Moist, tender banana bread with a fall-inspired cinnamon swirl and crunchy cinnamon sugar top. This comes together quickly and easily, is toddler approved, and lasts for days—if you don’t eat it all first!

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We are big banana bread fans here. Actually, we’re “bana bread” fans. My daughter has had many a breakfast or even lunch made up of banana bread. And man is she picky. No nuts. Anything that hints of dryness is rejected. And rich flavor is a must.

I’ve tried so many recipes out there. And many are pretty good. Some are a little complicated. Some dry out after a day. Some have no taste.

So I had a wild idea a few weeks ago. Convert my super yummy lemon loaf cake into banana bread. It was simple enough. Switch the yogurt and lemon juice for mashed banana.

Since I was pretty familiar with the recipe, I figured I’d let my daughter help. She loved mashing the banana. And she was insistent on helping with the folding process. I was a little skeptical that it might turn out weird, either tough from over-mixing or loose because a bit of the flour ended up on the counter.

It was perfection.

So soft and tender and full of banana and cinnamon flavor. It lasted for several days without drying out or tasting weird at all. In fact, my daughter was pretty sad when it was gone. I’ll probably have to make more within the week.

Why this recipe works

One key part of this recipe is the combination of butter and oil. It stays moist because of the oil, but using half butter helps it stay fluffy, too.

The bananas can be slightly brown, but I actually used perfectly yellow bananas and it worked fine. The key is making sure you have some solid bits of banana so that you get a better banana taste. Don’t try to mash them to a soupy consistency.

Key ingredients

Mashed banana. This helps keep the bread so, so moist for days. Plus, it has just the right amount of banana flavor.

Flour. Be sure to sift it and to measure carefully—spoon the flour into the measuring cup then level it off with the flat side of a knife (known as spoon-then-level).

Salt. Try to use sea salt, if possible, as it won’t create an overly salted taste and is actually better for you!

Baking powder. Not baking soda! Baking powder is more delicate and helps this rise without being dense.

Cinnamon. I like a lot of cinnamon! You can actually use a tiny bit more, if you’d like. I also suggest using high quality cinnamon, as the flavor is better.

Eggs. Be sure these are room temperature so they mix well with the other ingredients! If you forget to take them out ahead of time, you can put them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 15 minutes.

Oil. I suggest avocado or grapeseed oil, as these have a mild flavor but are healthier than vegetable or canola.

Vanilla. Use pure! Imitation will have a slightly different flavor and won’t give you the same pleasant flavor.

Butter. I suggest European style, as it has less water. Be sure to use unsalted, or omit the salt in the recipe. Be sure to melt it without letting it boil, as we don’t want browned butter.

Brown and granulated sugar. Brown sugar helps this stay moist while granulated helped it rise. Using both gives you the best of both worlds.

How to make cinnamon swirl banana bread

1. Melt your butter.

2. Sift and whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. Mash the bananas and mix with vanilla, eggs, and oil. Stream in the butter, whisking quickly.

4. Whisk in the sugars for 1 minute.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients.

6. Layer batter and cinnamon swirl in your loaf pan. Start with 1/3 of the batter then 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar. Repeat two more times until all batter is layered in the pan and topped with the cinnamon sugar. Be sure to carefully spoon the batter once you’ve added the first layer of cinnamon sugar, to keep that swirled layer.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tips, notes and FAQ’s for this recipe

How ripe should my bananas be?

I actually used bananas with no brown on them and it was fine. Bananas with too much green on them will be difficult to mash, but they will still work and will have a strong banana flavor. Brown bananas work fine, too, as long as they’re not too brow on the inside. Avoid using any parts that are so brown they’re turned to that rotted texture.

How do I know it’s baked through?

I always use a toothpick, but a small knife or kebab skewer will work, too. You want to catch the bread when it’s just barely stopped being raw, as it will cook a little more in the pan while it cools. The top will not change color as much as other breads, due to the cinnamon sugar layer. So try to use a toothpick to check for moist crumbs but no raw batter.

Do I have to sift the flour?

Yes! Sifting is key in baking, particularly in anything cake-y. It helps it mix into the wet ingredients more easily, preventing clumps as well as circumventing the urge to over-stir and create a tough, rubbery texture.

My banana bread tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making this banana bread. Affiliate links provided.

Whisk (or stand mixer or handheld mixer)

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY )

8x4 loaf pan or 9x5 loaf pan

Potato masher

Can I make this in a 9x5 pan?

This also works in a 9x5 pan, but may be a little shorter. You can increase the recipe by 50% (or multiply each ingredient by 1.5) to get a full-to-the-top 9x5 loaf. That would equate to the following amounts:

2 ¼ cups (306g) all-purpose flour, spooned then leveled
2 ¼ teaspoons (9g) baking powder
¾ teaspoon (4g) salt
1 ½ tablespoons (12g) ground cinnamon
1 ½ cup (about 450g) mashed ripe bananas (3 large or 4 medium)
1 ½ tablespoons (19g) pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons (84g) avocado or vegetable oil
6 tablespoons (84g) melted butter
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (150g) brown sugar
for the cinnamon swirl: ½ cup (50g) granulated sugar and 1 ½ tablespoons (12g) ground cinnamon

You might also like:

Maple Spice Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Pumpkin Creme Anglaise

Candied Ginger Orange Spice Loaf

Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake

Apple Pie Cake

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Print

prep time: 5-10 minutes
bake time: 45-50 minutes
total time: 1 hour

servings: 8-12

Ingredients: (see note above for baking in a 9x5 pan)

for the bread

1 ½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 ½ teaspoons (6g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
1 cup (about 300g) mashed banana (2 large or 3 medium very ripe bananas)
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons (56g) avocado or vegetable oil
4 tablespoons (56g) melted butter
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar (light or dark will work)

for the cinnamon swirl

⅓ cup (33g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (8g) ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350F/175C. Grease and flour an 8x4 loaf pan (see note above for making in a 9x5 pan). If it’s prone to sticking, you can line it with parchment as well.
Melt the butter and set aside. Don’t let it cool enough to solidify, but do let it cool somewhat before using.
Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Mash the bananas (I used a potato masher) and measure out one cup. In a large bowl, whisk the banana together with the vanilla, eggs, and oil until well combined. Slowly stream in the melted butter while whisking quickly (this prevents scrambling the eggs).
Add the sugar and brown sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk for about 1 minute. You can whisk it by hand or, if using a stand or hand mixer, mix on medium.
Add the flour mixture and stir gently until fully combined. I try to mostly fold it in. (If you’re unsure what folding means, you basically run a rubber spatula along the edge an entire turn around the bowl the pull the spatula toward the middle once you’ve come fully around the bowl, “folding” the batter on the edge into the middle part.) It should still have some lumps in it, but it shouldn’t look separated, chunky, or dry in spots.
In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the swirl.
Pour about ⅓ of your batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle about ⅓ of the cinnamon swirl mixture evenly over the batter. Gently spoon another ⅓ of the batter over the cinnamon swirl and smooth out. Sprinkle another ⅓ of the cinnamon swirl mixture. Finally add the remaining batter and smooth it out. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon swirl mixture evenly on top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes (longer if using a 9x5 pan), until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with some moist crumbs. Check early so it doesn’t over bake. If it starts to brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil. Let cool in pan at least 10 minutes. Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing, to prevent it drying out and turning tough.