Moist Banana Bread

In this post, I'm sharing how to make perfectly moist banana bread. It’s so tender and full of flavors. Additionally, I'm sharing 2 versions: plain and with nuts and chocolate chips. I think everyone has their favorite about what to add since it is a classic family dessert. Use this recipe as a base and you change around the toppings and amount of ingredients as you like!

There is something about homemade banana bread that makes us feel so cozy at home. I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe with your family and friends and spread happiness!

📌 Frequently Asked Questions

📌 VIDEO: Moist banana bread

To see all the steps visually and get a better understanding of all, check out the video tutorial:

If you made this cake at home and enjoyed it, please share your feedback in the comment section under the video. I appreciate it if you can also leave a review on this recipe and share it with your friendly and family!

📌 Preparation

• Preheat the oven: to 350F | 176C (or 340F | 171C if your oven runs hot.)
• As soon as the oven is preheated, toast walnuts right away since it takes some time for them to cool down. (5-7 minutes)
• Apply a thin layer of butter. Attach parchment paper on the bottom so that the cake comes out easier.

📌 Step 1: Mix all the dry ingredients

First, add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix. By adding the almond flour, the texture of the cake gets more fragile, gentle, and not too bouncy due to less gluten.

Today, I use both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. You can use only granulated sugar, but adding brown sugar provides a deeper flavor and makes the bread moister - it also makes the cake a bit heavier, so I did not add too much.

And add both baking powder and baking soda. They are good amounts for sure. I tried with fewer amounts but the cake was not as light as I wanted it to be. So I decided not to reduce them.

If you are a spice lover, add them by all means! I highly recommend you add them especially when you add nuts and chocolate chips. They match SO well. You can adjust the amounts as you like!

Sifting flour is not an absolute must, but almond flour and brown sugar can be lumpy. So this process eliminates them beforehand.

You can use any of your favorite chocolate chips. If the chocolate tablets are too big, cut them into smaller pieces so that they are not sinking during the baking process.

At this point, the walnut should be cooled enough to touch. I like to crush walnut in my hands. Bananas and walnut go so well. You can omit it or use pecan nuts if you like.

I like to add the chocolate chips and walnuts in flour in advance just so that I won’t forget.

📌 Step 2: Mix all the wet ingredients

And next, let's mix all the wet ingredients.

I recommend that you use ripe bananas for the best result. You'll see a lot of brown spots on the skins: Which means the banana is soft and sweeter. They are mushy and not the best thing to eat themselves but perfect for banana bread!

Mash them with a fork. I like to leave small chunks until it kind of looks like an oatmeal breakfast meal.

Next, add eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and milk to the bananas.

Warm up your milk if it’s too cold.

If you can, I recommend you use all the ingredients at room temperature. That is because we need to bake the cake for a long time. (with one loaf pan like today!) It takes a little less time to bake when the batter is not very cold. Not a crucial tip but just a little thing I do!

If eggs are cold for example, I warm up the milk more and adjust.

📌 Step 3: Mix the wet and dry ingredients

And mix everything. Mix gently just until they are even. 

This recipe is very simple. First, mix dry ingredients. Next, mix wet ingredients, combine them and bake!

📌 Step 4: Bake!

Depending on the oven, the surface might get caramelized too much toward the end especially when you bake in a big loaf pan like today. 

Check toward the end and cover the top with a foil or lower the temperature if needed. 

To check if it's done, there are 2 ways you can try:

• Insert a toothpick and see if it comes off clean. You might see the toothpick is a little bit wet because of the mashed banana, which is fine. Just make sure it's not wet batter.
• Touch the center of the cake. If it's completely dried and bounces back nicely, it is done!

The smell of banana bread is so incredible. It filled the kitchen as soon as it came out of the oven.

The plain version

And I also baked the plain version without nuts and chocolate to show you what it looks like.

I added all the spices this time.

The cake is so tender, moist, and flavorful. Just a perfect snack to get cozy during your break time.

Do you like banana bread as plain or with nuts, chocolate, or dried fruits? I like both but especially I love it with nuts and chocolate with this recipe. At least that's my recent favorite!

Moist Chocolate Banana Cake Recipe:

Check out this post to make the perfectly moist chocolate banana cake. It is also very easy to make and amazingly delicious. Another must-have banana dessert recipe!

📌 The Printable Recipe

💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.

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