This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This easy Banana Nut Bread is your new favorite. It’s loaded with banana flavor, a hint of cinnamon and chopped walnuts. A favorite of ours for years, it’s super moist, dense and comes together in just 15 minutes!
There are about a zillion banana bread recipes out there, so I get it if you’re wondering, “Why should I try this one?” Well…let me tell you! As someone who has experimented with seemingly endless recipes for this all-time classic over the years, this is the one. It’s got a slightly lighter texture than my Easy Banana Bread, while still being nice and dense, and it’s SO tender and moist with undeniable banana flavor and a subtle hint of cinnamon.
A warm slice of this sweet (but not too sweet) loaf is a total dream for breakfast, a mid-day snack, or even for dessert. So get yourself in the kitchen and turn on that oven!
What Makes This Banana Nut Bread Stand Out?
Sure, you’ve had banana bread before, but not like this. Here’s what makes this magical loaf the best of the best:
- Extra moist. The majority of banana bread recipes use butter as their primary fat. I do it a little differently, opting for half butter and half vegetable oil. The oil makes the bread so much more moist and almost velvety, while still getting nice flavor from the butter.
- Perfect flavor combo. I didn’t skimp on the bananas (I used four!), and the flavor really comes through. That big, real banana flavor combined with a hint of warming, sweet cinnamon takes this loaf to the next level.
- Easy-peasy. This banana bread recipe uses such a simple mixing method! The batter literally comes together in minutes with no fancy creaming or whipping. The hardest part is exercising patience as it bakes for an hour.
Recipe Ingredients
Grab a shopping cart and head to the baking aisle! Here’s what you’ll need to make this top-notch banana nut bread. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Unsalted butter and Vegetable oil – The use of melted butter and vegetable oil (as opposed to just one or the other) is part of this recipe’s magic. I use butter for flavor and vegetable oil for extra moisture. They’re a match made in heaven.
- Salt – Salt amplifies the amazing flavors already present. Without it, your bread would be bland.
- Packed light brown sugar – Many banana bread recipes use some combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. I find that using all brown sugar yields a moister bread and a richer flavor profile. You can sub some out for a little granulated sugar, though, if you’d like.
- Mashed bananas – They should be nice and ripe with lots of brown dots and some yellow in between.
- Chopped walnuts – Pecans will also do the trick. Not a nut person? Consider chocolate chips!
Get Your Bananas Ready
- Ripening bananas – if you want to make this bread, but don’t have ripe bananas, speed up the process by putting unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and baking at 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until very dark and very soft. You can also place them in a paper bag with other ripening fruit (like avocado) and the gases released will help the bananas ripen more quickly.
- Freezing bananas – If you have ripe bananas that you want to freeze for later, you can leave them in the peel and freeze them whole, or peel them, cut them into pieces and store them in a container for freezing. When they thaw, you have bananas that are all ready to go for this banana bread!
How to Make Banana Nut Bread
This banana bread is so easy to make. Here’s a quick rundown of how to do it. You’ll find more thorough instructions in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the melted butter, oil, and brown sugar. Mix in the eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla.
Avoiding Common Problems
Sunken center? Dense texture? Uneven baking? Don’t despair! They are all easy fixes, and I am here to help:
Sunken Center
- Oven temperature. If your oven isn’t preheated to the proper temperature, you may end up with a sunken center. Use an oven thermometer to avoid this issue.
- Too much moisture. Using too much oil or too-ripe bananas can result in a sunken center. Measure with care, and don’t let your bananas turn completely brown. You want some yellow in there.
- Not enough flour. Use a food scale or the spoon and level method to measure your flour. Too little flour can leave you with a sunken center.
- Expired leveling agents. The baking powder and baking soda work together to help the banana bread rise. Using too little or expired leveling agents will result in a sunken center.
Dense Texture
- Over-mixing. Your banana bread may be overly dense because you over-mixed the batter. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing past this point can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, which will almost certainly give you an over-dense bread.
- Too much flour. If you use too much flour, your banana bread will turn out dry and dense. Make sure to measure your flour using a food scale or the spoon and level method.
- Your bananas aren’t ripe enough. Under-ripe bananas have too much starch for this recipe, which will lead to over-dense banana bread. Make sure your bananas are thoroughly covered in brown spots!
- Issues with leveling agents. If your baking powder and/or baking soda are expired (or if you didn’t use enough of one or the other), your bread won’t rise correctly, and it could turn out over-dense as a result.
Uneven Baking
- Oven issues. Baking at the wrong temperature or before the oven is preheated is a leading cause of uneven baking. Be sure to allow your oven to preheat before popping the banana bread in. Use an oven thermometer to check the temperature (oven thermostats are notoriously inaccurate).
- Pan selection. Try to use a lighter color aluminum pan or stainless steel loaf pan. They distribute heat more evenly than darker-colored pans that cook the outside of the bread too quickly, leaving you with dark edges and an undercooked center.
- Too much liquid. If you use too much oil or if your bananas are too ripe (and thus, overly wet), it is likely that you’ll end up with a gooey, under-cooked center. So measure with care, and don’t let those bananas get too brown!
How to Store
- Counter/refrigerator. Store the bread in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week, but the bread will dry out a bit.
- Freezer. Wrap the banana bread in a double layer of plastic wrap (you can wrap the whole loaf or individual slices) and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the leftovers to thaw at room temperature before enjoying. Banana bread is best at room temperature, so let it sit on the counter for a while (if it was in the fridge) before enjoying.
More Banana Recipes to Try
Got some extra bananas on hand? I know just what to do with them! Here are some of my other all-time favorite banana-centric recipes:
Recipe
Banana Nut Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 8-10 slices
Category: Breakfast
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American
Description
This easy, moist Banana Nut Bread blows every other banana bread recipe out of the water. It’s supremely moist with BIG banana flavor and just a hint of cinnamon. Get ready to meet your new favorite!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (112g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (168g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (450g) mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) chopped walnuts (or pecans)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Add the melted butter, oil, and brown sugar to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, mashed banana and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Don’t over-mix. Gently stir in the nuts.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and serve. Store the bread in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Best eaten at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 369
- Sugar: 20.5 g
- Sodium: 142.2 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.4 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 49.4 mg
Source link
