The Best Banana Nut Bread
This is the best banana nut bread recipe you'll ever find. It's so fluffy and moist and light, you won't believe your taste buds. And the recipe is so easy!
Servings: 8
Calories: 392kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt*
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups overripe bananas, smashed (about 4 bananas)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- Vegetable shortening (for greasing pan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mash bananas in a small bowl using a fork until they’re pretty smooth.2 cups overripe bananas, smashed (about 4 bananas)
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Just stir it all together with a spoon until everything is well mixed.2 cups all purpose flour, sifted, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt*
- Next, using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, mix butter, sugars, and vanilla.½ cup salted butter, softened, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- With mixer still turning, add eggs one at a time, then add bananas.2 large eggs, 2 cups overripe bananas, smashed (about 4 bananas)
- Again, with mixer turning, add dry ingredients to wet, and mix just until everything is moist. Do not overmix the batter. We want to keep it light and fluffy.
- If using, gently fold in the nuts.½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- Pour batter into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. As soon as a toothpick is mostly clean, take it out of the oven immediately. If overbaked, it can quickly become dense and heavy.
- Flip the bread out of the loaf pan onto a cooling rack and let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Salted vs unsalted butter: * If using unsalted butter, increase salt to ½ teaspoon.
- Brown sugar: While many recipes for banana nut bread use ¼ cup of brown sugar (or even more), this recipe has only a touch of brown sugar (2 tablespoons), so the natural sweetness of the bananas stands out.
- Do not overmix the batter: We want to keep it light and fluffy.
- Baking time: Regarding baking time, my banana nut bread was done after 60 minutes. Every oven is slightly different however, so I would recommend to start checking at 55 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter, to make sure you get the lightest, fluffiest, moistest bread ever.
- Muffins: To make muffins instead, still bake at 350°F, but decrease the baking time to about 20 minutes or so, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container and it will stay good on the counter for about 4 days. If storing in the fridge, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and it will stay good for about a week. To freeze, wrap tightly in aluminum foil for storage in the freezer and it can last up to 3 months!
- Thawing: Once you're ready to thaw the banana nut bread, just leave it on the counter to warm up at room temperature for several hours.
- Additional options: Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar; use your favorite type of nuts; add chocolate chips; sprinkle a little cinnamon or nutmeg into the batter; stir in some dried fruits or coconut flakes; add some healthy seeds in the mix.
- Suggestion: If you enjoyed this, you're gonna love my chocolate zucchini bread!
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 448IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 27mg