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Cinnamon Crunch Swirled Banana Bread – made with extra-ripe bananas and vanilla and swirled with cinnamon sugar. Top this sweet banana bread with a sprinkle of homemade cinnamon CRUNCH topping and bake away. It’s especially delicious when eaten warm, right out of the oven! Each soft, sweet cinnamon banana slice has a little cinnamon crunch with every bite. Everyone loves this special banana bread!
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I haven’t been excited about creating a new banana bread recipe for the last couple of years. I already have the perfect recipe that I adore so much. And honestly, I don’t think you need to overcomplicate banana bread.
It’s pretty delicious just as is – or maybe with walnuts or chocolate chips. Of course, chocolate chips are the house favorite over here.
Therefore, I haven’t made banana bread in a long time. But when I had a bunch of brown bananas staring me down the other week, I actually had some excitement and desire to bake banana bread! The weather was gross, and it felt like the perfect thing to bake!
I was very much in my autumn baking mode, as I’ve been preparing recipes for a cozy fall season for the last couple of weeks. My thought was to take the crunchy topping from my beloved cinnamon crunch bagels (that I used to order from Panera Bread as a kid). Then, swirl it through my go-to easiest banana bread recipe. It sounded so delicious.
I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this idea before now, but I think this might be the ultimate banana bread recipe—as in, maybe the only one you need!
Adding a rich and thick cinnamon swirl and topping with crunchy chunks of cinnamon sugar ensures the yummiest banana bread!
I fell head over heels for this recipe. It’s definitely a personal favorite!
The Details
Step 1: mix the cinnamon sugar
This is just cinnamon and sugar mixed together, nothing fancy.
The cinnamon sugar will be used in the middle and swirled through the bread.
Step 2: make the banana bread batter
The star ingredient in this banana bread is just that: overripe brown bananas. A deep, dark brown banana or heavily spotted brown banana will always give you the best loaf of bread with a nice banana flavor and sweetness.
Mash the bananas and mix with a little melted butter or coconut oil. These days, I’ve also been using melted ghee, which is also great!
Add pure maple syrup, a couple of eggs, and a splash of vanilla. Then, mix in some flour and baking soda to help the bread rise, and add a dash of salt. I like to use a small amount of maple syrup to sweeten this bread, but only a small amount.
The swirls of cinnamon sugar, in addition to the already sweet bananas, provide plenty of sweetness.
Once you’ve mixed the dough, spoon half into a bread pan, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar overtop, and then add the remaining dough.
Step 3: make the cinnamon crunch
The cinnamon crunch topping consists of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter mixed together until clumps form.
Step 4: create the layers.
Now sprinkle the cinnamon sugar from earlier in the recipe and the clumps of cinnamon crunch over the first layer of dough.
Cover the cinnamon with the remaining batter, then use the remaining cinnamon crunch mixture on top.
1st layer – banana batter.
2nd layer – cinnamon sugar + cinnamon CRUNCH.
3rd layer – another layer of banana batter.
4th layer – a very thick layer of cinnamon CRUNCH on top.
And then you bake. This banana bread will take about an hour in the oven. As the bread bakes, the cinnamon melts into the sugar and butter, becoming nice and gooey. At the same time, the cinnamon topping begins to caramelize, becoming crunchy.
Everything together creates a DELICIOUS warm, sweet, soft, and tender banana bread.
As the bread bakes, your kitchen will smell incredible. It’s going to put you into cozy mode. Suddenly, whether you’re ready or not, you’ll be craving everything you love most about fall.
This is a very quick and easy banana bread recipe —totally no fuss. Enjoy a slice or two with a pat of salted butter. It’s such a wonderful treat! Oslo and Asher both loved every bite of this bread.
Looking for other sweet recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread
Maple Banana Bread with Cinnamon Spice Butter
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Crunch Swirled Banana Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cinnamon Crunch Swirled Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 overly ripe bananas, mashed, (about 1 1/4 cup mashed)
- 1/4 cup melted salted butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Crunch
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a (9×5 inch) bread pan.2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon.3. In a bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined. 2. To make the crunch. Mix the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. 3. Spoon half the batter into the prepared bread pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and 1/4 cup of the crunch mix, reserve the remaining crunch mix for topping. Evenly spoon the remaining batter over the sugar. Sprinkle over the remaining crunch mixture.4. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is just set. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes before cutting…or eat it warm with a smear of cinnamon butter. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
If I add nuts, how much would you suggest?
Hi Donna,
I would do 1/2 cup or a touch more to your liking. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
The best! Have you tried these in muffins?
Hey Anna,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for choosing to make this recipe.
You could do muffins and just reduce the bake time. Have a great weekend!
This is literally the best and easiest banana bread I have ever made, I always make a maple drizzle to put on top and I send it off to my husband’s work and it’s gone well before lunchtime.
Hi Ami,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
Will coconut oil also work instead of the melted butter in the cinnamon crunch?
Hi Jojo,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you. I hope you love this recipe!
Could you add chocolate chips to this? We love your cinnamon crunch bread and can’t wait to try this one!
Hi Alison,
Sure, I don’t see why not. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!
This was amazing! I would never have thought to replace chocolate chips with cinnamon crunch … there’s no going back now. Thank you!
Hey Curt,
Thanks a lot for making this recipe and taking the time to comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Have the best Sunday!
Hi how do you store this after baking? Do I need to refrigerate it?
Hi Mar,
You can store in an airtight container on the counter:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
I’m beyond obsessed with this banana bread! I have made this recipe 3 times now and its a hit with everyone. The cinnamon is a game changer and SO GOOD
Hey Sarah,
Perfect! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it!
Happy Sunday!
Oh my goodness this is the best banana bread recipe! The cinnamon sugar vibe takes it to the next level. It’s so wonderful to have a new and unique banana bread recipe – my family were raving over this one.
Thank you Tiegan, as always, for sharing your culinary magic with us!
Hey Kim,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Very easy to make and the family luvs. We luv banana bread and cinnamon. I make an apple bread similar to this lots of cinnamon.
Hey Kris,
Perfect! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Have a great Labor Day weekend!
This banana bread is delicious! It is my go to recipe. However, the cinnamon sugar layer always splits the slices of bread. How can i prevent this? Thanks
Hey Laura,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! I feel like that is pretty normal:) Sorry, I do not have any tips for that! Have a great Sunday!
I love this recipe so much. I’m going to make it as gifts for some friends. Is there a way I can do a gluten free version? Would I just sub the flour for something else?
Please let me know if possible ☺️
Hey Heather,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Yes, you can use an equal amount of gluten free flour:)
Happy Holidays!
This recipe took banana bread up a notch. Cinnamon and banana a match made in heaven.
Coconut sugar a great substitute for dark brown.
Hey Min,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