Recipe Details
Community Pick: Moist & Delicious Banana Nut Bread
Photography by Jonathan Melendez
Basic Recipe Overview
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| Total Time | 1 hour 20 minutes (adjustable based on pan size) |
| Number of Ingredients | 10 simple staple ingredients |
| Yield | 1 large loaf / 2 small loaves / 18 muffins |
| Servings | 18 |
Baking Instructions
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Mix in vanilla and eggs, combining fully after each addition
Whisk all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then alternately fold the dry mix into the wet base with mashed bananas and milk
Fold in chopped nuts of your choice, if desired
Prep your baking vessel: grease and flour 1 large bread pan, 2–3 smaller bread pans, or portion batter into lined muffin cups
Bake at 350°F (175°C): bake loaves for 45–60 minutes, bake muffins for 20–25 minutes. Enjoy!
Original Recipe Creator’s Note
I usually make 2 small loaves in smaller pans, but you can make 1 large loaf in a bigger pan—just plan for extra baking time. I’ve adjusted suggested baking times over the years: early bakers said their bread overbaked, then newer bakers said it was underbaked. My best tip is to use the classic toothpick test: check your loaf at 45 minutes, then again at 1 hour, and bake up to 1 hour 30 minutes if needed. Hope that helps!
Community Questions & Conversations
One home baker asked: I’m confused about the milk quantity! I used the ¼ cup milk the recipe calls for, paired with 2 cups flour, and the batter was way too thick—it turned into a dense brick even with all the listed butter and eggs. We had to add way more milk to get a workable consistency. How do you make this work with only ¼ cup milk?
A first-time baker shared: First time making this, I think I pulled it off! Can anyone share tips for new bakers making banana nut bread?
Common question: Can I bake this recipe in a 9x12 inch cake pan?
97 additional community questions not displayed here
Community 5-Star Reviews
This is one of the most loved community-picked banana bread recipes, with hundreds of positive reviews:
⭐ 5/5 Stars
My grandma asked me to pull up a banana bread recipe for us to bake together, and I’ll never use another recipe again—this is the only one I need. The bread turned out incredibly moist and so flavorful. I portioned batter into two small pans (one with pecans, one without) plus a 12-muffin tin, but just a heads up you’ll need to double the recipe if you want that much batter. My grandpa smelled the bread baking all the way from outside when we had our doors open, and he practically stole the whole loaf before anyone got a slice. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
⭐ 5/5 Stars
Best Banana Nut Bread recipe EVER! I followed the recipe exactly, added 1 cup of chopped pecans, and got perfect results. The bread was perfectly moist with ideal texture, and had just the right balance of banana flavor. Instructions are easy to follow and the whole recipe comes together so quickly. My whole family went "bananas" over this wonderful bread! LOL I made two loaves in Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pans (6-cup capacity; 11" x 5 3/4" x 2 3/4" high) and they turned out perfect. Many thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
⭐ 5/5 Stars
My partner says this is the best banana bread he’s ever eaten (but I mustn’t tell his mum!) I made two big substitutions to work with what I had on hand: I used coconut oil instead of butter, which I was nervous to try, but it turned out perfect. I also swapped milk for Amarula (which is similar to Baileys), so I skipped the vanilla extract and cut ¼ cup of sugar out of the recipe. I only had cashew nuts on hand, so I added ½ cup of those. This turned out super delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
⭐ 5/5 Stars
I’d never baked anything from scratch before—I always stuck to the convenience of boxed mixes. For my first ever from-scratch bake, I tried this recipe and it turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing a recipe that works so well for new bakers. I’m so excited to bake more now.
⭐ 5/5 Stars
Best banana nut bread I've ever eaten! So moist, great banana flavor, and the nuts make it absolutely perfect.
313 additional 5-star community reviews not displayed here
Community Tested Tweaks & Pro Tips
Hundreds of home bakers have shared their favorite adjustments to make this recipe even better:
Add a little ground cinnamon and nutmeg to your dry ingredients to give the bread way more depth of flavor
Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top of the batter before baking for a delicious crunchy sugar crust
Swap part of your granulated sugar for brown sugar: use ¼ cup of light brown sugar + 1 cup granulated sugar, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of extra light brown sugar over the top before baking. This recipe doubles perfectly for larger batches.
This recipe is very similar to the classic banana bread many of us made years ago in 4-H Club, and it truly is reliably moist and delicious. One baker shared: I pulled milk out of the fridge one cold afternoon and realized it had gone sour and thick. I figured sour milk works in chocolate cake, so I used it anyway, and it made four of the most beautiful, delicious loaves I’ve ever eaten!
A touch of honey added to the batter will keep your bread moist for days longer, preventing it from drying out quickly.
57 additional community-shared tweaks not displayed here