Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Published 2/21/2021
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This cinnamon swirl banana bread is so moist and has a delicious cinnamon swirl that adds irresistible flavor to every bite.
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
We’ve all seen that perfect piece of banana bread in the window of our favorite bakery with a gorgeous cinnamon swirl right in the middle and we think–wow, I could never do that. WRONG! You can make your very own cinnamon swirl banana bread at home!
This cinnamon swirl banana bread recipe isn’t that different that our perfect banana bread recipe! The only difference is you add a cinnamon swirl layer in between two layers of your batter!
Ingredients You Need
Here is everything you need to make this cinnamon swirl banana bread and some easy substitution options!
- White whole wheat flour- we love using white whole wheat flour for baking.Feel free to use all-purpose flour if you want to, that should work. We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour.
- Brown sugar– The brown sugar in the recipe gives the banana bread a delicious and classic banana bread sweetness. Feel free to substitute it with coconut sugar.
- Baking soda– Don’t skip the baking soda.
- Salt– We add salt to most of our banana bread recipes because it brings out the natural flavors in the banana bread.
- Ripe bananas– You can really use any banana for the banana bread, but very ripe bananas have the best flavor! We used three medium bananas that equaled around 1 cup of mashed banana.
- Large eggs– We recommend using large eggs, no other size!
- Maple syrup– the flavor that maple syrup gives to this recipe is amazing!
- Greek yogurt– Why Greek? It works with the baking soda to leave you with fluffy and moist banana bread!
- Vanilla extract– We stuck with classic vanilla extract for this recipe.
- Unsweetened almond milk– This batter can be a bit thick and the almond milks helps to thin it out a bit.
- Butter– You use butter twice in this recipe. Once for the fat of the banana bread (yum) and in the cinnamon swirl. Feel free to substitute with coconut oil.
- Ground cinnamon– Delicious cinnamon is for the glorious cinnamon swirl in the middle of this banana bread.
Fun add-ins
Though this cinnamon swirl banana bread is perfect as in, feel free to add any of these delicious add-ins below for some fun!
- chocolate chips
- rasins
- coconut flakes
CHeck it out!
6 Healthy Muffin Recipes – 1 Base Batter
Are you a muffin queen just like us? Here’s our favorite base recipe for healthy muffins + 6 different healthy muffin recipes you can make with it! Get all 6 healthy muffin recipes HERE!
- Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
- Healthy Chocolate Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Chocolate Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
How to Add a Swirl to Banana Bread
Adding the swirl to this cinnamon swirl banana bread is a lot easier than you think. There are three ingredients in the cinnamon swirl—> melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Mix it up
To make the cinnamon swirl you add melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a small bowl and mix until it creates a thick, dark, syrup.
Add half batter to the pan
Pour half of your banana bread into a greased banana bread pan and then drizzle half of the cinnamon swirl to the top of the batter and use a knife or toothpick to swirl the two together. DO NOT OVER SWIRL. You want the swirl in the middle of the banana bread to be a bit thicker.
Add the rest of the batter
After you’ve done your first swirl pour the rest of the banana bread batter over the swirl and shake the pan to even things out. Add the rest of the cinnamon swirl to the top of the banana bread and swirl them together again! You can get fancy with this swirl!
Tips + Tricks
Banana Bread Baking Tools
Here are the tools you need to make this banana bread just right!
Do I have to tent my banana bread?
You don’t HAVE to tent your banana bread, but we do recommend it. No one likes a tough, overcooked outer layer and this is what the tenting prevents.
CAN I USE FROZEN BANANAS?
This recipe is a great way to use up all the frozen bananas you have In your freezer! Let your bananas thaw completely before mashing and measuring.
HOW MANY BANANAS DO I NEED FOR 1 CUP MASHED?
You will need around 3 medium bananas to get 1 cup of mashed bananas.
IS BANANA BREAD HEALTHY?
Most banana bread recipes are made with white sugar, all-purpose flour, and vegetable oil making it a not so good for you treat. That is why we created this bananas bread recipe! It’s made with whole grains, all-natural sugars, and a little coconut oil.
Storage
Let the banana bread cool completely before transferring it into an airtight container such as a gallon-size plastic bag. We recommend storing banana bread on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer Instructions
- Let banana bread cool completely and then wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap followed by a piece of tin foil.
- Remove as much air as possible and then write the date on it.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Cinnamon Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Cinnamon Swirl
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a standard bread pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, place dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash 3 medium ripe bananas with a fork until they’re mostly pureed. You should get about a cup of mashed banana. Then crack in eggs and whisk to combine. Add maple syrup, Greek yogurt, vanilla, melted butter, and almond milk and whisk again.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Transfer half of the batter into the bread pan and drizzle on half of the cinnamon mixture and use a knife or toothpick to swirl it in. Then, add the rest of the batter to the pan and then drizzle on the rest of the cinnamon mixture and swirl it in with a knife.
- Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with a tented piece of tin foil. Then, bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes and then remove from pan to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delish! I used coconut sugar in the dry ingredients (but brown sugar for the swirl) Also, used half white all purpose flour and half sprouted spelt flour. Turned out great! I’m a big fan of cinnamon with banana bread over chocolate chips. Can’t wait to have this all week with my coffee, thanks ladies!
Thank you for sharing that these modifications worked for you! So helpful for other readers 🙂
I made this recipe this morning and it is SO good!! This is my go to page for banana bread recipes, I’ve tried several and I think this may be my favorite. I used coconut sugar instead of a brown sugar and I was out of Greek yogurt, so I just subbed regular milk. I also always use baking powder instead of soda because I can’t keep up with buying and using fresh baking soda before it expires (if you do this, use 3x the amount the recipe calls for) It turned out perfect, mama and picky toddler approved
This banana bread was delicious! We only had two ripe bananas to use but it still turned out great. Who doesn’t love a good cinnamon swirl?!