Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

baked stacked banana bread with cup of coffee beside it

This Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread is the ultimate easy and delicious quick bread! Loaded with nutty Fall flavors thanks to the brown butter and cinnamon, it’s cozy and oh so delicious! 

You guys! Another season, another quick bread amiright?! 

I do love many types…all the types of quick bread, like, Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread, my beloved Cinnamon Peach Bread and the OG Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. 

But there is something extra cozy and comforting about this particular banana bread. Maybe it’s because I always have an abundance of ripe bananas in my fruit bowl just begging to be made into this thick, dense loaf. 

overhead shot of baked banana bread with nuts on top

Or maybe it’s because it’s finally Fall and I really want my house to smell like banana bread all the time. 

Either way, I’m all in and super swooning over this Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (yes I know, it’s a mouthful!) 

Why You’ll LOVE This Bread: 

Well first off, I have two words for you: BROWN BUTTER. 

If you aren’t sure of the amazingness of brown butter, I encourage you to try it out! It’s basically a method of melting butter in a pan until it’s frothy and golden brown (but not burnt of course!)

It adds incredible flavor – especially a hint of nuttiness to the bread. It pairs perfectly with the other spices you find!

straight on shot of inside of banana bread with cinnamon swirl

The natural sweetness of the banana comes through in each bite and of course, that cinnamon swirl is just perfection! It’s the epitome of Fall and I feel like I want a cinnamon swirl in every single one of my baked goods this season. 

The loaf is dense with flavor, so moist, soft, fluffy and of course, just has the best taste!

So let’s get into what you need to make it! 

Ingredients You Need: 

  • Ripe bananas 
  • Melted butter 
  • Granulated + brown sugar 
  • Eggs 
  • Sour cream 
  • Vanilla extract 
  • All purpose flour 
  • Baking soda + baking powder + salt
  • Cinnamon 

Best Banana Bread Baking Tips: 

Begin by preheating the oven, my darlings! Then, it’s time to start the brown butter I was talking about earlier. 

Grab your favorite pan and place it on medium heat. Add in an entire stick of butter – I like to use salted, and let it melt down, stirring occasionally. 

browned butter in pan

Soon you will begin to notice it foaming at the top, continue to stir it and it will eventually become a golden brown color. Be sure not to let it burn! It should take about 6-7 minutes overall. 

Once it’s browned, add it to a large glass bowl and let it cool down.

While that’s cooling, grab those super ripe bananas and begin to mash them up in a bowl until they have as little lumps as possible! 

To the brown butter, add in the delightful sugar we all know and love and whisk it up until it’s combined. Then add the wet ingredients which include eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream. 

banana bread batter in glass bowl

I often substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream and it works just as well – by the way! 

Finally stir in those mashed bananas. Try not to eat the batter – it’s going to smell really good though! 

Add in the dry ingredients directly to the wet and stir to combine, making sure they are very evenly distributed. 

Grab your favorite 9×5 loaf pan and grease it or add parchment paper, whichever you prefer! 

Add half of the batter into the pan. 

side by side photos of pre-baked banana bread vs. baked in pan

Time for the cinnamon swirl! Add cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl and mix it up. Add in melted butter as well and mix until it has a paste-like consistency. 

Add this directly on top of the first half of the batter and use a bread knife to swirl it around. Then add the other half of the batter on top. 

slice of banana bread on plate with butter and cup of coffee in the background

Time to bake! Get ready for your house to smell AH-MAZING. 

You can garnish this bread with nuts once it comes out of the oven or skip them. Make sure to let it cool COMPLETELY before you cut into it! 

hand grabbing slice of banana bread with bite taken out of it

Once sliced, add a smidge of butter, a pinch of cinnamon and savor every bite! 

Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like: 

Carrot Cake Bread 

Pumpkin Swirl Skillet Bread 

Pumpkin Beer Bread 

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie

Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

This Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread is the ultimate easy and delicious quick bread! Loaded with nutty Fall flavors thanks to the brown butter and cinnamon, it’s cozy and oh so delicious! 

Course bread, Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brown butter banana bread, cinnamon banana bread, cinnamon swirl banana bread, easy banana bread
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Author Haylie

Ingredients

  • 4 medium ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (can sub full fat greek yogurt)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 and 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp butter, melted
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2.5 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

Browning Butter

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Add 1 stick of butter to pan on medium low heat and let melt and cook down until browned and the top is foamy, about 7-8 minutes. STIR CONTINUALLY to make sure it doesn't burn.

  3. Once the butter is browned, add to a large bowl and let cool down for about 5 minutes.

Making Banana Bread

  1. Add ripe bananas to a small bowl and mash until fully mashed with hardly any lumps. 

  2. To the melted browned butter, add your granulated and brown sugar. Using a whisk, whisk together until combined.

  3. Next, add in your eggs, sour cream and the vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Directly add the mashed bananas to the butter/sugar mixture.

  4. Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into the banana mixture. Mix only until incorporated. Don’t over mix! 

Baking Banana Bread

  1. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with butter and then line with parchment paper. Add HALF of your batter directly to the pan.

  2. In a small bowl, mix ingredients for the cinnamon swirl. Top the half of the batter with the cinnamon swirl mix and then mix it in with a butter knife. 

  3. Add the rest of the batter on top of the swirl. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. 

  4. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes or so and then remove to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before you slice it. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!

2 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Please add the baking powder to the recipe. I realized that is missing after starting and reading the directions again compared to the ingredients.

    1. Hi Stacy – oh no! I’m so sorry about that!! I just added it – it should be 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder. So sorry I accidentally forgot to add it. Hope you enjoy the recipe!! 🙂 – Haylie

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