There’s nothing quite as comforting as a loaf of homemade Spiced Banana Bread fresh from the oven. Filled with warm cinnamon and nutmeg, this recipe takes classic banana bread to a new level with cozy fall flavors that you’ll want to enjoy all year long. 

Crunchy walnuts add just the right amount of texture—and as a bonus, they’re a brain-healthy nut packed with omega-3s and antioxidants. 

Whether you slice it up for a nourishing breakfast, enjoy it as a satisfying afternoon snack, or share it with friends over coffee, this spiced banana bread is a wholesome, flavorful, and delicious way to start your day or give yourself an afternoon pick-me-up.

What You Will Need to Make This Quick Bread

I’ve played with and adapted my mom’s old banana bread recipe over the years and finally came up with a version I love. Adding warm, sweet spices, along with walnuts, was the trick. 

Bananas

This goes without saying! 3-4 bananas are what you will need for this recipe. Fresh or frozen bananas can be used, and the riper the better. Ripe bananas have more flavor and moisture. 

I often freeze extra bananas and then make bread when I have time.

When you thaw them, you may notice some extra liquid. That is okay, just mash it in with the bananas before stirring it into the batter. That liquid provides moisture and a lot of banana flavor, so you definitely want to include it. 

Whole-Grain Pastry Flour 

In place of all-purpose flour, whole grain pastry flour has more fiber than all-purpose flour and more nutrients as the entire grain kernal is ground into flour, keeping the fiber and nutrients in the flour.

1/4 cup of whole grain pastry flour has 3 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup vs. 1 gram in all-purpose flour.

This extra fiber is great for gut health and it also gives this bread a richer texture and makes it a bit more filling, but doesn’t weigh it down. 

Butter

Like other baked goods, there just isn’t a good substitute for butter, and this recipe is no exception. I’ve tried it with vegetable oil, and it just doesn’t have the lightness you want in a quick bread.

Properly whipped, butter provides moisture and lightness in baked goods, and while oil can work in some recipes (like my zucchini carrot bread), I didn’t have luck with it in this recipe, so I am sticking with real butter. Because of the moisture you get from the bananas, you only need ½ cup of butter in this recipe. 

I recommend unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, decrease the amount of salt you add. 

Granulated Sugar

I cut this back from the original recipe as the bananas provide a lot of sweetness, and the addition of the spices helps as well. 

Baking Soda

Baking soda helps the bread rise. Bananas are a bit acidic, which helps activate the soda and helps the bread rise.

Eggs

The eggs add moisture and help provide structure for the bread, making it moist and light. Eggs also contain choline, a nutrient we are learning may also have a role in protecting our brain health. 

Walnuts

Toasted walnuts give this bread a nice crunchy bite and a boost of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Toasting them before mixing them into the batter releases the oil and boosts the flavor. 

Cinnamon & Nutmeg

These warm spices add just a touch of fall flavor to the bread and help amplify the sweetness from the banana

Orange Zest (optional)

I added the orange zest at the last minute, and what a difference it makes! Just a little extra burst of flavor. 

Salt

Salt helps bring all the flavors out and really makes this bread shine. You can cut the amount down, but I wouldn’t eliminate it. I use kosher salt

How to Make Spiced Banana Bread

Step 1 – Prep the Pan and Preheat the Oven

Preheating the oven and getting the pan prepped before you start assembling ingredients is vital. Once the ingredients are mixed, you need to get the bread in the oven so that it rises correctly.

Quick Tip: The baking powder starts working as soon as it is wet. If it sits on the counter while the oven is heating, it won’t rise as well as it should.)

To prep the pan, butter the bottom and the sides well. Sprinkle it with flour and make sure all areas are coated. 

Step 2 – Cream the Butter and Sugar 

Creaming the butter and sugar means really beating them together until the mixture is light and fluffy and a pale yellow color. This really breaks up the butter and adds air to the mixture, which will make your bread moist and airy. Not beating it enough won’t wreak your bread, but it won’t be as light and airy as you might like. It should look like this:

Step 3 – Add the Eggs 

Then add the eggs and beat them in until you have a nice yellow color.

Step 4 – Blend the Dry Ingredients and Mash the Bananas

Blend the dry ingredients with a fork or whisk. This makes sure the baking soda and the spices are evenly distributed and will give your bread a consistent flavor in every bite.

Mash the bananas too before mixing them in, so the banana pieces are small and evenly distributed when you mix them all together. If your bananas were frozen and the liquid has separated, you’ll want to mix it back in so you don’t lose any moisture. 

Step 5 – Mix the Batter

Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture and mix until just mixed in. Then add the bananas and mix quickly. Your batter should be wet, but you should see pieces of banana. Then quickly mix in the toasted walnuts.

Step 6 – Bake the Bread

Pour the batter into your pan and spread it evenly in the pan. Place it in the middle of the oven to bake for about an hour. 

Step 7 – Cool

While you may be tempted to dive right in, give this bread a little time to cool before cutting into it! 

Variations

• Make a peanut banana bread
  • Use peanuts in place of the walnuts and just ¾ of a stick of butter, add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter 
• Add some ground ginger to the cinnamon and nutmeg to give the bread a little spicy kick.
• Add dark chocolate chips for a sweeter treat

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Storage Tips

Store this bread at room temperature, wrapped tightly, for 2 – 3 days. 

This bread also freezes well. Wrap the full loaf tightly with plastic wrap to store it. It will last in the freezer for 3 – 4 months. 

You can also cut the bread into slices and freeze individual slices of bread. Just wrap them tightly with plastic wrap before freezing. 

Other Recipes You Will Love

Try my Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins for another easy way to use up extra bananas. These freeze well too!

If you love cozy fall flavors give these Cranberry Orange Muffins a try!

More of a loaf cake fan? My zucchini carrot bread is super moist and delicious too. A great way to use up all that garden zucchini!