Easy Banana Nut Bread (Walnut) + Video

This easy banana nut bread recipe is nutty & delicious! Walnut banana bread is a classic treat and great for breakfast or a snack. My recipe is easy to make, super moist and uses only simple ingredients. Of course, the key ingredients are lots of RIPE bananas and chopped walnuts.

If you have a nut-loving family, they will really enjoy this moist walnut banana bread. In addition, beyond their great taste & “crunch”, people like to eat walnuts due to their high omega-3 content. Below you will find tons of tips & instructions and even a quick step-by-step recipe video.

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Recipe Video
4. Helpful Tips

Recipe Rating 4.99 from 78 votes Featured Comment Veronica “Made this about 10 times already for friends and family. It came out so delicious I have used with and without nuts. It was so good grandson requested a whole loaf for his bday.”

Excluding the baking time, this moist banana nut bread recipe generally takes me about 10-15 minutes to prepare and clean up. Please be aware that this is an oven-baked banana bread recipe. It is not made with a bread machine.

Sliced Walnut Banana Bread – Lots of Chopped Walnuts!

However, since this banana bread contains walnuts, please do not serve it to anyone with a nut allergy. Always use caution when serving any type of banana nut bread.

Ingredients – Easy Banana Nut Bread Recipe

• 3 – Bananas (RIPE & large sized) – 345 grams – This should equal exactly 1 1/2 cups of mashed ripe bananas for the best & most consistent results
• 1/2 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 118 milliliters – Use a neutral-flavored oil (such as canola or corn oil). Instead of oil, you can also use 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter (115 grams). See the tips section below for more information.
• 2 – Large Eggs – 114 grams – Use large eggs (not extra large or jumbo eggs)
• 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar – 200 grams
• 2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 240 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 5 milliliters
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams
• 1 Cup – Chopped Walnuts – 115 grams – 3/4 cup for inside the batter and 1/4 cup sprinkled on top of the batter
• Optional – 1 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon – 3 grams – Some people really like to add ground cinnamon to banana bread, especially if their bananas are not super ripe.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 inch metal bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.

Recipe Video – Watch How My Banana Nut Bread Recipe Is Made

Instructions – Easy Banana Nut Bread Recipe

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 C).
• Mash bananas with a fork.
• Stir bananas, oil (or semi-melted butter), eggs & sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Mix until fully blended.
• Mix in remaining ingredients (except the chopped walnuts). Stir until the batter is fully mixed.
• Add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter (and save the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts for later). Make sure the chopped walnuts are evenly spread throughout the batter.
• Pour finished batter into a nonstick bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts on top of the batter before placing into the oven.
• Bake in the oven at 325 F (163 C) for 65-70 minutes.
• Take out of oven and let the banana bread cool down in the bread pan for 10 minutes. Do not remove the banana bread from the bread pan during this 10 minute cool down period. Use oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot coming out of the oven.
• After 10 minutes, remove the banana bread from the bread pan. Place the banana bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1-2 hours. Gently slide a silicon spatula between the banana bread and the bread pan walls if the banana bread is stuck in the pan.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common banana bread problems.
• You also can watch my recipe video to “see” how to perform each recipe step.

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You Can Also Turn This Recipe Into Delicious Banana Nut Muffins!

Key Ingredients – Chopped Walnuts & Ripe Bananas

Tips – Easy Banana Nut Bread Recipe

• The tips below are designed to help banana bread “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include my tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• If you would rather “see” how this recipe is made, please watch the step-by-step recipe video on this page. It is a short & simple video that shows you how to make this recipe.
• As I stated earlier – Since this banana bread recipe contains walnuts, please do not serve it to anyone with a nut allergy. Also because this banana bread contains chopped nuts, it may be a potential choking hazard for young children. So please use caution when serving any type of banana nut bread.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Banana Bread Recipes such as no butter banana bread, blueberry banana bread, eggless banana bread and chocolate chip banana bread.

• Use FRESH walnuts. After you have opened a bag of chopped walnuts, the walnuts can go rancid (bad) quickly due to their high oil content.
• Once the walnut package has been opened, you should store the chopped walnuts in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer. Do not use old walnuts that have been sitting in your pantry for weeks/months in an open bag.
• Also check the expiration date on sealed (unopened) walnut packages in order to make sure that they are still good.
• Optional – Sprinkle extra chopped walnuts on top of the batter (after the batter has been poured into the bread pan) if you want a more “walnutty” top for your walnut banana bread.
• If you run out of walnuts (or you are tired of walnut-based recipes), you can use chopped pecans as a nice substitute.
• Visitors – Do you only use chopped walnuts to make banana nut bread? Or do you prefer to use another type of nut? Chopped pecans? Sliced almonds? Chopped cashews? Chopped peanuts? A combination of different chopped nuts? Please post your nut ideas & variations in the comment section below.

