This delicious, super moist, perfectly sweetened banana walnut bread is a game changer! A reduced-guilt banana bread recipe made with olive oil and naturally sweetened with honey and chunks of Medjool dates, which infuse the banana bread with rich flavor and a beautiful velvety texture. You won't miss the butter or refined sugar, I promise! Make an extra loaf or two to freeze for later use. Be sure to watch the video and grab my tips.
I make a mean baklava--award-winning, if I say so myself. But, when it comes to cake (like my Italian apple and my orange cardamom olive oil cakes), I am all for easy options that require one bowl to mix and one pan to bake. That's why, banana bread is one of my favorite goodies to make.
Three super ripe, brown-skinned bananas are not much to celebrate. But turn them into a moist, perfectly sweetened banana bread with walnuts, and the story completely changes.
Healthier Banana Walnut Bread
Bonus, this banana walnut bread recipe is a healthier option. Skip the heavy butter. Skip refined sugar. And try this olive oil banana bread that is naturally sweetened with honey and dates (nature's candy!) And if you're looking for warm cozy flavors, you'll love the hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cardamom in here.
This banana bread is moist, tender, and satisfying...without all the guilt!
If you're wondering why I added dates instead of, say, chocolate chips. Besides their velvety texture and rich flavor, dates are an instant energy booster, filled with nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants. Just sayin, sneak some dates into your banana walnut bread, and you've got yourself a great post-work out breakfast!
This recipe is a snitch to make (watch the video below to see how me and my little one make it!) But a few tips make all the difference in achieving perfectly moist banana bread.
Important Tips for Moist Banana Bread:
If you're wondering, "how can I make banana bread more moist?" You'll want to check out these simple tips...
1. Use Extra Ripe Bananas.
Those ugly bananas with nearly black skins are what you're looking to use in this banana walnut bread recipe. And smash them up real well.
2. Skip the butter and use Extra Virgin Olive Oil Instead.
No need to use butter, really, save that for birthday cake. A better-for-you fat, and the secret to moist cake is extra virgin olive oil. Even die-hard butter fans agree that extra virgin olive oil makes exceptionally good cakes. Here, olive oil emulsifies the ingredients, which translates into super moist banana walnut bread.
As an added bonus, good extra virgin olive oil, like this one I used, will add a wonderful, rich and nuanced flavor to your cake without calling too much attention to itself.
3. Gently Fold Dry and Wet ingredients together.
Use a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to mix everything together gently for a tender crumb.
4. Begin Checking Your Banana Bread at 50 Minutes of Baking.
Even though it may take longer, I like to begin check my banana bread at 50 minutes or so of baking. Ovens do vary quite a bit, so it is always good to check to avoid dry banana bread. Use a tooth pick to check a few places, and when just a couple moist crumbs come up, remove the banana bread from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
5. Wrap Banana Bread Tightly To Store Overnight.
If you make this in the evening to have for breakfast the next day, be sure to wrap the banana bread in something like plastic wrap (even if it's still just a touch warm) to keep it from drying out. I also like to save it in a tight-lid container.
Step-by-step for this Banana Walnut Bead Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil and honey. Now add the eggs and whisk again to combine. Now add the bananas yogurt, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk again.
- Using a spatula, stir in the flour; then add the dates and walnuts and stir the batter again until everything is well combined.
- Lightly oil a non-stick a 9 x 5 loaf pan like this one (affiliate link.) Pour the batter into the loaf pan and shake very gently so it evens out.
- Bake. After 50 minutes or so, test by inserting a toothpick in a few places. If only a couple moist crumbs cling to it, remove it from the oven. If it needs a little more time, give it 5 more minutes or so.
7. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cool on a wire rack for another 20 minutes or so. Slice and enjoy!
How Long will Banana Bread Keep?
Properly-stored, fresh banana bread will keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge. I like to be sure and wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap, then store it in an air-tight container to keep it moist. And because I use olive oil in this banana bread recipe, it is even more rich and moist the next day!
I often make an extra loaf or two to freeze for later use. To freeze, let your freshly-baked banana bread cool completely, then wrap it with freezer plastic wrap or heavy-duty freezer bags. Properly stored, it will keep well in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
Watch the video for How To Make This Easy Banana Bread
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Banana Walnut Bread with Olive Oil
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
Delicious, super moist Banana Walnut Bread made with olive oil and naturally sweetened with honey and dates! Be sure to read through the tips and watch the video tutorial just above this recipe.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup quality honey, organic if possible
- 2 eggs
- 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 tbsp fat free plain yogurt
- ¼ cup fat free or low-fat milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom (if you're not sure you'll like it, start with the smaller amount)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (wheat flour if you prefer)
- 6 dates, pitted and chopped (about ½ cup chopped dates)
- ⅓ cup chopped walnut hearts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil and honey. Now add the eggs and whisk again to combine.
- Now add the bananas yogurt, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk again.
- Using a spatula, stir in the flour; then add the dates and walnuts and stir the batter again until everything is well combined.
- Lightly oil a non-stick a 9 x 5 loaf pan like this one. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and shake very gently so it evens out.
- Bake in the 325 degrees F heated-oven. After 50 minutes or so, test by inserting a toothpick in a few places. If only a couple moist crumbs cling to it, remove it from the oven. If it needs a little more time, give it 5 more minutes or so.
- Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cool on a wire rack for another 20 minutes or so. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro Tip: use the best extra virgin olive oil you can or you may risk a rancid-tasting loaf. I used our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil here; it adds great depth and keeps the loaf tasty and moist.
