Banana Bread Recipe Using Cinnamon

This cinnamon banana bread is so easy to make and tastes SO delicious and moist! With a ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled throughout and a crisp cinnamon sugar crust on top, it’s a unique version of a classic recipe.

You can’t have cinnamon swirl banana bread without the swirl! It took quite a few trials to get it just right and luckily, the easiest technique ended up being the most effective.

Cinnamon

Between a homemade cinnamon streusel with sugar, butter and flour, to a buttery cinnamon sugar mixture, the best and most effective cinnamon swirl ingredients ended up being the classic cinnamon sugar.

Easy Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

To make the cinnamon sugar, simply combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. It’s definitely more cinnamon than a typical cinnamon sugar mixture, but I really wanted to make sure the cinnamon came through!

After half of the batter is added to the baking pan, sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar on top in an even layer. It will seem like a lot, but the mixture soaks into the batter as the bread bakes so it’s just the right amount!

Then, my favorite part, the remaining batter is added on top and then the rest of the cinnamon sugar is sprinkled on the surface. As the bread bakes, it creates a delicious crackly crust on top to make this cinnamon banana bread THAT much better!

Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread

If you need ripe bananas STAT but yours aren’t quite there yet, this is a quick trick you can use to speed up that process.

First, if you don’t have any bananas to start with, most grocery stores keep a small stack of almost-ripe bananas with the rest of the bananas. They’re usually individuals that either fell of the bunches or were plucked off by shoppers. I find mine on the bottom shelf.

To ripen them for baking, preheat the oven to 250F and place the bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, peels and all. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bananas are completely brown…borderline black.

Cinnamon Crunch Quick Bread.

Let the bananas cool completely then peel and mash. They’ll be a little liquidy but that’s OK. It’s just the juices released from the bananas under the high heat.

Once the banana bread is baked, it won’t last long in your house! Whenever I bake it for my family, everyone fights over the last slice. That’s definitely the case for my chocolate chip banana bread and this recipe is no exception.

If you’re baking it a day ahead for an event, leave the bread unsliced and store in an air tight container or large plastic bag at room temperature. Without slices, the banana bread has a much better chance of not drying out.

Vegan Cinnamon Roll Banana Bread (gluten Free + Nut Free)

If you’ve sliced it and need to store it, store it the same way but also cover the sliced end in plastic wrap. This keeps the air from seeping into the bread which can dry it out even faster.

To extend the life of your banana bread, follow all the same steps but store in the fridge. Room temperature can keep for about 3 days before it starts to dry out. The fridge will keep for about 1 week.

MOIST

For this recipe, go for a true 9×5 loaf pan. Many loaf pans measure to about 4.5 x 8.5″ which doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but a more narrow pan makes it hard for the loaf to bake all the way through to the center. Also go for a light colored aluminum pan as these conduct heat the best!

Served Up With Love: Cinnamon Crumb Banana Bread

Although I haven’t tested it, I think it could work well with gluten free baking flour! Simply sub the flour with a cup for cup gluten free baking flour.

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make this Cinnamon Banana Bread. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking! Watch how to make this cinnamon banana bread:

@butternutbakery So moist with a flaky cinnamon sugar crust on top 👌🏻 #cinnamonsugar #bananabread #bananabreadrecipe ♬ Then It All Goes Away – Dayglow

Banana Bread With Cinnamon Butter.

This cinnamon banana bread has a ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled throughout with a crisp sugar crust on top! It’s also so moist, so soft, and loaded with sweet ripe bananas.

I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!Every slice of this cinnamon swirl banana bread features a moist crumb, lots of banana flavor, and a thick ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled through the center. Top with a simple vanilla icing to turn this quick bread into a delightful dessert-like treat.

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You know I love a good cinnamon sugar swirl. (I mean, have you tried this homemade cinnamon swirl bread?? Put it on your Baking Bucket List!) While I also love a good crumb streusel topping, there’s just something extra special about slicing into a coffee cake or a chai cinnamon swirl Bundt cake and discovering a surprise-inside layer of cinnamon-sugar.

Cinnamon Banana Bread

Reader Erin commented: “I normally make your ‘Best Ever Banana Bread‘ recipe, but decided to try something new yesterday—my family thanks you, Sally!!!! The loaf is gone. 2 teenage boys and my husband standing at the counter devouring this bread is quite the testament to how much flavor is in this bread. They all loved the cinnamon swirl in the middle—plus I sprinkled more on the top during baking. Everyone’s waiting for the bunch of bananas on our counter to ripen for the next loaf!!!! ★★★★★” What You’ll Love About This Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Today’s recipe was originally published in 2012, and the predecessor of my original banana bread recipe. Because of the added richness and sweetness in the glaze and cinnamon-sugar ribbon, I don’t use quite as much sugar and butter in the bread itself. I usually receive a lot of questions about substitutions, so let me review some of the key ingredients you need and why.

The batter comes together easily. I usually use my electric mixer to mash bananas, but a fork or potato masher work too. Since this batter requires creamed butter and sugar, I usually mash up the bananas first, remove them from the bowl, then add the butter and sugar to cream. (I don’t even clean out the bowl—no need.)

Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

You need 2 ingredients for the cinnamon swirl, and both are used in the banana bread batter: granulated sugar and cinnamon. I don’t use quite as much cinnamon swirl as my cinnamon swirl quick bread, and that’s mostly because there’s a lot of flavor in the banana bread itself. (The regular cinnamon swirl bread doesn’t have that other flavor, you know?)

To assemble the swirl, layer half of the banana batter into a greased loaf pan. There’s about 3 and 1/2 cups of batter. It doesn’t have to be perfect, so just eyeball the amount. Top with all of the cinnamon sugar. Gently spread the remaining batter on top. Using a knife, make a large swirl down the center of the pan. Avoid over-swirling because then you’ll wind up with cinnamon banana bread, minus a swirl.

Cinnamon

After baking, cool the bread completely using the detailed recipe instructions below. After the bread cools, drizzle the entire loaf with vanilla icing.

Easy And Moist Apple Cinnamon Banana Bread Recipe

The vanilla icing below is my regular vanilla icing recipe, only halved. You don’t need much. Grab some confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream or milk, and a little vanilla extract, and whisk it all together. Drizzle over the bread before serving. This is exactly how we top strawberry bread, too!

Enjoy super moist and flavorful banana bread swirled with a thick layer of cinnamon-sugar and topped with a dreamy drizzle of vanilla icing. This is like a dessert version of classic banana bread.

Sally McKenney is a professional food photographer, cookbook author, and baker. Her kitchen-tested recipes and thorough step-by-step tutorials give readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally has been featured on

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (gluten Free, Dairy Free Option)