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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.
This looks incredible! I wonder if I can switch out the butter for plant-based butter and the eggs for “just egg” to veganize it?
Hey Marina,
So sorry, I am not sure how that will work for you as I’ve never tested it.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, let me know if you give this recipe a try! Happy Holidays! 🎄🎁
Would it be possible to make this with sourdough discard and/or bread flour?
Hi Jen! I haven’t ever made this with sourdough discard before, so I can’t say for sure! I am sure bread flour will work just fine though! 🙂 xT
Hello! I want to make this for a family gathering, but won’t need it for a couple of days. Can I freeze it or should i just wrap it and store it in the fridge?
Hi Kendall! Yes, you can definitely wrap it up and freeze it ahead of time! Hope you love it! 🙂 xT
Would it be possible to make this gluten free and sub the all purpose flour with something like almond flour? Or do you think that would ruin the consistency / recipe?
Hi Eleni,
For best results, I would use a gluten free all purpose flour. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This is the best banana bread ever, my friends and family went feral for it. (Sorry for posting twice – I forgot to put a star rating but it won’t let me put 6/5 stars)
Hey Megan,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
I made this banana bread this weekend! So easy to prepare and delicious! If you are thinking of making this, just go for it! 🙂 Love the crunchy topping!
Hey Tori,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
This banana bread is very good. Love the crunchy topping. Baked in an hour just like Teighan said. Great banana flavor!! My house smelled awesome while it baked.
Thanks again, Christine:)
Great recipe!! Love the crunchy topping. Baked in exactly an hour. Great banana flavor. Can’t wait to have it with my coffee in the morning.
Thanks so much, Christine:) So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it! xT
Can I use brown sugar instead of maple syrup
Hi Kayla,
So sorry, I have not tested that with this recipe, you could certainly give it a try! Let me know how the bread turns out for you!
Recommendations for storing leftovers? In the past I’ve stored in airtight container at room temperature however the crunch topping melts somewhat
Hi Patty,
I like to store at room temp in an airtight container, but you could also do the fridge. I hope this helps! xT
This was great, might even replace my great-grandma’s recipe! Thanks!
Hi Maura,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great rest of the week:) Xxx
This came out extremely dry for me and not very tasty. 🙁
Hi Saralyn,
So very sorry to hear this. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xx
Agree with others, this is now my gold standard banana bread recipe. Husband is allergic to nuts, so we love this HBH recipe because the crunch topping is a great replacement for the crunch a nut would give! It bakes up great every time, no notes.
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Friday! XxT
Absolutely delicious – this is going to become our go-to banana bread recipe!!
We only had 3 ripe bananas and I realised after prepping everything else that I didn’t have enough butter, so subbed with veg oil, but even with those changes, still a great recipe!!!
Hi May,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Happy New Year!🥳🥂 xx
Simply amazing! My wife who doesn’t like banana bread loved this. This is my new go to.
Hi Lesley,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy New Year!!🎆 xxT
Would it be possible to make this into muffins? If so how long would I bake? Thanks in advance!
Hi Mia,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I would start checking for doneness at 20 minutes. I hope you love this recipe! xx
I made this into 12 muffins. I had extra cinnamon sugar and cinnamon crunch, but they turned out perfectly! I baked for about 22 minutes, but my oven sucks, so 20 is probably about right for most—I looked for a little coloring around the edges.
Thanks so much, Tonya! What a great idea! So glad to hear the muffins turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx