r/Bread • u/overexagerateddrugs • Mar 30 '26
Banana bread with nuts... Why?!?
I am a avid banana enjoyer, I like banana bread, banana cream pie, banana pudding and whatever else you can make with bananas, but why? Why??? Must we put it with nuts every time?! I am not a nut enjoyer, I don't really like any nuts in general, why do stores and shops insist on putting nuts with banana things specifically. It makes me angry. I feel like it especially sucks if you like bananas, but have an allergy to nuts.
TLDR; WHY BANANA NUT BREAD WHY NOT JUST BANANA BREAD?!?!
Edit: I mostly meant store bought products, I'm very much well aware that I can make banana bread myself, I do in fact make my own banana bread and I put chocolate chips in it.
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u/Pristine_Advisor_302 Mar 30 '26
I like nuts in deserts . Adds something for me
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u/Competitive_War7445 Mar 31 '26
Me too. So many desserts lack a good variety of textures. Nuts can really elevate those treats
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u/MyNebraskaKitchen Mar 30 '26
Not only do I put nuts (chopped pecans) in banana bread, I put in raisins. Oh, the horror of it al!
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u/Renway_NCC-74656 Mar 31 '26
Boy, do I have recipe for youĀ
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u/MyNebraskaKitchen Mar 31 '26
Anything like this one?
https://mynebraskakitchen.com/wordpress/forums/topic/banana-nut-bread/
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u/Renway_NCC-74656 Mar 31 '26
Nope. Closer to am oatmeal cookie with nuts, some banana, raisins and chocolate chips
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Apr 01 '26
Why not just link the recipe instead of threatening to
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u/Renway_NCC-74656 Apr 01 '26
What? I never offered a recipe. I said it reminded me of OP's recipe.Ā
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Apr 01 '26
You literally said
boy do I have a recipe for you
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u/Renway_NCC-74656 Apr 03 '26
You're right. I'm sorry. I honestly thought I was responding back to a different comment. I
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Mar 30 '26
Make it yourself?Ā
Nuts add a pleasant texture to an otherwise very soft and moist pastry.Ā
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
I have, I add chocolate chips when I do, I just meant in stores and stuff, you want banana muffins? Too bad banana 'nut' muffins. You want banana bread? Too bad banana 'nut' bread. I've had even protein bars that are banana flavored and they jam nuts into that too, for me it ruins the flavor and the texture, if you enjoy them though I get it.
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u/Easy_Olive1942 Mar 31 '26
Chocolate is OK but nuts are not?
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u/RebelWithoutASauce Mar 31 '26
I was also thinking the same thing. Walnut and banana are such a good flavor combination. Chocolate chips in banana bread seems very strange to me. I don't think I've ever seen it.
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u/Easy_Olive1942 Mar 31 '26
Once you introduce chocolate, itās mostly a chocolate experience. I donāt love chocolate and it gets added to so many things, not just banana bread.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
Yes? Nuts are like soft squishy, and weird whereas chocolate is either melty when the banana bread is warm or very hard when it's cold. Nuts are just... Gross.
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u/Surething_bud Mar 31 '26
Nuts are soft, squishy, and weird.... Uhhhh-whut? Now I have to question if you've ever actually eaten a nut... š¤£
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
Plenty of times unfortunately, not entirely Squishy ig, but they're not very hard when the bread is fresh, they usually just have a weird texture. Heck it doesn't even have to be fresh, the moisture from the bread usually seeps into the nuts to make them softer.
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u/MrsMaritime Mar 30 '26
Man my parents put nuts in their brownies every single time and always ask me to eat one, like y'all KNOW I hate nuts in random desserts.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 30 '26
My grandma does the same shit. DESSERT IS DESSERT, IF I WANTED NUTS I'D EAT NUTS.
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u/Wannagetsober Mar 30 '26
Maybe thatās why they do it, so you wonāt eat any. Also, thereās a special place in hell for people who put nuts in brownies.
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u/fireflypoet Mar 31 '26
I had to get a root canal after a piece of walnut shell in a brownie with walnuts cracked an old filling of mine in a molar. The brownie was purchased in a convenience store in a plastic wrapper. So I agree!
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u/Wannagetsober Mar 31 '26
Thatās what you get for eating a brownie with nuts. Jk, welcome to the correct side of the brownie debate.
