Banana Walnut Bread

Article by Emily Saladino

Whether you’ve got a brunch or bake sale on the horizon, or simply want to use up your overripe bananas, this banana walnut bread recipe is sure to please. Food Network Kitchen perfected this easy-to-make banana loaf, which not only comes together quickly but also can be customized with different flavors or add-ins. Here, our recipe developers share their tips for a moist banana nut bread recipe that everyone will crave.

How to Make Banana Bread Like a Pro

Moist banana bread starts with sifted flour. It might seem fussy, but sifting the flour, baking soda, and salt before you cream the butter and sugar not only aerates the flour, but it also helps the wet and dry ingredients combine evenly so each bite of your banana bread is moist and tender.

Bake with room-temperature butter and eggs. Cold butter and eggs don’t absorb as much air or combine evenly, so use room-temperature eggs and butter to make this recipe turn out light and fluffy.

Combine the wet ingredients in stages. By creaming the butter and sugar, then adding the whisked eggs and vanilla, you create an evenly blended base for the dry ingredients and bananas to absorb, which our recipe developers say is crucial to moist banana bread.

Toast the walnuts for richer flavor. Toast the walnuts in a 350-degrees-Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 12 minutes or in a dry pan on the stovetop for 5 minutes or less to amplify the warm, nutty notes.

Customize your banana walnut bread recipe. Use this recipe as a jumping off point to amplify your favorite flavors. For instance, you can swap the vanilla extract for almond extract or dark rum to give your homemade banana bread nuttier or boozier notes. You can also substitute toasted pecans for the walnuts or turn this into a chocolate chip banana nut bread recipe by swapping half the walnuts for dark chocolate chips or chunks. Hungry for more banana nut bread variations? Take a look at this collection of some of Food Network Kitchen’s favorite banana bread recipes.

Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

This banana walnut bread recipe freezes beautifully and can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 months in the freezer. In fact, our recipe developers suggest making a few extra loaves to freeze, so you always have homemade banana bread on hand! You can freeze individual slices, too: wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then pop them into a zip-top bag.

Thaw the banana nut loaf for at least an hour at room temperature before serving. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, individually frozen slices of this banana walnut bread recipe will thaw within 30 minutes.

Other Overripe Banana Ideas

If you’ve made banana bread with three bananas and still have more fruit to use, try blending up a strawberry-banana smoothie, making banana spice waffles or baking a batch of banana chocolate chip cookies. For more inspiration, check out Food Network Kitchen’s recipe collection of best banana recipes for using up the bunch.

You can freeze overripe bananas, too. Simply remove and discard the peel, then put the ripe bananas in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen overripe bananas are excellent in banana-vanilla nice cream and provide lots of frosty sweetness to mixed berry smoothies, too.