• Optional – You can also easily turn this recipe into a chocolate chip banana nut bread. Just replace 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts with 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Therefore, instead using of 1 cup of chopped walnuts (as called for in the recipe above), you would use 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts & 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
• FYI – I find that mini chocolate chips work better in banana breads because the chips are usually more evenly distributed in a loaf. Regular sized chocolate chips are okay too. However, given their weight, there is a greater chance that some chips will sink to the bottom of the loaf.
• Optional – Some visitors like to add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to their banana breads (thanks Amanda for this tip!). FYI – Adding ground cinnamon can be a great help if your bananas are not totally ripe (because the cinnamon helps to “hide” some of the missing banana flavor).
• Optional – Many people also like to modify the taste of their banana nut bread by replacing the vanilla extract with almond extract, banana extract, coconut extract, maple extract, etc.
• Visitors – What additional ingredients have you added to this recipe to make it more unique or special? Extra spices? Chocolate chips? Dried fruit (e.g. dried cranberries)? Do you use butter or oil to make your banana breads? Please post your ingredient ideas & suggestions in the comment section below. Help beginners to make an even better banana nut bread!
• Visitor variations – Denise said “Sometimes I also add a 1/4 cup of diced candied ginger”, Tanya adds “sliced almonds to decorate the top”, Rich adds “shredded coconut to the top for a different twist”, Tanya added “dried cranberry to the mix and put thin sliced almonds and coconut on top to dress it up”, etc.

• Use RIPE bananas for the BEST flavor. Ripe bananas are soft and have a yellow peel covered with many small black spots. Hard yellow/green(ish) bananas are too starchy and have much less banana flavor.
• FYI – A beautiful pure yellow banana (without any spots) is not fully ripe!!
• Using UNRIPE bananas will result in a very bland banana bread (with little banana flavor).
• Make sure to use 3 large bananas (not 3 medium bananas). Otherwise, the walnut banana bread might turn out to be a little dry.
• To avoid any recipe problems (e.g. the banana bread being too dry or too wet), you should use EXACTLY 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas.
• Unfortunately, large bananas can vary in size. Therefore, it is safer to measure the exact amount of mashed bananas (with a measuring cup or kitchen scale) when making any banana bread recipes.
• FYI – You can easily turn this recipe into muffins. Check out my Easy Banana Nut Muffins page for all of the steps. Banana nut muffins make great snacks. They are also time savers (because they bake much faster than larger banana nut breads).

• Use a neutral-flavored vegetable oil (e.g. canola oil or corn oil) for the best results. Strongly flavored oils (such as olive oil) can negatively impact the flavor of banana bread. FYI – The use of vegetable oil results in an extra moist banana nut bread.
• Optional – If you do not have vegetable oil, you can replace it with semi-melted unsalted butter on a 1 to 1 basis.
• Butter vs Oil – If you use butter, your walnut banana bread will benefit from a mild buttery flavor. If you use vegetable oil, your walnut banana bread will lack a buttery flavor but it will be a little moister (because butter is a solid at room temperature whereas vegetable oil is a liquid).
• In addition, some people like to use vegetable oil (instead of butter) for dietary reasons (e.g. lactose intolerance). Others like to use vegetable oil (instead of butter) in order to save money (as vegetable oil can be cheaper than butter).
• If you are looking for an even moister banana bread, check out my recipe for a Super Moist Banana Bread.
• Visitor variations – Maureen “switched unsweetened applesauce for the oil”.
• FYI – Using unsweetened applesauce instead of butter or vegetable oil usually cuts down on the fat & calories in a banana bread recipe. However, it can make a banana bread a little more dense because applesauce lacks fat. It also can add a mild applesauce flavor to the banana bread (which you may or may not like). Also banana breads made with vegetable oil often taste a little moister (versus banana recipes using applesauce as an oil replacement) and banana breads made with butter often taste a little richer & more buttery.
• If you want to try using unsweetened applesauce, you should replace the vegetable oil or butter in a banana bread recipe on a 1:1 basis (e.g. replace 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce). I would also suggest using a plain flavored applesauce in order to avoid impacting the banana flavor too much.

