This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
Best banana bread recipe with overripe bananas, walnuts and brown sugar. This recipe is so easy and can be made by hands, without a mixer. The banana bread is crazy moist, sweet, loaded with bananas and walnut!
The Best Banana Bread
This is the best banana bread recipe ever! It is super easy to make, extremely moist and full of sweet banana flavors and aromas.
This recipe is perfect to have on hand now that kids are back in school.
I love to slice the banana bread after it has cooled completely and store slices in Ziplock bags for on the go breakfasts or snacks.
Looking for something light and fluffy? Try my Banana Cake recipe and pair it with your morning cup of coffee or tea!
For more bread recipes, check out my brioche recipe.
How To Make The Best Banana Bread
This homemade banana bread is the best because it’s so moist and made with yogurt. I used a honey/vanilla yogurt, but you can have fun experimenting with other flavors.
I combine the bananas and other wet ingredients by hand; you don’t need a mixer for this recipe!
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and pour into a parchment lined loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
What Kind Of Bananas To Use
You can use bananas found in grocery stores.
Be sure to use overripe bananas for this moist banana bread recipe because they incorporate smoothly into the batter.
Over-ripe bananas are sweeter because more starch has been converted to sugar.
What To Eat With Banana Bread
I love to store my banana bread slices in the refrigerator and eat them chilled. However, you can always heat them up in a toaster or microwave if you like it warm.
Banana bread can be served with hot tea or coffee for a quick breakfast.
Try spreading peanut butter on a slice for a twist on peanut butter sandwich!
Baking Tips
- Use brown sugar for a nice golden brown color and its molasses flavor.
- Toast the walnut in the oven for extra nutty flavors.
- Lining your loaf pan with parchment paper ensures your banana bread will not stick. Cut a length of parchment to fit in the bottom of your pan with extra over hang. Spray the parchment directly with cooking spray.
- This recipe is very flexible. You can add nuts, chocolate chips and even peanut butter chips. Dust any of these mix-ins with flour to suspend them in the batter.
- You can use demerara sugar on top for a sweet crust. Sprinkle on top of batter before baking in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze whole, peeled bananas. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a Ziplock bag for up to 6 months. Defrost frozen bananas in the fridge overnight before baking.
You can use a masher to mash bananas. If you don’t have a masher, you can use the back of a big spoon to mash bananas.
Yes, wrap tightly in foil and seal in a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
This recipe is only 323 calories per serving/per slice.
What To Serve With Banana Bread
Banana bread is great as breakfast or afternoon snack. It goes well with the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Best Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large overripe bananas , mashed
- 1/4 cup plain whole fat yogurt
- 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons rum, optional (Captain Morgan brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch (23×12 cm) loaf pan. Add the walnuts to a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla. If using, add the rum.
- Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined. The batter should be thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake the banana bread until the surface is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, remove it from the loaf pan, slice, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So I made this and it was very delicious!!? Lots of banana flavor, of course- it’s banana bread. LoL. But I wanted to know if I used less bananas next time, would I need to replace that with something?
Please follow the recipe and don’t change the quantity.
How many bananas are in the recipe? Looks like it says 3 1-1/2 cups? Is that correct, if so that seems like a lot, or is it just 1-1/2 cups? Can I add apple juice or other juice instead of rum?
It’s 3 bananas or 1 1/2 cups. Don’t change anything in the recipe.
Can I freeze this delicious banana cake?
You can just keep in the refrigerator and not freezing.
Amazing recipe! Doubled it to make 2 batches and it was perfect. Used all ingredients exact except the optional rum I excluded!
??
I’ve finally found my forever banana bread recipe. It’s full of flavor and extremely moist. I used sour cream instead of yogurt.
I like how flavorful the walnuts were. Baking them in advance was new to me. I’ll do this with all recipes using walnuts.
Thank you!
Okay, my whole family loved this banana bread! I made several loaves and brought one for Christmas dinner. The bread stays super moist(insertTaboo word) and it was easy to make! This will be the bread I make for the holidays! I added chocolate chips too!
??
Hi! Wondering if I could sub the yogurt with anything, as I don’t have any on hand?
Sour cream or milk.
I substituted sour cream & applesauce! :) mmm and Baileys for the rum!
It’s yummy and moist. Just made it with sour cream and it turned out terrific! Thanks for the easy to follow directions.
Thanks!?
This banana nut bread is AMAZING! I used more yogurt than called for and put Golden Rum in it! Fantastic and moist!
Awesome!?
Great recipe! I used sugar substitute successfully. It will go great with my navy bean ham soup!
Amazing!??