Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe
This easy banana nut bread is so moist and delicious! Topped with caramelized nuts and loaded with walnuts and mashed bananas my easy banana bread recipe is a family favorite that tastes great for breakfast or as a snack. A perfect way to use overripe bananas!
This is truly the best banana nut bread recipe! Made with 1.5 cups walnuts and 3 mashed bananas this recipe is loaded with flavor and crunch. My family loves a thick slice banana bread for breakfast or as a quick snack in the afternoon. It also freezes well!
Banana bread is so simple to make but to bring it from potentially boring to memorable I top my banana walnut bread with a layer of caramelized nuts. The topping is super easy to make in less than 3 minutes and adds extra crunch and nut flavor to this easy recipe.
Overripe bananas are ideal for making a banana loaf, the riper they are, the better. The bananas add sweetness, moisture, and a perfectly balanced banana flavor to the bread. To make this bread even moister, I like to add brown sugar and yogurt to the batter. Making banana nut bread with brown sugar instead of regular sugar intensifies the flavor, adds moisture and makes the bread a little bit denser – just how I love my banana bread!
This well-loved recipe makes a lovely, moist loaf that keeps fresh for days and combines an old-fashioned quick bread recipe with a crunchy, sweet topping to bring boring banana bread to the next level of deliciousness!
How to Make Banana Nut Bread – Julia’s Tips & Tricks
- Frozen Bananas work great in this recipe! Just drop them in the mixer – no need to mash them, they blend in so easily.
- Banana bread will last unrefrigerated for up to two days and refrigerated for one week. Always store banana bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic foil.
- To make this Banana Bread extra moist I also add yogurt to the batter. This adds moisture and keeps the bread fresh for days.
- To make a Banana Chocolate Chip Bread reduce the nuts in the batter to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips to the batter.
- Instead of cinnamon, you can also add 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for a fall flavored banana bread.
- Use the same amount of pecans instead of walnuts to make a Banana Pecan Bread.
- February 23rd is National Banana Bread Day.
Can you freeze banana nut bread?
Yes, you can freeze this Walnut Banana Bread (and probably any other Banana Bread)!
Once cooled wrap the whole loaf tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost it unwrapped on a wire rack at room temperature for 4 hours. You can also freeze slices wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 month.
Is banana nut bread good for you?
Although banana nut bread contains healthy bananas and nuts it also contains sugar, butter, and flour so you shouldn’t eat the whole loaf alone.
Can you use not ripe bananas for banana bread?
Overripe bananas with brown spots like in the picture above are best for making sweet & moist banana bread but you could also use yellow bananas. When bananas ripen, the starch is converted into sugar so yellow bananas are not as sweet as brown ones and your bread will not be as sweet as it would be when using overripe bananas.
Can you freeze ripe bananas for banana bread?
Yes, you can! A great way to always have perfectly overripe bananas on hand for baking is to freeze ripe bananas for later use. You can freeze them in their skins or peel them. For banana bread, I prefer to peel the bananas before freezing and I also put them whole and not cut into slices in an airtight freezer bag. This makes it easier to measure the bananas. To defrost them just take out the bananas with your butter and let them come to room temperature together. They will be very soft and might look a little bit gross but work perfectly for banana bread.
Looking for more easy banana recipes to use overripe bananas?
- Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
- Banana Nut Maple Muffins
- Double Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
- Banana Nutella Muffins
- Easy Banana Cake Recipe
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Tools used for making this banana bread recipe
Loaf Pan:
I really like this loaf pan because it has a non-stick coating that really works and it is easy to clean.
Stand Mixer
: My most used kitchen appliance and it’s so pretty it can sit on the counter as decoration!
Cinnamon:
I go through so much cinnamon this time of the year so I bought this to always have it on hand!
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Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (210g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (115g)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, (150g)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt, (60g)
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnut, (125g)
For the Caramelized Nut Topping:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped, (60g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper leaving an overhang to easily lift out the bread.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing 20 seconds after each addition.
- Add vanilla extract and yogurt, mix until incorporated.
- Add mashed bananas and mix until combined.
- With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated and no flour pockets remain. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Make the topping: In a small pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in honey (or maple syrup) and whisk to combine. Add chopped walnuts and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
- Distribute the topping evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cover pan with aluminum foil after 30 minutes.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Then lift the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
Nutrition Information
Hi! question, when you say to cover the bread for 30 minutes is that after i take it out of the oven or 30 after it cooks and the rest of the cooking time with the foil on top? thanks!
You cover it after it has been in the oven for about 25 minutes. This prevents the nuts from burning. Take it off after you take the bread out of the oven. If you never had problems with your oven browning the top of cakes too much you can also just skip the foil.
2 thumbs up !!! simple and spectacular recipe; my congratulations from Argentina!!!
Wonderful recipe, my first attempt was so delicious, thank you so much!🍌
can I use sour cream instead of yogurt
Haven’t tried it but it should work. – Julia
Hi, I followed your recipe but cooked in a glass pyrex 8.5 x4.5 x2.5 pan. The center came out undercooked twice so I ordered the Wilton Medium Loaf Pan. Will the metal pan solve my problem?
The bread is absolutely moist and delicious so I want to get it right so I can enjoy the entire loaf. Thanks, Allen
A glass pan will definitely cook differently than a metal pan. Glass doesn’t heat up as quickly as metal but will become very hot once heated up. I’m sure the metal pan will solve your problem! Let me know how it works out for you, Allen! – Julia
I made this yesterday – it was amazing! The topping makes it that much more wonderful. Thank you!!