• Do NOT use an electric mixer to mix your ingredients (when combining the wet and dry ingredients). Stick to an old fashioned wooden spoon. An electric mixer can overmix the ingredients and the banana bread will turn out rubbery & gummy.
• Make sure to use level teaspoons & tablespoons when measuring ingredients (such as flour and baking soda). You can level off the ingredients in a measuring spoon or cup with the flat back of a butter knife or similar utensil. No “mountains” of ingredients in your measuring spoons & cups!! Adding too much of an ingredient can lead to recipe problems (such as too much flour can result in overly dry baked goods).
• Here is a great tip from one of our visitors (thanks JunJun!!) – “if the top of the bread is browning before the interior is completely done (likely variance due to different ovens, pan thickness, etc.), you could put a foil tent loosely on top for the final 10~15 minutes or so.” FYI – I like to crease my aluminum foil in the middle so the aluminum foil is shaped like an actual tent (an upside V). This helps to prevent the batter from sticking to the foil.
• Missing some mashed banana? For example, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas but you only have 1 1/4 cups of mashed bananas. Solution – You can add some applesauce, Greek yogurt or sour cream to replace the missing 1/4 cup of mashed bananas. Just make sure the combined amount of mashed bananas and applesauce/yogurt/sour cream equals the recipe’s required 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas (and not more). If you don’t offset this missing amount of mashed bananas, your banana bread might come out too dry.
• Applesauce, Greek yogurt, and sour cream are often used as substitutes for mashed bananas in baked goods. Why? Because they have a moisture content and texture that is sort of similar to mashed bananas.

• To prevent your banana bread from sticking to the bottom of the bread pan, you should consider either “greasing” the bottom of the pan with butter or vegetable oil, using a cooking spray, using a nonstick pan or lining the interior of the bread pan with baking parchment paper.
• If you have trouble getting banana bread out of a bread pan and/or smudging the top of the banana bread when removing it from a bread pan, you can try using baking parchment paper (lining the interior of the bread pan). Baking parchment paper makes it easy for you to lift the banana bread out of the bread pan (without having to flip the bread pan upside down, etc.).
• FYI – Baking parchment paper is NOT regular paper. It is a specialty paper designed for use with baking.

• This doesn’t happen often but if the top of the banana bread looks too moist or undercooked, you should try the “toothpick test”. Gently push a toothpick (or long wooden skewer) into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the toothpick. If batter is sticking to the toothpick then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread pan back into the still hot oven for another 2 or 3 minutes. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan will be very hot. After the 2 or 3 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the banana bread again with a toothpick.
• Instead of the “toothpick test”, some people like to use a digital bread thermometer to test if their banana bread is done. Generally, a “quick bread” (e.g. banana bread or pumpkin bread) is done when the internal temperature reaches 200-205 degrees F. Just make sure to measure the temperature in the center of the loaf for the most accurate reading.
• Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, this quick bread could come out undercooked. I like to use a hanging oven thermometer to check my oven temperature and ensure the oven has been properly preheated.
• In case you are interested in some walnut facts – According to Wikipedia, “In 2017, world production of walnuts (in shell) was 3.8 million tonnes, with China contributing 51% of the total. Other major producers (in the order of decreasing harvest) were the United States, Iran, and Turkey. In 1998, walnuts from California accounted for 99% of all walnuts grown in the United States, and for 38% of the world’s production of walnuts”.

• Always try to use relatively FRESH baking soda & powder for the best results. For example, using baking soda from an open container (that has been deodorizing your refrigerator for months) may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking soda/powder may lead to rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your walnut banana bread.
• Store your ingredients (e.g. flour & sugar) in airtight containers to avoid “funky” flavors & smells being added to your baked goods. Airtight containers also prevent contamination by moisture (in the air), dust, pests, etc.
• Flour will absorb moisture from the air (if kept in an open bag and not an airtight container). This extra moisture can throw off recipes and leads to overly wet batter and/or underbaked banana bread. You know there is a problem when the flour looks “lumpy” and pours out with many clumps of flour. FYI – Sometimes, even new flour can have an excess moisture problem if the paper package is not tightly sealed. I occasionally have this problem with “generic” supermarket brand flour.
• This recipe uses all purpose flour. Do not use bread flour to make banana breads or they are more likely to turn out dense and/or gummy. Banana bread recipes work best with all purpose flour.

