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
Hi, I chose this recipe for my holiday baking this year. Decided to do 20 loaves. I mixed each one individually, as I often do with new recipes, until I get a feel for them. Once I had six ready, we put them in to bake, and I worked getting the next batch ready. So there was some time spent sitting on the counter, and they all ended up baking for a longer time, maybe 10-15 minutes longer. Also we’re near Denver, CO, so we’re at altitude and have learned to always add a 1/4 cup extra of flour to anything we bake. I used your chai spice mixture. They turned out wonderful, but I think they were a bit dry. Of everything I did, can you maybe figure out what contributed to this? Thank you very much, I’m very excited to try more of your recipes! Have a Merry Christmas! Melissa
Hi Melissa, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. We wish we could help in regards to the altitude, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html The added flour could definitely be contributing to the dryness. Over baking can contribute, too, so you might try decreasing the bake time a bit, especially if you baked them on the longer side. We hope this helps for your next batches!
This looks so good! Would I be able to use evaporated milk instead of whole milk? Condensed milk?
Hi Nicole, we recommend sticking with whole milk for best results.
I love loaves that are moist and not dry. I made you banana bread and it was very good. I am going to try the cinnamon loaf but I will put brown sugar and cinnamon.
I enjoy watching and using your recipe. Love it! Hope to see more baking recipes.
how many loaves does this make?
Hi Olivia, one loaf of quick bread.
Lordy, I’m addicted. This is the best cinnamon bread and so so easy. I’m making a loaf for everyone I know for the holidays.
Can I make the batter ahead the night before?
Hi Lara, we don’t recommend it. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, the leaveners are activated and it’s best to bake the batter right away. You could bake it one day and serve the next!
Hi there,
Your recipe looks delicious and I want to bake several mini loaves. Have you tried this? Wondering about cook time. Also I will be using gf King Arthur flour. Fingers crossed. Thanks❤️
Hi Dot! The baking time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Let us know how they go!
Hi Dot! Wondering how it went with the mini loaves as I’m wanting to do the same!
I baked the mini loaves and they turned out wonderfully texture-wise! I do think if I were to make mini loaves again, I might increase the amount of cinnamon sugar mixture to give it a sweeter taste and more prominent swirl.
How many mini loaves did the recipe make?
Hi! Would it be okay to use olive oil or coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Love love your recipes, can’t wait to try this one!
Hi Cora, those swaps would definitely change the flavor of this bread. Let us know if you try!
I was wondering which kind of flour to use with this cinnamon swirl quick bread all purpose or unbleached all purpose flour
Hi Constance, both can often be used interchangeably, but they will produce slightly different results in terms of softness and chewiness. Bleached flour is treated with chemicals to whiten it and speed up aging, resulting in a softer, finer texture that works well for cakes and cookies. Unbleached flour ages naturally with oxygen, has a slightly darker, off-white color, and a denser, sturdier texture ideal for breads and other recipes where structure is important.
Could I sub buttermilk for the yogurt here?
Hi James, yes, buttermilk can be used in the place of the milk and sour cream. Hope you love it!
This was SO good! I didn’t have any whole milk, so I used unsweetened soy. I also used avocado oil since I did not have other vegetable oil. Fantastic recipe! Will for sure make again.
This is a holiday favorite at our house!
Perfect! But now I’ve been asked to make it with apples. Not your apple bread with the creamed butter, but this cinnamon bread with the addition of apples.
Any suggestions on how to adjust this recipe to add apples? Don’t want to make an over moist mess.
Oh, and half dark brown sugar half white for the swirl and topping works great
Hi P, so glad the bread was a hit! See recipe notes – we recommend adding 1 cup of peeled, chopped apples to the bread batter.
Could I use brown sugar, or a combination of brown and granulated sugar, for the cinnamon swirl?
Hi CH, you could use it in the swirl if you prefer. Though the brown sugar may be a little clumpy and hard to sprinkle neatly on top. Let us know what you try!
So delicious! Moist, flavorful and not at all dry. Was done in 50 minutes in my oven. Next time I try the icing drizzle on top.
Thank you!
Could this be baked in a loaf mold and turned out?
Hi Rosemarie! We haven’t tried it, but imagine it would turn out – let us know if you give it a try!
Can I make these as jumbo muffins?
Can’t see why not! Let us know if you try, Walter.
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Hi Natalie, we recommend using oil for a really moist bread but melted butter could work in a pinch!
Just tries this recipe, it was excellent! All the cinnamon and sugar create a crunch that makes this different from your cinnamon swirl yeast bread, which is great as well! This recipe doesn’t take much time except to cool off, it’s the perfect quick bread to make. Thank you for another great recipe Sally!
hi – can i double this and use a bundt pan? thanks!
Hi Andrea, you can double the recipe for a 9-12-cup Bundt pan. We’re unsure of the best bake time though. Enjoy!
Not impressed with this recipe
Followed from the book
Dry and lacking flavor
Hi Cindy, we’re so sorry to hear you were disappointed with this recipe. We’d love to help troubleshoot. When breads come out dry, it is usually because 1) they are over baked or 2) the flour was over measured. How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a food scale) to ensure just the right amount of flour, as too much will significantly dry out the bread. We hope this helps for your next batch, and thank you for giving this recipe a try.
I’m a beginner – I got inspired here, first time I’ve ever made bread and this turned out well, tasted great, wow. Hopefully encouraging for other beginners to give this one a try. Day after baking I warmed up a slice to have with coffee – yum!
Hello! I’d love to make 3 loaves. Could I triple the recipe, or should I make three separate batches before baking? Any advice is appreciated!
Hi A, you shouldn’t need to make separate batches here. Enjoy!
Can I use 1 for 1 Bob’s Red Mill flour? You may not have tested this! We have a gluten intolerant friend who is coming for brunch and the recipe looks fantastic.
Hi Ellen, we haven’t tried it, but some readers have reported using an all purpose 1:1 gluten free flour in many of our recipes with success!
What would be the best egg substitute for this? I was thinking applesauce but I don’t want it to become too dense.
Hi Emily, we haven’t tested it personally, but some readers have reported success with using a flax egg. Hope it turns out great!
What would I need to change if I added protein power specifically made for baking?
Can I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil in this recipe? Also, could I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of whole milk? Can the sugar be reduced?
Hi Lisa, you can use melted coconut oil and unsweetened almond milk. While you can try reducing the sugar, keep in mind that it plays an important role in the overall taste, texture, and structure of the bread, so the outcome will be different. Let us know if you do give this bread a try.
I made this today, it was delicious!! Everyone in the family loved it.
I often make the lemon pound cake from this website and my family devours it…I was informed that this cake trumps it! Thanks for the great recipe , super quick to whip up and easy!
I get up early this morning and prepare this Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Put it in the oven and that glorious spice smell is wafting through the house. Get ready to take it out of the oven and sitting all by its self pushed to the side on the counter is the 1/3 cup of oil. Oh no!! Well, I guess I’ll baking another one this morning but his time I will be using ALL the listed ingredients. LOL! Still gonna give it 5 stars!
I followed the recipe exactly, changed nothing and cooked the bread for 60 minutes. The flavour is delicious I find the loaf way too dry even with a glaze of icing. I will make it again for sure but definitely less cooking time. My swirles were not deep enough I’ll swirl more next time as I ended up with the top swirled but the cinnamon layer straight across.