Warm. banana bread with a sweet infusion of cinnamon throughout. This moist cinnamon banana bread also has an irresistible buttery cinnamon swirl.
Banana bread is the best way to use up any bananas that are just a little too overripe but not so far gone that you want to just throw them away. It makes a great breakfast, especially when toasted and slathered with butter and an additional sprinkling of cinnamon.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Banana Bread
Sometimes, you have a craving for banana bread, but no ripened bananas. Luckily, you can still use the bananas you have around or whatever the store has available.
If you are at the store picking up ingredients for your cinnamon banana bread. go take a look at what I call the castaway bananas. Those are usually the pile of single bananas that lost their bunch and are put together. Usually, you will find some that are more ripe than the rest. They still aren't banana bread-worthy, but they're the best to work with.
Next, apply heat. The heat helps bring out the sugars in the banana that make them so good when ripe and ready for bread. You can heat them in one of two ways:
- Peel the bananas and cut into slices. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 3 - 5 minutes. Mash them gently halfway through. Allow to cool, then finish mashing.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Place the bananas (skin on) on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until they are brown/nearly black. Allow to cool, peel, and mash.
How to Make Cinnamon Banana Bread
Banana bread is a quick bread. It is put together pretty much the same way you do a muffin. That is to say: mix wet ingredients together, mix dry ingredients together, mix them both together.
- Prep your loaf pan and preheat the oven.
- Mix together the cinnamon mix
- Add all the wet ingredients to your mashed bananas and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to another bowl and mix well.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, mix until just combined. There will be lumps, and that is okay
- Alternate adding the banana bread batter and the cinnamon mix. Begin and end with the banana bread batter.
- Bake.
Can I Make This into Muffins?
Yes! This recipe makes amazing cinnamon banana bread muffins! Line a muffin tin with liners and fill ⅔ full with the batter. Bake for about 16 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to Store Banana Bread
Most of the time, this cinnamon banana bread is gone the same day at my house, but on those occasions when I go on a baking spree and bake about 5426 loaves, we need to store some of it.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, taking care any sliced areas are fully covered.
- At room temperature: It will be at its freshest for 3 days.
- In the refrigerator: It will stay fresh for about 7 days.
- In the freezer: It will be okay for 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Tasty Treats You Might Like
If you want more banana bread, you will love this brown butter banana bread and this healthy banana bread. You might also like this banana sheet cake and this banana coffee cake. For a nice twist on brunch, these banana cinnamon rolls are amazing. If you want something more decadent, try this banana pudding poke cake.
Recipe Card
Cinnamon Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
For the Banana Bread Batter
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 4 large bananas
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 baking pan.
- Make the cinnamon swirl. Mix together the ingredients for the swirl together. Use your fingers or a fork to mash the butter into the dry ingredients until well-combined.
- Melt your butter, allow it to cool slightly.
- Mash your bananas.
- Mix together your butter, bananas, eggs, yogurt, and sugar until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda together.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Only mix until just combined. There should still be some lumps.
- Pour some of the batter into the loaf pan. Add in some of the cinnamon swirl. Continue this pattern until you've used both up. End with the banana batter.
- Bake for 50 - 70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too fast, lightly top with aluminum foil.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.
Erica Schwarz says
This makes a perfect and moist banana bread! I've never added yogurt to banana bread before, this is delicious!
Chinazor says
I always thought that the bananas that have fallen from their bunch are not good enough for baking. I know better.
Thanks for those tips on how to ripen bananas quickly. I had no idea prior to reading this.