A Complete Banana Nut Bread Guide for Beginners

Have you been wondering how to make banana nut bread that’s delicious, perfectly sweet, and balanced in moisture content? If so, then you’re in the right place! Indeed, we’ve listed the full recipe right off the bat to save you time. Then, at the bottom, we’ve included a helpful guide on how to make banana nut bread the right way! 

Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe

• 1 1/4 cups premium Walnuts or Pecans (GrabOurNuts.Com has amazing pecans and walnuts!)

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup all-purpose and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs

• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (3 or 4 bananas)

• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or vegetable oil

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

Variation: Spiced Banana Nut Bread

(Uses the same basic recipe, but with a fancier touch for the holidays.) 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Variation: Ginger-Banana Nut Bread

• Add in 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Easy 5 Step Instructions 

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350F°. In a single layer, spread out your nuts on a heavy small baking sheet or shallow pan for toasting. Toast the nuts for around 7-10 minutes (walnuts) or 5-7 minutes (pecans). When the nuts are fragrant or golden brown, you can remove and chop them. Keep your oven on and warm. 

2. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Gently dust the loaf pan lightly with flour, tapping out any excess. In a bowl, whisk the rest of your flour, the baking soda, and also salt. Stir in 1 cup of your chopped nuts.

3. Next, whisk your eggs and sugar in a medium-sized separate bowl to an even blend. Mix in the bananas, oil, and buttermilk with your wet ingredients.

4. Then, add the egg banana wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The mix will be a tad lumpy. Pour the batter into your prepared flour-dusted pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped nuts over the batter, where they will sink in as the batter cooks. 

4. After this, you will bake your bread mixture until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. A chopstick makes a great tester. You can estimate this to take about an hour. For moist banana nut bread, cover the top of your loaf pan for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. 

5. Cool your bread in a pan on a rack atop your counter for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the bread pan to loosen any excess batter. Now, turn the bread out onto the rack. You can now enhance your bread with powdered sugar or add the remaining nut pieces as a topping! You can also make a crumble with your extra nuts, a tablespoon of butter, and a tablespoon of brown sugar. 

Why This Bread Rocks

So why is this banana nut bread recipe so fantastic? Well, for one, it contains buttermilk, which adds extra moisture and savory creaminess. Also, if you’re just learning how to make banana nut bread, this recipe is basically foolproof!

How to Make Banana Nut Bread Even Better 

Now, let’s go over some tips to enhance this bread. Really, it all comes down to the bananas and the nuts you use. After all, this makes complete sense, since these two ingredients are the stars of the show.  

First off, the more ripe and aged your bananas are, the sweeter your banana nut bread will naturally be. We’re talking about those brown bananas that the kids won’t eat! Additionally, we highly recommend ordering nuts from a genuine gourmet nut retailer that specializes in quality nuts. This will add to the toasty flavors and oils of your bread. 
For the absolute best walnuts or pecans, check out our Nuts By Type Section! Here, you’ll find some of the finest walnuts, pecans, almonds, and more! These gourmet nuts are roasted to perfection and can beautifully enhance your banana nut bread.