Banana Nut Bread With Cinnamon Swirl (Printable)

Moist banana bread packed with walnuts and swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar. Perfect for breakfast or afternoon snacking.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
08 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins

09 - 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

→ Cinnamon Swirl

10 - 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
11 - 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
04 - Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in mashed bananas and vanilla extract until well combined.
05 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently mix until just combined—do not overmix.
06 - Fold in the chopped walnuts.
07 - In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the swirl.
08 - Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the batter. Add the remaining batter on top, then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon-sugar. Gently swirl a knife through the batter to create a marbled effect.
09 - Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10 - Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cinnamon swirl creates these gorgeous ribbons of sweetness throughout every slice
  • It turns those sad, forgotten bananas on your counter into something magical
  • The texture is impossibly moist while still holding together perfectly
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter will make your bread tough and dense, so stop as soon as flour disappears
  • The swirl sinks to the bottom sometimes, but that just creates a gooey cinnamon sugar crust everyone fights over
03 -
  • If your bananas aren't ripe enough, bake them in their skins at 350°F for 15 minutes to speed up the process
  • Use a light-colored pan to prevent the bottom from getting too dark before the center is done