Indulge in the classic flavors of banana bread with this quick and simple Cream Cheese Banana Bread. With added richness from the cream cheese each loaf of sweet bread takes on a beautifully heavy and thick texture, almost like that of a pound cake.
Thick slices of this sweet quick bread make for the perfect snack, easy breakfast, or brunch bite. Just when you thought banana bread couldn’t get any better, try upgrading your sweet bread for a slice of this decadent Cream Cheese Banana Bread instead.
Ripe bananas make the most decadent, moist and delicious loaf. Similarly, recipes like Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and Banana Cake with coconut frosting are both great ways to use up any ripened bananas you may have on hand.
Almond Poppy Seed Bread and Cinnamon Raisin Bread are also delicious quick bread recipes if looking for a breakfast or brunch treat.
🥫 Ingredients
With the absence of brown sugar and the addition of cream cheese this Banana Bread takes on a beautiful, moist and tender texture.
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Mashed Banana
- Vanilla
(Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and full printable instructions.)
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Firstly, pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Afterwards grease two loaf pans generously with butter and sprinkle the greased loaf pans with sugar. This will provide a beautiful loaf with an almost caramelized crust.
Then in a bowl beat together the softened butter and cream cheese at medium speed until it becomes smooth and creamy. Gradually add your sugar into the cream cheese mixture and beat until it is light and fluffy.
Afterwards, one at a time add in each egg to the batter. Mix the creamed sugar mixture with the eggs till they are just just incorporated.
Then after combining all of your wet ingredients gradually add in the dry ingredients. Mixing your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in increments mixing at a low speed until just combined.
In a second bowl mash your ripe bananas thoroughly before folding in the vanilla and any additional mix-ins like pecans, or chocolate chips.
Afterwards divide the batter into your prepared 8x4 loaf pans and top each with a sprinkling of extra sugar. Then place the pans into the pre-heated oven at 350° F to bake for 1 hour or until a tooth pick inserted in the center, comes out clean.
The Cream Cheese Banana Bread should slightly pull away from and the sides of the pan when cooked through.
Once removed from the oven allow the Banana Bread to cool in the pans on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Lastly, remove each loaf of Cream Cheese Banana Bread from it's pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
👩🏻🍳 Make it Your Own
There are many easy and fun ways to make this Cream Cheese Banana Bread loaves your own.
Add-Ins
Try adding your favorite chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. Dried fruits and chocolate chips also make delicious add ins to any loaf. You can also try adding in a swirl of brown sugar cinnamon, for extra flavor and texture.
Baking Pans
Personalize this recipe even further by baking your batter into several mini loaves or muffins for easier sharing and freezing.
If you do change the baking method though, you’ll want to be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly based on the size of the pan you are using. Muffins cook faster than mini loaves and mini loaves faster than loaf pans.
💭 Top Tips
Baking is a delicious way to use up extra ripe bananas easily and quickly. Soft, spotted, even black and mushy bananas all work great when baking. In fact the older the bananas the stronger your flavor will be. Plus the darker they are the easier bananas mash!
Freeze Ripened Bananas
If you have extra ripe bananas but aren’t ready to bake quite yet – that’s okay! Throw those ripe bananas into a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer until ready to use.
When ready to bake with, pull out and allow your bananas to thaw completely. Remove the fruit from the peel and mash as normal.
Browning Too Quickly
If the tops of your loaves seem to be browning too quickly try covering the loaf pans with aluminum foil during the last 10 or 15 minutes of bake time.
🍽 Storing
Cream Cheese Banana Bread loaves can be stored in air tight containers at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Loaves also freeze well. Though I do suggest slicing your loaves before freezing them for even simpler ease in enjoying later. It will stay good in the freezer for three to four months.
📋 FAQ's
Can I use frozen bananas in banana bread?
Freezing extra ripe bananas is a great way to make sure you always have deliciously flavorful bananas on hand for baking.
Whenever you have overly ripened bananas just place them into a ziplock bag and then store them in the freezer until ready to use. When ready to bake your favorite banana recipes like this Cream Cheese Banana Bread, just pull them out of the freezer and allow them to thaw completely. Then remove the fruit from the peel and mash as normal!
How ripe should bananas be for Banana Bread?
For the most flavorful and moist Banana Bread ripened and spotted bananas are best. Trust me, it's worth it to let them sit on the counter an extra day or two if you can stand to wait. You can also attempt to speed up the ripening process by placing them in a closed brown paper sack if desired.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Take your banana bread to the next level and indulge in a thick slice of this loaf's rich and classic flavors for the perfect sweet treat.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ cups mashed bananas (roughly 4 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Grease two loaf pans, sprinkle with sugar and set aside.
- In a large bowl beat together softened butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy and smooth.
- Add sugar to the bowl and beat with a hand mixer till light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time to the batter and mix till just incorporated.
- In a second bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the batter in increments and mix at a slow speed till just combined.
- In the now empty dry ingredient bowl mash your ripe bananas. Add vanilla to the bananas gently fold mashed bananas into the batter. (If adding additional mix-ins like chocolate chips or chopped nuts add those in now.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans and top each with a sprinkling of sugar.
- Place pans into the pre-heated oven and allow to bake at 350° F for 1 hour or until a tooth pink inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let loaves cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. When released from the loaf pans allow bread to to finish cooling on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
Don't miss other helpful tips, recipe variations and storage information found in the full article above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g