Adapted from my orange cranberry bread, this vanilla-flavored cinnamon swirl quick bread is moist and soft with a thick ribbon of cinnamon-sugar swirled inside. You only need a handful of very basic ingredients and there’s no mixer required. This cake-like bread will remind you of cinnamon rolls, but takes a fraction of the time to prepare!
One reader, Nikki, commented: “I never leave reviews on anything, but this bread is phenomenal! It came together really quick and easy, but looks so impressive! And the flavor is a dream. I cannot recommend this enough! ★★★★★”
Do you ever get the baking itch? (Of course you do, why am I even asking?!) But what about the desire to make something truly warm, cozy, and comforting? Where not only that first bite soothes the soul, but the smell of it baking is satisfying too. My cinnamon swirl quick bread checks all those boxes.
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
This Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread Is:
- Melt-in-your-mouth soft & moist
- Vanilla & cinnamon flavored (even better with vanilla icing on top!)
- Very easy to make, no mixer needed
- Layered with an extra thick cinnamon swirl
- Covered with a crackly cinnamon sugar crust
In terms of texture, it’s not quite as dense as pound cake, but it’s definitely heavier than vanilla cake. I like to compare it to apple cinnamon bread and cinnamon swirl banana bread, only without the apples or bananas.
I used to make a version of this bread with buttermilk, but for today’s recipe, I swapped the 1 cup of buttermilk for sour cream and milk. I wanted a slightly denser crumb, while keeping each bite totally tender and soft. Sour cream is a magical ingredient in cakes, cupcakes, breads, muffins, and more. I found that 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk made the bread a little too dry and dense, but 1/3 cup sour cream and 2/3 cup milk was perfect. Brown sugar can weigh down the bread, so I used all regular white sugar. I also increased the vanilla extract and the amount of sugar in the cinnamon swirl. (Thicker swirl!) All of these small changes made a very big difference and you can see similar variations with my orange cranberry bread and peach bread recipes!
Best Ingredients to Use & Why
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this quick bread recipe.
- Salt & Baking Soda: Flavor & rise.
- Vanilla Extract: You’ll appreciate the simple, yet unbeatable flavor of vanilla in the bread itself. If you have homemade vanilla extract on hand, use it here.
- Egg: One egg binds everything together.
- Sugar: You need sugar for both the bread batter and the cinnamon swirl.
- Sour Cream: We use sour cream for moisture and tenderness, but also because its lactic acid helps the baking soda do its job. This powerhouse ingredient plays the same important role in coffee cake, too (which you’ll love just as much as this bread!).
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but you can use a lower fat or nondairy milk in its place.
- Oil: While butter provides unbelievable flavor, nothing beats the moisture that oil provides. We use oil in this quick bread recipe (and others like strawberry bread, pumpkin bread, and lemon poppy seed bread) to produce a moist bread. Plus, the cinnamon sugar swirl and vanilla extract both provide a lot of flavor.
Extra Thick Cinnamon Swirl
To assemble the cinnamon swirl, layer half of the bread batter into your greased loaf pan. Top with almost all of the cinnamon sugar (as noted in the written recipe below, reserve 2 Tablespoons for the topping). Pour and gently spread the remaining batter on top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon sugar, then use a knife to swirl.
As you layer in all that cinnamon sugar filling, you’ll question the amount. Really? This much cinnamon sugar? Yes! For an extra thick cinnamon sugar swirl inside, we need an extra amount layered in. There’s A LOT. If you’re looking to spice up the flavor, try using a chai spice blend instead. Check out my white chocolate chai snickerdoodles and use the sugar/chai spice “topping” as the filling here. (Still reserving 2 Tablespoons of it for this bread’s topping.) There are more flavors and variations listed in the recipe notes below.
One of my favorite parts is the cinnamon sugar around the edges. Some of the cinnamon sugar from the center may seep out, creating an irresistible crisp/chewy crust.
Looking for a yeasted cinnamon swirl bread? See my homemade cinnamon swirl bread.
How to Freeze Quick Bread
Freezing quick breads is a lot like how to freeze cakes.
- Step 1: Bake and completely cool quick bread.
- Step 2: Once the bread cools completely, wrap it in Press & Seal or plastic wrap. From one baker to another—Press & Seal is the best product for wrapping baked goods. I find regular plastic wrap too thin, clingy, and frustrating. It definitely works, but Press & Seal is easier to use and I’ve honestly found that it keeps my food fresher. (Not working with this brand, just really love it.)
- Step 3: Write the type of bread and use-by date on a large piece of aluminum foil. For best taste and texture, don’t freeze quick bread for longer than 3 months. You could stretch it to 4 or 5 months, but the sooner you serve it, the fresher it tastes.
- Step 4: Wrap the bread in the aluminum foil and place in the freezer. You could place the wrapped bread in a freezer container or freezer-friendly zipped top bag, but I often just freeze it after wrapping in aluminum foil.
