Banana Cinnamon Rolls have soft banana dough, gooey banana walnut filling, vanilla cream cheese frosting, and crunchy brown sugar walnut topping!

The dough is banana bread flavored with fresh banana in the dough, the filling is the perfect balance of banana and cinnamon, and the CRUNCHIES on top! Walnuts and brown sugar and butter oh my! There really is nothing like a warm, soft banana cinnamon roll for breakfast. You'll need 3-4 bananas, but if you're looking for recipes that use 2 bananas you could make Banana Sourdough Muffins.

Banana cinnamon rolls are perfect way to use up ripe bananas if you don't feel like Banana Coffee Cake or another loaf of Sourdough Discard Banana Bread. I love this recipe because it has bananas in the dough AND the filling.

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🛒 Ingredients

• Ripe Bananas  - this recipe uses about four bananas total for the dough and filling. Bananas with brown spots have more flavor, so be patient and wait until they're ripe!
• Milk - anything except skim, 1 or 2% works best. This helps the rolls stay nice and moist even a few days after baking!
• Egg - acts as a binder and enriches the banana roll dough.
• Yeast - active dry is used in this recipe but instant will work as well. 
• Sugar - white granulated for the dough, and light brown sugar for the filling. Not a lot is needed because the bananas are also a natural added sweetener!
• Flour - all purpose is easiest to find and works best for this recipe.
• Butter - salted, enriches the dough and helps to make it soft. Also needed for the filling!
• Walnuts - used both for the banana filling and the candied walnut topping.
• Cream Cheese - can use full fat or neufchâtel cream cheese for the cream cheese frosting.

See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and quantities.

✏️ Substitutions & Variations

• Milk - can be substituted with nut or oat milk. NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with dairy alternatives, so let us know if you try it!
• Butter - unsalted butter can be used to reduce salt.
• Walnuts - pecans or peanuts.
• Vanilla extract - maple extract to make a banana maple cinnamon roll!
• Add 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter to the icing for a peanut butter cream cheese icing!

🧑‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1. (Above)  Proof the yeast by heating milk to 90-110 degrees F (about 30 seconds in the microwave), add in white sugar and stir in yeast. Let sit 3-5 minutes until foamy. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, butter, egg, salt, mashed banana, and milk mixture together.

Step 2. (Above) Pour in the yeast mixture and mix everything together until it forms a dough. Knead by hand or with stand mixer (dough hook attachment) for 4-5 minutes until elastic. The dough will be sticky! 

Step 3. (Above) Let the dough rise, covered,  in an oiled bowl for 60 minutes at room temperature (70-75 degrees F), or until about doubled in size.

Step 4. (Above) Make banana nut roll filling by combining mashed banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a bowl and mixing well.

Step 5. (Above) Roll out the banana dough into a 14 inch wide by 24 inch long rectangle. The more even your edges and corners, the neater the rolls will be. Spread softened butter over the rectangle, then spread the banana filling evenly on top, coating the entire sheet of dough.

Step 6. (Above) Roll dough into a 12 by 24-inch rectangle, and spread softened butter evenly over the dough. Then spread banana filling over evenly, sprinkling chopped walnuts on last. Roll width-wise like a sleeping bag into a long roll.

Step 7. (Above) Cut rolls by marking dough into 12 equal portions (about 2 inches wide) then cut using dental floss or a sharp knife.

Step 8. (Above) Place into an oiled 9x13 inch pan or a large baking sheet. Let rise for the second time covered until doubled in size, about 60 minutes. Now is a good time to make the icing and walnuts (Steps 9 & 10!)

Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown on top, 25-30 minutes if in a 9x13 pan, or 22-25 minutes if spread out on a large baking sheet. Cool 15 minutes before putting on frosting.

Step 9. (Above) Make cream cheese frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk and mixing together until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over the banana cinnamon rolls generously.

Step 10. (Above) Make the candied walnut topping by warming the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then adding the walnuts and toasting for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in flour and stir until the walnuts are completely coated.

Remove from heat, then add in brown sugar. If you add the brown sugar while the flour is cooking it caramelizes and hardens and isn't as pleasant to chew.

Cool and sprinkle evenly over the cinnamon banana rolls with cream cheese icing, then serve!

❓Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions, be sure to let me know in the comments below. If you enjoy these rolls, feel free to share the recipe!

🍌 More Unique Banana Recipes

We have all of these unusual banana recipes (as in, not the usual muffins or bread) on the regular. They're great alternatives to banana bread. You can use up your ripe bananas in all of these!

📝 Printable Recipe