Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Cinnamon swirl banana bread is the best banana bread recipe ever. A ribbon of sweet cinnamon sugar runs through this classic quick bread for a breakfast or snack you’ll love.
Post may contain affiliate links. To read my affiliate policy click here.
How many loaves of banana bread have you baked during this quarantine? We’ve made more banana bread since this whole thing started than we have in our whole lives. Why? Well, probably because we’ve been grocery shopping once every two weeks or so and we stock up on bananas and wind up with tons of overripe bananas just begging me to use them up.
So we do. With banana bread.
The Best Banana Bread
Consider yourself warned: this section of the post contains the M word when talking about texture. Skip ahead to How to Make if you hate the word that starts with M and ends with “oist.”
Ok, honestly, this is another recipe that I can’t take full credit for. The base banana bread recipe comes from my mother in law, who makes fantastic banana bread and the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.
We did however test at least a half dozen variations, subbing whole what flour on a day we felt like being healthier and butter for oil on a day when we didn’t care much about being healthier.
And we agree. My mother in law’s basic banana bread recipe was a winner just the way it was written. It’s tender, flavorful and moist (I KNOW, I’m sorry!). Simply the best banana bread batter ever.
The cinnamon sugar swirl makes it over the top. Because is there anything better than any kind of quick bread with cinnamon swirl? Nope.
Ingredients
For this banana bread, you’ll need things you likely already have in your pantry. You’ll need:
- Bananas. 3 overripe bananas. Like almost mushy, lots of brown on the skin.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar. For sweetness, moisture and texture.
- Flour. All purpose flour is your friend here. Don’t substitute whole wheat flour. It takes away from the moisture and texture.
- Baking powder. Baking powder will help the bread rise.
- Oil. Go for vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil or coconut oil. You want something mild to add extra moisture.
- Milk. We used whole milk because it’s what we buy for the kids. You can use lower fat milk as well. I don’t know how this recipe would turn out with plant based milk.
- Egg. 1 large egg at room temperature for binding and moisture.
- Vanilla. A bit of vanilla extract adds a little more depth of flavor to this quick bread recipe.
- Salt. A little bit of salt goes a long way. It balances the sweetness.
- Cinnamon. You can’t have a cinnamon swirl without cinnamon.
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Like most sweet breads, banana bread is so easy to make. And with only one extra piece to a basic banana bread recipe, so is cinnamon swirl banana bread.
To make this cinnamon swirl banana bread, preheat the oven to 350.
Once the oven is hot, you can start on the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, give your bananas a quick mash either with a hand mixer, a fork or a potato masher. When they are lightly mashed, add the sugars, oil, milk, vanilla and egg to the bowl with the mashed bananas. Use a hand mixer to mix together until everything is combined evenly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2 to batches, mixing quickly with a hand mixer to combine. When you have the batter ready to go, set it aside.
Now it’s time to make the swirl. For the swirl combine 1/4 cup of both brown and white sugar with 1 heaping tsp of cinnamon and stir it together to combine.
Assembling and Baking Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
To put this bread together, generously spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour roughly half of the banana bread batter evenly across the loaf pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter out if necessary. Then evenly spread the cinnamon sugar over top of the batter. Pour or spoon the remaining batter across the the top of the cinnamon swirl.
Now you put the whole thing in the oven and bake for 55- 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Helpful Suggestions
- Under no circumstances sub whole wheat flour. This velvety bread will be dense and dry. Trust me.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter when you add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Overmixing will over develop the gluten and result in a tough, weirdly chewy banana bread.
- If you find the bread is browning but a toothpick is still coming out with batter, cover the loaf pan gently with foil to prevent additional browning.
- Let the bread cool before removing from the loaf pan and slicing.
- Store the bread on the counter and cover it tightly. It will keep well for 3-4 days on the counter, but it won’t last that long!
Other Sweet Breakfast Recipes
Looking for another sweet breakfast recipe besides banana bread? Some of my favorites are my fluffy waffle recipe for the perfect basic waffle at home, banana bread waffles which combine the best of both worlds and Honey Nut Cheerio pancakes.
Make one of these sweet breakfasts this weekend!
Did you make this recipe or one of my other recipes! I want to see! Tag me on Facebook or Instagram @SeasonedSprinkles or leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbs oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2-3 medium over ripe mashed bananas
- 1 tsp vanilla
- For the swirl
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 brown sugar
- 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Once the oven is hot, you can start on the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mash the peeled bananas either with a hand mixer, a fork or a potato mixer. When they are lightly mashed, add the sugars, oil, milk, vanilla and egg to the bowl with the mashed bananas. Use a hand mixer to mix together until everything is combined evenly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2 to batches, mixing quickly with a hand mixer to combine. When you have the batter ready to go, set it aside.
- For the swirl stir together 1/4 cup of both brown and white sugar with 1 heaping tsp of cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Generously spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour half of the banana bread batter evenly across the loaf pan. Then evenly spread the cinnamon sugar mixture over top of the batter. Pour or spoon the remaining batter across the the top of the cinnamon sugar layer
- Now you put the whole thing in the oven and bake for 55- 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool completely prior to cutting.
