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.
Thank you Natasha
This bread was extremely easy to make
And the entire family enjoyed it.
Look forward to trying something new.
Hi Ernesto! I’m so glad they enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi Natasha! Will this recipe be okay split into 2 6” round pans? Or should I double the recipe? Making this for my daughters smash cake
Hi Autumn! I can’t say for sure because I have not tested it. I think you’ll have enough batter for that. Just be sure to not overfill the pans. Keep an eye on it in the oven because it will bake faster.
The bread burns on the sides and the top and the inside was raw like pudding so it was a sloppy mess I needed to microwave it all. Not easy to make at all. I guess I needed the pan lower in the oven but used a glass one. Or maybe covering with foil.The taste was good after cutting off all the well done hard pieces which was about a third. I would never attempt this again. I.5 cups of flour I think might not be enough to make a bread with all these ingredients. Plus, I only used two bananas. Yikes!
Hi Nicole. I don’t recommend using a glass pan for this unless you lower the temperature and bake it longer. It conducts heat differently. Also- I used a conventional oven, if you’re using a convection/fan oven it will bake faster and burn before it sets inside.
I also recommend an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to check the accuracy of your oven temperature. Make sure to fully preheat your oven before baking. This recipe has been made successfully by so many of my viewers, with over a thousand 5 star reviews. I hope you’ll try again.
I followed your banana bread recipe for baseline and it is delicious. To adjust for my allergy-plauged friend I used spelt flour, and in place of walnuts I used roughly chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts.
I think your recipe is highly adjustable without sacrificing moistness or flavor. Thank you very much.
I used this as a base and added pecans, semisweet chocolate chips, dark spiced rum, and a bit of Grand Marnier. Delicious 😋
So this is ALWAYS so tasty!!! Lately though it has been bursting out on the top and still gooey but the rest of it is brown and getting harder so I don’t know what to do with being able to cook the middle without burning the rest? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
Hi, I I love your recipe! Instead if walnuts and raisins I just put chocolate chips and frozen berries – and it‘s delicious. I want to make a vegan version for a friend. What do you recommend to substitude the eggs and the butter with best?
Hi Isable, I don’t think it would work the same without the eggs but again, I haven’t tested it without the egg to make it vegan or with a substitute. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I made 4 banana nut bread with pecans and chocolate and raisins delicious I follow the recipe but added more ingredients with dried raisins and also cranberries it was so moist and yes I would recommend this recipe so easy to follow directions in baking also I use parchment paper to cover loaf pan
How long should they bake as mini loaves?
Hi there! You can use 350 °F for 25–30 minutes. Make sure to start checking after 25 minutes by using a toothpick. You can bake for another 3-5 minutes more until its fully baked.
Only hade 2 ripe bananas and it still came out amazingly delishes.
We love your banana bread recipes so i am making it again.
I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying it, Maria!
I want to use honey instead of sugar. How much honey do I need? Should I decrease any liquids if I use honey?
Hi Jessica. You can sub it 1:1 with the sugar without making any changes. You can also use less if your bananas are very ripe and sweet.
Banana bread is one of my favorites. This is a simple recipe and is delicious. The easiest way to mash bananas is to leave them in the peel and use your fist like a mallet, then peel and throw them in the batter. It does the trick, with no mess.
Excellent! No issues and tastes amazing!
Amazing recipe. Comes out fantastic every time.My daughter doesn’t like raisins so I use cranberries instead.
So so moist and tasty!! I love this recipe :3
So glad to hear that, Amanda!
Best healthy banana/honey/cranberry, no sugar bread.
Hi! I dont have a bread pan. Can I use a square pan? Would the temperature and time change?
Hi Ileana! I don’t have the exact instructions for that. I’m sure you could but depending on the size you may need to modify the ingredient amounts to make it fit properly.
Here’s what one of my viewers said:
“ also made it in a 9×9 glass dish and baked it for about 35 min because I like nice big squares of banana bread rather than slices.”
If you have a Bundt pan or muffin pan, you can follow one of my other recipes. I have a Banana Bundt Cake Recipe and Banana Muffins Recipe .
Super delicious and moist. Videos really help me as it has been many years since I have baked.
Can I add chocolate chips instead of raisins
Hi Darlene! Yes, you can like we do in our Banana Muffins Recipe.
Hi, do you think I can use cake flour instead of the regular? Thank you
Hi Ema! I’ve had a few viewers report negative results using cake flour. I don’t recommended using it unless a recipe specifically calls for it.