- To Store: Properly-stored, fresh banana bread will keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge. I like to be sure and wrap the banana bread in plastic wrap, then store it in an air-tight container to keep it moist. And because I use olive oil in this banana bread recipe, it is even more rich and moist the next day! I often make an extra loaf or two to freeze for later use. To freeze, let your freshly-baked banana bread cool completely, then wrap it with freezer plastic wrap or heavy-duty freezer bags. Properly stored, it will keep well in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
- Visit our online shop for quality olive oils, all-natural and organic spices and more.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Banana Walnut Bread Recipe, Healthy Banana Bread Recipe, Olive Oil Banana Bread
Note: This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in the fall of 2018 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers' benefit. Enjoy!
I think this recipe is missing salt. I added some. Good recipe though and will use it again. Want to try it in the morning to see if the flavors are enhanced more.
★★★★★
Can I substitute coconut oil for the olive oil??
Hi, Jeanne. I really recommend sticking with olive oil for this particular recipe. I've never attempted it with coconut oil, so not sure how well it would turn out.
I made this wonderful banana bread this afternoon and it's so very good. Thank you for sharing this great recipe with us!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Hannah!
Made this last evening and it was perfect! The texture, the smell around the house 😍
I didn't have walnuts at hand, so added some raisins with the dates. Oh, by the way, you were so right; while I loved the warm rich yummy slice I had in the evening, it tasted much better in the morning! Will definitely be making this more often.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks, Kellen!
Would it be possible to have the recipe in ounces or grams please.
Hello! Unfortunately, we don't have metric measurements available for this recipe. We just haven't found the right metric conversion tool for our website quite yet. It's something we're working on solving.
I'm really excited to try your beautiful, colorful recipes and we all deserve a little treat once in awhile. This recipes seems perfect for that. I'm guessing I could use it for making muffins. If I do that, how long would you recommend baking them?
Hi, Kimberly! Based on other reader's comments it's definitely possible, but I have not tried it personally myself so it's hard for me to advise. If you give it a go, will you please stop back and share any tips? Thanks so much!
This IS the best banana bread ever!! I just made this and went ahead and made another for my in-laws..we have to watch sugar carb etc intake and this is perfect as the mejool dates are sweet by themselves but a healthy sweet. We were sad we had to cut out banana bread but not now, we feel happy and good about having this. I love all of your recipes, thanks for keeping us healthy! 😋
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks, Rebecca!
Hi Suzy! What do you recommend for a substitution for the yogurt? I don’t have any yogurt on hand right now. Thanks!
Hi Marissa. To be honest, I only use yogurt in this recipe but some people bake with sour cream or cottage cheese as a substitute.
I’m guessing Buttermilk would be a good substitute for the yogurt! I too love this recipe as I watch my weight and look closely at the ingredients in this particular recipe! Can’t wait to try it! Looks delicious!
Hi! Can you replace the walnuts with e.g. almonds? My daughter is allergic to nuts. Love your recipes by the way and have just started to try them out. 🙂 So far so delicious! /Cecilia from Sweden
Sure! You could try replacing them with another nut... or just omit the walnuts all together if you prefer.
Best recipe ever! A favorite in our household. Well again, the Mediterranean dish never fails me!
Awww! Thanks you! I love hearing that!
Haven't had much (ok, any) luck with my quick breads lately so was very relieved when this one turned out - perfectly.
Delicious, fragrant bread, which came together really well. Very fluffy, soft loaf with beautiful flavour - despite fact that I didn't have any dates on hand. I did increase the cardamom a bit, and added the zest of an orange, for a little zing.
Next time will add the dates!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing, Olivia!
Is there a reason you used dates instead of raisins? I'm not a big date fan but I don't want to make it unhealthy by making the substitute.
Just personal preference. You can substitute with raisins if you'd like.
I used a Pyrex baking dish, and it took a lot longer to cook and was still raw in the middle. I think this would take about 65 to 70 minutes. I might try making this into muffins to cook more quickly. Would you say to bake for 25ish minutes in that case?
Hi, Rosanna! I've personally never tried these in a muffin tin, so it's hard to advise on the time. But, I think if you start checking for doneness around 20 minutes and then keeping an eye on them, you should be good!
I think the olive oil I used did not meet the mark as it came out tasting and smelling off...sooo don't make the same mistake, and really make sure you use good olive oil! Next time I will use better EVOO. Everything else (texture and spices) was great.
★★★★
Thanks for sharing that, Alexa! Very important tip.
Hello,
I tried your receipe as is but it didn't turn out well. It was soft from inside so I baked again for 20 minutes. I do not know what went wrong.
I used round utensil rather than tray you used.
I'm sorry, Sandhya. Hard to say what could have gone wrong this time. Hope you give it another try!
Love all your recipes....god bless you
★★★★★
Awww! Thank you!
We love this bread....so easy and yummy. I often tend to toss some extra fruit variant in when I have it on hand. I have used up some pomegranate on one loaf which was really delicious and today I had a bunch of blackberries so I tossed in some of those. I am really looking forward to it. Thanks for such great ideas!
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing, Bridget!
An incredibly moist and deliciously satisfying banana walnut date loaf! If you don't mind Suzy, this bread recipe is now MY Saturday morning start to the weekend. My husband and I are enjoying all of your magnificent recipes! CHEERS! We are looking forward to your weekly recipes. And all of your videos and tips for cooking are so helpful. We can't thank you enough!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Elsa! So glad to hear it.
Adorei sua receita! Vou fazê-la e depois te enviarei uma fotografia. Obrigada
★★★★★
Learning the MD way. This was easy to make and some Ingredients I didn’t have - so I used Almond Greek yogurt, Simply Almond Milk, Chocolate chips since I didn’t have dates and pecans since didn’t have Walnuts. Hubby could barely wait for the 10 min cool down.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Sabrina! Hope you both enjoyed it!
My fave so easy to make - sometimes add currents if i dont have dates - thanks
★★★★★
Oh I'm so glad! Thanks for sharing