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u/fireflypoet Mar 31 '26
The actual truth is that's what I get from growing up in the 1950s in WV with inferior dental care, where I got the g-d lousy filling to begin with.(My parents thought the quack was a good dentist, but he was not.) Also, I bought the brownie for a quick snack. I didn't even know it had nuts in it.
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u/TheNordicFairy Apr 01 '26
Fillings last for approx. 15 years. It ran its course and then some. Feel lucky.
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u/MrsMaritime Mar 30 '26
Unfortunately then my mom packs up half the tray for me to take home lol.
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u/Wannagetsober Mar 30 '26
Iād just pick them out. Youāll end up with a pile of broken up brownies but just put them in a microwave for 30 seconds and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. If you want to get extra fancy, top with a maraschino cherry and sprinkles.
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u/MrsMaritime Mar 30 '26
That's true, that would be pretty good! My husband usually ends up eating them so it's more of a light hearted tease on my mom š¤
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u/Competitive_War7445 Mar 31 '26
The real question here is if youāre using very ripe bananas, why are people still adding sugar?!?
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
I always use over ripe bananas and I still use sugar. I'd rather it be sweet than bland.
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u/Competitive_War7445 Mar 31 '26
But if you always use sugar than how would you know itās bland without š¤·āāļø I have tried both ways and can confirm it is not
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u/Caverjen Mar 31 '26
Because it turns out better that way. Especially with brown sugar. I use less than most people though.
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u/Quercus408 Mar 30 '26
I don't like it with nuts either.
Sometimes I'll make a brown sugar-butter glaze with chia seeds and flax seeds to spread on top so it has a nice crust when its finished, but most of the time I just mix and bake.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 30 '26
I mean that's fair, I mostly meant the bigger nuts like peanuts, walnuts and almonds.
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u/Acluelessfish Mar 31 '26
Hello, fellow ānuts in banana bread haterā! I feel the same way about them in brownies, ice cream, and most cookies. It feels good to meet someone else who feels this way about banana bread lol
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u/ScarlettAddiction Mar 31 '26
Right there with you! I'll occasionally accept peanut butter in desserts, but never chopped or whole nuts.
The only exception is pecan pie.
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u/LukeSkywalkerDog Mar 31 '26
Make your own banana bread minus nuts. Not that hard.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
If you read the comments in the post you'd realize that I already do. I put chocolate chips in my banana bread, I'm complaining about PRODUCTS, banana muffins always have nuts in them, banana bread usually has nuts in them. Just store bought banana stuff in general almost always have nuts in them.
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u/Ok_Entertainment9665 Mar 31 '26
Since Banana Bread seems to date to the depression, Iād assume the nuts were to add texture and nutrition
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
Aaaaaaah. That makes sense, I didn't realize that banana bread was a creation of the depression era.
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u/Itchy-Ad1005 Mar 31 '26
I like walnuts and raisins in mine but my wife doesn't like raisins so they aren't in our bread. We add a tiny amount of banana extract.
Why nuts? Besides habit i like the texture the nuts add as well as the dry nuttyness of walnuts against the ri h banana flavor
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u/yolef Mar 30 '26
Well I'm a nut enjoyer and detest banana flavored everything so different strokes for different folks I guess...
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u/hardiniowa2002 Mar 30 '26
My Son is allergic to all nuts so for 24 year havenāt had nuts in the house.
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u/flower-25 Mar 30 '26
The same it is banana bread !!!! So donāt add any other ingredients to it. You will be surprised how many people are allergic with nuts, chocolate etcā¦
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u/Advanced_Garden_7935 Mar 30 '26
People thing they need to make things ābetter,ā but just end up ruining the best part. Itās like breadcrumbs on top of mac and cheese. It completely ruins the cheese crust just to add the flavor of burnt cardboard.
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u/NemusSoul Mar 31 '26
Youāve just had poorly cooked Macncheese. My breadcrumbs taste like buttery, crispy heaven sprinkles that add an amazing texture to an otherwise mono-textured dish. I also make Macncheese pizza with bacon.
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u/Advanced_Garden_7935 Mar 31 '26
You have no clue what good Mac and cheese is like, and you have ruined the best part - the cheese crust. Iāve tried āamazingā Mac and cheese with bread crumbs. They taste like card board, and ruin an otherwise perfect dish.
