Go Back
Banana Walnut Bread Recipe

Banana Walnut Bread Recipe

Make this easy banana walnut bread with ripe bananas, crunchy walnuts, brown sugar, and warm spices. Moist, tender, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast or snacks!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 230 g all-purpose flour or 00 flour
  • 150 g brown sugar, plus a little extra for topping
  • 6 g (1 tsp) baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed — about 350 g peeled
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 130 ml neutral oil, such as avocado or sunflower oil
  • 100 g plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 150 g walnuts, chopped
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg

Method
 

  1. Prepare the oven and pan

    Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly oil a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Place a strip of parchment paper down the center of the pan, leaving some overhang on the sides. Lightly oil the sides of the pan as well.
    Chop the walnuts and set them aside.

  2. Mix the dry ingredients

    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
    Mixing the dry ingredients first helps distribute the baking soda and spices evenly throughout the loaf.

  3. Mix the wet ingredients

    In a separate bowl, mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth.
    Add the eggs, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract, then whisk until everything is well combined.
    For the best banana flavor, use bananas that are very ripe with plenty of brown spots.

  4. Combine everything

    Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add the chopped walnuts.
    Gently stir everything together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can make the finished banana bread dense rather than soft and tender.

  5. Fill the loaf pan

    Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Gently tap the pan against the counter a couple of times to release large air bubbles and smooth the surface.

  6. Add the topping

    Sprinkle a light, even layer of brown sugar over the top of the batter. This creates a delicious golden, slightly crunchy crust as the bread bakes.

  7. Bake

    Place the loaf in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs.
    If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely cover the loaf with foil for the remaining baking time.

  8. Cool before slicing

    Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
    Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.
    Although it can be tempting to cut into it immediately, cooling helps the loaf set and makes it much easier to slice neatly.