Cooking and Serving: 21 minutes | 10 slices bread
Ingredients
Tools you’ll need to make cinnamon swirl banana bread | Tips for making the best cinnamon swirl banana bread | Key ingredient & substitution suggestions
Description
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour hr | Total Time: 21 minutes | Servings: 10 slices bread
Ingredients
Tools you’ll need to make cinnamon swirl banana bread
Tips for making the best cinnamon swirl banana bread
Key ingredient & substitution suggestions
More breakfast bread recipes
Flour – As always, choose carefully and measure Batter classic blend gluten free flour here, but Cup4Cup works, too. Since
Salt – Salt balances the sweetness and brightens the rich banana bread
Baking powder and baking soda – A combination of baking powder and baking
Sugar – We use only granulated sugar here, since brown sugar adds additional
Coconut oil
Eggs – Eggs bind the batter together and help with rise in the oven. Large
Vanilla extract – Most of the alcohol in vanilla extract evaporates in the
Thick, non-dairy plain yogurt – Since there’s no butter in this recipe, it
Very ripe bananas – If you don’t have very spotty bananas in your kitchen,
Cinnamon – The cinnamon swirl in the center of this banana bread is what
A standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan (I like cast aluminum best for baking
A large mixing bowl for the banana bread batter
A large mixing spoon
A spatula for transferring the batters to the loaf pan
A butter knife or small offset spatula for swirling the batter together
Classic gluten free banana bread
Gluten free blueberry muffin bread
Strawberry gluten free breakfast cake
2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (112 g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅔ cup (150 g) Greek-style non-dairy plain yogurt, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) peeled, ripe bananas, mashed lightly (from about 2
2 tablespoons (28 g) virgin coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
MAKE THE BATTER
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder,.
salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
Add the coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, then the yogurt, mixing until just.
combined after each addition.
Add the mashed bananas and mix them carefully into the batter, taking care.
not to further mash the bananas.
Transfer half of the banana batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it.
into an even layer with a wet spatula. Set both aside briefly.
MAKE AND ADD THE SWIRL
In a small bowl, place all the swirl ingredients and mix to combine well. It.
will be a thick mixture.
Place about one half of the swirl mixture on top of the batter already in the.
loaf pan and spread it gently into an even layer.
Top with the remaining banana batter and spread that with a wet spatula into.
an even layer. Finish with the remaining swirl batter and spread again gently.
With a butter knife held perpendicular to the bottom of the loaf pan, swirl.
the batter from one short side to the other of the pan, back and forth in a.
Smooth the top of the swirled batter into an even layer once more.
BAKE THE BANANA BREAD
Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
The loaf should be until golden brown on top, and mostly firm toward the.
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until completely.
firm when pressed lightly in the center, another 10 to 15 minutes.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a.
wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Leftovers can be wrapped very tightly and stored at room temperature for up.
to 3 days, and frozen for longer storage.
BAKE THE BANANA BREAD
Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
The loaf should be until golden brown on top, and mostly firm toward the.
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until completely.
firm when pressed lightly in the center, another 10 to 15 minutes.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a.
wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Leftovers can be wrapped very tightly and stored at room temperature for up.
to 3 days, and frozen for longer storage.
Notes
* Tools you’ll need to make cinnamon swirl banana bread
* Tips for making the best cinnamon swirl banana bread
* Key ingredient & substitution suggestions
* More breakfast bread recipes
* Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread Recipe
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD RECIPE
My one bowl gluten free banana bread
one of my favorite recipes in the history of ever. Whenever we talk about it on
Facebook, so many of you say (sometimes as a sort of confession, but there’s no
shame needed here!) that you make that banana bread once a week—at least!
We eat a lot of bananas in my house. Well, with 3 teenagers, we eat a lot of
everything in my house!
But about a year ago, I finally got a little hook that
sticks on to the underside of a kitchen cabinet to hold bananas, so they don’t
ripen unevenly. It even folds up and out of sight when it’s not in use.
