Cinnamon Banana Bread
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.
How to make cinnamon banana bread
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.
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.
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!
How to ripen bananas quickly for 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.
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.
How to store your cinnamon swirl banana bread
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.
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.
Cinnamon Banana Bread FAQs
If you’re just a smidge short, fill in the rest with apple sauce!
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!
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.
For even more delicious banana bread recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
- Healthy Banana Bread Bars
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:
Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
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.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Banana Bread
- 1 1/2 cups (395g) ripe and mashed banana (about 3 large bananas, but still measure!)
- 2 cups (264g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan. Place a strip of parchment paper along the width of the pan so it’s easy to lift out once baked.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, sugars and butter until well combined.
- Whisk in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold to combine.
- Off to the side in a small dish, combine the cinnamon sugar.
- Pour 1/2 of the banana bread batter into the pan and spread it even. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar on top then spoon the remaining batter on top. Spread it even and sprinkle on the rest of the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. The loaf should appear puffed with a golden sugar crust and large cracks on the surface.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 20-30 minutes then lift it out and slice. It’s best to serve warm, but it’s delicious at any temperature! Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
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!
Made this for the first time today! Absolutely scrumptious! What’s funny is it’s not as super sweet as you’d think it would be (besides the cinnamon-sugar topping) but it’s still sweet enough. Sooooo so good! Will definitely make again!
So good! I brought this into my office and everyone loved it. I used my larger size loaf pan and baked for about 55 minutes total. I kept it covered in a tupperware overnight as I wasn’t slicing it until the next morning, but I did find that it softened considerably and the cinnamon-sugar sort of absorbed into the loaf rather than staying as a crust…still delicious that way, but I would just leave it more loosely covered next time.
The most delicious banana bread recipe I’ve ever tried!
Hi Jenna! This recipe is so good! I always get praise everytime I make it. I sprinkled the sugar and cinnamon mix at the bottom of my pan before adding the batter on top and layered it as the recipe said And it was even better! Thank you ❤️
My family loves this recipe !! It’s my go to for banana bread!!
Just baked this recipe yesterday & everyone loves it! It didn’t rise as excepted though; it rose up but it is kind of flat at the top if that makes sense? Kind of weird looking but still delicious! I chose this recipe because the sour cream sounded different & wanted to see the results. It didn’t disappoint! Thanks!
Beautiful Recipe!! Jenna, what would you think about browning the butter in this recipe? Do you think it would be too rich or clash with anything? Thanks!!
BEST BANANA BREAD!!! Hands down.
This has become a staple in our house. I’ve made this recipe atleast 5 times for my boyfriends job. They keep requesting more & more! For the cinnamon sugar, I ran out of granulated sugar one of the times and ended up using brown sugar instead. Gave the top coat a more crumbly texture!
MUST BAKE! Highly recommend for anyone thinking of trying
I love banana bread, muffins etc. This recipe is moist and full of flavor!
Second time I made it (first loaf lasted a day) I added a dash of clove.
A little extra zing. Thank you for sharing!
Do yo I have any recommendations for getting the center to cook through? I’ve tried to make this loaf twice now and 45 minutes doesn’t appear to be enough time at the temperature provided. I’ve always been able to eat the ends so I know this is a phenomenal recipe, just can’t figure out the cooking time or what I’m doing wrong.