The best walnut banana bread to make on a snowy day! This is an easy recipe with minimal prep time so you can get rid of those overripe bananas and make a delicious dessert.

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Why You’ll Love This

It’s a quick and easy way to make a tasty dessert with those overripe bananas you have sitting on your counter.
The secret ingredient in this recipe is apple sauce. It makes for an extra moist cake and helps balance out the bananas.
Who doesn’t love a slice of banana bread with coffee? I had some with my morning latte and it was SO GOOD that I had to post this recipe asap!
And lastly, the cinnamon and nutmeg really make this banana walnut loaf absolutely perfect. If you like cinnamon, definitely add more than the recipe calls for.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Butter – Room temperature unsalted butter is what I always use when baking banana bread. We usually have this butter on hand – and it’s Corey’s favorite.

Brown Sugar – I love using brown sugar vs regular sugar in this bread. If you don’t have brown, you can definitely sub for granulated sugar.

Eggs – This is a must for the recipe to give the bread that structure and texture!

Apple Sauce – Just a 1/2 cup of apple sauce adds even more moisture to the bread. You can use original or cinnamon apple sauce.

Bananas – The key to great banana bread, and in this case walnut banana bread, is extra ripe bananas. Now don’t worry if your bananas aren’t ripe – you can easily peel two bananas and bake them in the oven at 300 for 15 minutes before adding them to the mixing bowl.

Walnuts- Be sure to use unsalted walnuts in this recipe. We tend to buy nuts in bulk and always have these Kirkland brand walnuts on hand.

Other Ingredients- Vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. I’m a big fan of cinnamon so don’t be afraid to add a little extra.

Let’s Bake!

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350°; prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2:

Mix the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until smooth.

Step 3:

Next, add the eggs, apple sauce, bananas, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until there are no banana lumps. You can also mash up the bananas before adding them to the bowl based on how ripe they are.

Step 4:

Add in the rest of the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until a rich batter forms.

Step 5:

Fold in the walnuts to the batter, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.

Step 6:

Cook the banana bread low and slow at 350 for 1 hour. Let cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Tips for Success

When baking the walnut banana bread in the oven, be sure not to overbake it. Baking time will vary by oven, but keep an eye on it while baking to avoid burning. Check the loaf at the 50-minute mark, and the last 10 minutes in the oven really let the bread set.

Make sure the bananas are as ripe as possible. The bananas were very brown for this recipe, which showed after taking the first bite.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to wrap these individually so I can grab them and go.

Walnut Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 stick butter melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 bananas extra ripe
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Next, add the eggs, apple sauce, bananas, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until there are no banana lumps. You can also mash up the bananas before adding to the bowl based on how ripe they are.
Add in the rest of the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until a rich batter forms.
Fold in the walnuts to the batter then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.
Cook the banana bread low and slow at 350 for 1 hour.