This is simply the best Banana Nut Bread recipe out there! We’re talking moist, delicious, perfectly sweetened and nutty. No mixer needed, super quick and easy to make!
Is there anything better than warm banana nut bread fresh right out of the oven? I probably say that a lot, but seriously, good moist banana bread truly is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, especially with a good cup of coffee.
I love to make banana bread, although I hardly ever have ripe bananas on hand. Sometimes I buy bananas and won’t let anyone eat them just so they could ripen and I can use them for banana bread!
The Best Banana Nut Bread
I love the banana bread from Costco, but I always find it quite sweet for my taste, however, I love how moist it is. I made it my mission over the years to make my own version but slightly sweetened, or perfectly sweetened to my taste. It’s safe to say I’ve been making this banana nut bread for decades and I’ve had plenty of time to perfect it.
Be sure to check out the tips below for the best banana bread ever, and if you follow all my tips and instructions, it will be impossible for you to fail with this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Banana – Large bananas, very ripe, peeled.
- Vegetable Oil – Substitute with applesauce for a lower fat banana bread.
- Yogurt – Substitute sour cream.
- Eggs – Large eggs.
- Vanilla Extract – Without vanilla our banana bread may taste a little flat.
- Sugar – Both packed brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder – These will act as our leaveners and give us super tender banana bread.
- Salt – Imperative in baking, don’t skip it!
- Nuts – I like using softer nuts like walnuts or pecans.
How To Make Banana Nut Bread
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the ripe bananas to a medium size bowl and mash them using a fork or a potato masher. Add the vegetable oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and quickly whisk everything together.
- Add Ingredients: Whisk in the sugars then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the walnuts.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then remove the bread from the loaf pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Every oven is different, so don’t worry if your bread isn’t ready after 45 minutes. Have a couple clean toothpicks ready to go, and test your bread by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out with some batter, add an extra 5-10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.
If you wanted a dairy free version skip the yogurt and add applesauce instead. This is something I have always made often because hubs goes through phases and the last phase he went through he thought he was lactose intolerant, so I had to make all sorts of recipes dairy free.
There are two great methods that you can use if you’re craving banana bread, but your bananas just aren’t quite ready.
1. Place the bananas on a baking sheet and bake them at 250°F for 10-20 minutes. This will depend on how ripe your bananas are to start out with. Keep an eye on them and add time as you see fit.
2. If you are okay with waiting an extra day, place your bananas in a paper bag and fold the top to seal off the outside air. This leaves them in a bag full of their own ethylene, which is what causes them to ripen. Adding an apple, fig, or pear to the bag will help them ripen up a bit more.
Now it’s your opportunity to customize this heavenly bread! I love to mix some chocolate chips in my banana nut bread. Switch up the type of nuts you use, or dried fruits like raisins or cranberries are also fantastic additions!
Tips For Making The Best Banana Bread
- Ugly brown bananas make the best banana bread. However, make sure you don’t use fermented bananas, or those where the peel is split.
- Choose oil over butter. While we’re always tempted to use butter in baking because it tastes better, oil is best in banana bread. Butter tends to emulsify and coat the flour, preventing it from absorbing too much water, which will result in dry banana bread. Nobody likes a dry banana bread!
- Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, instead of mixing using a whisk or mixer, this will give us a tender crumb.
- I have, in fact, many variations of this banana bread. I’ve used applesauce instead of oil, and I quite love this substitution because the bread still comes out moist, sour cream vs yogurt, chocolate chips vs nuts, whole wheat flour vs white flour, etc. However, here I wanted to give you the basic version, and my favorite version, but feel free to add/change things to your preference.
- Don’t over-mix! Once everything is evenly incorporated, the batter is ready to go.
- Be generous with the cooking spray in your loaf tin, especially in the corners.
- Use a cooling rack once the bread is done baking to avoid the exterior from becoming too dark.
Storing
Wrap the banana nut bread tightly with plastic wrap or you can store it in an airtight container. It will last on your counter for 3 days, or in the fridge for about one week. I love to microwave my slices of banana bread for 20-30 seconds to let it soften up, especially if it’s been in the fridge.
Freezing
You can absolutely freeze banana bread. Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. It will last in the freezer for 3 to 4 months!
Wrap the loaf or the individual slices extremely well with plastic wrap, even if they’re being stored in an airtight container. The bread will give off some moisture which can cause freezer-burn without the plastic wrap. Let it thaw completely at room temperature.
More Great Recipes To Try
Craving More? Follow Along:
Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas very ripe, peeled
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts chopped (or pecans)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.Â
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the ripe bananas to a medium size bowl and mash them using a fork or a potato masher. Add the vegetable oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and quickly whisk everything together.
