This moist banana walnut bread is loaded with crunchy toasted walnuts and rum-infused raisins. This soft banana bread recipe is a pure delight!
Love a good homemade bread? Try our buttery brioche bread or our easy pumpkin bread.
Banana Walnut Bread
Banana bread is a classic food that can be made in so many different ways. In this particular recipe, I use raisins soaked in rum and toasted walnuts to give it a nice crunchy texture. If you don’t like raisins, you can swap them out for any kind of dry fruit that you like. You can completely omit the dry fruit if you want. I love using overly ripe bananas because they give such a nice sweet flavor to the bread. So next time you have overripe bananas sitting out on the counter, don’t throw them out, make this delicious banana bread 🙂
Ingredients for banana bread
- For the bananas– you want to make sure these are very ripe, and by ripe I mean they are spotted all over (not entirely black).
- Dry ingredients– Here you will need the baking basics (AP-flour, sugars, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.)
- Eggs and butter– Make sure both of these are at room temperature. This will help make the banana walnut bread extra moist.
- Walnuts and raisins- Whever baking with nuts, I always toast them because it brings out so much amazing nutty flavor. And for the rum-raisin, well that’s kind of the best part here!
How to make Banana walnut bread
Mash up the bananas
- When you’re bananas are well ripied this process becomes a lot easier. You can mash the bananas with a fork or a masher tool.
- Now you can mix in the remaining wet ingredients as instructed in the recipe card below. I like to use an electric mixer to make this step faster.
Soak the raisins
- You don’t need a ton of rum to infuse the raisins, just enough to give it that delicious rich flavor. This extra step only takes 5 minutes, so don’t skip it!
Mix in the dry ingredients and bake
- Make sure to sift the drier ingredients before mixing it into the banana bread batter. This will ensure that no clumps get caught in there.
- Mix in the chopped walnuts and infused raisins into the batter.
How long to bake banana bread
Once you’ve got your batter poured into a greased 4×8-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the bread for about 60 to 70 minutes until its golden brown on the outside. A good way to tell if its fully baked is by inserting a toothpick into the center of the load. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is done.
How to store banana walnut bread
- Keep banana nut bread wrapped in paper towels and aluminum foil as tightly as possible to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
- Or you can just keep it in an airtight container or plastic wrap.
How long does banana bread last
- Room temperature– Banana nut bread can stay a room temp for about 1-2 days max.
- Fridge– When stored properly you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze banana bread
Yes, you can! This banana walnut bread freezes very well. Do this by wrapping the loaf tightly with plastic wrap and placing it into a freezer zip-lock bag. You can keep it frozen for up to 2-3 months.
More breakfast dessert recipes
- Brioche French toast
- Bread pudding with vanilla rum sauce (VIDEO)
- Fluffy buttermilk pancakes
- Best homemade cinnamon rolls (VIDEO)
- Blueberry Ricotta cheese pancakes
Full Recipe Instructions
Banana Walnut Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1 1/2 tbsp rum
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
Instructions
Mash up the bananas + combine with wet ingredients
- In a bowl mash the ripe bananas with a masher and set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter using a handheld electric mixer.
- Add the eggs and milk to the sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the egg and sugar mixture to the mashed bananas.
Soak the raisins in rum
- In a small bowl soak the raisins in the rum for about 5 minutes
Sift the dry ingredients together
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and add it to the banana and sugar mixture. Blend until combined.
Add the raisins and walnuts
- Lastly, add the chopped walnuts and soaked raisins (including the residual rum) into the banana bread batter and blend to combine.
Pour into loaf pans and bake
- Pour the batter into a greased 4x8-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after piercing the middle of the loaf. Once the loaf is baked transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Storing banana bread
keep it in an airtight container or plastic wrap at room temp for up to 2 days then refrigerate it for a week.How to freeze it
Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into a zip-lock bag. Keep frozen for 2-3 months and thaw at room temperature.Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on Jun 11, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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Alla says
Thank you for receipt.
simplyhomecooked says
You’re welcome Alla 🙂
Anna says
MMM..rum in banana bread sounds intriguing, LOL. The banana bread I make has craisins instead of raisins, so its a hint of sour with the sweet. A slight variation to try!
simplyhomecooked says
I think you’ll really like this version Anna 🙂
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
I’ve never tried rum infused raisins in banana bread, it sounds so delicious! You should name this “raisin run banana bread”. I will be making this soon, I always end up with plenty of bananas that become overripe. Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
I probably should have changed then name to that lol. I think you will really like this recipe 🙂