The Best Banana Nut Bread
Another award winning banana bread recipe to help give those overripe bananas a new lease on life! This is the BEST Banana Nut Bread recipe you’ll ever make. Perfectly moist, tender and nutty, it’s super easy to make from scratch with a few common kitchen ingredients.
Banana Nut Bread
Fall is in the air and it just makes me want to fire up the oven to bake a loaf of banana bread!
I always have bananas that are just on the edge of being totally and utterly useless……and I always make this amazing homemade Banana Nut Bread. It’s like a staple in our house.
Totally easy to whip up and it gives your really brown bananas a purpose beyond getting lost in the back of the freezer because you thought they’d be great in a strawberry banana smoothie. They would….but they always end up in the back of the freezer….how does that even happen?
Anyway, I LOVE making the best banana bread recipe and have a ton that I linked to so you can check them out at the bottom of this post. Banana bread recipes are so totally versatile and all of mine are based off my basic banana bread recipe which is insanely moist and packed with pure banana flavor.
This easy Banana Nut Bread recipe is such a great snack or quick breakfast for busy weekday mornings. It’s wonderful when you warm it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then slather with a thick schmear of butter or cream cheese. It makes getting out the door in the morning speedy and sweet. Sweet tasting….not like “SWEET….I get to go to work now!”
Ingredients You Will Need
To make sure you end up with a super moist Banana Nut Bread recipe, using the right ingredients is key. I always use really ripe bananas because they’re less dry and starchy than yellow or underripe bananas. Underripe bananas can suck the moisture out of the other ingredients leaving you with dry, crumbly banana bread. Not good eats, at all.
So, always be sure to use high quality, moisture rich ingredients like I do for my go-to banana bread recipe. I could easily eat a whole loaf by myself in one sitting.
- Bananas – Very Ripe mashed bananas, the darker they are the sweeter your banana bread will be without adding additional sugar. You want the bananas leaning toward brown but not black….heavily freckled bananas with lots of brown spots will work well, too.)
- sugar – White sugar is my go-to but light brown sugar or dark brown sugar adds a richer flavor.
- butter – I use salted butter for this recipe but if using unsalted butter be sure to add a pinch more salt to the batter. Do not use melted butter, room temperature butter works best.
- greek yogurt – Plain, low fat works best but feel free to experiment with flavors although they have more sugar than plain yogurt.
- eggs – Large, room temperature.
- flour – Regular all purpose flour provides the best texture.
- baking soda – Don’t skip the baking soda and make sure it’s not expired for the fluffiest banana bread.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds light floral vanilla flavor.
- salt
- nuts – Use whatever nuts you have on hand but we love the buttery texture of walnuts.
Feel free to add your own twist to the banana nut bread recipe by experimenting with your favorite extracts…sometimes I like to add a splash of vanilla or almond extract. Sometimes I like to add chocolate chips to my banana nut bread. The choice is your’s. As long as you stick to the core list of ingredients for your banana bread before adding in your extras, you will be rewarded with tender, moist banana nut bread guaranteed!
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Banana Nut Bread
The BEST Banana Nut Bread recipe is incredibly simple to make with just a few kitchen staples. I made this recipe with walnuts but you can make your Banana Nut Bread recipe with pecans or any other kind of nut you like.
- Preheat to oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, combine the sugar and butter beating at medium speed until fluffy.
- On low-speed, add the banana, milk, greek yogurt and eggs mixing until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Keeping the mixer on low-speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat just until blended.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts or any other nut you may be using.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5 inch prepared loaf pan coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
See how easy it is to make perfect banana nut bread? And kids absolutely LOVE this banana bread recipe. My little guy even likes it with a bit of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter.
How To Make Banana Bread Muffins
There are simply no limitations to what you can add to your Banana Nut Bread. And if you want to exercise portion control you can turn this recipe into Banana Muffins just by dividing the batter among the wells of a muffin tin and baking for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top bounces back when gently pressed with your finger.
Light, airy, moist and tender, this easy Banana Bread recipe may end up being a weekly addition to your meal prep. Kid friendly, husband friendly (or wife friendly), mother in law friendly….you’ll win everyone over with this quick bread recipe I’m sure!
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover banana nut bread can be wrapped in aluminum foil and transferred to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or transfer to the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Easy Banana Bread Recipes
- Maple Glazed Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Triple Chocolate Banana Bread
- Blueberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread
- Pina Colada Banana Bread with Coconut Glaze
- White Chocolate Macadamia Banana Bread
- Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze
Want even more fun recipe inspiration and cooking tips? Follow us over on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 2/3 cups mashed ripe banana about 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
- 1 loaf pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter beating at medium speed until fluffy. On low-speed, add the banana, milk, greek yogurt and eggs mixing until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Keeping the mixer on low-speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat just until blended. Fold in the nuts.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Video
3 Comments on “The Best Banana Nut Bread”
Can I substitute sour cream for Greek yogurt?
You sure can! It is an even swap!
Very moist, bold banana taste. I added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract because I think it adds another layer of flavor. Topped with a pat of butter, of course.