Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread with Streusel Topping —Super SOFT and tender banana bread that’s impossible to resist!! The crispy, crumbly, streusel topping makes a good thing even BETTER!! An EASY no-mixer recipe and can be baked as one large loaf if you prefer!!
Cinnamon Banana Streusel Bread Recipe
With over 40+ banana bread and banana recipes, I didn’t have one with a streusel topping, and since I cannot resist streusel anything, I knew I needed to make banana bread with the crispy, slightly crunchy streusel nuggets on top.
The cinnamon banana bread is super soft, tender, moist, and is impossible to resist!
I used my Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread as the banana bread base and halved the streusel recipe in my Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake recipe. No need to reinvent the wheel when I already knew I had two solid recipes in place and I combined them into these three mini loaves.
This is an easy, no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes.
What’s in the Banana Bread with Streusel Topping?
For the moist banana bread itself, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Ripe bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
And for the banana bread topping, you’ll need:
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
I used canola oil, although melted coconut oil is also lovely. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter, and I prefer the taste. A little Greek yogurt or sour cream is extra insurance for a soft, springy, bouncy, fluffy loaf.
Baking tip: Using sour cream, Greek yogurt, or buttermilk in quick bread and muffin recipe ensures more tender results.
How to Make Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
This banana bread with crumb topping is very easy to make! The streusel topping takes maybe an extra 5 minutes to prepare, if that.
Make the banana bread topping: Melt the butter and very lightly ‘fluff in’ the sugars, cinnamon, and salt. You’re actually very lightly fluffing the mixture with a fork to combine it until small marbles and pebbles form. You are not ‘stirring’, you are fluffing lightly and gently.
Combine the wet ingredients: The banana bread batter is pretty straightforward. Whisk the wet ingredients including the egg, sugars, oil, yogurt, and vanilla together.
Add the dry ingredients: Add the bananas before lightly folding in the remaining dry ingredients.
Bake the banana streusel bread: Turn batter out into pan, sprinkle with the streusel, and bake. Your house will smell absolutely heavenly!
Do I Have To Use Mini Loaf Pans?
No, you don’t. I used these three of these 5x3x2-inch pans and they worked perfectly. I like them because they’re great to give to others and I think they look cute, but not obligatory.
Since I know the original recipe that I adapted this one from was baked in an 9×5-inch pan, that will work fine as well, noting that baking time will increase. By how much? Not sure, but I am thinking 10-15 minutes,
I think an 8×4-inch pan would be too small, and the batter may run over the sides.
Tip: I always add my extra muffin batter to a mini loaf pan rather than discarding it if I have already made 12 muffins and have enough batter for just one or two more and the pan easily fits next to my muffin pans and normally the baking time is the same.
Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour?
I’ve only ever made this banana bread recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure if whole wheat flour would work. My gut says no, but if you try it and it works for you please leave me a comment so I can try it myself.
Can I Use Gluten-Free Flour?
If you use a cup-for-cup style gluten-free flour replacement for all-purpose that’s intended for baking, it may work fine, but since I haven’t tested it personally, I cannot say for sure.
Tips for Baking the Banana Streusel Bread
Banana bread is notorious for fooling you and you think it’s done, but it’s really not.Make sure a toothpick inserted deep into the center comes out clean before you decide it’s done and pull it from the oven.
I baked for 32 minutes using the mini loaf pans and that was perfect. Baking time will lengthen if you choose to use a 9×5-inch pan.
Baking times vary based on not only pan size, but also on the moisture content of the bananas, oven, climate, and ingredient variances. Bake until your bread is done and don’t get too hung up on what the clock says.
If for some reason your bread is getting too dark on the top or sides before it’s cooked through (this potential problem will likely only come up in a 9×5 pan), tent the pan with a sheet of foil in the last 15 minutes or so of baking.
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Cinnamon Sugar Streusel Banana Bread
Cinnamon Sugar Streusel Banana Bread - Super SOFT tender banana bread that's impossible to resist!! The crispy, crumbly, streusel topping makes a good thing even BETTER!! An EASY no-mixer recipe and can be baked as one large loaf if you prefer!!
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Bread
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (liquid-state coconut oil may be substituted)
- 1/4 cup cup sour cream (lite is okay; or Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. And spray three 5x3x2-inch mini baking pans very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pans; set aside. See Notes about baking pan options.
- To a medium bowl, add the melted butter, 1/3 cup flour, sugars, cinnamon salt, and fluff very lightly with a fork to combine until small marbles and pebbles form. You are not ‘stirring’, you are fluffing lightly and gently.
- If the topping is very wet and is not fluffing into small pebbles and marbles and is more like wet sand, add additional flour up to 1/2 cup total, or as necessary, to create a streusel; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the egg, sugars, oil, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas and stir to incorporate.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Evenly turn batter out into each of the three prepared pans, smoothing the tops lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly divide and sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of each pan.
- Bake for about 30 to 34 minutes (I baked 32 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking at 25 minutes for doneness. Because all bananas vary in their moisture content, and because all ingredients, ovens, and climates vary, the baking times listed are only guidelines and you need to bake your banana bread until it is done. Watch your bread, not the clock.
- Allow bread to cool in pans for about 30 minutes or until cool enough to turn out.
Streusel Topping:
Bread:
Notes
1. In this recipe, the yield of 10 means 10 servings total, not 10 loaves. Each of the 3 mini loaves can be sliced into about 7-8 slices.
2. I have only made this exact recipe, exactly like this, in 5x3x2-inch mini loaf pans. However the banana bread recipe itself is adapted from Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread which is baked in a 9x5-inch loaf pan and baked for 48-50 minutes. If you're baking this in a 9x5-inch pan, since it doesn't have a layer of cream cheese in the middle, I am guessing that it would bake in about 45 minutes, but you need to watch your bread and not the clock when evaluating for doneness. I don't recommend baking this in two 8x4-inch pans because the loaves I fear will be very short and squat, and not very 'tall' like you'd want in banana bread.
3. Banana bread is notorious for fooling you and you think it's done, but it's really not. Make sure a toothpick inserted deep into the center comes out clean before you decide it's done and pull it from the oven.
4. Storage: Bread will keep airtight at room temp for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months, noting the streusel may not stay as crispy and crunchy after freezing/thawing but the taste will still be great.
Streusel adapted from Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake and Banana Bread adapted from Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 243Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 206mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
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Absolutely the best banana bread ever! Followed recipe as directed and it came out perfect. The streusel brings this banana bread over the top.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that it’s the best banana bread ever for you! I agree, the streusel just takes it over the top :)
I made these today and HOLY COW, they are amazing!!! I made into muffins and baked at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Yum!
I am glad it turned out great for you!
Yes! Another nut/raisin free recipe to try out :) always have trouble stopping my banana bread from drying out so I’m looking forward to giving this one a go if it’s as moist as Marcie claims…looking forward to sharing the results!
It’s super moist that is for sure!
DELICIOUS!! Super moist and delicate. This is so yummy!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out delicious for you!
These look absolutely delicious!