Banana Cinnamon Rolls

These banana cinnamon rolls taste like banana bread and cinnamon rolls combined! It has a banana dough, cinnamon filling with sliced bananas, and a cream cheese icing. When you open the oven after baking them it smells like banana bread!

These banana bread cinnamon rolls are the perfect breakfast for any banana lovers. The banana dough and banana slices inside make sure you get banana flavor in every bite. They are just as easy as any other homemade cinnamon rolls, but taste even better. If you make these you will make a special morning even better!

For other breakfast recipes, try Nutella Muffins, Chocolate Glazed Donuts, and Banana Waffles.

Jump to:

• Why This Banana Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Works
• Ingredient Notes for Fluffy Banana Cinnamon Rolls
• Ingredient Substitutions
• Step By Step Instructions - Banana Dough
• Step By Step Instructions - Cinnamon Banana Filling
• Step By Step Instructions - Cream Cheese Icing
• Overnight Rolls
• Expert Baking Tips
• FAQ
• Recipe Variations
• Special Tools
• Storing and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Banana Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Works

• Banana bread flavor- This recipe takes the best flavors of classic cinnamon rolls and banana bread and puts them together! It even smells like banana bread!
• Satisfying texture- These rolls have the gooey cinnamon roll texture that you love, plus the fresh bananas inside which add a fun texture to each bite.
• Bake ahead of time- These delicious banana cinnamon rolls can be prepared the day before and put in the oven the next morning! Just follow the Overnight Rolls instructions.

Ingredient Notes for Fluffy Banana Cinnamon Rolls

Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Flour- This recipe has more flour than many cinnamon rolls because of the extra wet ingredients involved.
• Unsalted butter- Pull the butter out 2 hours before using so it is softened butter.
• Milk- Use any milk and warm it to 110F. If too hot, it will kill the yeast, if too cool then it will dramatically slow the yeast down.
• Active dry yeast- I used 1 packet of yeast. This is the same thing as instant yeast. Do not use fast rise yeast.
• Large Egg- Pull the egg out 2 hours before baking. It also needs to be lightly beaten before adding to the flour. We only do 1 egg because of the extra wet ingredients.
• Cream cheese- Pull this out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
• Bananas- You can use over ripe bananas for the dough. You should not use over ripe bananas for the filling, as they would be mushy and you want a firmer texture. I just used fresh bananas for both.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Dairy free- You can use your favorite dairy free options for this recipe!
• Gluten free- This recipe would not be a good candidate for gluten free substitutes.

Step By Step Instructions - Banana Dough

Here is how to make and bake the banana dough for the banana cinnamon rolls.

STEP 1: Activate yeast. Heat milk in a bowl in the microwave until it is 110°F. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 10 minutes.

STEP 2: Knead butter. Mix the all purpose flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and knead it with a pastry kneader or your hands until the butter lumps are the size of a pea.

STEP 3: Mix dough. Add the yeast mixture, beaten eggs, and mashed bananas to the dry ingredients.

STEP 4: Knead dough. Use a dough hook on a mixer on low speed to mix until a dough begins to form. Then, switch to medium speed and let it knead for 5 minutes.

If you wish to knead by hand see the recipe notes for instructions.

STEP 5: Prep. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Then, spray a large mixing bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough inside. Cover it with a kitchen towel.

STEP 6: First rise. Place the bowl with the dough in the oven. Immediately turn the oven off and crack the oven door open. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. The extra warmth of the oven will help the dough rise despite having so many wet ingredients.

Step By Step Instructions - Cinnamon Banana Filling

Here is how to make the cinnamon banana filling for the banana cinnamon rolls.

STEP 1: Beat butter and sugar. Use a small bowl and hand mixer to beat the butter on high speed until smooth. Then, add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix it in on medium speed for 1 minute.

STEP 2: Roll out dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough as well. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is a rectangle about ¼ inch thick.

STEP 3: Spread filling. Use an offset spatula to spread the filling over the dough being sure to go all the way to the edges. Place an even layer of sliced bananas on top.

STEP 4: Roll log. Start rolling the dough from the short side into a log. Cut the uneven ends off with a serrated sharp knife.

STEP 5: Cut rolls. Use the sharp serrated knife to cut the log into 12 equal rolls.

Step By Step Instructions - Cream Cheese Icing

Here is how to make the cream cheese icing for the banana cinnamon rolls.

STEP 1: Beat butter and cream cheese. Use a small bowl and hand mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed for 1 minute.

STEP 2: Mix icing. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix it in on low speed until combined, then switch to high speed to beat until it is creamy.

STEP 3: Ice the rolls. After the rolls are removed from the oven let them sit until they stop bubbling (about 10 minutes) and spoon the icing over top. Spread it in an even layer.

Overnight Rolls

For overnight rolls you will prepare the rolls as instructed until the second rise step. Then, cover the rolls with foil and place them in the fridge to rise overnight, or at least 8 hours.

Then, the next day you can pull the rolls out of the fridge while the oven preheats and continue to bake as directed.

Expert Baking Tips

• Properly measure your flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour giving you too much flour.
• Make sure your yeast is fresh. If you use expired yeast or if you put it in too hot or too cold milk it will not activate properly preventing a proper rise.
• If you choose to roll your rolls immediately you can still chill them overnight. You then bake them the next morning.

FAQ

Recipe Variations

• Banana nut cinnamon rolls- You can add chopped walnuts of pecans in the filling. You can even add some extra on top!
• Alternate icings- You can alter the icing for chocolate banana rolls or peanut butter banana rolls by mixing in some cocoa powder or peanut butter.
• Cinnamon sugar coating- You can replace the icing with a cinnamon sugar coating. You brush melted butter over the rolls after they come out of the oven and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over top.

Special Tools

• Baking spray: I use the nonstick spray that has flour in it.
• Offset spatula: I use this to easily spread the frosting or fillings.
• 9X13 pan- I love using a casserole pan instead of a normal baking pan.
• Rolling pin- You can use any rolling pin you have!

Storing and Freezing

Store these banana cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 5 days. They are best when heated in the microwave until warm.

These banana cinnamon rolls can be frozen in 2 ways.

1. Freeze the rolled rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Let them thaw before baking. They won't rise as much, but will still work.
2. Freeze the already baked rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Thaw for 1 hour before eating.

Other Cinnamon Roll Recipes To Try

Try these banana recipes too!

• Banana Pudding Cheesecake
• Banana Snack Cake
• Banana Bread Coffee Cake
• Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
• Banana Blueberry Muffins

Make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.

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