Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls (with Cream Cheese Frosting)
If you’re a fan of banana bread and cinnamon rolls, then this recipe is about to become your new favorite.
These Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls are soft, gooey, and bursting with warm banana-cinnamon flavor. Think bananas foster meets Sunday brunch: comforting, sweet, and just indulgent enough.
Whether you’re baking for a weekend treat, a brunch party, or just because the bananas on your counter are getting a little too ripe, these cinnamon rolls are the perfect solution.
Why You’ll Love These Rolls
- Banana bread flavor baked into fluffy, swirly cinnamon rolls
- A sweet brown sugar + cinnamon filling that melts into the dough
- Thick cream cheese frosting spread on while they’re warm
- Optional crunch from chopped pecans on top
- Easy to make with pantry basics
Let’s dive in!
Ingredients
For the dough + filling:
- 1 cup whole milk, warm
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Make the dough
In a large mixing bowl, stir the warm milk and yeast together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
Add in the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Mix in the flour until fully combined, then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. It should be soft and elastic.
Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let it rise for 45 minutes.
2. Fill and roll
Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 18×8 inches). Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the dough.
Roll into a log and slice into 1-inch thick rolls. Tip: For better shape, cut the dough into strips before rolling, and roll each strip individually.
3. Bake
Place the rolls in two 9×13-inch pans. Don’t crowd them—leave space to rise. Let rest while your oven preheats to 350°F.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden on top and cooked through.
4. Frost and serve
While the rolls bake, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
Spread over warm rolls straight from the oven. Add chopped pecans on top if you like a little crunch!
Storage Tips
Reheat rolls in the microwave for 15 seconds before frosting and serving
Rolls: Store at room temp (without frosting) for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Frosting: Store separately in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Substitutions & Variations
Add-ins: Pecans, walnuts, or even mini chocolate chips work great.
No cream cheese? Use a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar + milk + vanilla).
Extra banana flavor? Add thin banana slices to the filling.
FAQ
What to Serve With These Cinnamon Rolls
Pair with:
- A hot cup of coffee or chai
- Scrambled eggs and fruit for a full brunch
- A dollop of whipped cream on top (yes, really!)
These Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls are pure cozy joy. They’re the kind of treat that makes your kitchen smell like a bakery and keeps everyone coming back for seconds.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think.
Did you add nuts? Extra bananas? How did they turn out?
Drop a comment below or share your baking memories with me.
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls and filling
- 1 cup whole milk, warm
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the warm milkand yeast in a large mixing bowl. Give the ingredients a quick stir and thencover the bowl with a kitchen towel for about 5 minutes, or until the mixtureis foamy.
- Whisk in the mashedbananas, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Add the flour. Gentlywhisk until the flour is completely incorporated with the wet ingredients.
- Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 45 minutes.
- Roll the dough out into a sheet roughly 18×8 inches. Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle the mixture over your dough.
- Roll the dough into a long cylinder and then slice into discs about an inch thick. Place the cinnamon rolls in a 9×13 inch baking dish so they are laying flat and let them rest while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Prepare your frosting by whisking together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting evenly over the cinnamon rolls as they come out of the oven
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- These banana bread cinnamon rolls have an almost bananas foster-like flavor to them because of the combination of bananas, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- If you are planning on having leftovers then you’ll want to store the rolls and frosting separately. You can keep your rolls on the counter for up to 4 days and in the fridge for up to 5 days. The frosting can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy a cinnamon roll at room temp or reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds before frosting.
- You will need 2 9×13 inch baking pans to fit all of your cinnamon rolls. You can technically fit them all into one pan, but we don’t want to crowd the pan too much.
- Make sure you use bananas that are nice and ripe. We want them to have as much flavor as possible.
- If you want to up the banana flavor in this recipe then you can add thinly sliced bananas to the filling.
