Go Back

Banana Cinnamon Rolls

Banana cinnamon rolls with a soft, pillowy dough, filled with a brown sugar-cinnamon-butter mixture and thin banana slices, then baked until golden. Finished with a quick cream cheese frosting drizzle for a sweet, bakery-style swirl.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
rising 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For banana dough
  • 0.75 cup warm milk
  • 2.25 tsp yeast
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 0.33 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 3.75 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For banana cinnamon filling
  • 0.5 cup butter, softened
  • 0.67 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ripe banana, thinly sliced
For cream cheese frosting
  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the banana dough
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine warm milk and yeast; add sugar, mashed banana, melted butter, and egg, stirring until smooth and foamy. Visual cue: you should see bubbling as the yeast activates.
  2. Add flour, cinnamon, and salt, then knead for 8 minutes on medium speed until the dough is elastic and smooth. Visual cue: the dough should pull together and look shiny, not sticky.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size. Visual cue: the dough should spring back slowly when gently pressed.
Fill, shape, and bake
  1. Roll the dough into a 12x18 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Visual cue: aim for even thickness across the rectangle.
  2. Spread softened butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over the butter. Visual cue: the surface should look evenly dusted with a dry, sparkly layer.
  3. Arrange thinly sliced banana over the filling in an even layer. Visual cue: banana slices should be visible at the surface with minimal gaps.
  4. Roll the dough tightly into a log and cut into 12 even rolls. Visual cue: you should see a tight spiral at the cut faces.
  5. Place rolls cut-side up on a sheet pan, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes until puffy. Visual cue: rolls should swell and look softer, not dense.
  6. Bake at 375F for 22-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden. Visual cue: the edges should look set and slightly browned.
Finish with frosting
  1. Cool the rolls for 10 minutes so the frosting stays thick instead of melting. Visual cue: rolls should be warm, not hot.
  2. Drizzle with cream cheese frosting, spreading gently if needed. Visual cue: frosting should form thin ribbons over the swirled spirals.

Notes

Pro tip: for the cleanest swirl, slice the log with a sharp knife using a gentle sawing motion, and let the rolls cool 10 minutes before frosting so the icing doesn’t run. Refrigerate frosted rolls up to 3 days; rewarm briefly in the microwave. Freezing: freeze unfrosted rolls (wrap individually) up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm and frost. For a dairy-light option, use vegan cream cheese and plant butter in the frosting and filling.