If you thought chocolate chip banana bread was good, wait until you've tried this cinnamon banana bread with sweet raisins!
The mashed bananas make this cinnamon bread incredibly moist while the top of the bread bakes to a perfect golden brown!
Enjoy this cinnamon sugar banana bread as a delicious loaf for the breakfast table with Greek yogurt or a sweet treat with cinnamon sugar topping.
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Just like in my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread overripe bananas will give the sweetest flavor. You can add chocolate chips on top of raisins or just use raisins that will give additional sweet flavor along with bananas.
We have plenty of baking recipes for breakfast or to enjoy as a quick snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- Bananas - You’ll need about 3 bananas that are ripe and mashed (about 1 cup).
- Raisins - Regular raisins work well in this recipe, although you could also use Golden raisins or a mixture. Dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried cherries can also be used in addition to the raisins or as an alternative.
- Cinnamon - This spice adds warmth to the dessert bread while not overpowering the other flavors in the bread. It’s the perfect complement to the banana and raisins.
- Eggs - Room temperature is best for mixing the eggs into the flour mixture, creating a smooth textured bread batter.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is a sturdy option for this cinnamon banana bread recipe. You could use gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill, or plant-based flour, like coconut flour or almond flour. I’ve sifted the flour to prevent lumps in the batter.
- Baking soda - Check the expiry date on the packaging of this leavening agent so that it produces a good rise in the bread. You can take the extra step of sifting the baking soda to prevent lumps in the batter.
- Butter - I’ve used salted butter (softened at room temperature) in this cinnamon banana raisin bread, but you could use unsalted butter instead and increase the salt called for in the recipe. Vegetable oil or coconut oil can be used instead of butter. Don't use melted butter in this simple banana bread otherwise, the bread will be overly moist.
- Vanilla extract - I use good-quality vanilla extract in most dessert bread and other baked treats.
- Sugar - I’ve used a combination of dark brown sugar (½ cup) and granulated white sugar (¾ cup) in the cinnamon banana bread batter. The white granulated sugar adds sweetness and a crispy crust, while dark brown sugar creates moist dessert bread. I suggest using both sugars and not swapping one for the other.
You can also add a delicious easy glaze like in my Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread with or without the lemon juice. Substitute it with other juices of choice or simply milk.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9x5 inch prepared pan with butter or cooking spray, or use parchment paper instead. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat on medium until all combined. Stir in the bananas, raisins, and vanilla until mixed in.
Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan, and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in a closed container or bag for 2-3 days.
Tips
- Most ovens differ which is why it’s important to check on your cinnamon banana bread after 45-50 minutes of baking. If the bread requires further baking, but the top is getting too brown, cover the bread with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking.
- For the best taste and texture, eat this dessert bread within 2 days of baking.
- Make banana nut bread by adding chopped pecans or chopped walnuts to the banana mixture.
- Turn this bread into chocolate chip banana raisin bread by gently folding chocolate chips into the bread batter with a rubber spatula.
- Ripe bananas are usually slightly soft to the touch with some brown/black spots. Don’t use bright yellow bananas, as they contain a higher level of starch with much less flavor. Over-ripe bananas may be overly sweet for this cinnamon swirl banana bread recipe.
- You can also make a quick glaze for this bread, just like I made for my Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe, substitute the orange juice with milk if you don't like the flavor.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
- Allow your raisin bread to cool completely and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- You can keep it longer, for about 4-5 days as well but the texture may not be the same and moist anymore.
- Freeze in an airtight container, preferably wrapped individually in parchment paper, for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
I like my banana bread simple as it is - just plain butter on a warm slice of bread.
But you can also serve this bread with:
- Homemade Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
- Nutella
- Whipped Cream
- Almond Butter
- Plain or flavored Cream cheese with sugar, cinnamon, or vanilla
- Peanut, almond, apple, or Cinnamon honey butter
- Homemade Berry Jam
- Honey, maple syrup or agave syrup
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to keep your baked cinnamon banana bread moist is correct storage. First, allow the dessert bread to cool completely. Line the bottom of the airtight container with a paper towel and cover the bread with another paper towel before sealing the container.
Adding too much banana to the bread batter can make the center of the bread overly moist and appear to be undercooked.
A soggy banana bread bottom is usually an indication that the bread hasn’t baked for long enough, not allowing the bread to dry sufficiently. It could also be an indication that you’ve used too much banana in the batter.
2 bananas that are chopped equals about 1 ⅓ cups while 2 bananas that are mashed will produce about 1 cup. I’ve used 3 bananas, mashed, for this recipe which equalled a full cup.
Fill the banana bread pan two-thirds full which will allow enough space for the bread to rise without spilling over.
Easy Bread Recipes
All Baking recipes can be found here.
More Baking Recipes
- Pumpkin Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips
- Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Roll
- Carrot Cake Muffins
- Refined Sugar Free Banana Bread
- Carrot Banana Pecan Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!
📖Recipe
Cinnamon Banana Bread With Raisins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 3 bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9x5 inch prepared pan with butter or cooking spray, or use parchment paper instead. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat on medium until all combined. Stir in the bananas, raisins, and vanilla until mixed in.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan, and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- Store at room temperature in a closed container or bag for 2-3 days.
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f you thought chocolate chip banana bread was good, wait until you've tried this cinnamon bread with banana flavor and sweet raisins!