Learn how to make the best banana bread recipe on the Internet: This banana bread is made with whole wheat flour and topped with a delicious cinnamon streusel crumb topping. So good!
I love having banana bread stashed away in the freezer – it is an absolute treasure on those busy mornings.
My whole wheat banana bread is perfectly freezer-friendly and I pretty much always have a few loaves on hand. This one has a cinnamon crunch topping that my 5 year old likes to pick off the bread… Yeah, it’s really good 😉
Just FYI, even though this uses whole wheat flour, it still has some sugar in it. If you want a refined sugar free banana bread, take a look at my healthy banana bread!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Butter: Please use real butter for best results. If you prefer to use margarine, you must use stick margarine. A buttery spread/spreadable margarine will not work.
- Oil: A neutral vegetable oil works best. Melted coconut oil or melted butter both work, too.
A note about the whole wheat: You can definitely tell this bread is made with whole wheat flour. I like this addition because it gets some fiber into my kids! You can generally use any of these flour combinations in this recipe:
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour plus ¼ cup cornstarch (as written in the recipe above)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour plus 1 cup white flour
- 2 cups white flour; add 1-2 tablespoons extra if batter seems thin
If you want a more dessert-y bread and don’t care about the whole wheat, try my Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread. If you want a refined sugar free, whole wheat banana bread, try my Healthy Banana Bread.
And if you want an in-depth guide on making banana bread with whole wheat flour in general, my guide to making whole wheat banana bread is for you.
Step by step photos
Steps to make cinnamon crunch banana bread:
1) Cut cold butter into flour, sugar and cinnamon until
2) streusel form – chill.
3) Combine dry ingredients, then
4) mash bananas and mix with
5) wet ingredients.
6) Fold wet into dry ingredients just until combined.
7) Spread in lined pan and
8) top with streusel to bake.
Recipe tips
- Stirring the batter: Do NOT overmix the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense banana bread. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to combine it, never a whisk or a mixer.
- Muffins: This bread recipe also works great as muffins, bake for around 20 minutes.
- Moisture: This recipe has a few healthy swaps. They don’t make it super special health food… But the Greek yogurt in there especially helps to make a moist banana bread – even though I make this bread with 100% whole wheat flour! It’s also important not to overmix the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense and gummy loaf vs a fluffy and moist one.
Crumb topping
Crumb toppings and streusels are some of my favorite things on top of a baked good. I love them on Banana Crumb Muffins, on Pumpkin Streusel Bread, on Cinnamon Crunch Zucchini Bread… See? Favorite thing ever 😉
The keys to a good topping are to
- use cold butter (NOT melted butter, and NOT buttery spread or any other substitute!)
- cut the butter into the flour and sugar until you have a heap of small and large crumbs – if it feels too wet/pasty, add another tablespoon of flour
- lightly push it into the batter of the banana bread to help it stick to the loaf
Banana bread FAQs
Pretty ripe – definitely soft with lots of brown spots, if not brown all over.
However, I do NOT like banana bread made with extra super ripe bananas – you know, the entirely black ones. They just taste too intense for my liking.
If you need to ripen your bananas, you can bake them in their peels on a lined baking sheet at 300°F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool until you can safely touch them before using.
You need to keep your banana bread tightly wrapped or in an airtight glass container to keep it from drying out. If you keep it in the fridge tightly wrapped, it will keep for about 5 days and stay relatively moist.
Storage tips
Banana bread keeps quite well. Wrap it tightly in foil or stick it into an airtight container to keep it moist.I like storing it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer instructions
Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost on a wire cooling tray on the counter. You can warm it in the oven for a few minutes, if you like.
Tip: I like freezing quick breads in individual slices, separated by parchment paper. That way I can always pull out just as many as I need, AND they defrost a lot faster than an entire bread!
More quick breads
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread
Recipe details
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- ¾ cup sugar can reduce to ⅓ – ½ cup for a less sweet version
- ⅓ cup oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour see notes for substitutes
- ¼ cup cornstarch or more whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Crumb Topping
- ½ cup flour plain or whole wheat
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- Prep: Heat the oven to 360°F. Grease and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Make topping: For the crumb topping, place the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Stir together until well combined.
- Combine wet ingredients: Stir together all wet ingredients in a separate large measuring jug until well combined.
- Assemble bread: Pour wet into dry ingredients and fold together just until flour is moistened (a few lumps are fine). Place the batter in the prepared loaf tin and evenly sprinkle with the crumb topping.
- Bake the banana bread: Bake for around 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling tray to cool completely (remember to peel off the parchment paper, too!)
Notes
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour plus ¼ cup cornstarch (as written in the recipe above)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour plus 1 cup white flour
- 2 cups white flour; add 1-2 tablespoons extra if batter seems thin
Baking Tips:
Stirring the batter: Do NOT overmix the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense and chewy banana bread. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to combine it, never a whisk or a mixer. Muffins: This bread recipe also works great as muffins, bake for around 20 minutes. Moisture: This recipe has a few healthy swaps. They don’t make it super special health food… But the Greek yogurt in there especially helps to make a moist banana bread – even though I make this bread with 100% whole wheat flour! It’s also important not to overmix the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense and gummy loaf vs a fluffy and moist one.Crumb topping:
Crumb toppings and streusels are some of my favorite things on top of a baked good. I love them on Banana Crumb Muffins, on Pumpkin Streusel Bread, on Cinnamon Crunch Zucchini Bread… See? Favorite thing ever 😉 The keys to a good topping are to- use cold butter (NOT melted butter, and NOT buttery spread or any other substitute!)
