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Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Banana bread with streusel topping—classic golden loaf with a thick cinnamon sugar crumb blanket and a moist banana crumb. Crunchy, buttery streusel bakes into a golden top while the center stays tender.
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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: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread loaf
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until mostly smooth.
  • 0.5 cup butter Melted, then cooled slightly if very hot.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs Large, room temperature for easier mixing.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 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 butter Cold, cut into cubes.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 loaf pan

Method
 

Preheat and grease
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Make the cinnamon streusel
  1. Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together, then cut in cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until large crumbles form.
  2. Refrigerate the streusel while you make the batter so the topping stays crumbly.
Mix the banana bread batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mashed bananas until smooth.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined, leaving the batter slightly thick.
Assemble and bake
  1. Pour the batter into the greased pan and top generously and evenly with all the streusel so it covers the surface.
  2. Bake for 60–70 minutes at 350°F until the streusel is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Notes

For the best texture, keep the streusel cold until it hits the batter, and avoid over-mixing after adding the dry ingredients so the crumb stays tender. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar swap, replace some of the sugar with an equal amount of your preferred baking-style sweetener and expect slightly softer browning.