I don’t care for those enormous “banana trees.” I can’t dedicate that sort of
counter real estate to one fruit. But this hook is awesome. And my ripening
bananas are always front and center!
Another match made in heaven is cinnamon-sugar and bananas. The cinnamon swirl
flavors every bite, but of course is concentrated on the top and toward the
center, as that’s where we put the swirl mixture.
Every single crumb of the banana bread itself is fork-squish tender (that’s a
thing, right?), but the swirl itself is just on another level entirely. But
somehow it doesn’t make the slices delicate or prone to falling apart.
There are so many textures in this banana bread, which come together to make it
feel extra special: the soft and springy cake texture with a super moist crumb,
with the crispy, crunchy top. “Regular” banana bread really just can’t compare.
* Flour – As always, choose carefully and measure Batter classic blend gluten free flour here, but Cup4Cup works, too. Since
it’s a starchier gluten free flour blend, it makes a lighter banana bread and
even browns a bit less. If you’re not gluten free, try using whole wheat
pastry flour in its place.
* Salt – Salt balances the sweetness and brightens the rich banana bread
flavor. I always cook and bake with kosher salt or lightly flaked sea salt
because it’s much harder to overmeasure than fine table salt.
* Baking powder and baking soda – A combination of baking powder and baking
soda provides much of the rise of this banana bread. The baking powder does
most of the leavening in the oven, since it’s “double acting.”
* Sugar – We use only granulated sugar here, since brown sugar adds additional
moisture which makes the bread too heavy. Sugar isn’t just a sweetener; it’s
also a tenderizer so if you are inclined to reduce the amount, your bread
I use triple filtered virgin coconut oil, which I get at Trader Joe’s. It has
no coconut flavor at all. Be sure to use the kind of coconut oil that’s
solid, not liquid, at cool room temperature.
* Eggs – Eggs bind the batter together and help with rise in the oven. Large
eggs usually weigh about 50 grams each, out of the shell, but I provide the
weight measurement for anyone who uses farm-fresh eggs.
* Vanilla extract – Most of the alcohol in vanilla extract evaporates in the
oven, leaving behind a rich vanilla flavor without additional liquid.
* Thick, non-dairy plain yogurt – Since there’s no butter in this recipe, it
only made sense to keep the yogurt nondairy, but be sure it’s about the
consistency of Greek-style yogurt or it will add too much moisture. If you
can have dairy, feel free to use plain Greek-style yogurt.
* Very ripe bananas – If you don’t have very spotty bananas in your kitchen,
you want to wait until your bananas are ready before baking with them or your
bread. Softening them in the microwave won’t develop the sugars like natural
ripening does, so patience is key here! You can always peel, chop, and freeze
your very ripe bananas and defrost them gently when it’s time to bake with
them. Just don’t discard the liquid they produce as they defrost, since it’s
* Cinnamon – The cinnamon swirl in the center of this banana bread is what
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD
There aren’t any fancy tools needed to make this bread. You’ll need to gather
just the basics, including:
* A standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan (I like cast aluminum best for baking
since it bakes evenly and doesn’t heat up too fast)
* A simple digital kitchen scale for measuring your ingredients, especially the
gf flour blend, with precision
* A large mixing bowl for the banana bread batter
* A whisk for combining the dry ingredients fully
* A large mixing spoon
* A small mixing bowl with spoon for combining the cinnamon swirl ingredients
* A spatula for transferring the batters to the loaf pan
* A butter knife or small offset spatula for swirling the batter together
This cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD
USE VERY RIPE BANANAS FOR ULTIMATE SWEETNESS
Bananas that are good for baking are almost a completely different fruit to the
onese that are right for baking. As a banana ripens fully, the starches in the
fruit turn to sugar and the inside sweetens. (Science source
STORE VERY RIPENED BANANAS IN THE FREEZER FOR LATER BAKING
The peel of a ripening banana eventually turns spotty and ultimately blackened,
and the fruit inside becomes softer and softer. If you store your bananas on a
hook or banana tree, once they’ve become quite ripe the peel begins to break
down and they’ll fall off the hook.
