This Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread is full of buttery cinnamon sugar throughout the moistest banana bread that’s out-of-this world delicious!
Banana Bread with a Cinnamon Swirl
Please tell me you have some ripe bananas on your counter?! I sure hope so, because this Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread is the best and it’s calling your name! I’ve baked and consumed a lot of banana bread in my days and this loaf of love is right up there with the greatest I’ve ever eaten. It’s incredible!
Watch Me Make Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread
Join me in the kitchen as I make a loaf of this amazing banana bread with a cinnamon swirl.
The Best Banana Bread Recipe
Swirls of buttery cinnamon sugar swim throughout the moistest banana bread with the most amazingly sweet crust that’s out of this world delicious! It’s like a cinnamon roll crashed into a loaf of banana bread and it turned into one of my tastiest banana bread recipes ever!
Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread Ingredients and Supplies
(see recipe card below for measurements and details)
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Granulated sugar, dark brown sugar
- All-purpose flour and baking soda
- Eggs and vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Ripe bananas
Supplies:
- Loaf pan and non-stick cooking spray
- Whisk
- Small or medium mixing bowl
How to Make Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread
- First, preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside. Then, in a large bowl, melt the butter and let cool slightly.
- Next, whisk in the sugar then the eggs and vanilla before stirring in the dry ingredients. Fold in the mashed bananas with a spatula until just combined.
- In a small or medium bowl, use a fork to stir together the cinnamon sugar swirl ingredients until thick and well combined. If your swirl is too thick to swirl, add an additional tablespoon of melted butter until it is thin enough to swirl. Note: if it’s too thin, it will just spread and not hold its swirl as the loaf bakes.
- Spread 1/4 of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the pan and then make a nice thick swirl through the batter with a table knife or bottom of a wooden spoon. Place 1/3 of the remaining batter evenly over the first layer and swirl with 1/3 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 1/2 of the remaining batter evenly over the second layer and swirl with 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Spread the rest of the batter evenly over the top and dollop with the remaining cinnamon sugar topping. Make large swirls throughout the entire loaf. Place six thin banana slices down the middle of the batter.
- Place loaf pan on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browned before the middle is finished baking, tint the loaf with foil and let it continue baking until the bread is cooked all the way through.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for This Recipe
- Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter the bread will be. Learn more about baking with bananas.
- Oven temperature: If you’re unsure about the fidelity of your oven temperature, use an oven thermometer.
- Tenting with foil: If your bread is browning too quickly while the inside is still undercooked, create a tent with aluminum foil to place over the top while the inside finishes baking all the way through.
- Let it rest: Banana bread keeps cooking for a little while after it comes out of the oven. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs.
- Review the images and watch the video: Take time to browse the recipe blog post and look at the step-by-step images as well as watch the video of me making this Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread so that you can see exactly how it should look each step of the way.
How to Store leftover Banana Bread
I can’t wait to bake it again and again for breakfasts, snacks, parties and gifts. It’s pure love from the oven! I hope you have some bananas on hand so you can bake this beauty as soon as possible! Enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. To freeze, cover in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil to keep in the freezer.
More Banana Bread Goodness
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: The irresistible combo of chocolate chips and peanut butter does it again. It’s next-level delicious!
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins: Made with pantry staples and some overripe bananas, you can have these delicious muffins in and out of the oven in minutes!
- No bananas? If you have a can of pumpkin languishing in your pantry, try this Cinnamon Swirled Pumpkin Bread instead!
If you make this Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
The Best Banana Bread Recipes
From classic banana bread to flourless to chocolate and everything in-between, you won’t want to miss any of The Best Banana Bread Recipes!
Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 70 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Dessert
Description
Swirls of buttery cinnamon sugar swim throughout the moistest banana bread that’s out of this world delicious!
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4 bananas)
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 thin slices of ripe banana, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, melt the butter and let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar then the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour and baking soda. Fold in the mashed bananas until just combined.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to stir together the cinnamon sugar swirl ingredients until thick and well combined. If your swirl is too thick to swirl, add an additional tablespoon of melted butter until it is thin enough to swirl. Note: if it’s too thin, it will just spread and not hold its swirl as the loaf bakes.