• In case, you didn’t see this in the “equipment used to make this recipe” section, this recipe is based on using a standard 9 by 5 inch bread pan. This means that the interior of the bread pan (not exterior) measures 9 inches in length, 5 inches in width and 2 1/2 inches in depth/height. Of course, Bread Dads are crazy about exact measurements… thus the use of measuring tapes! Ha!
• Please use the suggested 9 x 5 bread pan to make this recipe. If you start using different sized pans, there is a greater potential for bread top collapses (potentially less bread pan “wall” support for the quick bread as it rises), different interior batter to exterior crust ratios (thus the need for different baking lengths), smaller pans are more likely to overflow, etc.
• My recipes are based on using a metal bread pan and NOT a glass bread pan. Glass bread pans bake faster than metal bread pans. If you use a glass bread pan for my recipes, you are more likely to overbake your banana bread (e.g. burnt crust).
• For the best results, I recommend using the right tools when making banana bread. Check out my Banana Bread Equipment Guide for more details.

• My recipes are based on using a regular oven and NOT a convection oven. Convection ovens bake faster than regular ovens and require less baking time than what is stated in my recipes.
• Place your banana bread in the middle of your oven. If you place it on the top or bottom racks, the banana bread may be too near the oven’s heating element and bake faster than expected.
• Problem with a sunken or collapsed middle in your banana bread? Then check out my Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle? page for reasons & potential solutions.
• Problem with dry banana breads? Check out my Tips For Making A Moist Banana Bread for information on how to avoid making dry banana breads!
• Long-term storage – If you want to keep your banana bread for more than 1-2 days (depending on your home’s temperature & humidity), you will need to freeze it. Please read Bread Dad’s How To Freeze Banana Bread for more details.

• Like banana nut breads? Then try Bread Dad’s recipes for Almond Banana Bread, Blueberry Banana Nut Bread, Cranberry Banana Nut Bread, Sourdough Banana Nut Bread (a more “adult” tasting banana nut bread) and Pecan Banana Bread.
• Or you can try my Mini Banana Nut Bread recipe. It allows you to create 4 mini banana nut breads instead of 1 regular-sized banana nut bread. Mini banana nut breads are great as gifts!
• Or if you own a bread machine, you might like to try Bread Dad’s recipe for Bread Machine Banana Nut Bread.

• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (e.g. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (e.g. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (e.g. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• If you have a problem with a banana bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (e.g. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (e.g. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a hot oven and bread pan.
• For more delicious banana bread recipes (e.g. cranberry banana bread or blueberry banana bread), please visit Bread Dad’s sections on easy Banana Bread Recipes.

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This Recipe Also Makes Easy Banana Nut Muffins

Easy Banana Nut Bread Questions

What kind of nuts can I use in banana nut bread?

This moist banana nut bread recipe uses chopped walnuts. However, some people like to use many different types of chopped nuts in a banana nut bread. Some examples are chopped pecans, chopped peanuts, chopped cashews, sliced almonds, etc. Nevertheless, always be aware that nuts are a potential choking hazard, especially for small children. In addition, always be aware that people may be allergic to nuts when serving food.

If you like nuts in your banana bread, you should try the walnut banana bread recipe on this page. Or you can try our pecan banana bread recipe and almond banana bread recipe.

Why do people use walnuts in banana bread?

Walnuts are often added to banana bread in order to provide greater texture and flavor. Some people enjoy the “crunch” of walnuts in banana bread. Others like the rich taste of walnuts or want to consume the omega-3 found in walnuts.

Why is my banana nut bread gummy?

If your banana nut bread is gummy, it usually means that you overmixed the batter. This is the main reason not to use an electric mixer when making banana nut bread. Stick to a large spoon when mixing the batter. An electric mixer can overmix the ingredients and the banana nut bread will turn out rubbery & gummy.

What is the nut in banana nut bread?

Most people like to use chopped walnuts when making a moist banana nut bread. Many others like to use chopped pecans. Both nuts are relatively soft and crunchy. However, you will also find banana nut bread recipes online made with sliced almonds, chopped peanuts, etc.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Banana
2. Wikipedia, Banana Bread
3. Wikipedia, Omega-3 Fatty Acid
4. Wikipedia, Tree Nut Allergy
5. Wikipedia, Walnut

Related Recipes

1. Almond Banana Bread
2. Banana Banana Bread – Uses mashed bananas & banana chunks
3. Banana Bread with Oil
4. Bread Machine Banana Nut Bread
5. Mini Banana Nut Bread – Small loaves
6. Pecan Banana Bread

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