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My most highly requested banana nut bread recipe is here! It all started with my banana muffins, which I tested for weeks when writing my Bakery Style Muffins cookbook.
Thousands of families loved them so much that they asked for directions on how to bake it as a loaf. Now I’ve adapted the recipe to do just that, make the perfect banana nut bread!
My Favorite Recipe For Banana Nut Bread
I know it’s so disappointing to spend time and ingredients and end up with dry banana bread that doesn’t have the right amount of banana flavor. When we think of really good banana bread, we tend to think of our mom’s banana bread, perfectly moist and flavorful. You can probably imagine the smell filling the kitchen right now.
Well now you can make banana nut bread that, dare I say, may even be better than your mom’s! Don’t take my word for it, thousands of families loved the base of this recipe so much that they asked for it to be adapted from muffins to a loaf. When you follow my easy recipe below, you’ll have banana nut bread that bakes up perfectly every time.
When adapting this recipe, I worked on perfecting the bake time, but remember all bake times are estimates due to oven and pan differences (more on this below). Keep reading for all my best tips for super moist banana bread!
Why This is The Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Here are just a few of the reasons why this will become your new go-to banana bread recipe:
- Just 10 minutes of active prep time
- Super moist bread with the perfect texture
- Packed with banana and nutty flavor
- Perfect for dessert, breakfast, or a snack
- Easily customizable (see notes below)
- Great way to use overripe bananas
Homemade Banana Nut Bread Ingredients
Go ahead and save this link now, because this is the best banana bread recipe and the only one you’ll ever need. Keep reading for my best tips for moist banana bread. Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bananas: mashed
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Chopped nuts: I recommend walnuts or pecans.
How to Make The Best Banana Nut Bread
With just 10 minutes of active prep time, this easy banana nut bread recipe is a winner all the way around. Get the full recipe with ingredients in the recipe card below. Here are the foolproof steps for banana nut bread magic:
- Prep oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Mash and measure bananas. Mash 4-6 bananas, then measure out 2 cups using dry measuring cups, not liquid measuring cups. It’s important to measure the banana since the size of each banana can vary so much.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and 1 ½ cups nuts. I like to sprinkle ½ cup nuts on top of my bread, but if you don’t want to, add all the nuts now.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients. Gradually mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Prep pan and transfer batter. Spray a loaf pan (either 9×5 or 8.5×4.5) with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread even with a spatula.
- Bake. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes check to see if the bread is browning too much. If so, tent the bread with aluminum foil and bake for 10-20 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 45 minutes, check again at 55 minutes, then tent, and bake for 10 additional minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Note on bake time: The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 55-65 minutes and the 9×5 inch pan is 45-60 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is.
Super Moist Banana Nut Bread Recipe Tips
This is the moist banana bread recipe you’ve been searching for! For best results, follow my tips here:
- Measure the mashed banana: Be sure to measure the amount of mashed banana. Bananas vary in size so much, so measuring the mashed banana helps to ensure accuracy.
- Don’t overmix the batter: This batter will be thick. For quick bread, do not use your electric mixer to beat in the dry ingredients, using a spatula and mixing by hand will give you more control. “Mix just until incorporated” means mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until you can just no longer see any flour streaks. Yes, you should still scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl, but do that as you’re mixing in the flour.
- Don’t overcook – tent with aluminum foil if needed: Sometimes the bread can trick you, it can look done on the outside but still be doughy in the middle. That’s when tenting the bread with aluminum foil comes in handy. It protects the top from becoming too brown, overcooked, or crusty. Simply lay a slightly folded piece of aluminum foil over the bread so it’s not sealed but just “tented”. This keeps the top of the bread from becoming too brown while the center finishes cooking.
- Know your loaf pan size and adjust baking time accordingly: There are two popular loaf pan sizes – 9×5 and 8.5×4.5. Even though the numbers are similar, the pans actually differ in size by 15%. The 8.5×4.5 pan will yield tall, more domed bread and will take 5-10 minutes longer when baking. The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 55-65 minutes and 9×5 inch pan is 45-60 minutes.
- Over-ripe bananas are best: Spotty, over-ripe bananas make the best banana bread. If your bananas aren’t ripe, you can fix that! Place the bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet in a 300ºF oven for 30-40 minutes, until the peels become black and shiny. Roasting them in the oven causes them to become sweet and mushy.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
Homemade Banana Nut Bread Variations
This recipe can be customized to fit your preferences. Here are some variation suggestions:
- Gluten-Free Banana Nut Bread: I have made this bread multiple times and it comes out great. I prefer to use King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. You can also try another brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Be sure to measure the flour properly per the instructions above.
- Change the nuts: I recommend walnuts or pecans for banana nut bread, but you can use any other nut you want to try. Of course, it will change the flavor. You can try hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, or peanuts. You could also choose to skip the nuts and just have plain banana bread.
- Chocolate Banana Bread: If you love the combination of chocolate and banana, try mixing in some chocolate chips or try my chocolate banana bread recipe.
- Other add-ins: You can try folding in any other add-ins you like. Some ideas are white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruit like raisins, dried blueberries, cranberries, or cherries.
- Make banana nut muffins: This recipe was adapted from my banana nut muffins recipe, so if you want to make this in muffin cups instead, just use this recipe.
Keeping Moist Banana Nut Bread Fresh
It’s important to let the bread completely cool before you store it. Once it has fully cooled, wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it at room temperature for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze Moist Banana Bread
To freeze the whole loaf: allow it to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place the wrapped bread in the fridge overnight.
To freeze individual slices: allow the loaf to cool completely and slice. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap then in aluminum and place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place a slice in the fridge overnight. Or unwrap and microwave for 30-second intervals.
More Banana Recipes
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Best Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 4-6 large ripe bananas, about 2 cups mashed, be sure to measure the mashed banana, 460 grams
- ¾ cup vegetable oil, 177 ml
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 360 grams
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 250 grams
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups chopped nuts, divided (I recommend walnuts or pecans), 230 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Mash 4-6 bananas, then measure out 2 cups using dry measuring cups, not liquid measuring cups. It’s important to measure the banana since the size of each banana can vary so much.
- In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and 1 ½ cups nuts. I like to sprinkle ½ cup nuts on top of my bread, but if you don’t want to, add all the nuts now.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Spray a loaf pan (either 9×5 or 8.5×4.5) with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread even with a spatula.
- Place in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes check to see if the bread is browning too much. If so, tent the bread with aluminum foil and bake for 10-20 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 45 minutes, check again at 55 minutes, then tent, and bake for 10 additional minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 55-65 minutes and 9×5 inch pan is 45-60 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is.
I’m confused. No batter rest? No hotter oven start? Why are these necessary for muffins, but not loaf form?
Hi Pamela! You could try my muffin tips and see if they work for a loaf. Usually people aren’t after a huge dome on a loaf like they are for muffins!
Hi Beth, thank you for your response 🤗 Guess I was caught up in the muffin madness 🤦‍♀️