Moist Banana Nut Bread - Celebrating Sweets

Published: Jan 13, 2022 · Modified: Oct 13, 2023 by Allison · 7 Comments

Here’s our favorite Banana Nut Bread recipe! This bread is moist and tender, packed with bananas, and sweetened with brown sugar. Add your favorite nuts (read below for ours) and don’t skip the decadent topping that makes this recipe the best!

Have you tried our 5-star rated Banana Nut Muffins and Easy Banana Bread? This recipe uses both of those recipes as inspiration for the best ever Banana Nut Bread! This recipe only requires about 20 minutes of hands on time; no mixer needed.

Loaf of banana nut bread cut open on a piece of parchment paper.

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Ingredients needed

Unsalted butter
Light brown sugar (it should be fresh, moist, and soft)
Eggs
Mashed overripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)
Vanilla extract
Flour
Baking soda
Salt
Nuts (more on this below)

Recipe overview

This recipe comes together with a couple bowls, a whisk and spatula. Here’s how to make it:

Combine melted butter and brown sugar. Tip: whisk until fully combined (at least 1 full minute).
Add eggs, vanilla, and mashed banana.
Stir in dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt).
Stir in chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Top with brown sugar and nuts.
Bake!

How to make banana nut bread collage. Batter in a white bowl and in a loaf pan.

What makes this recipe the best

Bananas – This banana bread is loaded with bananas – two whole cups! I use 3-4 overripe bananas to make this bread sweet, moist, and undeniably banana-flavored.
Brown sugar – The only sugar used in these muffins is brown sugar. It is in the batter and it gets sprinkled on top before baking. The brown sugar gives the bread a deeper flavor and almost caramel-like sweetness. Plus, brown sugar and bananas are a fantastic flavor combo.
Nutty brown sugar topping – The top of each muffin is adorned with a sprinkling of brown sugar and chopped nuts. This adds a nutty sweet and crunchy layer right on top of the loaf.

Closeup of banana nut bread in a loaf pan.

Recipe tips

The more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter they’ll be. Make sure your bananas are speckled with brown spots, as this ensures they will mash easily and lend lots of natural sweetness and banana flavor the muffins.

Your brown sugar should be moist and soft. Since this is a key ingredient (used in both the topping and the batter), make sure it is fresh.

Loosely tent the loaf with foil during the last half of bake time to keep it from getting too dark.

Be careful not to overbake. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no raw batter).

If you’re a fan of this bread, you should also try our Maple Pumpkin Bread.

What type of nuts to use

Use your favorite unsalted nuts for this recipe. Walnuts are a classic for banana bread. Our favorite is a combination of chopped walnuts and chopped macadamia nuts. Pecans and hazelnuts would also be delicious.

Leftover macadamia nuts? Try our Banana Macadamia Nut Crumble.

Slice of banana nut bread topped with butter on a grey plate.

Serving and storage

Serving: Serve slices of bread warm, toasted, or at room temperature. Top with salted butter, honey butter or maple butter.

Storage: Store at cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months (double wrapped). Note: The topping will soften over time.

More banana recipes

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Recipe

Banana Nut Bread

Here's our favorite Banana Nut Bread recipe! This bread is moist and tender, packed with bananas, and sweetened with brown sugar. Add your favorite nuts and don't skip the decadent topping that makes this recipe the best!

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and ⅔ cup brown sugar until well combined, about 1 full minute. Add eggs, mashed banana and vanilla, whisking until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, using a rubber spatula, lightly stir the batter until just a few streaks of flour remain. Add nuts and stir until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and add the batter to the pan. Smooth into an even layer. Combine all topping ingredients then sprinkle over the top of the loaf. Bake for 45-55 minutes. About halfway through bake time you can loosely tent the loaf with foil to keep the top from getting too dark. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are ok, just no raw batter). Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Nuts: Use your favorite unsalted nuts for this recipe. Walnuts are a classic for banana bread. Our favorite is a combination of chopped walnuts and chopped macadamia nuts. Pecans and hazelnuts would also be delicious.Serving: Serve slices of bread warm, toasted, or at room temperature. Top with salted butter, honey butter or maple butter.Storage: Store at cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months (double wrapped). Note: The topping will soften over time.