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Banana Nut Bread

Banana nut bread with chunky walnuts baked into a deeply golden loaf, with a dense, incredibly moist crumb. This classic banana bread bakes 60–70 minutes at 350°F for a clean toothpick center and caramelized crust.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana nut bread loaf
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped, divided

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then grease a 9x5 loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly.
Mix the batter
  1. Mash the ripe bananas, then whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the bananas until fully combined and smooth.
  2. Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, then fold until just combined to avoid a tough crumb.
  3. Fold in 3/4 cup of the walnuts so you get visible chunky pieces throughout the loaf.
Fill and top
  1. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and scatter the remaining walnuts across the top for a crunchy, walnut-studded surface.
Bake
  1. Bake at 350°F for 60–70 minutes until deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack so the crust stays set.

Notes

Pro tip: use very ripe bananas (lots of brown spots) for a sweeter, moister crumb; overmixing after the flour goes in can make the loaf dense. Store banana nut bread covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a lightly different take, swap half the walnuts for chopped pecans if you want a softer, nutty flavor without changing the method.