- Step 5: Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the frozen bread to the refrigerator one day before serving. Sometimes I forget and just let the bread thaw at room temperature for several hours, but it’s better to thaw at a slower rate in the refrigerator. Make sure you thaw bread while it’s still in the wrapping. Don’t unwrap before thawing.
Baker’s Tip: Two layers of wrap is key! The first layer keeps the bread fresh and the aluminum foil ensures no condensation will seep in. Double layer = maximum freshness and no freezer burn. Moisture is the enemy, so don’t be afraid to add another layer of Press & Seal or aluminum foil.
Print
Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vanilla-flavored cinnamon swirl quick bread is moist and soft with a thick ribbon of cinnamon-sugar swirled inside. Feel free to turn this recipe into muffins or mini loaves. See recipe Notes below. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Bread
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1/3 cup (75g/80ml) vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream (or plain yogurt/Greek yogurt), at room temperature*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: vanilla icing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch or 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- For the Cinnamon Swirl: In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Make the Bread: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, milk, oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk just until combined. Avoid over-mixing. The batter should be thick and creamy.
- Pour/spread about half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle almost all of the cinnamon-sugar evenly on top (reserve about 2 Tablespoons for topping). It’s a very thick layer of cinnamon-sugar. Carefully pour/spread the remaining batter evenly on top. The top layer of batter will try to stick to the cinnamon-sugar filling, making spreading a little more difficult, but use a spoon to carefully spread it out as best you can. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar on top. Using a knife, make a large swirl down the loaf pan, as shown in the video tutorial. Avoid over-swirling, which will mix the layers together too much.
- Bake the bread for 50–65 minutes, tenting loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Bread baked in an 8×4-inch pan takes closer to 65 minutes. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. After that, remove the bread from the pan and let it finish cooling directly on the rack.
- Drizzle with icing, if using. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, you can freeze the glazed or unglazed bread for up to 3 months. See details above the recipe. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before glazing (if needed) and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream & Milk: I use a mix of sour cream and whole milk here. The crumb is tighter and more tender—you’ll love it. Using all milk creates a thinner batter that can overflow and take much longer to bake. That being said, feel free to use 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the sour cream and whole milk option here. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the bread won’t taste as rich and moist.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Optional Additional Flavors: Feel free to use the chai spice swirl noted above. Or add 1 cup of peeled, chopped apples to the bread batter or even 1 cup of raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans, or dried/fresh/frozen (do not thaw) cranberries. You can also add 1 Tablespoon of fresh orange zest to the bread batter OR cinnamon sugar swirl. Also, the orange glaze from this cranberry bread would be delicious on this bread.
- Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. You will need a 2nd pan for 2 additional muffins as this recipe yields around 14. (Or bake in batches.) Prepare cinnamon swirl and batter in steps 2 + 3. Spoon batter evenly into liners, filling each halfway. Sprinkle each with a heaping spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Top with more batter, filling to the top. Sprinkle each with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Use a knife to swirl the batter/cinnamon sugar in each. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-22 minutes, give or take. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 14 muffins.
- Mini Loaves: Grease a mini loaf pan. Prepare cinnamon swirl and batter in steps 2 + 3. Spoon batter evenly into greased cups, filling each halfway. Sprinkle each with a heaping spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Top with more batter, filling to the top. Sprinkle each with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Use a knife to swirl the batter/cinnamon sugar in each. Bake at 350°F (177°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake time and yield depends on the size of your mini loaf pan.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made this for breakfast in a 10×10 pan. Only took 20 minutes. Used yogurt. Topped with more yogurt to serve with a sprinkle of my homemade granola. Delish! Heart, heart, heart:) I took a picture but can’t figure out how to upload it.
Do you think this recipe would work in a bundt pan?
Hi Lori, you can double the recipe for a 9-12-cup Bundt pan. We’re unsure of the best bake time though. Enjoy!
I saw this and had to make it! It was pretty yummy! The only thing I would change is incorporating the cinnamon sugar on top a bit more (or even mix with a little butter) as it didn’t really mix into the bread so it was just a dry topping that fell off as I cut into it. But will definitely be making this again!
I saw this and had to make it! It was pretty yummy! The only thing I would change is incorporating the cinnamon sugar on top a bit more (or even mix with a little butter) as it didn’t really mix into the bread so it was just a dry topping that fell off as I cut into it. But will definitely be making this again!
Would avocado oil or coconut oil work in place of vegetable oil? Thank you!
Hi Marie, yes, either should work just fine here!
