This Cinnamon Banana Bread is essentially a mash up of cinnamon rolls and coffee cake but in banana bread form. And that glaze on top? A definite must!
One thing I never mind is having overripe bananas on my kitchen counter. I’m always so excited to whip up a loaf of moist, delicious banana bread . And if I’m craving something extra sweet, I’ll make a batch of these banana bread cookies !
But just as much as I love banana bread, I love a fluffy cinnamon roll so one day I decided to combine the two to make this ultra-moist cinnamon banana bread. And let me tell you… it has endless texture and flavor surprises!
The cinnamon sugar swirl is sweetly nestled in the center of the fluffy bread that is irresistibly gooey and yummy. You’ll love the crunchy, cinnamon-y sweet streusel topping and the glaze is the perfect finishing touch.
And if you love this fun twist on banana bread, make sure to try my cheesecake banana bread or pumpkin banana bread !
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavor and crunch: the streusel topping is full of cinnamon flavor and adds a satisfying crunch.
- Perfect any time of day: enjoy with your morning cup of coffee, as a mid-morning snack, or a sweet dessert! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat!
- Extra moist: the sour cream, buttermilk and oil make it extra moist! It’s a secret trio of ingredients for a tender crumb.
Ingredient Notes
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Overripe bananas: you’ll want your bananas ripe enough for the best results, look for the brown spotty bananas. (No green on the peel). Freckled bananas = banana bread time!
- Canola Oil : canola is what I use in this recipe, but you can also use vegetable oil or coconut oil if you’d prefer. The oil add richness and moisture to the banana bread.
- Eggs: the eggs help to bind ingredients as well as helping to make it rise! You’ll need 2 room temperature eggs for this banana bread.
- Sour Cream: I use a combination of sour cream and buttermilk for an incredibly tender crumb. The sour cream will need to be room temperature as well. Greek yogurt can be used if you don’t have sour cream.
- Buttermilk : adds extra moisture to ensure the bread stays soft and tender. You can sub with milk too but buttermilk is always best!
- Other ingredients needed : brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, sugar, powdered sugar.
Step by Step Directions
The full directions are in the recipe card below.
Prepare pan
Mix dry ingredients
Make cinnamon streusel
For the streusel combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the cold or melted butter and mix until the mixture clumps together, I use my fingers but two forks or a pastry cutter works too.
Combine wet ingredients
Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add in the remaining wet ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer to combine.
Mix batter
Add to pan & bake
Drizzle with glaze & enjoy!
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 15-30 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack. Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it over the top of the cooled bread. Garnish with any leftover cinnamon/sugar. Slice and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Properly grease the loaf pan : Brush with a light layer of softened butter and sprinkle an even layer of flour around the pan.
- Bake time: There’s nothing worse than dry banana bread, right? I always bake this bread around 55-58 minutes minutes at 350°F. Be sure to check with a toothpick to ensure it’s done.
- Mashing the bananas: You can mash the bananas either with a fork and leave some chunks of bananas if that’s your thing. ? Or you can use a hand mixer to make almost a banana puree for a smoother consistency.
- Over-mixing the batter : like many quick breads you’ll see recipes say “avoid over mixing the batter.” This is actually important for bananas breads to prevent a dense loaf. Mix just until ingredients are incorporated for a soft, tender crumb.
- Streusel tip: add the streusel ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the clumps form. So easy!
More Banana Bread Recipes
Biscoff Banana Bread
Pumpkin Banana Bread
Zucchini Banana Bread
Cheesecake Banana Bread
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Cinnamon Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 3 medium over ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 Heaping cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes (or you can use melted, sometimes that’s easier)
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. (I recommend using a light colored aluminum pan because they enable even, controlled heat resulting in a gentle heat and tender crumb. This bread has not been tested in a glass pan). I like to brush the pan with a little softened butter and sprinkle an even layer of flour around the pan. Set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small dish for the swirl and set aside. 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- For the streusel combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the cold or melted butter and mix until the mixture clumps together, I use my fingers but two forks or a pastry cutter works too. 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark), 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes (or you can use melted, sometimes that’s easier)
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add in the remaining wet ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer to combine. 3 medium over ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/4 cup), 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1/4 Heaping cup sour cream, room temperature, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- Fold in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Pour 1/2 of the banana bread mixture into the prepared loaf pan, sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture in the middle, reserve a little to garnish on the top after it bakes. (You can swirl it in with a knife if you want or just leave it in a layer is what I usually do), and then pour the remaining banana bread batter on top. Top with the streusel.
- Bake for ~55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, a few crumbs are okay but it shouldn’t look wet. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, you can tent with foil.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 15-30 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack. Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it over the top of the cooled bread. Garnish with any leftover cinnamon/sugar. Slice and enjoy! 1 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, pinch salt
