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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 have made your banana bread recipe twice in the last two weeks and my family LOVES IT. Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome, Debbie! We love this too! So glad you enjoy the recipe.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I’m excited to! I’ve got a bag of bread flour I’m trying to use up. Any ideas on what (if any) modifications I would need to make if I substitute bread flour for AP? Thanks!
Hi Katie, without testing that substitution, it’s difficult to guess how that would turn out.
The bread turned out delicious. All glory to GOD. Easy recipe. Great tutorial videos as well for making the bread and measuring. Looking forward to trying other recipes. Thank you Natasha for sharing your expertise.
You’re very welcome, Katherine! So glad you loved the recipe.
It’s heavily modified at this point but I use your recipe as a base for my own. I use 5 bananas, 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup white flour, and I substitute a quarter of the butter with avocado oil. Additionally I use a half tablespoon of yeast and give it 20 mins of counter time before baking.
Different. But you’re recipe was the foundation; cheers!
Hi Jake! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Great recipe. The bread was polished off in an afternoon by friends. Will definitely make again
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This came out super dry. Followed the recipe exactly- not sure why I got dry results but won’t make this again. Such a bummer.
We’ve had amazing results with the recipe as written. A dry cake is a result of too much flour or over-baking. I have a tutorial on How to measure ingredients here.
I highly encourage the use of an Internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure your oven is heating correctly. I hope that helps.
Absolutely perfect. Moist and delicious. I left out the walnuts and raisins and changed the baking temp to 325 with 15 min left.
So glad you loved this recipe, Michelle!
Hello Natasha,
This is my first introduction to you and your recipes. I am eager to try this banana bread tonight. I do not, however, have unsalted butter on hand. Could you please tell me if salted butter with work if I omit the added salt?
Hi Linda! I like to use unsalted so that I can control the salt level but if that’s all you have on hand, that will work. Just omit the salt. I hope you love this recipe!
This is a great recipe!
I added toasted pecans and dried bing cherries. YUM
Yum! That sounds like a great addition.
Natasha I had a question what if I don’t have a 9 x 5 loaf pan? Would an 8 x 4 1/2 pan work or should I divide the batter between those pans?
Hi Julie! I haven’t tested it in different size pans to know exactly how much batter to use. It would be too much batter for one smaller pan so likely you’ll have to use another pan for the extra batter. Be sure to watch it in the oven do it doesn’t over-bake.
I’ll give it try a let you know. Thanks for taking the time to respond back.
I do a lot of cooking for dinner but not much baking. So I made this bread after having three bananas get very ripe. It was delicious and we share it with friends and they all wanted to know where I got the recipe. Then the other day I was making bean soup with a left over ham bone and my wife whip up another loaf of this bread. It doesn’t last long around us. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Denny! I’m so glad you both loved it!
I am 74 and have only ever made my Nanny’s banana bread UNTIL! I follow you on FB and decided to try it…omgoodness, Even she would love this version, not too different but just fabulous, thank you!
Hi Catherine! That’s amazing. Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I’m so glad you decided to try this recipe.
Hi! I’m baking this now. Smells wonderful! But it’s nowhere near done in middle. It’s been baking hour and 15 mins and while the edges and top crust are getting dark, the middle is still loose batter. I incresed temp from 350 to 375 for an addl 5 mins to see if that helps. That’ll make an hour and 20 minutes.
Any tips?
Hi Sharla! Did you make any substitutions or use a different size pan? The baking time can vary a bit oven to oven but it shouldn’t be that drastic or a different. This recipe was tested in a conventional oven on regular bake mode. Some tips to help, be sure to fully preheat the oven before starting to bake the loaf. I highly recommend using an In oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure your oven is heating correctly. The type of pan can make a difference in how it bakes as well since different materials distribute heat differently. I hope that helps troubleshoot.
I made this today, exactly as Natasha instructed. It’s simply wonderful–moist, flavorful and light. I’ve been using an oil-based recipe because I’m too impatient to wait for butter to reach room temperature. 😊Not anymore. This banana bread is worth the wait and will be my new go to recipe. Thank you, Natasha!
Hello Craig, thank you for your wonderful review! Patience is the key, glad that you loved it!
great recipe! The bread was fluffy and moist. It also lasts a very long time. 🙂
Hi Gabby! I’m so glad you loved this recipe.
Made this recipe last night with Bob’s Red Mill GF AP Baking Flour as my daughter is GF. My wife and daughter said we need to make this our go to banana bread recipe. Moist, tasty, not too sweet. Thank you
That’s amazing, Andrew! I’m so glad it was a hit!
I haven’t even tried this recipe yet but she actually wrote the measurements in with the step by step instructions so you don’t constantly have to scroll back and forth between instructions and ingredients!!! I have been griping about this for years lol.
I’m so glad that is helpful! Thank you so much for sharing that feedback with me.
I loved that too! Its so annoying to have to scroll up and down 50x 🤣 I just made it and it’s now cooling 🙂
What can I substitute for butter? I’m out and want to make this now. Thanks!
Hi A, I haven’t tried this myself, but I read online you if you really love olive oil, you can use olive oil as a substitute for butter in order to make banana bread. Although you may want to go with a less fragrant oil.
Olive oil works amazingly in baked goods and you wont taste it.
We often use light olive oil when baking since it’s neutral in taste.
Can I substitute almond extract instead of vanilla? Do you think it would latter the taste too much 🤷♀️?
Hi Jill. I have not tried almond extract to know how the flavors would taste together.
The best banana bread I ever made. A favorite for the whole family.
I did a few adjustments to make it easier to make.
Exact same ingredients, except I add 1 whole banana. I stir butter with sugar, don’t bother with whipping it. I take 3 bananas and mash them roughly with a fork. I add eggs, vanilla and stir it. I add flour with baking powder on top and stir everything together. I add 1 more banana mashed roughly in my hands. I add a little bit of canola oil and some pieces of walnuts. Transfer the batter to the baking pan and I cover the top with walnuts halves, press them gently in and bake. After it’s done, powdered sugar on top
Thank you for sharing, Daniela!
How many bananas total did you use? I am going to make it asap. So excited to try this recipe
My first time ever making banana bread. This recipe is so easy. Delicious and super moist. The whole family loved it!
Great to hear that it was a huge hit!