This past year I got my hands on my Mother-In-Law’s classic banana bread recipe and I’m hooked. I’ve been making different variations of it, and this cinnamon swirl banana bread is one of my favorites!

This cinnamon banana bread is swirled with ribbons of cinnamon sugar and topped with a delicious vanilla cinnamon glaze.

Why is It Better to Use Overripe Bananas In Banana Bread?

Most banana bread recipes insist on using only the ripest bananas, including this one. But why are overripe bananas better to bake with??

There are actually several reasons. The first is that as a banana ripens, more of its starch is converted into sugar. This creates sweeter, more tender baked goods.

Another benefit of baking with super ripe bananas is that they’re super easy to mash up. This ensures your banana bread has a uniform, even texture without any unexpected chunks of banana.

Overripe bananas are also more aromatic and give baked goods a more intense banana flavor than yellow bananas.

The final and best reason (in my opinion) is that it uses up overripe fruit that would otherwise go to waste!

All that aside, this recipe will still turn out if you use yellow bananas. It just won’t have as intense of a banana flavor!

Baking Hack: How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Banana Bread

If you only have yellow bananas and want that intense banana flavor, don’t worry!

You can easily turn yellow bananas brown in a matter of minutes. Preheat your oven to 300 F / 150 C and place the unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake them for about 15 minutes, until the banana skin is uniformly dark in color.

Let them cool on that pan for 10 minutes, then carefully peel and mash them.

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Overripe Bananas – If you don’t have overripe bananas on hand, bake your bananas at 350 F for about 15 minutes until the skin of the bananas are black.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice really helps enhance the banana flavor in this recipe and prevents the mashed bananas from browning!
• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
• Granulated Sugar – I think this banana bread has just the right amount of sweetness, but you can either increase or decrease the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup based on your preferences.
• Eggs – If you don’t have eggs on hand or can’t eat eggs, you can use flaxseed eggs in their place or 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce.

• Vegetable Oil – Using both butter and oil gives this banana bread moisture and flavor. You can use all oil or all butter if needed though! You also can use any flavorless oil in this recipe, like canola, sunflower, etc.
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use cake flour or a gluten free flour blend in its place if needed.
• Ground cinnamon – Ground cinnamon is an absolute must in this recipe! Make sure your ground cinnamon is less than a year old, so that it’s still fragrant and will pack this banana bread with flavor.
• Buttermilk – You can also use whole milk, full-fat yogurt, sour cream, or alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.

Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

• Use super ripe bananas! If you don’t have any on hand, see my tip above on how to quickly ripen your bananas in the oven.
• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• DO NOT OVER-MIX YOUR BATTER! It will make your banana bread dense and chewy. Once you start to mix in the flour, be sure to mix the batter JUST until it’s combined. It’s ok if you can still see a little bit of flour, it will get mixed in after you add the bananas.
• To make gluten free banana bread, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
• Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Carefully bang your loaf pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.

Making This Cinnamon Banana Bread in Advance & Storage Tips

You can make this cinnamon swirl banana bread in advance! It can last for a couple days at room temperature, up to a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer.

Store the banana bread in an airtight container or Ziplock bag to keep it moist.

If you plan to immediately freeze it, I recommend waiting to make the glaze until you thaw it and plan to eat it.

This banana bread freezes extremely well, so don’t be afraid to make a double batch and freeze one for later. I like to wrap the banana bread in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil to lock in all the moisture.

When I’m ready to enjoy one of the frozen loaves, I move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Then I set it out at room temperature to let it thaw for a few hours before adding the glaze.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this cinnamon swirl banana bread recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

This cinnamon swirl banana bread recipe is absolutely delicious! It’s moist, fluffy and packed with flavor.