Old fashioned Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting made with classic ingredients including ripe bananas, cinnamon, butter & sugar. Sweet, cake-like dessert bars loaded with delicious banana flavor!
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting a delicious and easy-to-make dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Made with ripe bananas and topped with a creamy and sweet frosting, this banana bars recipe is so simple to make!
Banana Bars with Frosting
If you love Bananas, you’re going to love these Banana Bars! Full of sweet banana flavor and topped with cream cheese frosting, this simple recipe is wonderful anytime of the day. The delicious homemade Cream Cheese Frosting is so easy to make and a popular flavor that everyone loves, these are sure to be a new favorite with young and old alike. They’re moist and tender, but a bit more dense than Banana Bread. You’ll definitely want to keep this old fashioned recipe in your favorites.
Tips and Tricks for making amazing Banana Bars
When making banana bars with cream cheese frosting, there are a few tips and tricks that can help ensure success.
- Make sure the bananas are ripe. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the bars will be. If the bananas aren’t quite ripe yet, place them in a brown paper bag overnight to speed up the ripening process.
- Use room temperature ingredients. This includes the butter, cream cheese, and eggs. Room temperature ingredients will mix together more easily and create a smoother batter.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can lead to tough, dense bars. Mix the ingredients just until they are combined.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper. This will make it easier to remove the bars from the pan and will prevent them from sticking.
- Let the bars cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting. If the bars are still warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
- Store the bars in the refrigerator. The cream cheese frosting will soften at room temperature and can spoil if left out for too long.
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Sugar: You need 1 ½ cups of sugar to make the bars perfectly sweet.
Bananas: Add in 1 cup of mashed (about 2-3 medium size) bananas for amazing flavor in these bars.
Vegetable oil: For the needed fats and moisture in this bread, use ⅓ cup of vegetable oil.
Eggs: You will need to add in 2 Eggs to this batter to help bind all the ingredients together and create a nice soft bread texture too.
Vanilla extract: Using 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract will help balance all the wonderful flavors in this recipe.
Flour: 1 cup of flour will give the bread it’s structural base for these delicious bars.
Baking powder: Add in 1 teaspoon of baking powder to help the bread rise as it bakes.
Baking soda: The second leavening agent in this bread recipe is ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
Cinnamon: You will want to add in ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to give the bars a warm spiced flavor.
Salt: Use ¼ teaspoon of salt to balance all the flavors in this recipe well.
Frosting
Cream cheese: Using 3 oz of cream cheese, softened, will make this frosting thick, creamy and delicious.
Butter: You need ⅓ cup of butter, softened, to give this frosting incredible rich flavor.
Vanilla extract: Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to give the frosting some subtle, but amazing, taste.
Powdered sugar: For the sweet flavor we are going for with this frosting, add in 2 cups of powdered sugar.
How to make Easy Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep
Get the baking process started by preheating the oven to 350°F. Next, grease the bottom and sides of a 9X13 dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
Batter
In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the sugar, stir until well blended. Then add the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Proceed to stir well, until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
After that, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Now add the dry mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir to mix well.
Bake
Pour the batter into the 9 X 13 dish and place the dish in the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bars comes out clean.
Remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack, and let the bread cool completely before frosting.
Cream cheese frosting
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract, mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and lump free.
Next, add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing between additions, until all the powdered sugar has been added, and the frosting is thick and creamy.
Continue to frost the Banana Bars, using all the frosting, and allow the frosting to set for about 30 minutes. You can place the bars in the refrigerator to cool completely, and keep frosting cool.
Slice into bars, serve, and enjoy!
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup mashed bananas 2-3 bananas
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Frosting Ingredients
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Batter: In a large bowl, mash the bananas, and add the sugar and stir until well blended. Add the vegetable oil, eggs. and Vanilla. Stir well, until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir to mix.
- Bake: Pour into the 9 X 13 dish, and place the dish in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bars comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a wire rack, and cool completely before topping with frosting.
- Frosting: In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing between additions, until all the powdered sugar has been added, and the frosting is thick and creamy.
- Frost the banana bars, using all the frosting, and allow the frosting to set, for about 30 minutes. You can place the bars in the refrigerator to cool completely, and keep frosting cool. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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What are some variations of banana bars?
You can add nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins to the batter for added texture and flavor. You can also substitute part of the flour with oats or use brown sugar instead of white sugar for a richer taste. Switching up ingredients is a great way to make a new treat every time you try this recipe!
Do banana bars need to be refrigerated?
Yes, banana bars with cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or transfer the bars to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
What is the best way to store banana bars?
To keep banana bars fresh, store them in the refrigerator. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or transfer the bars to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you want to freeze them, wrap the bars tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months
Try more recipes here to use up those ripe bananas!
- Apple Banana Bread
- Strawberry Banana Bread with Lemon Glaze
- Banana Cream Pie
- Mango Banana Bread
- Apple Banana Bread
- Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
- Caramel Banana Cream Tiramisu
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Moist Banana Bread Recipe
- Gingersnap Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
- Creamy Banana Pecan Pie
- Banana Cream Fluff Salad
Delightful Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are made with simple ingredients including ripe bananas, flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter & cream cheese. These cake-like dessert bars are packed with amazing banana flavor in every bite!
Kim says
These were GOOD! Something about cream cheese frosting combined with the banana… YUM! Thanks for the recipe.
Jenn says
Saving my bananas to try this soon! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this since we’re tired of banana bread and mufins — SO excited to try it!