0 from 21 votes
Best Banana Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
You will love these moist and easy banana bars with cream cheese frosting! Lightly sweetened, using overripe bananas to enhance the sweetness naturally. You might say it's the best ever banana cake recipe!
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 403 kcal
Course:
Dessert , Breakfast
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
Banana Bars
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature, replace with ½ cup vegetable oil if preferred (if using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon additional salt.)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 ¼ cups for high altitude, use a monk fruit granulated sugar replacement for sugar-free
- 3 large eggs room temperature (if forgot, submerge in warm, not hot water for 5-7 minutes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 medium overripe bananas mashed, thawed if frozen, liquid drained
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons for high altitude, see notes for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda reduce to ¾ teaspoon high altitude
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature, I used full fat
- ½ cup butter room temperature, salted or unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. See notes for baking in other size dishes.
- Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, on medium-high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds between additions. Then add vanilla, creaming until light. Slowly mix in mashed bananas.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Then a little at a time, add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with mixer on low speed. Gently mix until the batter is smooth and creamy and flour mixture is just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes for 9x13 inch pan, until golden and springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. (see notes for baking times for other pan sizes.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting. Once the bars have cooled, prep the frosting by creaming together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt until light and fluffy on medium- high speed in a mixer. Then with the mixer on low slowly add powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Start on low, as the powdered sugar incorporates, increase the speed, and whip well until light and fluffy. Frost the bars, serve, and enjoy!
Cup of Yum
Tip for Lower Sugar Banana Bars
- Make half a bath of the frosting or only use half the frosting and store the remaining frosting in an airtight container in the fridge up to one week or freezer up to 3 months. Enjoy on other baked goods.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Baking Times for Different-Sized Pans
- For all three pan sizes, bake until golden; toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs and the top springs back when lightly touched.
- | Thicker bars will require more time; start checking at about 35 minutes, baking for 45-50 minutes.
- These bars will be thinner; start checking at about 12-15 minutes.
- Variations & Substitutions
- Add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the banana bread bars for a decadent bite of gooey chocolate.
- If you prefer rich chocolate flavor over cream cheese frosting, see this
- recipe to make a tasty frosting.
- This homemade
- is another great recipe alternative to cream cheese icing.
- : Slice the bars into smaller pieces to make the perfect bite-sized bars.
- Replace half of the flour with oat flour (or grind oats in blender) and sprinkle in ¼ cup of old-fashioned roll oats.
- Stir in ½ -⅔ cup chopped toasted walnuts into the banana cake batter.
- High Altitude Banana Bars Recipe
- These bars are easily made gluten-free. Replace the all-purpose flour with half Gluten-Free all-purpose flour (<-- my favorite) and half oat flour (easily made by grinding oats in your blender); proceed as directed. *Make sure that your oats and oat flour are certified gluten-free.
- Sugar-Free Banana Bars Recipe
- Using Monk Fruit granulated sugar and it comes in powdered sugar form. Replace regular sugar and powdered sugar for cup-for-cup replacements; proceed with the recipe.
- ● Store your leftover banana bars in the fridge for up to 5 days covered with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container.● These bars can sit on the counter for 2-4 hours before returning to the fridge once frosted.● It is important to use ripe bananas to maximize the banana flavor.● The ground cinnamon helps balance the sweetness of the frosting and the banana bars themselves.● Using room-temperature butter and cream cheese makes putting the frosting together easier by preventing clumps of cream cheese from forming.
- 9x13 Pan | Bake bars for 20-25 minutes 9x9 inch pan | Thicker bars will require more time; start checking at about 35 minutes, baking for 45-50 minutes. Jelly Roll pan These bars will be thinner; start checking at about 12-15 minutes.
- 9x13 Pan | Bake bars for 20-25 minutes
- 9x9 inch pan | Thicker bars will require more time; start checking at about 35 minutes, baking for 45-50 minutes.
- Jelly Roll pan These bars will be thinner; start checking at about 12-15 minutes.
- Prefer to use Oil? Swap the butter for the same amount of your favorite vegetable oil. Chocolate Banana Bars: Add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the banana bread bars for a decadent bite of gooey chocolate. Fudgy Frosting: If you prefer rich chocolate flavor over cream cheese frosting, see this Fudge Brownie recipe to make a tasty frosting. Classic Buttercream Banana Bars: This homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is another great recipe alternative to cream cheese icing. Mini Banana Bars: Slice the bars into smaller pieces to make the perfect bite-sized bars. Banana Oat Bars: Replace half of the flour with oat flour (or grind oats in blender) and sprinkle in ¼ cup of old-fashioned roll oats. Banana walnut cake: Stir in ½ -⅔ cup chopped toasted walnuts into the banana cake batter.
- Prefer to use Oil? Swap the butter for the same amount of your favorite vegetable oil.
- Chocolate Banana Bars: Add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the banana bread bars for a decadent bite of gooey chocolate.
- Fudgy Frosting: If you prefer rich chocolate flavor over cream cheese frosting, see this Fudge Brownie recipe to make a tasty frosting.
- Classic Buttercream Banana Bars: This homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is another great recipe alternative to cream cheese icing.
- Mini Banana Bars: Slice the bars into smaller pieces to make the perfect bite-sized bars.
- Banana Oat Bars: Replace half of the flour with oat flour (or grind oats in blender) and sprinkle in ¼ cup of old-fashioned roll oats.
- Banana walnut cake: Stir in ½ -⅔ cup chopped toasted walnuts into the banana cake batter.
- Increase flour by 2 level tablespoons Decrease sugar to 1 ¼ cups Reduce baking soda to ¾ teaspoon Bake as directed; start watching for doneness a few minutes early.
- Increase flour by 2 level tablespoons
- Decrease sugar to 1 ¼ cups
- Reduce baking soda to ¾ teaspoon
- Bake as directed; start watching for doneness a few minutes early.
Nutrition Information
Serving
1serving
Calories
403kcal
(20%)
Carbohydrates
59g
(20%)
Protein
4g
(8%)
Fat
18g
(28%)
Saturated Fat
10g
(50%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
5g
Trans Fat
0.5g
Cholesterol
80mg
(27%)
Sodium
291mg
(12%)
Potassium
134mg
(4%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
44g
(88%)
Vitamin A
610IU
(12%)
Vitamin C
2mg
(2%)
Calcium
29mg
(3%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 16servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 403
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 403kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 59g | 20% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 80mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 291mg | 12% |
| Potassium | 134mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 44g | 88% |
| Vitamin A | 610IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 29mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.