This showstopping Cream Cheese Banana Bread will captivate the taste buds—and eyes—of your guests!
If long-forsaken bananas are falling out of your freezer every time you open it, firstly, I feel your pain and understand the light bruising on your forehead. Freezer banana avalanches are a cyclic occasion in my home. Second, it’s time to make banana bread, and we’re here to guide you through it!
Banana bread has my whole heart. There’s nothing better on a crisp autumn morning (or a sunny spring day or a hot summer evening) than a warm slice of fresh, perfectly spiced banana bread with a bit of butter on top. Or, at least I thought there was nothing better. As it turns out, there is something better: this banana bread with cream cheese inside!
Imagine your favorite banana bread with luxurious dollops of sweetened cream cheese filling throughout the inside. That’s exactly what’s going on in this recipe. The bread is rich, decadent, and ready to be the star dessert at your next picnic, potluck, or brunch. As with all dense dessert breads, this one takes some time in the oven, but every single bite is worth it.
How ripe is too ripe?
Overripe bananas make sweeter banana bread, no doubt. But the riper your bananas are, the easier your dough will come together, too. So you’re going to want to ensure that your bananas are beyond yellow and spotting—you want them entering into the stage of ripeness that makes them seemingly unsellable at market. I assure you, banana bread is where all “unsellable” bananas should go, because they’re perfectly suited for it!
The ideal banana ripeness has more brown than yellow, and they can even be mostly brown with only the slightest tinge of yellow showing underneath. They should be easily squishable in a light grip. If your fingers leave dimples in the rind when you handle the fruit, you’ve got the perfect bananas for banana bread—just don’t let them sit too long. Once a banana becomes nearly black on the outside, the flavor is powerful and the fragrance is pungent—these can still be used in some cases, but by all means, hesitate no longer and get to baking! However, don’t ignore your nose. Too-ripe bananas can make your banana bread taste a little funky and smell of fermentation, which is an elegant way of saying it has begun to rot. Nobody likes that.
And here’s a note about using frozen bananas: If you’re pulling unpeeled bananas out of the freezer like I tend to do, note that banana peel turns black when frozen. That doesn’t mean they’re unusable! Just put them in a bowl, microwave them in one-minute intervals at half-power until they’re squishy, and remove the peel.
How do I store leftovers?
This banana bread will only last 2-3 days in a sealed container at room temperature. If you’d like your cream cheese banana bread to last longer so you can have it after more dinners, you should refrigerate your bread in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Refrigerated, it will last for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in loaves or smaller portions for up to 3 months by stashing it in freezer-safe Ziploc bags. For best results, squeeze as much air out of the bags as possible before storing leftovers in the freezer. Let the bread thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in an air fryer, toaster, or microwave. Or, eat it cold!
Serving suggestions
Cream cheese banana bread is a fantastic cream-filled treat on its own, but if you want a little tartness to go with that banana goodness, nothing pairs better than this Healthy Strawberry Chia Jam! If banana-nut is your brand, try adding a heaping handful of chopped nuts, or even a few tablespoons of this homemade Walnut Butter or this Homemade Pecan Butter. I also love my banana bread with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Try this Cottage Cheese Ice Cream for something a little different! If all else fails and you want to surprise your taste buds, try something out of your comfort zone that works shockingly well: banana bread and blue cheese with honey!
Recipe
Ingredients
For The Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg room temperature
For The Bread:
- 1½ cups overripe banana mashed (about 3 large bananas)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or honey, if desired
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with lightly greased parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1 egg until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas until creamy; a few lumps are fine. Whisk in the egg, ⅓ cup Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and coconut oil until combined. Mix in the brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Stir just until you can't see any flour.
- Pour 1/3 of the banana bread batter into your prepared pan. Spoon alternating cream cheese filling and banana batter on top, creating a mosaic. Swirl a knife through in a figure-eight pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 70 minutes. Tent with foil if the top starts to burn. The bread is done when a knife comes out clean, or when it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
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