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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!
Made with 1.5 cups of walnuts and 3 mashed bananas, this recipe is packed with crunch and stays moist for days. The caramelized walnut topping is what sets it apart from a plain banana bread.
This is a European-style banana bread, less sweet than most American banana breads, with yogurt in the batter to keep it moist and tender without making it cakey.
My kids love this banana bread for breakfast or as a quick snack in the afternoon, so I always double the recipe to have some slices in the freezer!
Looking for more banana recipes? Try my Banana Nut Muffins, Chocolate Banana Bread, or Easy Banana Muffins!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Customizable: Feel free to add chocolate chips, other chopped nuts, or pumpkin pie spice to adapt this recipe to your taste.
- Easy: This recipe is super easy and perfect to make together with your kids. The maple walnut topping adds some extra crunch and sweetness.
- Freezer-friendly: This bread can easily be frozen – whole or sliced.
Ingredient Notes
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for quantities.
- All-purpose flour: Make sure to measure the flour correctly using the spoon-and-level method; don’t scoop. Scooping adds up to 20% more flour, resulting in a dry bread. A 1:1 gluten-free baking blend works in place of the all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda: Make sure to use baking soda, not baking powder. Baking soda needs an acid to activate, which is why we use yogurt in this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warm, aromatic spice to the banana bread.
- Butter: You need butter for the batter and the topping. I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Brown sugar: Provides sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor. If your bananas are very ripe, you can drop the brown sugar to 1/2 cup and still get plenty of sweetness. I’ve also made this bread with 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of brown sugar, and it came out delicious.
- Eggs: Use large, room-temperature eggs.
- Yogurt: This adds moisture and keeps the bread fresh for days. I use plain yogurt. You can also use Greek yogurt, vanilla-flavored yogurt, or sour cream.
- Bananas: The star ingredient, providing flavor and natural sweetness. You need about 3 medium-sized, very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana).
- Walnuts: Add a satisfying crunch and nutty flavor to the bread. They need to be coarsely chopped and are used in the batter and the topping. You can also use the same amount of pecans to make Banana Pecan Bread.
- Maple syrup or honey: Sweetens and caramelizes the walnuts for a delicious topping.
Julia’s Tips & Tricks
- Banana chocolate chip bread: 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.
- Use Overripe Bananas: The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your bread will be. Use bananas with brown spots or even blackened skins.
- Properly Mash the Bananas: Mash the bananas thoroughly to a smooth consistency. You can use a fork or a potato masher. Any lumps will affect the texture of your bread.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure that your eggs and butter are at room temperature. Room-temperature ingredients blend more easily, resulting in a smoother batter.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can lead to a tougher, denser bread.
- Test for Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter when your bread is done.
- Cool Before Slicing: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10–15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Slicing too early can make it crumbly.
- Wrap and Store: Once cooled, wrap your banana nut bread in plastic wrap or foil to keep it moist. It often tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.
Best bananas for banana bread
Overripe bananas with many brown spots, like the ones in the photo above, make the sweetest, moistest bread. As bananas ripen, their starch turns to sugar, so the browner they are, the more flavor you get. Plain yellow bananas will work in a pinch; your loaf just won’t be as sweet.
In a hurry? Bake the bananas, skins on, on a lined sheet at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins turn black. Let them cool before mashing. If you have an evening to spare, a paper bag on the counter overnight with an apple tucked inside speeds them up too.
To always have baking-ready bananas on hand, freeze them. I peel mine first, then freeze them whole (not sliced) in an airtight bag, which makes them easier to measure later. To thaw, pull them out alongside your butter and let both come to room temperature together. They’ll look soft and a little gross, but they work perfectly for banana bread. Make sure to include the liquid that pools during thawing. It’s packed with concentrated banana flavor!
Troubleshooting
Sunken middle: Two usual culprits. Either it came out of the oven a touch too early, so the center never fully set, or the batter was overmixed and the structure collapsed as it cooled. Always check with a toothpick in the very center, and stir the flour in just until it disappears.
The top is getting too brown: Some ovens run hotter. If that happens, I recommend tenting the bread with aluminum foil to slow down the browning of the caramelized sugar while the interior finishes baking.
Make-ahead, storage, and freezing
To store: 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 freeze: 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 in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.
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Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan 9×5-inches
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 3 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnut
For the Caramelized Nut Topping:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or honey
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9×5-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.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 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.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing 20 seconds after each addition. Then add vanilla extract, yogurt, and mashed bananas. Mix until incorporated.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup plain yogurt, 3 medium bananas
- Transfer the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine until just incorporated and no flour pockets remain. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.1 cup coarsely chopped walnut
- To make the topping, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in 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.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, ½ cup walnuts chopped
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cover the 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.
So far so good. I have my bread in the oven at the moment. I did replace the yogurt for sour cream, the flour for GF flour and used local honey. Let’s hope for the best!