Banana Nut Bread

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/15/23
Tested by
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Tested by Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Yield: 1 loaf

If you have three ripe bananas, you can bake this easy, delicious loaf of banana bread. Don't let the simple list of ingredients fool you—the flavors are well-balanced and the bread is wonderfully moist. If you're looking for a basic, delicious loaf for your friends, family, or a bake sale, look no further. In fact, you may want to make two loaves and freeze one for another day.

There are so many ways to make banana bread, including dairy-free and gluten-free loaves. This recipe is for a banana nut bread with pecans, but you can use walnuts or skip the nuts altogether. Or consider adding chocolate chips for a bit of extra sweetness.

As with most quick bread recipes, the dry ingredients should be mixed into the wet mixture gently for the best texture; as with muffins, overmixing the batter can make it dense. The leavening begins working as soon as the mixtures are combined, so make sure your oven is preheated and the pan is ready before you do the final mix.

banana nut bread

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

  • 2 large eggs, well beaten

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients for banana nut bread

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

    grease and flour a pan

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, butter, and beaten eggs. Whisk to blend thoroughly.

    wet ingredients in bowl with whisk

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

    dry ingredients in bowl with fork

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Stir the dry ingredients into the first mixture until blended. Add the chopped nuts.

    ingredients mixed in a bowl with spatula

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the center rack of the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

    batter in pan ready for oven

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Let the bread cool completely on a rack before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

    bread cooling in pan on a rack

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

How Do You Keep Banana Bread Moist?

After it's baked, you can keep your banana bread moist by storing it properly. This means keeping it wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil. If you think it's going to be eaten in a couple of days, a plastic zip-close bag should be sufficient to keep it moist.


Banana bread recipes are typically adaptable and forgiving, and experimenting with the number of bananas you use can impact the moisture level, too. If you're using three small bananas on a regular basis, the bread might be a little drier than if you'd used three to four medium-to-large ones.


If you're finding your bread bakes through but often comes out too dry, your oven could be running a little hot. Keeping a thermometer in the oven is often helpful. You might also find experimenting with the temperature and timing is helpful; you could always bake it at 325 F instead and let it go for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or so.

Recipe Variations

  • In addition to (or to replace) the chopped nuts, add about 1/2 cup of mini or regular semisweet chocolate chips to the batter.
  • Add 1/2 cup of raisins, chopped dates, or another chopped dried fruit (cranberries or apricots are good).
  • Spice it up with about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ginger, and a dash of ground nutmeg or ground cloves.

How to Store Banana Bread

Banana bread will keep at room temperature for several days before it starts to dry out. When it does, it's great toasted with some butter or a drizzle of honey. Alternatively, you can freeze your loaf by wrapping it in wax paper or aluminum foil and putting it in a zip-close bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, you can either let it thaw in the refrigerator or put it in a 300 F oven, wrapped in foil, for about 30 to 40 minutes to reheat it.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
315 Calories
14g Fat
43g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 315
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 19%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 62mg 21%
Sodium 248mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 3mg 16%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 197mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)