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Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Banana bread with streusel topping: a moist, tender loaf baked until golden, then crowned with a thick cinnamon crumble blanket. The crunchy top and soft banana crumb bake together for a slice that stays flavorful and satisfying.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas mashed
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup butter melted
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Streusel topping
  • 0.33 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp cold butter cubed

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Set it aside so it’s ready for batter.
Make the cinnamon streusel
  1. Mix all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together until evenly combined. Cut in the cold butter until large crumbles form.
  2. Refrigerate the streusel while you mix the batter, keeping the crumbs cold for better crunch. Once chilled, it will look thicker and clumpier.
Mix the banana bread batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mashed bananas until smooth. The mixture should look glossy and well blended.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour.
Assemble and bake
  1. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread it level. Tap the pan lightly so the surface settles.
  2. Top generously and evenly with all the streusel, covering the entire surface. Leave no large gaps so every slice gets crunch.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 60–70 minutes until the streusel is golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the streusel chilled until the moment it goes on the loaf—cold butter helps the crumbs stay chunky instead of melting smooth. Store wrapped at room temperature for 2–3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a simple swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend to make gluten-free banana bread while keeping the same bake time.