Easy Banana Nut Bread (Healthier)

This is my favorite Super Easy Banana Nut Bread that’s super quick to put together, no mixer needed, perfectly sweetened, super moist and delicious!

Easy Banana Nut Bread

I thought I’d repost one of my oldest recipes here on Jo Cooks since I just made this banana nut bread again. This is such an easy recipe, no mixer required and has been my go to banana nut bread recipes for years.

Only one bowl required and this banana nut bread is quite versatile. I say it’s versatile because you can swap some of the ingredients in it, for example I love using applesauce in banana bread instead of butter or oil, and I also reduce the sugar for a less sweeter bread.

Banana nut bread is a favorite recipe of mine especially for weekends. There’s nothing I enjoy more on weekend mornings, than to cuddle up with a good book, a great cup of coffee in one hand and enjoy a slice of moist and delicious banana nut bread.

• Bananas – You’ll need 4 mashed bananas. As with any banana bread, ripe bananas are key. The more ripe your bananas are, the better and more delicious your muffins will be. You know that point when they turn ugly and brown and nobody wants to eat them? Those are the bananas you want.
• Flour – You need all-purpose flour, it’s what works best in this banana nut bread. You can substitute with self-rising flour, but you will need to cut down on the baking powder in the recipe. Self-rising flour is just all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt added to it.
• Sugar – I love using granulated sugar and brown sugar together. I love adding some brown sugar to my banana breads because it brings a little richness to the overall taste of this bread. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can just substitute it with regular granulated sugar.
• Eggs – This is a must in all cakes, eggs are what make the cake light, fluffy and tender. Make sure they are at room temperature because they will blend more evenly in the batter.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – They are both leavening agents used in baking which allows the banana bread to rise and become light and fluffy.
• Vanilla extract – This is an ingredient that is added to most baked goods and that is because vanilla enhances all the other flavors in the recipe. Without it this cake will taste flat and bland.
• Apple Sauce – This is my secret ingredient here to make this banana bread healthier with less fat but don’t worry the bread will still be as moist and delicious. Of course you can substitute it with vegetable oil.
• Sour Cream – This is needed to make your bread super moist and fluffy. Trust me, it works. You can substitute it with Greek Yogurt or buttermilk.

How To Make Banana Nut Bread

• Prep the oven and loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Peel and add bananas to a large bowl and mash using a fork. Add applesauce, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and whisk everything together.
• Incorporate sugars. Add the sugars and whisk until the sugar is well incorporated into the batter.
• Mix in the dry ingredients. Add flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and stir using a wooden spoon. Do not over mix, just enough until you don’t see the flour anymore.
• Mix in the nuts. Add the nuts to the bowl and fold them in until well incorporated.
• Bake. Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the banana bread comes out clean.
• Cool and serve. Cool the banana bread for 15 minutes in the loaf pan then carefully remove it from the pan and finish cooling it on a wire rack, before slicing and serving.

Dairy Free Banana Bread

If you wanted a dairy free version skip the sour cream and add more applesauce instead. This is something I have always made often because hubs goes through phases and the last phase he went through he thought he was lactose intolerant, so I had to make all sorts of recipes dairy free.

How to Make Banana Bread Super Moist

Of course as you might know, the secret to a good banana bread is the very ripe bananas. Yeah you need those ripe bananas to get that rich banana flavor. The applesauce and the sour cream also help this banana nut bread be as moist as possible.

How Long to Bake

Every oven is different, so don’t worry if your bread isn’t ready after 50 minutes. Have a couple clean toothpicks ready to go, and test your bread by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out with some batter, add an extra 5-10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.

How To Store Banana Bread

I prefer to store my banana bread on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You could also refrigerate it, but I find that this tends to dry it up a bit more.

Banana bread will last up to 3 days on the counter. Wrap it in plastic wrap or seal it tightly.

Can I Freeze Banana Bread

Absolutely! You can freeze banana bread and it freezes beautifully. I like to cut mine up in slices, wrap each slice tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Of course, you can freeze it as a whole but I like the idea of the grab and go slices.

To defrost just pop the slice in the microwave, without plastic wrap, for a few seconds and off you go.

Need More Banana Recipes? Try These:

• Banana Blueberry Bread
• Banana Bread
• The Perfect Banana Muffins
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Banana Upside Down Cake
• Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread
• Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
• Banana Fritters