I made the cinamon swirl bread, it is so delicious my friend asked me for the recipe. Yummy for sure, thanks for sharing
I needed something quick and easy to make when I learned company was stopping over one afternoon. I found this recipe and gave it a try. It did not disappoint. It was so easy to whip together and tasted delicious. Everyone loved it and my husband has asked me to make again. 2 thumbs up for a fabulous recipe. Loved that no mixer was required!
This tasted amazing!
Couple notes:
I would suggest keeping 1.5 tbsp of the cinnamon sugar for the top. I did the 2, and not all of it cooked into the cake, making it a mess of sugar when I took it out of the loaf pan! Keep more of it for the inside! 🙂
I made it with buttermilk, and in a 9×5 loaf pan, since I was trying to find I way to use up the carton, not sure if that affected the rise, but mine didn’t rise up as tall as in the picture, but the flavour and texture is fantastic!
So the 4 stars in hopes to have a “rounder loaf”. But 5 in taste and texture!
Do you still have the older version of this recipe? I believe it used buttermilk and had chocolate chips mixed in as well.
Hi Tina! This recipe hasn’t changed. Sorry we can’t help more!
Delicious recipe!
Please can you advise on how to get a better rise? Thanks
Hi Nan, is your baking soda fresh? We find it starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months, even if it’s not yet expired. Be careful not to over mix the batter either, which can cause it the bread to bake up squat and dense. We hope this helps for next time!
I made this bread exactly the way it was written. I barely stirred the batter and baked the alotted time.. The finished loaf was very dry . I added the icing to help with the dryness. The flavor is fine and I might try it again baking for a shorter time to see if that helps.
I saw this recipe on tik tok by someone else. I tried it. But afterwards came to your page for pointers. I wish I would have started here. I used cold buttermilk and a cold egg! I will try again to see if it turns out better. Also didn’t cover with foil so the top was very crunchy.
Can I use butter in this recipe instead of oil and how much ? I am out of oil : (
Hi Cee Bear, we recommend using oil for really moist bread but melted butter would work in a pinch!
Love this cinnamon bread
So easy and good. Next time will try adding raisins but it was wonderful without.
This is a delicious quick bread recipe. I made a full loaf for my family holiday gathering and mini loaves to hand out to my neighbors. It was a hit with everyone! It is a very easy recipe and has a permanent spot in my recipe book.
Can I use read flour instead of all,purpose?
Hi Toni, we don’t recommend bread flour for this quick bread recipe.
I will be trying this recipie tonight xx I can’t wait!!!!!
I’ve made several of your quick bread recipes all of which are delicious. I am having inconsistent results which may be due to over/under mixing. Can you please tell me how I can know the batter is mixed enough without over mixing. Thank you so much!
Hi Mary, only mix the wet and dry ingredients together JUST until combined. We usually run a whisk or spatula through the batter a couple times at the very end to ensure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Whether you’re using a mixer or mixing by hand, don’t over-mix. Hope this helps for next time.
I love cinnamon and this cinnamon swirl quick bread was delicious!
I’ve enjoyed baking and sharing many of your delicious bread and cookie recipes!
I made this really quick for my fiancés grandfather for his birthday because it’s the only thing I had ingredients for. It was so good!
My 13-year-old granddaughter and I made this together for a bread contest at her school and she won! Incredibly easy with amazing results!
Great recipe! I’ve made it more than once. I use cup-for-cup GF flour and have no issues.
This was sooo good! My husband and grandkids devoured it. It is a very easy recipe. I will be making this again for Christmas morning. Thank you
This is now my go to recipe for quick bread. Sometimes I add diced apples and sometimes I add blueberries. Everyone loves it!
Have made this before and it’s so so delicious! I plan on making it again this year for my annual cookie boxes, in a mini-loaf pan.
I’m wondering if I could use the buttermilk version and swap in eggnog? I will have a container of eggnog on hand for the cranberry spice cookies with eggnog frosting and would love to be able to utilize it elsewhere rather than buy a whole container just for a few tablespoons. The Googles say it’s a 1:1 swap, I’m just wondering what you think?
Thank you for making it so easy to speak my love language (food!)
Hi Rebecca, we haven’t tested it with eggnog, but it does sound delicious! If you decide to try it, I think it would be best if you follow the DIY buttermilk instructions and add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the eggnog to get the acid in there.
Add the vinegar or lemon juice for the “tang”?
I never leave reviews on anything, but this bread is phenomenal! It came together really quick and easy, but looks so impressive! And the flavor is a dream. I cannot recommend this enough!
Baked this bread for a ladies brunch, it was a hit!! Next time I want to try it with the chopped apples.Thanks Sally
I ended up making it more than once. Currently 4x recipe so that I can share it with my co-workers and hopefully have some for breakfast at the bar I work at. They keep asking me, make me more please. It’s fire and I need more they tell me. Thank you for creating this recipe and I really enjoy your website.
Have a good holidays!
sooooo amazing! Sorta sorry I shared it w others, but don’t tell them.