Remove them from the hook before that happens and lay them flat to finish
ripening, then peel and freeze the fruit inside if you’re not ready to bake with
it right away. Seal it tightly in a freezer-safe container so it doesn’t get
freezer burn, and other foods in your freezer don’t begin to smell like bananas!
HOW TO MAKE THAT CINNAMON SWIRL
When adding a cinnamon swirl, I’ve found that virgin coconut oil works better
than butter. Whenever you’re swirling batter with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, the
enemy is a too-stiff batter that doesn’t want to, well, swirl. Melted virgin
coconut oil is thinner than melted butter, and suddenly the entire recipe
becomes easier to handle.
When you add melted coconut oil to the cinnamon sugar swirl, too, it tends to
stay in place rather than melting throughout the batter like it would if we were
using butter. A crumble
in it, is quite different from a swirl as a crumble has its own structure.
I’ll leave it there since we’re getting into the
ingredient-and-recipe-development weeds, and I’m fairly certain I’m the only one
still interested. Just trust me that you want to use melted coconut oil in this
recipe where it’s called for, even if you’re not dairy free!
LET YOUR BANANA BREAD COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE SLICING
Since the crumb of this banana bread is so moist and tender, the bread is quite
fragile before it’s cool. If you attempt to slice the loaf before it’s
completely cool, it will collapse under the knife. Let it cool in the pan for
about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling,
then slice it thickly and serve.
HOW TO STORE CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD SO IT STAYS FRESH
Leftovers can be wrapped very tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 3
days, and frozen for longer storage. I prefer to slice any leftover bread and
wrap the slices so it can be defrosted and enjoyed to freeze it whole, wrap it tightly and place it on a flat surface like a
quarter baking sheet in the freezer until it’s fully frozen, then defrost it
fully before slicing and serving.
BE SURE TO LAYER THE BATTER WITH THE SWIRL
Resist the urge to dump the whole swirl mixture in between the layers of banana
bread. There’s too much of it, and it will cause the banana bread layers to
separate from one another during and after baking, making the bread unstable.
This cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
KEY INGREDIENT & SUBSTITUTION SUGGESTIONS
This recipe is already dairy-free, and I really recommend that you use the
virgin coconut oil and not substitute it with butter. It helps keep the batter
the proper consistency for swirling, and butter has more moisture which can
cause the bread to sink as it cools.
If you don’t have a problem with dairy, you can replace the plain yogurt with an
equal amount, yogurt. Don’t attempt to replace the yogurt with anything thinner, like
Since this recipe calls for 2 eggs, you should be able to replace each of them
with a “chia egg,” which is just 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds mixed with 1
tablespoon lukewarm water and allowed to gel. I haven’t tried that substitution,
though, so you’ll have to experiment.
I haven’t tried this recipe with a sugar alternative, but you might try
replacing half of the granulated sugar with Lankato monkfruit granulated sugar
alternative. Monkfruit and other substitutes can be quite drying, but if you
only replace half in this otherwise very moist recipe, it should be okay.
COCONUT OIL ALTERNATIVE
Even though I believe that coconut oil is the very best fat to use in this
recipe, you may not be able to use it. If you don’t care for the coconut flavor
in coconut oil, try “triple-filtered” coconut oil, which has absolutely not
coconut aroma. My local Trader Joe’s has it.
If you have to replace the coconut oil, I recommend using Spectrum brand
non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening. I often get a lot of push-back when I
recommend using Spectrum, but it’s not Crisco.
Spectrum shortening is made from sustainably produced palm oil that is free of
hydrogenation and trans fats. Crisco is hydrogenated vegetable shortening, made
from soybean oil and hydrogenated palm oil.
This cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas!