- Spread 1/4 of the batter (about 1 cup) evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture (about 1 tablespoon) over the batter in the pan and then make a nice thick swirl through the batter with a table knife or bottom of a wooden spoon.
- Place 1/3 of the remaining batter (about 1 cup) evenly over the first layer and swirl with 1/3 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture (about 1 tablespoon).
- Place 1/2 of the remaining batter (about 1 cup) evenly over the second layer and swirl with 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture (about 1 tablespoon).
- Spread the remaining batter evenly over the top and dollop with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Make large swirls throughout the entire loaf. Place six thin banana slices down the middle of the batter.
- Place loaf pan on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browned before the center is baked all the way through, tint the loaf with foil and let it continue to bake until the center is baked all the way through.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
My husband does not like bananas and will never eat Banana Bread – until this one! But, he loves cinnamon, and this suits his taste completely! I use a non-stick metal bread pan in a gas oven, and it comes out just right. The top is naturally dark from the cinnamon and the dark brown sugar. I chill the cooled, cooked loaf, then slice it and individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap and freeze it. Makes a great quick breakfast or snack. Love it!
Hi, Happy Nana! I am thrilled that we won your husband over with this banana bread! It is definitely a cinnamon lover’s bread, so perfect for that quick breakfast. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thankyou for the recipe, can caster sugar be used instead of granulated?
Hi, Charis! Great question. My understanding is that you can substitute caster sugar for granulated sugar, but it’s not exactly cup for cup. Because it’s finer, you may want to use just a little less caster sugar. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
It was okay, but I think a teaspoon of salt would have made a massive difference so perhaps I’ll try that next time. Also took way longer to bake (yes I have an oven thermometer, yes eventually I did tent with foil, baked in the correct size loaf pan).
I’ll probably stick with my tried and true banana bread recipe, but it was nice to try some variety.
Hi Maegan! Thank you for the recipe!
My oven runs on Gas, not sure if that is usually more heated than electric ovens. I used a glass dish sized 9.5”X3.5”, place on middle rack and tented the top after 20min as it started browning. Also, I reduced the temp to 320F after 20 minutes and baked for only 50 minutes. But it got burned from the bottom and sides. I let it cool completely, then I removed all the burnt sides. I’m afraid if I cook it on lower temp and less time then the exterior will be good but interior will be raw. What do you advise I should do next time?
Hi Ghalia! I would definitely recommend using a separate oven thermometer as gas oven temperature readings tend to be less reliable. I also recommend rotating your baking dish often when baking in a gas oven as heat distribution is usually uneven. Baking it on the middle rack is what I would recommend as well. For the glass loaf pan, I would recommend reducing the oven temperature by 25°F from the start and expect for it to take 10-15 minutes longer to bake. I would also suggest lining the baking dish with parchment paper as well as baking it on a baking sheet to help distribute the heat more evenly. Also, this recipe was developed to fit a 9×5-inch loaf pan so I would recommend only filling your smaller baking dish 2/3 full with batter before baking. I hope this helps and that you have better success next time.
This is one of the best banana bread recipes I have tried! This will now be my go to recipe for banana bread!! Love it!!
Hi, Theresa! YAY! I’m so happy to hear it’s your go-to banana bread now. Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
Great recipe! I did it in a bunt pan and it turned out great! My kids loved it and just made it for the second time!
Hi, Amanda! Such a fun way to bake it! How many minutes did you bake it in the bundt? That’s so fun! Thank you for sharing. I’m so happy your kids loved it!
Really yummy bread, but will add some salt next time. Think that will deepen all the flavors of the bread even more. Definitely a go to banana bread recipe!
Hi Patty! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing!❤️
Tasted sooo delicious!
Baked in a cake pan instead of loaf tin for 40 mins, reduced sugar to 30g, worked great! Thankyou🤗
Hi, Eva! So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your modifications.
I’m trying this recipe for the first time, as it sounds delicious! After reading the reviews, I decided to use salted butter, rather than unsalted in hopes that will add enough needed salt. I also added walnuts to the batter. It’s in the oven as we speak and the kitchen smells soooo good!
Hi, Carrie! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!