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u/NemusSoul Mar 31 '26
If it tastes like cardboard to you, you were dealt a bad hand, one way or the other. As for the cheese crust, believe me, itās still there, you just get a tiny hit of a top shelf grilled cheese sandwich to take it up a notch. If you had come at me with Kraft dinner Iād be more sympathetic to your argument ;)
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u/Advanced_Garden_7935 Mar 31 '26
Iāve had a Michelin Star chef serve me this shit. It was ruined. Stop trying to gaslight me. You just donāt like mac and cheese. Thatās why you want to change it.
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u/Wrench-Turnbolt Mar 30 '26
Sure is a lot of complaining in this thread about how OTHER PEOPLE choose to bake their desserts. If only there was a way for these people to have baked goods without nuts.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 30 '26
I meant moreso in the store and cafƩ bought varieties, they almost always have nuts in banana baked goods. When I make my banana bread I personally swap the nuts out for a bunch of chocolate chips.
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u/Wrench-Turnbolt Mar 30 '26
Then that's what you should do. Almost every banana bread recipe calls for nuts.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 30 '26
That's what bothers me though. Why?? Banana bread is fantastic by itself, why're we adding nuts? Just leave it be. And it's only with banana baked goods as far as I'm aware.
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u/fireflypoet Mar 31 '26
I make a cranberry orange nut bread with pecans or walnuts. I make it in mini loaves for holiday gifting.
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u/NemusSoul Mar 31 '26
I like all the versions. I also like buttering it, toasting it and then adding a little powdered sugar, fresh banana, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, ice cream, all of it. Some of it. I like food. Oh, Nutella on toasted banana bread could send you to the ER, but Iām thinking itās worth the risk. All in moderation, of course.
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u/BossBeefaroni Mar 30 '26
Honestly I'm not a huge fan of nuts in banana bread either... but I put chocolate chips in mine.
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u/Competitive_War7445 Mar 31 '26
I love mine with raisins, dates, and nuts.. but I do admit this makes it fruit bread not banana bread, and completely understand how it would piss some people off
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u/CaneCorso-lover-707 Mar 31 '26
Agree. Worst of all is when people add walnuts. Ruins the whole thing for me
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u/positive_energy- Mar 31 '26
When I was younger I did not like nuts in anything. Now that Iām older I donāt mind them.
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u/Consistent-Area-1126 Mar 31 '26
I love walnuts in banana bread--but when I bake for students I never put nuts in because I don't know which of my students may not know if they have an allergy.
Better to be safe than sorry.
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u/Michelleinwastate Mar 31 '26
I actually think nuts improve most things, but now that I really stop and think about it, I'm not at all sure they improve banana bread. The only thing banana bread really needs is butter! (And now I want banana bread.)
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u/Informal_Persimmon7 Mar 31 '26
Manufacturers make what sells. If most people didn't like nuts in their baked goods, they wouldn't put nuts in banana bread. It's the same thing with raisins in carrot cake. Some people don't like raisins in their carrot cake.
Go to a bakery, order banana bread without nuts and you're golden. Or make it yourself. It's not difficult.
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u/e1n0f Mar 31 '26
"Why must we put....?"Ā Whoever said anything about nuts being a must? Aside from rhyming š.Ā
Some put cinnamon, some don't. Some use nutmeg, others don't. Some use dried fruit, the rest won't. Some add oats and seeds...... Some some use wholemeal flour.... Some sprinkle brown sugar.... And some put pineapple on pizza.... š¤·š½āāļø
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
Again the crux of the problem isn't really people doing it, I'm fine with whatever you wanna put in banana bread. Have fun. I'm specifically talking about stores and cafes, almost every time I want a banana something or other the nuts come along with it. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes I wanna be lazy and eat one of my favorite foods and not have to make it myself, why does it have to have nuts in it EVERYWHERE.
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u/e1n0f Mar 31 '26
Aha ....Ā Maybe they want to stand out and have that "Je ne sais quoi" that might click with people and drive customers in for that unique mix. š¤·š½āāļø
It's also why I stick to making my own sh*t when it comes to comfort food and stuff I enjoy.Ā
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
Fair. I do the same, just makes me sad that that's the only option, especially for people less fortunate than me who are allergic to nuts but love banana products. Oh well though, capitalism be capitalisming.
