This tender sweet cinnamon swirl banana bread is a family favorite with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping and cinnamon maple sugar swirl. It’s gluten free, grain free and paleo yet no one would guess! Grab a slice any time of day when you’re craving pure sweet comfort food without the refined sugar and grains.
I noticed recently that I do not have enough quick bread recipes on my website! Which is not okay because I absolutely love baking a good loaf of bread.
They’re easy and versatile and my family loves having a quick, delicious and healthy breakfast or snack ready to go.
This one was inspired by a bunch of overripe bananas and my cinnamon sugar cravings.
I made sure to go BIG with the cinnamon, swirling it into the inside of the bread as well as piling it high with a crunchy toasty sweet streusel!
This is one loaf you’re gonna want on repeat! Let’s get into the details so you can make it ASAP.
What You Need to Prepare This Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Aside from the bananas, this bread is made with paleo pantry staples that you probably already have on hand if you’re used to baking grain free.
One note on maple sugar! I absolutely love to bake with maple sugar due to the flavor, color (it’s lighter than coconut sugar) and of course that it is pure and unrefined.
I typically cannot find it in stores, so I always buy it on Amazon and regularly restock because I’m always using it.
If you don’t have access to maple sugar, you can use coconut sugar or any other granulated sugar. Coconut sugar will turn the loaf much darker than what you see in the photos.
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the bread:
- maple sugar
- grass fed butter, ghee or coconut oil
- blanched almond flour
- ground cinnamon
- tapioca flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- sea salt
- overripe bananas
- large eggs
- pure vanilla extract
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a medium or large loaf pan with parchment paper (my pan is 8.5 x 4.5”).
Prepare the streusel first. In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients until a crumbly mixture forms, then chill while you prepare the bread batter.
In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 maple sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, then set aside.
For the ry ingredients, in a large bowl, combine with almond and tapioca flours, baking soda and powder and salt, then set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, 1/4 cup maple sugar, butter or ghee, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Stir the dry mixture into the wet until a thick batter forms.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then layer the cinnamon maple sugar mixture (that was set aside) on top. Cover with the remaining batter, then top with the chilled streusel mixture.
Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the top is deeply golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift it out of the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack until fully cooled.
The cinnamon streusel topping will be crunchy and crumbly even when fully cooled. Once fully cooled, slice and serve as desired.
Ingredient Substitutions
For most of my recipes I offer substitutions for various ingredients, such as with maple sugar as noted above.
For this recipe, I highly recommend either butter or ghee for the topping, but if you only have coconut oil that will work as well.
With coconut oil, the topping will be more crumbly as it is not completely solid at room temperature and this changes the texture of the topping.
Whenever using coconut oil for baking, I recommend using REFINED to avoid the overwhelming coconut flavor that unrefined or virgin coconut oil gives recipes.
While I don’t have a substitution for blanched almond flour, you can always replace the tapioca flour with arrowroot.
Okay are you ready?! It’s that time – time to bake!
You will no doubt fall in love with this sweet tender cinnamon swirl banana bread before it even comes out of the oven!
Your family will thank you for making the whole house smell delicious AND for an easy, healthy treat and they’ll be asking for more!
Grab your ingredients and get your oven preheated because it’s time for banana bread – let’s go!
Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread with Streusel
Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread with Streusel
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel:
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 2 tablespoons grass fed butter or ghee or coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Bread batter:
- 1/4 cup maple sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 medium overripe bananas mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup maple sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee or coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a medium or large loaf pan with parchment paper (my pan is 8.5 x 4.5”).
-
Prepare the streusel first. In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients until a crumbly mixture forms, then chill while you prepare the bread batter.
-
In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 maple sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, then set aside.
-
For the ry ingredients, in a large bowl, combine with almond and tapioca flours, baking soda and powder and salt, then set aside.
-
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, 1/4 cup maple sugar, butter or ghee, and vanilla extract until smooth.
-
Stir the dry mixture into the wet until a thick batter forms. Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then layer the cinnamon maple sugar mixture (that was set aside) on top. Cover with the remaining batter, then top with the chilled streusel mixture.
-
Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the top is deeply golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
-
Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift it out of the pan and continue to cool on the wire rack until fully cooled.
-
The cinnamon streusel topping will be crunchy and crumbly even when fully cooled. Once fully cooled, slice and serve as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Quick Bread Recipes? Try One of These!
Paleo Banana Bread {Sweetened with only bananas!}
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
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