- Add Ingredients: Whisk in the sugars then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the walnuts.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then remove the bread from the loaf pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Variations: Stir in about ½ cup dark chocolate chips for a chocolate chip banana bread. For a healthier version, use applesauce instead of vegetable oil.Â
- Ugly brown bananas make the best banana bread. However, make sure you don’t use fermented bananas, or those where the peel is split.
- Choose oil over butter. While we’re always tempted to use butter in baking because it tastes better, oil is best in banana bread. Butter tends to emulsify and coat the flour, preventing it from absorbing too much water, which will result in dry banana bread. Nobody likes a dry banana bread!
- Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, instead of mixing using a whisk or mixer, this will give us a tender crumb.
- I have, in fact, many variations of this banana bread. I’ve used applesauce instead of oil, and I quite love this substitution because the bread still comes out moist, sour cream vs yogurt, chocolate chips vs nuts, whole wheat flour vs white flour, etc. However, here I wanted to give you the basic version, and my favorite version, but feel free to add/change things to your preference.
- Don’t over-mix! Once everything is evenly incorporated, the batter is ready to go.
- Be generous with the cooking spray in your loaf tin, especially in the corners.
- Use a cooling rack once the bread is done baking to avoid the exterior from becoming too dark.
- Storing: Wrap banana bread in plastic wrap while still a bit slightly warm, but not hot. This will keep it from drying out overnight.Â
Susan K says
Jo, this is the best banana bread, it never fails it’s always moist and yummy! Have you made muffins with this recipe, I’m thinking of trying?!? I just saw you have a banana muffin recipe too – now I’m torn! THANKS!
Joanna Cismaru says
You can definitely use this recipe to make banana muffins, so why not try both. 🙂
Susan says
I used this recipe, I only had tree bananas so could only make one…. they turned out amazing – just like the loaf! Thanks!
Joanna Cismaru says
Yay! Glad they turned out for you!
Kari says
What kind of yogurt is best? Plain Greek? Would vanilla Greek yogurt be too sweet? Excited to try it! Thanks!!
Ana Maria Jinga says
Hi Kari,
Yes, you can go with plain Greek yogurt for this recipe. The vanilla one might be a tad too sweet.
Anushka Pai says
I made banana bread for the very first time using this recipe. It turned out Fantastic! Perfect amount of sweetness and really moist. I did not have the patience to wait for the banana to ripen. I artificially ripened them by throwing them in tbe oven for 25 mins @ 250 degrees. It worked pretty well. Thank you for this simple yet wonderful recipe
Nelson Isaac says
Am so much in love with your banana nut bread. Best recipe ever
Riley Samuelson says
So glad you liked it!
Ann Kuykendall says
I made the bread today from your recipe. I appreciated the information you provided about using oil instead of butter, however, I opted for the applesauce. I never would have thought of using yogurt either. I also used gluten free flour. The bread turned out the best I’ve ever made. Moist and delicious. Thank you for your wonderful and informative recipe.
Riley Samuelson says
I’m so glad you liked it, great customization!
Hannah Flack says
Thank you so much for wonderful recipes! What I love about your website most of all is that you post not only great recipes and descriptions but also stunning photos of food! Have a nice day!
Nicole Beaulieu says
Thank you so much, Hannah! That’s so kind. We’re glad you’ve been loving our recipes 🙂
Iris says
One question if I used the apples sauce instead of the oil how much would I used.
Riley Samuelson says
It would be the same amount! Applesauce and oil is a 1:1 ratio, so equal parts:)
Vega says
I made it today, however had to leave it a lot longer than 50 minutes. It did taste delicious!
Joanna Cismaru says
Yes, the baking time is basically just a guideline as each oven is different. Glad you liked it though!
Elaine Capano says
Can this be made without nuts? My family are not fans.
Joanna Cismaru says
Absolutely!
Julie says
Using my own home grown bananas I made 4 loafs and
They looked exactly like the picture. The taste was amazing!
Simply the best recipe which is what I was looking for
With my bananas. It will be a permanent go to when
Next season when I grow another few bunches of bananas.
Milena says
Best recipe for banana nut bread I ever found.
Joanna Cismaru says
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it!
Elaine Lewis says
This is a wonderful recipe! Loved the bread. I had to bake it a little long than an hour. It might have been my oven. But I am thinking about making this for Christmas gifts. Yummy!!
Susan V says
Good receipe, it was too much batter left over so I made 6 muffins and added cinnamon to them, plus sprinkled some on top of them.
CARLA NORTON says
We made this recipe, it’s the most yummiest recipe ever! I did however omit the yogurt and added cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. VERY MOIST and very satisfying!! Will be making it again very soon! Thank you for the recipe.