOVED IT, can’t get enough of it, and the way their eyes go wide and grin lights on their face is so empowering, especially for a newbie baker like myself, who has had more success with cooking a meal than baking your average cookie in the past ha-ha. Thank you so much for this recipe 😍💖🍌🍞!
Hi Michelle! That’s amazing. I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for taking time to leave a review.
I’ve found my new favourite banana bread recipe💜
I added raisins,cashew nuts and almonds(‘cause I couldn’t find walnuts) and some cinnamon and it’s so yummy.
I used a different cake pan, so baked it for a shorter time and kept checking on it. I think the timing is key with moistness☺️
It’s so good. Can’t stop eating it.
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nicky!
The best. I used cranberries instead of raisins. The walnuts add some thing very special to this recipe. My best banana cake ever…and I’ve been making them for around 50 years. Thank you v
That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Natasha!
I want to start of by saying thank you for sharing your recipe with all of us.
Tonight was my very first time making banana bread and I felt that it went quite well. My banana bread turned out pretty good.
Two things I wanted to ask you is that I followed your bake temp (350) and cook time (55 to 60 minutes, I went to 60) using the exact pan you listed in your link and there wasn’t much difference that I could see in my bake when I tested the bake with a toothpick at both the 55 and 60 minute mark. My loaf is just slightly dry, more towards the ends than the center. Do you think I can get away with 55 minutes without raw spots? I’ll be making a 2nd loaf as a gift so I’m going for perfect!
My second question is how do I get this to be slightly sweeter? I used 3 ripe bananas but they were barely spotted. Should I try to ripen them a little more? Would doing so improve the banana flavor? Or would you use an extra banana?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Hi Josie! Thank you for your feedback. Every oven bakes differently so it may require some experimentation with your oven. If just the ends were dry, I wonder if the batter needed to be spread out more evenly in the loaf pan. I would also recommend getting an internal oven thermometer (amazon affiliate link) to see if your oven is calibrated and heating correctly. In regards to the sweetness. If the bananas are not ripe enough, the flavor won’t come through as much and they will not be as sweet. Using more ripe bananas could help the flavor and sweetness. I’ve also had several readers report using more bananas, 4-5 and they had good results. Because the size of bananas can vary, you may need more bananas to help with both the taste and texture (moistness) of the bread. Lastly, make sure to measure your flour correctly. Using too much flour can cause the bread to be dry and dense. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients here. I hope that helps troubleshoot.
I am anxious to try this recipe, but I do not have unsalted butter. Can I use salted without it affecting the end result?
Yes you can, just onit the salt in the recipe if you’ll be using salted.
I made this yesterday as a friend gave me 12 bunches of bananas. I followed the recipie exactly, baked for 59 min fearing it would burn on top and it did not cook fully in the center. I added 1/2 cup raisins, which should not have changed it. bread came out alittle grainy. what can I change to make it better. making 2 this morning.
Hi Lady D! Be sure to fully preheat the oven before you start baking. Also, check the size of the pan that you are using, if you are using a smaller pan there would be too much batter, making it thicker and it could take longer to bake. Watch my tutorial on how to measure ingredients here to ensure you are measuring everything correctly. I hope that helps.
This is it! I’ve finally found the best banana bread recipe.
It’s moist, flavorful and hearty.
I made it yesterday, and it’s just about gone.
Fantastic with a cup of coffee!
Hi Phyllis! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi, I just wanted to say that I am baking this right now and I believe it will be delish. There is a small issue when multiplying the recipe, the measurements do not follow the ingredient list. I’m making mine for 20 portions.
Hi Lori, unfortunately, we haven’t found an app yet that would adjust everything in the ingredients list. But we’ll take note of your feedback.
Hello, can I substitute the whole wheat flour for oatmeal flour?
Hi Luz! I have not tested oat flour in this recipe.
I followed the recipe accurately, except I didn’t add raisins. Mine came out incredibly dry. I used the right size pan, I measured properly, and I did everything the way the recipe said, and this thing is bone dry. It looks great, and my husband was drooling over the aroma, but it’s pretty dry. Had more banana or milk or something if you try this, because this was way too dry for banana bread.
HI Karen, dry banana bread is usually due to a few things: not enough banana, not enough oil, too much flour (see how we measure ingredients for baking here) or the number one thing is over-baking. If you are using a convection oven, you would need adjustments.
This was the best! I only had two bananas so I added 1/4 C applesauce and also 1/4 tsp of baking powder. Came out so moist and delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Margie! I’m glad you loved the banana bread. It’s our favorite and also disappears so fast!
If I add chocolate chips, should I coat them with 1-2 T. flour or can I just add them to the batter. I do not want the chips to be at the bottom of the pan. What is the bake time for mini loaves. Thanks in advance
Hi Gloria, I have another recipe for Chocolate Chips Banana Bread.
Easy to follow and delicious! I messed up and added the ingredients in the wrong order and thought for sure I ruined the recipe, but it turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Great to hear that it turned out well! Thank you for sharing, Hallie.
Worst Recipe I have ever made. Followed ever ingredient to the T and came out like trash. Would not Recommend
Hi Steve. I’m sorry that was your experience. This is one of the most popular recipes on our blog with hundreds of 5 star reviews. It’s been proven time and time again. I would be happy to help troubleshoot if you can be more specific and provide some information on what went wrong?
You are so nice, Natasha 🌸 I don’t think I could have been as kind had I received that review. Kudos to you! 👏👏
Fantastic! Best Banana bread I ever made. My additional ingredients to suit my tastes were 1 cup chopped walnuts, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup dried cranberries “craisins”, and ground spices cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
I use a darker pan so I reduced the oven temperature by 25⁰.
It took a little longer to bake. I started checking at 45 min and then every 5 minutes until perfectly baked.
I thought I was being smart reducing oven temperature but the recommended pan looks darker in color so maybe the oven temperature adjustment was unnecessary. In any case best banana bread I ever made.
Thank you for sharing and I’m happy that this is the best that you’ve tried!