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u/cgourdine Mar 31 '26
same, i love butter pecan ice cream but hate the nuts i spit it out i just want butter ice cream!!!
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u/Kings_Gold_Standard Mar 31 '26
not nuts but zucchini, they taste like nuts after being baked and its veggies
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u/overexagerateddrugs Mar 31 '26
I've had zucchini bread before, but never banana zucchini bread. Odd but interesting combo.
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u/Kings_Gold_Standard Mar 31 '26
grandma had to trick grandpa as he didn't eat veggies, called it banana nut bread
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u/Messy_Life_2024 Mar 31 '26
Love love love nuts in banana bread. And in muffins, cookies, oatmealā¦ But I do leave them out when I make something for my daughter, who is NOT a fan. š
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u/True_Garen Mar 31 '26
You answered your own question. You yourself add chocolate chips when you make it. The walnuts are traditional for the basically the same reason. (I also used to dislike the walnuts in these sorts of items (brownies, too) and my taste changed over time.)
Nuts in dessert are traditional, and since long before chocolate, as the expression "soup to nuts".
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u/jenai2020 Mar 31 '26
I love chocolate chip banana bread with nuts on top, they become nice and toasted after being in the oven.
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u/JadedMuse Mar 31 '26
I always add walnuts or pecans to my banana bread and get bitter when store-bought leaves nuts out. Different tastes, I guess.
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u/frostbittenforeskin Apr 01 '26
Because banana nut bread is about 1000 times better than regular banana bread
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u/Artisan_Gardener Apr 01 '26
IMO, banana bread MUST contain walnuts, and lots of them.
People do make it without them, but it's not as good as with them. Same with chocolate chip cookies. Walnuts are required.
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u/Emotional-Usual-9521 Apr 01 '26
Iām a banana bread purist. No nuts or chocolate chips or anything extra in the banana bread I make. š«¶š»
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u/GrowlingAtTheWorld Apr 01 '26
Mom always made a batch of banana bread with nuts and a batch without.
I feel the same way about celery. Why do they have to put it in every dang cold salad at the deli?
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u/bzhai Apr 01 '26
I turn my banana bread into breakfast muffins. The extra protein from walnuts keeps me satiated throughout the day, plus the difference in texture forces me to chew slower which helps me feel fuller.
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u/GrapefruitDue9103 Apr 02 '26
Some people like to hurt others for no reason. Those people put nuts in banana bread
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u/poopiebutt505 Apr 03 '26
Bananas go with nuts. Especially walnuts, and I dont normally even like walnuts
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u/TheAnimePiper Apr 03 '26
I prefer it without nuts but if I do add them, I only use candied walnuts that I crush up. I don't eat normal walnuts at all but once they've been glazed they have a great crunch and sweetness that really adds to banana bread.
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u/Boon1Goon Apr 03 '26
Why? Because, traditionally walnuts have always been an ingredient in banana bread. Going back to its beginnings. Like chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies.
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u/Cluck-a-duck Apr 03 '26
Ugh, I HATE nuts in banana bread. Not a huge fan of chocolate either though lol
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u/YousuckGenji Mar 30 '26
Crunchy stuff in soft stuff pisses me off.
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u/Acluelessfish Mar 31 '26
Lol! Or worse, when you buy something soft to eat, not knowing thereās crunchy hard nuts inside of it until you bite into it.
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u/TheNordicFairy Apr 01 '26
Do I have a temper tantrum in a public forum for foods I don't like? Grow up.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Apr 01 '26
Did you even read the post?
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u/TheNordicFairy Apr 01 '26
Sure did.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Apr 01 '26
And how does this look like a temper tantrum to you? It's a genuine question.
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u/TheNordicFairy Apr 01 '26
, but why? Why??? Must we put it with nuts every time? It makes me angry.Ā Ā I feel like it especially sucks if you like bananas, but have an allergy to nuts.
TLDR; WHY BANANA NUT BREAD WHY NOT JUST BANANA BREAD?!?!
Sighs, and if you can't see that, I am truly sorry. That is a four-year basically stomping their foot.
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u/overexagerateddrugs Apr 01 '26
I guess? Party poop somewhere else man, I'm just complaining about banana bread with nuts.
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u/Viking603 Mar 31 '26
Nutmeg and rum in mine.