MORE BREAKFAST BREAD RECIPES
If you have the time, you can always make gluten free cinnamon rolls
free cinnamon swirl bread
yeast for breakfast. But if you don’t have the time, these quick breads hit the
* Classic gluten free banana bread
* Gluten free blueberry muffin bread
(with a crumble topping, who can resist?)
* Strawberry gluten free breakfast cake
(a lightly sweet cake, so not quite a bread, but perfect for a lighter
* Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread with a swirl
(a breakfasty quick bread, but without the bananas)
How ripe should the bananas be for this cinnamon swirl banana bread?
They say that there are no “too ripe” banans when it comes to baking with
bananas. You don’t need to wait until the peels are blackened, though, before
baking with them. They should at least be quite spotty, and most importantly,
fragrant. Generally, baking bananas are not the ones you want to peel and eat!
Can I add nuts to this banana bread recipe to make cinnamon banana nut bread?
Yes! You can add up to 2 ounces of soft, raw, and finely chopped nuts the
cinnamon swirl mixture (pecans or walnuts would work well). Avoid adding more
nuts than that to the swirl or the banana bread layers will separate from one
another in the oven and make the bread unstable.
How do you keep the bread from drying out?
I typically avoid refrigerating any baked goods, since the refrigerator tends to
be drying. After this bread has cooled completely, you can store it, covered, at
room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap the slices tightly
Why did my cinnamon swirl banana bread sink after baking?
A too-hot oven or baking in glass or a dark colored pan will cause baked goods
to rise rapidly and overbake on the outside before the center is fully baked. A
raw center can’t support the weight of the bread as it cools, so your baked
If you undermeasured your flour, overmeasured your wet ingredients, and/or
didn’t divide the swirl mixture into multiple layers and then swirl, your bread
will be too wet, and will sink as it cools.
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CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Yield: 10 slices bread
This rich, tender cinnamon swirl banana bread is naturally dairy free, rich with
cinnamon and sugar in every bite, and uses up tons of ripe bananas!
* 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend
(I used Better Batter; click thru for appropriate blends)
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
* ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* ½ teaspoon baking soda
* ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
* 8 tablespoons (112 g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
* 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* ⅔ cup (150 g) Greek-style non-dairy plain yogurt, at room temperature
(nondairy sour cream also works well)
* 1 cup (200 g) peeled, ripe bananas, mashed lightly (from about 2
* 2 tablespoons (28 g) virgin coconut oil, melted
* ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
* Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line a standard 9 x 5 inch loaf pan,
* In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder,
salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
* Add the coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, then the yogurt, mixing until just
combined after each addition.
* Add the mashed bananas and mix them carefully into the batter, taking care
not to further mash the bananas.
* Transfer half of the banana batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it
into an even layer with a wet spatula. Set both aside briefly.
MAKE AND ADD THE SWIRL.
* In a small bowl, place all the swirl ingredients and mix to combine well. It
will be a thick mixture.
* Place about one half of the swirl mixture on top of the batter already in the
loaf pan and spread it gently into an even layer.
* Top with the remaining banana batter and spread that with a wet spatula into
an even layer. Finish with the remaining swirl batter and spread again gently
* With a butter knife held perpendicular to the bottom of the loaf pan, swirl
the batter from one short side to the other of the pan, back and forth in a
* Smooth the top of the swirled batter into an even layer once more.
BAKE THE BANANA BREAD.
* Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
The loaf should be until golden brown on top, and mostly firm toward the
* Lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until completely
firm when pressed lightly in the center, another 10 to 15 minutes.
* Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a
wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
* Leftovers can be wrapped very tightly and stored at room temperature for up
to 3 days, and frozen for longer storage.
Originally published on the blog in 2018; in 2022, recipe clarified a bit, text
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
This cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas! #glutenfree
#dairyfree #bananabread
cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread is naturally dairy free—and it’s
incredibly moist and tender. The cinnamon-sugar just seals the deal. It’s going
to become your new favorite way to save those dying bananas! #glutenfree
#dairyfree #bananabread