It happens to us all: You let the bananas sit out a little too long. You know what that means—break out the baking supplies! There are lots of recipes to make with ripe bananas, but there’s nothing quite as comforting as pulling out a sweet, aromatic loaf of banana walnut bread from the oven. A cup of caramel-y bananas and a handful of chopped walnuts are the only specialty ingredients you need for this banana nut bread recipe. Everything else is probably already in your pantry!
Ingredients for Banana Walnut Bread
- Bananas: Make sure your bananas are ripe! Ripe bananas are perfectly sweet and have the ideal soft texture for mashing and baking.
- Walnuts: Toast the nuts to bring out their earthy richness and to dilute the bitter raw flavor.
- All-purpose flour: We don’t recommend substituting another flour here. All-purpose flour is the best for quick breads as it provides a strong enough structure but still has a tender crumb.
- Shortening: Shortening contains 100% fat (and no water), so it creates flavor and richness in the loaf. Be wary about replacing butter here since butter only has about 84% fat at most.
Directions
Step 1: Cream the shortening and sugar
Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the shortening and sugar until they’re light and fluffy.
Editor’s Tip: It may seem excessive, but a fundamental component of how to cream fat and sugar is whipping the two ingredients together with the mixer on high for five to seven minutes. You’ll notice a major difference in the color and texture as the minutes go on.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the mashed bananas and milk.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture just until it’s moistened.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t overmix the batter here! Doing so will result in a dense bread. Instead, mix until everything is just combined.
Step 4: Add the walnuts
Fold in the walnuts until they’re evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
Step 5: Bake
Pour the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Banana Nut Bread Variations
- Splash in extract: Delicate vanilla, nutty almond, bold rum—the possibilities are endless. One teaspoon of extract is all this banana walnut bread would need!
- Spice up the flavor: A dash of sweet cinnamon and spicy nutmeg would warm up this banana nut bread recipe beautifully.
- Add other mix-ins: Fold in rich chocolate chips or dried fruits like cranberries or cherries when you fold in the pecans. There’s room for everyone.
- Swap in a different nut: Banana bread with walnuts tastes great, but you can use any type of nut here! Pecans, almonds, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts would be delicious. However, peanuts might be a bit too strong.
How to Store Banana Walnut Bread
To store, allow the banana walnut bread to cool completely to room temperature. Place the loaf in an airtight container, or wrap it tightly in storage wrap and aluminum foil. Store the bread at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Can you freeze banana walnut bread?
Yes, you can freeze banana walnut bread! Allow the loaf to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap the loaf in foil. Store it in a freezer-safe resealable bag in the freezer for up to four months. To thaw, place the loaf in the fridge overnight, or let it come to room temperature on the counter for about two hours.
Banana Walnut Bread Tips
What other pans can I bake this banana walnut bread in?
If you want a bunch of mini loaves to pass out to friends and family, our baking pan conversions chart tells us that this banana nut bread recipe can be baked into three 5-3/4 x 3-inch mini loaf pans. Keep in mind, the mini loaf sizes won’t need as long to bake as the regular loaf size!
How can I ripen bananas quickly for banana walnut bread?
There are a few different methods on how to quickly ripen bananas. For ripe bananas in just a day or two, unhook the bananas from each other, place them in a brown paper bag, and fold it shut. Speed this up even further by tossing in an apple, pear, orange or peach. These fruits emit ethylene gas, which ramp up the ripening process.
For a ripe banana in about a minute, poke holes all over an unpeeled banana with a fork or toothpick. Microwave it in 30-second bursts until the banana has reached the desired softness.
