Valentina Ablaev
Homemade banana bread and walnuts, made from scratch, make the perfect fall dessert. This isn’t your boring old banana bread, because the dessert is packed with crisp nuts and drizzled with a buttery brown sugar glaze. The glaze is reason alone to try this easy banana bread recipe.
Fall Desserts
I’m sure we can all agree that Fall has the best dessert recipes! I mean, when else can you enjoy everything from pumpkin cheesecake bites to quick and easy apple puff pastry tarts? And if you’re not a huge fan of sweets, then this is the banana bread for you! With just the right amount of sugar, this dessert bread isn’t overly sweet, even with the glaze!
Ingredients for Glazed Banana Walnut Bread
- Dry ingredients – A mix of flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda makes for a fluffy loaf.
- Wet batter – A classic mix of sugar, eggs, sour cream, and the addition of maple syrup for an extra flavor.
- Bananas – Use overripe bananas to make the best loaf. I’m talking about brown and soft bananas.
- Nuts – Use a variety of nuts like walnuts and pecans. They add the perfect crunch and make for an excellent presentation.
- Glaze – This glaze is made with a base of butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. We use heavy cream to make the glaze creamy, and the addition of powdered sugar allows the glaze to harden.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Get the Best Banana Bread
- Sift ingredients: When combining the dry ingredients, sift them together to prevent getting clumps.
- Use ripe bananas: To get the best banana bread, use overripe bananas that are spotted and browning. This will give you a sweeter and fluffier loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, it’s essential not to overmix the batter; otherwise, you will end up with a cakey and dry loaf. Mix the batter with a spatula until you see no flour streaks.
- Waste no time: To be the most productive, make the glaze while the banana bread bakes. Since the glaze needs to cool completely, it takes a little bit of time.
Tools for this Recipe
Shop all of Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- Measuring cups are essential for all baking recipes.
- These large mixing bowls are perfect for baking a loaf of banana bread!
- A handheld mixer to make the wet batter without killing your wrist with a whisk.
- Use a bread pan to get the perfect thick loaf that is fluffy in the middle without getting overcooked.
How to Make Banana Bread with Walnuts
- Dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder, and set aside.
- Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy.
- Add bananas. Mix in mashed bananas along with sour cream, vinegar, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and use a spatula to combine. Fold in chopped nuts.
- Bake. Add the batter to a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and bake in the oven at 325°F for 25-30 minutes. Allow the bread to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack and cooling completely.
- Glaze. Once the bread is cooled, drizzle the glaze over the bread and top with extra walnuts and pecans.
Easy Banana Bread Glaze
Make the perfect creamy glaze in little to no time.
- In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Bring the sauce up to a light simmer and remove from the heat.
- Whisk the heavy cream into the sauce and allow the butter sauce to cool thoroughly.
- Once cooled, stir in the powdered sugar.
Take Your Banana Bread Up a Level
- Elevate your banana bread: Load up the banana bread batter with chocolate chips, just like in our chocolate banana bread recipe!
- Make muffins: Did you know you can turn any banana bread recipe into banana muffins? Add the batter to a lined muffin pan and bake at 350°F for 18-25 minutes or until cooked through.
How to Store Banana Bread
You can store banana bread at room temperature for up to 24 hours and in the fridge after that. To keep the bread fresh as long as possible, keep it in an airtight container.
More Baking Recipes
If you enjoyed this banana bread recipe, be sure to try our other easy baking recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Cupcakes & Muffins- Cupcakes & Muffins
- Cookies & Bars
- Cookies & Bars
- Cookies & Bars
- Cupcakes & Muffins
- Cupcakes & Muffins
If you tried this walnut banana bread recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Banana Bread and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour measured then sifted
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and pecans for décor
glaze-
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9″x5″ bread pan with parchment paper and grease.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat the mashed bananas into the egg mixture. Whisk in sour cream, vinegar, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.
- Fold the dry mix into the wet batter and mix in ½ cup of nuts.
- Pour the mixture into the bread pan and sprinkle the top with extra nuts.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325°F and bake another 25-30 minutes.
- Allow the loaf to cool slightly before removing from the bread pan. Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
glaze –
- In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Bring the mixture up to a light simmer and remove from the heat.
- Whisk the heavy cream into the butter and set aside to cool.
- Once cool, mix the powdered sugar into the cream.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread loaf and garnish with nuts.
Notes
- Use overripe bananas for your banana bread to ensure a sweet and fluffy loaf.
- Avoid overmixing the banana bread batter when combining dry and wet ingredients. Mix until you see no flour streaks.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before topping with glaze. I know it’s hard to wait, but it’s essential; otherwise, the glaze will melt.
Nutrition
FAQ’s
When baking banana bread, it’s important not to overcook, but you don’t want a raw center. After 25 minutes of baking, check the center with a toothpick. If the toothpick is still coming out dirty, allow the bread to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Yes, as someone who doesn’t like desserts too sweet, I’m the first to reduce the sugar in a recipe. This dessert is already not too sweet, but you can get away with using ½ cup of sugar instead of ¾ cup.
If the center of the bread sinks after baking and cooling, it means the middle was undercooked. Be sure to use a toothpick to check the middle while baking.