- cut the butter into the flour and sugar until you have a heap of small and large crumbs – if it feels too wet/pasty, add another tablespoon of flour
- lightly push it into the batter of the banana bread to help it stick to the loaf
Ingredient Notes:
Banana ripeness:
Pretty ripe – definitely soft with lots of brown spots. However, I do NOT like banana bread made with extra super ripe bananas – you know, the entirely black ones. They just turn too alcoholic for my taste.Storage Instructions
Banana bread keeps quite well. Wrap it tightly in foil or stick it into an airtight container to keep it moist. I like storing it in the fridge for up to 5 days.Freezer Tips:
Wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost on a wire cooling tray on the counter. You can warm it in the oven for a few minutes, if you like. TIP: I like freezing quick breads in individual slices, separated by parchment paper. That way I can always pull out just as many as I need, AND they defrost a lot faster than an entire bread!Nutrition
More recipe information
I first published this recipe in 2017. I updated it on 05/29/2020 to make it better for you.
Mary Hand says
Is there axway to make this recioe gluten free?
Nora says
Mary, readers have reported great results when using cup-for-cup gluten free flour as a substitute. I haven’t personally tried it, though, but I think it would work well.
Sarah says
Can I sub applesauce for the oil?
Nora says
Sarah, I know some readers have successfully used applesauce and/or Greek yogurt in place of the oil. I have personally never tried, but I recall they were all happy with the result. Hope this helps!
Dayna says
Hi how are you? This looks delicious! I know my son will love it, I was just curious what are some alternatives you would subject in place of the Greek yogurt ?
Nora says
Dayna, you can just use more mashed banana in place of the Greek yogurt! Hope this helps.
Iva says
Would the streusel sugar melt by itself or would it not hurt to add an eggwash between the bread and streusel? I am only concerned that the streusel won’t stick properly. And, as said on Facebook, thanks for the white flour option and repeating the crucial things. I had recipes not work out for ridiculous reasons, such as using cheese or milk with less fat, I tend to miss a key ingredient like salt in savoury cookies and all this repetition is a blessing for a person with suspected ADHD. Thank you so much. <3
Nora says
Iva, I don’t think an egg wash would help the streusel to stick, and it would be difficult to brush egg on the batter anyways. What you can do is push the streusel slightly into the batter. I’m glad you found the post helpful. I have suspected ADHD as well and it’s the reason why I try to be so meticulous on my recipe writing – recipes just overwhelm me otherwise, haha.
Melle says
Hello! I am about to try this recipe and I noticed you didn’t mention the temperature of the oven?
Nora says
Melle, it’s the first line in the recipe card: “Heat the oven to 360°F.” Hope this helps!
Chelsea says
I do not have Greek yogurt on hand, could I use sour cream instead?
Nora says
Absolutely, Chelsea.
Vienna Harrison says
This is a great recipe! I was hoping these could be a more healthy substitute for a sour cream coffee cake muffin that I love but is really decadent, and these really fit the bill. Thank you for giving suggested bake time for the muffin conversion – I almost always prefer to make muffins instead of a loaf and can somehow never remember bake times. I also chose to do the 1C white flour and 1C whole wheat flour suggestion, and I layered the crumb topping on the bottom, middle and top of the muffin because we are cinnamon lovers in this house. I only had vanilla greek yogurt so I cut the sugar to 1/3 cup as you suggested for cutting sweetness and they turned out beautifully! I had way more crumb topping than I needed but I put it in the freezer for next time. I will definitely be holding on to this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Nora says
Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe, Vienna!
Trudy Porter says
Can this banana bread be made with gluten free flour? Can’t tolerate gluten. Am planning to make your recipe for Blueberry Cobble soon and husband is very happy and excited..has a love affair with blueberries! Thanks so much for coming up with such an easy recipe!
Nora says
Trudy, I know readers have successfully made this banana bread with a gluten free flour blend. Unfortunately I have never tried it myself, but I have gotten reports of it working out well. I hope you’ll enjoy the banana bread and the cobbler!
Stefanie says
Great banana bread! I had to make a few changes – I only had one table spoon of butter, so for the crumb I halved the dry ingredients and just used the 1 tbsp butter and that turned out ok – definitely would have been better with more, but it worked! I also used 1 7/8 whole wheat flour and 1/8 cornstarch, was a bit low on both banana and oil so added an extra egg white. Finally, I added about a cup of blueberries right at the end before baking. Overall, quite tasty! My version ends up around 230 calories if splitting into 12 servings.
Jayne Davidson says
This was the best banana bread I have ever made and it’s made with healthy ingredients! I used Splenda brown sugar, and used 1/3 cup sugar and about 10 packs of Reg Splenda. I also added the following for extra fiber and protein: 3 Tbs Organic Chia Seeds, 2 Tbs Flax Seed, and about 1/4 cup walnuts. So Delicious!!!