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.
Hi. Brand new to baking. Usually do not like banana bread so I’m excited to try it with the cinnamon swirl.
For the swirl, when you ask for 2 tbls of butter are we still using unsalted or switched to salted?
Thank you,
Danielle
Hi Danielle! I would recommend unsalted. Enjoy!
My daughter loves making this bread but as a perfectionist she wants to know how do you keep the surface as evenly as possible?
Hi Melissa! What do you mean by keep the surface as even as possible? With banana bread, you want a nice rise in the middle of the loaf as it bakes.
Going to attempt to make this in muffins (loaf pan went missing and I can’t wait). Any advice on timing?
Hi Sara! The recipe bakes great as muffins. They’ll bake about 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
I just made this. The swirl was great. I omitted the cup of sugar for the batter and it was still amazing
This is my favorite banana muffin recipe. I add extra pecans and the muffin just melts in your mouth. Always a hit in group gatherings!
So great to hear! I love that you bake the recipe into muffins and add pecans. So yummy!
How long do you bake the muffins?
Hi Angie! As muffins, they should take about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!
Made this early this afternoon can not wait to taste it later with a cup of tea!
Yay! You’re sure to love it, Christina. Enjoy!
Just wondering if I can freeze it! It looks delicious!
Hi Laura! Absolutely, just wrap the loaf in plastic wrap several times tightly and put the wrapped banana bread into a large freezer storage bag. The bread stays fresh for 2-3 months in the freezer. Enjoy!
delicious banana bread, best I’ve made, needed to bake an extra 10 minutes
I made this twice now. I will never go back to regular banana bread. I did add a cinnamon streusel topping. It takes a little longer to bake,but totally worth it! Thank you!
Oh my yum, Lisa! Adding a cinnamon streusel topping is genius! So happy to hear you love it as much as we do. Continue to enjoy! 🙂
its in the oven right now and sadly, I too have experienced the problem of the batter overflowing and the middle of the cake not cooking 🙁
Oh no, Sarah! Are you baking it in a 9×5 loaf pan?
can this be made in a bundt pan?
Hi Mike! Of course, but I haven’t tried so I can’t confirm how long it should take to bake. I would guess that the baking time will decrease because the batter will be spread a bit thinner. Just check on it often as it bakes. When it looks set and a toothpick inserted throughout comes out clean, it’s done. Enjoy!