Buttermilk Banana Nut Bread is the perfect treat! It’s a not too sweet quick bread with the richness of pecans and the savory tang of buttermilk. It’s sure to be a hit in your home!
This Buttermilk Banana Nut Bread fits my family perfectly. We’re all either bananas or nuts. Really. A family get-together with all of us is like being in the middle of a comedy show.
We have the two most adorable, entertaining grandchildren you could imagine. They are always saying or doing something hilarious. And they LOVE my Buttermilk Banana Nut Bread!
The best thing about this banana bread recipe is that it’s so versatile. It’s great for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. It’s a good afternoon snack with a cup of tea. You can also serve it for dessert with some lovely sweetened cream cheese. Plus, the recipe makes two loaves — one to eat and one to freeze or share with a neighbor.
One of my favorite old restaurants, which is now, sadly, out of business, always served a slice of banana nut bread with their chicken salad and fresh fruit plate. A fantastic combination.
My recipe makes a very moist, sweet loaf. It’s easy to make and uses ingredients that are easy to find in any grocery store…nothing fancy, but so, so good.
— This post was originally published on November 5, 2009. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Servings: 24
Primary Ingredient(s): Sugar, butter, flour, eggs, buttermilk, bananas, pecans
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I seriously love your recipe! This is the best bread.”
— Amy
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 83 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- So versatile. It’s sweet, but not overly so; great for breakfast, snacks, even dessert.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Make one, freeze one (or share one) recipe.
Ingredient Notes
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- Sugar — Plain, white, granulated sugar. Nothing fancy.
- Baking soda — Check the date on the box to make sure it’s fresh.
- Buttermilk — The buttermilk in this recipe gives a really nice, tangy flavor to the bread that contrasts well with the sweetness. See my notes below if you don’t have it on hand.
- Bananas — They should be very ripe and fragrant. I typically purchase them several days in advance if I’m planning to make banana bread.
- Pecans — You can substitute walnuts if you prefer.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Buttermilk Banana Nut Bread
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans and set them aside.
Cream the Butter and Sugar; Add the Flour
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter. Beat until well creamed. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy. Gradually add the flour beating on slow speed until well mixed. the batter will be quite thick at this point.
Add the Buttermilk
- In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the buttermilk and stir together well. With the mixer at low speed, slowly add the buttermilk to the sugar, flour, and egg mixture.
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Add the Bananas, Nuts, and Vanilla
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly. I use a fork to do this, but you can use a potato masher if you’d like. Hint: if your bananas are not quite completely ripe, put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and they’ll soften right up.
- Add the mashed bananas to the batter. Mix at low speed until well incorporated. Stir in nuts, salt, and vanilla.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake at 300 for approximately 1 hour or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove loaves from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Turn the loaves out on the rack and let them cook completely.
Fun Facts About Banana Bread
- National Banana Bread Day falls on February 23 every year
- The first published banana bread recipe appeared in a 1933 Pillsbury cookbook and became even more popular when published in the Chiquita Banana Recipe Book in 1950.
- Some food historians think that banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression. During that time, housewives couldn’t afford to throw away overripe bananas because they were still a fairly costly item. Being the resourceful cooks that they were, they turned them into a sweet quick bread that their families enjoyed.
- There are more than 500 varieties of bananas, even a pink one! Musa velutina, known as the pink banana, is found in the wild in the eastern Himalayas and Assam. Not only is it pink, it’s fuzzy!
Recipe Success Tips
- If your bananas are not quite completely ripe, put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and they’ll soften right up.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make a substitute using whole milk and lemon juice or white vinegar. For each 1/4 cup of milk, stir in 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe.
Questions About Banana Nut Bread
For the best results, the bananas should be very ripe. You want them to be spotted all over, quite soft, and fragrant. However, you can soften under ripe bananas in the microwave for about 20 seconds as an alternative. Your bread won’t be as fragrant as it will when using fully ripe bananas.
Sure, why not? Walnuts would be a good choice. And I’d bet peanuts would be tasty, too.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also refrigerate it to extend its freshness for a few days.
Yes, you can! You can either freeze the whole loaf or cut it into slices and freeze them individually.
You can use a gluten-free flour substitute. Make sure it is a 1:1 substitution ratio and follow the instructions on the package.
More Recipes You’ll Like
Apple Bread with Praline Topping
Black Walnut Pumpkin Bread
Easy Lemon Raspberry Bread
Carrot Pecan Quick Bread
Have a question or thought to share?
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Recipe
Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 3 ripe bananas well mashed
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour two standard 9×5 loaf pans and set them aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter. Beat until well creamed. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy. Gradually add the flour beating on slow speed until well mixed. Note: the batter will be thick at this point.2 cups sugar, ½ cup butter, 2 eggs, 3 cups flour
- In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the buttermilk and stir together well. With the mixer at low speed, slowly add the buttermilk to the sugar, flour, and egg mixture.1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, ⅔ cup buttermilk
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly. I use a fork to do this, but you can use a potato masher if you'd like.3 ripe bananas
- Add the mashed bananas to the batter. Mix at low speed until well incorporated. Stir in nuts, salt, and vanilla.½ cup chopped pecans, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake at 300 for approximately 1 hour or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove loaves from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Turn the loaves out on the rack and let them cook completely.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make a substitute using whole milk and lemon juice or white vinegar. For each 1/4 cup of milk, stir in 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also refrigerate it to extend its freshness for a few days.
- You can freeze the whole loaf or cut it into slices and freeze them individually.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
can I use walnut flour in this recipe ?
I haven’t tested this recipe with any alternate flours.
What size loaf pans?
This recipe is for standard 9×5 loaf pans.
So moist and delicious!!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try a loaf!
I really hope you like it, Karen!
We sure do love banana bread at our house. Looking forward to whipping this up tomorrow.
We do, too! I hope it turns out great for you.