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.
I don’t what I did wrong either, but I let it bake for 70 minutes and when I tested it in several spit along the middle it was still not done. I tented it like read in the comments. I even made sure I measured the bananas. I used the correct pan. I never have a problem baking anything else I make. might try it again.
Me too!
This has been my go to recipe for banana bread for years. I have to finally leave my comment here because it’s seriously our favourite after trying so many variations. It’s absolutely delicious and packs a cinnamon punch. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi, Kali! Aw thank you for your lovely comment. I’m so happy you enjoy it. It’s one of our favorites, too!
I followed the recipe exactly step by step. Proper temperature, proper time. I tested the center with toothpicks 3 times and when I cut into it it was raw. I don’t know what could have possibly went wrong but I will not be making this recipe ever again. Disappointed
Hi Natasha! Oh no, it sounds like either your oven temperature is not reading correctly or you might have overfilled the loaf pan with batter which would cause the outsides to overbake before the middle is baked through. Did you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan and 1 and 1/2 cups mashed banana?
My go to banana bread recipe now. Sooooo yummy.
Yay Nicole! So happy to hear! I hope you continue to enjoy it for years to come. 🙂
Can you make this cinnamon Banana bread Gluten free, by substituting regular flour for GF flour?
Hi Megan! I have never baked with GF flour, so I can’t say for sure. It’s always worth a try!
Thank you. I tried the flourless brownies. They are really Good!!!!
Hi, Megan! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I have made the banana cinnamon swirl bread several times. Even tenting it with foil still seems to overbake the bread. I love this recipe, but can’t quite get the baking right. What would you suggest?
Hi Tammie! Have you checked your oven temperature to make sure it’s heating correctly? I would also recommend baking it on the middle rack of the oven. You could also try reducing your oven temperature by 25 degrees. Hope this helps and that it bakes up perfectly for you next time. Enjoy!
Hello love the recipe taste great but I took it out of the oven the middle exploded with uncooked batter please explane
Hi Sierra! Oh no! What size loaf pan did you use? I’m wondering if your loaf pan was too small for the amount of batter? If the batter hits the rim of the pan and is done baking before the center has enough time, it could cause the top to explode. It helps to rotate the loaf pan throughout the baking time so it bakes evenly. It could also be that you over-mixed the batter or that you added too much baking soda. You could place a baking sheet under the loaf pan and also cover the top of the loaf with foil as soon as you see the top start to turn golden brown to prevent the top from baking too fast and possibly exploding. Hope this helps and that it bakes perfectly next time. Enjoy!
I have made this so many times people now request this recipe specifically!!!
Hi, Shawna! I’m so glad you love it!
banana loaf is amazing! light full of flavor and very moist. I did put a teaspoon of espresso powder in the cinnamon swirl mixture. give it a try , very nice
Hi, Ann! I never thought of putting espresso in it. I bet that was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful ! I’ve made this again and added chocolate chips to the recipe !
Yum 😊
Hi, Sheryl! Ooooh, that sounds delicious!
Love this recipe! Tasty and moist. Usually, I make a large single loaf. This time, I made 4 smaller loaves and cooked them for 35 minutes.
Hi, Marion! Thank you for sharing that! I love giving away mini loaves to friends. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Just had a friend tell me this was the best banana bread she’s ever had!
Hi, Emily! Well, we love that friend! I hope you enjoy it, too!