Banana Nut Bread is soft and moist made with ripe bananas, sour cream, walnuts, and butter, and incredibly EASY to make!
We always have at least one sweet bread on the counter, and so far the most popular ones on the site are Easy Banana Bread (No Mixer!) and Pumpkin Chocolate Bread.
BANANA NUT BREAD
Banana Nut Bread is a moist and fluffy quick bread that only takes 60 minutes to bake and almost no time to mix together. The sour cream helps keep the loaf soft, while the walnuts add a welcomed crunchy texture that compliments the sweetness of the mashed bananas.
This is seriously the BEST banana bread I have ever made.
Plus, this recipe is really versatile. You can add other nuts like pecans, chocolate chips, or even spices like nutmeg and allspice. I almost always make an extra loaf and freeze it for quick grab-and-go breakfasts all week long!
WHY DID MY BANANA NUT BREAD DROP AFTER BAKING?
- Make sure you’re measuring your ingredients exactly, especially the all purpose flour. If you’re using a measuring scoop, try using a butter knife to level the all purpose flour before mixing it in.
- Be careful not to over-mix the dough, stop when it just comes together and there’s barely no flour left. If you have a small flour pocket here and there, that’s ok.
- Make sure your baking soda is fresh and not expired.
- Use an oven-safe thermometer to make sure your oven is baking true to temperature.
HOW TO STORE BANANA NUT BREAD
Banana bread can be stored on the kitchen counter, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to keep it from going stale. Avoid putting the loaf in the refrigerator because it will make the bread go stale faster. It will keep for 3-4 days.
CAN YOU FREEZE BANANA NUT BREAD
Banana bread is great for making ahead and freezing for mornings when you need a quick breakfast. Cut your loaf into slices, then wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
You can take the bread out to defrost in the morning and enjoy it later that day. Or, you can microwave it for about a minute for warm banana bread. Warm banana bread goes perfectly with a really big cup of coffee, in my opinion.

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HOW TO MAKE BANANAS RIPEN QUICKLY
Place the bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they’re almost completely brown. Allow them to cool before using in the banana bread.
HOW TO KEEP BANANA BREAD MOIST
- Sour cream helps keep the loaf moist and tender, along with the bananas.
- Replace the sugar with brown sugar. Brown sugar naturally contains more moisture and will add more moisture to the bread as well. It will also add a more molasses type flavor.
- Warm the bread slices in the toaster oven or microwave to soften it before eating.
TIPS FOR MAKING BANANA NUT BREAD
- This banana nut bread recipe calls for walnuts, but you can also throw in other things like chocolate chips or pecans.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon, or drizzle the loaf with honey once it cools for extra flavor.
- Add additional walnuts to the top of this banana bread recipe for a decorative finish. Watch closely, if they start to burn you can tent the bread with tinfoil to prevent it.
- Use a potato masher or the food processor to quickly mash your bananas.
- Make this recipe in a muffin tin for banana muffins!
- Make this gluten free by using gluten free all purpose cup for cup flour, increasing the baking soda to 1 ½ teaspoons, and the vanilla extract to 1 tablespoon. The mashed bananas should keep the loaf moist so you shouldn’t have to worry about crumbling.
- This banana bread recipe is known as a “quick bread”, which basically means it doesn’t contain yeast, so it’s quicker than other yeast-filled recipes.
- Invest in a good quality loaf pan. The even distribution of heat from quality metal will keep your loaf cooking consistently and help it not to burn.
Looking for more Quick Bread Recipes?


Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 bananas , medium ripe
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts , chopped once*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar before adding in the eggs, then the vanilla, then the sour cream and finally the bananas.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt and walnuts, whisking it until just combined into the butter mixture until smooth.
- Add the mixture to the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Super easy. I sprinkled white sugar on top, 10 minutes before it was done. Crispy top was a +12 stoner treat. ?
Glad you enjoyed the Banana Nut Bread Gene and thanks for the five star review!
I LOVE this recipe and have made it several times! I am a diabetic and I use granulated Stevia instead of sugar. This recipe still is light and fluffy and doesn’t raise my blood sugar letting me enjoy favorite banana bread without the quilt!!!!
Sabrina, when should I use a glass loaf pan vs metal? Thank you!
I like using metal pans as they are an efficient heat conductor. Glass retains heat longer so it might take longer to bake.
Hi Sabrina, I’m Sylvia from Houston, Tx. And I made this banana nut bread couple of days ago, it was a hit with my family! I doubled the recipe to make two loaves it was really easy & delicious. Thank you so much for sharing! Will definitely do again!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoy it, Sylvia. I appreciate the 5 stars.
I tasted this the day I made it and thought; Um I’m not sure about the taste. But I thought I’d give the flavours time to develop and by the next day it was delicious!
I toasted it lightly then spread it with butter and, for the second piece ( couldn’t stop at one), sprinkled it with cinnamon which was even yummier.
Glad that you gave it a second try and found that you liked it! Cinnamon and butter are perfect for Banana Nut Bread! Yum!
Great recipe. I used half brown and half white sugar. All 3 loaves are spoken for. Yum.
I love the tips and history you give on your food.
Thanks, Patricia.
I just made this recipe without nuts and an extra banana. It was so moist and the perfect consistency! My little girls said it was the best they have ever tasted and are in the kitchen now sneaking more of it! They literally can’t get enough. BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
Fantastic! So glad you all love it.
Great banana bread, I added black currants so, I will cut back on sugar next time.
That sounds amazing!
We’re baking it in the oven right now!!
I hope it comes out very good yum but the batter was yummy I’m so excited.
Can you use baking powder instead?
Yes, but you’ll need to add 2-3 times more since baking soda has more power. Enjoy!
I made this banana nut bread with 1/2 cup of brown rice syrup in place of the 1 cup of sugar (I don’t eat sugar) and using 1/2 and 1/2 white and wholemeal flour. I also omitted the vanilla, by mistake, but it really didn’t need it. The result was delicious – definitely the best banana nut bread I have ever tasted. I have now popped some into the freezer to find out if it will be as good when defrosted. Thank you.
So glad you were able to customize it to your liking.
I will forever and ever love Banana Nut Bread and yours looks so yummy!! I love the picture of the stacked banana bread. Looks so inviting Sabrina!
Thanks, Cathy!
Looks so delicious! I love banana bread!
Thanks, Natalie!
I made this banana bread a couple of days ago and ITS STILL SO MOIST AND PERFECT and I’m getting compliments left and right! Thank you!!
Yay!! Love it!
Thanks for explaining that the sour cream helps keep the loaf soft. I was wondering what it was for since I have never heard of sour cream in banana bread. We love making banana bread and the softer the better!
You’re welcome, Jeannette!
This looks so delicious. I’ll have to make this soon.
I hope you enjoy it, Luci!
I love banana bread and I absolutely love banana nut bread. I could literally eat this off my screen yum!
Haha, thanks!