Banana Cinnamon Rolls are made with soft banana dough, vanilla cream cheese frosting, and crunchy brown sugar walnut topping.
This recipe is popular around holidays like Christmas, Easter, and is also one of our favorite fall baking recipes.
If you're a fan of banana breakfast recipes, I have one for you! It's even better than Banana Coffee Cake!
These rolls have an enriched brioche-like dough with milk, eggs, and a divine amount of butter. The dough is banana-flavored, the filling is the perfect balance of banana and cinnamon, and the lovely silky smooth cream cheese frosting is chefs kiss beautiful. And the CRUNCHIES on top! Walnuts and brown sugar and butter oh my!
This recipe uses yeast, but don't worry, be not afraid. I will guide you through the process!
Ingredients Needed
Let's start with the basic ingredients for banana cinnamon rolls. Here's what you'll need. Quantities are always listed in the recipe card below!
- Ripe Bananas - this recipe uses about 4.
- Milk
- Egg
- Yeast
- Sugar - white granulated and light brown.
- Salt
- Flour
- Butter - salted
- Cinnamon
- Walnuts
- Cream Cheese - can use full fat or neufchâtel.
- Vanilla extract
Instructions
Start by proofing the yeast. Heat milk to 90-110 degrees F, add in sugar and stir in yeast. Let sit 3-5 minutes until foamy.
Make dough by combining flour, butter, egg, salt, mashed banana, and milk mixture together and kneading by hand or with stand mixer for 4-5 minutes until elastic. Dough will be sticky.
Let rise covered in an oiled bowl for 60 minutes at room temperature (70-75 degrees F), or until about doubled in size.
Make banana filling by combining mashed banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
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.
Cut rolls by marking dough into 12 equal portions (about 2 inches wide) then cut using dental floss or a sharp knife. Place into an oiled 9x13 inch pan or a large baking sheet.
Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes.
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.
Make cream cheese frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls generously.
Make the walnut topping by warming butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then adding the walnuts and toasting for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in flour, remove from heat, then add in brown sugar. Cool and sprinkle evenly over frosted banana cinnamon rolls, then serve!
Top Tips
- Use a stand mixer with a dough hook for less mess!
- Use a potato masher to quickly mash the bananas, then divide for the dough and filling.
- Make the frosting and walnut topping while the dough is rising to be efficient with time.
- Don't skip the walnuts! They make these rolls absolutely irresistible!
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 banana breakfast recipes
Need more banana breakfast ideas? I got you covered!
- Banana Coffee Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats - with bananas!
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Banana Nut Oatmeal
Banana Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 bananas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 egg
- 4-4½ cups all purpose flour
For the filling:
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 bananas
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons butter softened
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
For the frosting:
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 4 Tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
For the walnut topping:
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a small bowl combine warm milk (between 100-110 F), sugar, and yeast and let sit 5 minutes or until foamy.
- In a stand mixer with dough hook attachment (or large bowl if mixing by hand) combine mashed banana, salt, butter, egg, and 4 cups of flour. Pour foamy yeast mixture in and mix with a dough hook on low speed for 4-5 minutes until smooth and elastic. If mixing without a mixer, simply mix with a wooden spoon until you can’t mix anymore and then begin kneading by hand 6-8 minutes.Add another ½ cup (up to one cup if needed) of flour to make dough consistency thick and slightly sticky.
- Oil a large bowl, place dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.
For the filling:
- In a medium sized bowl combine mashed banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
- On a floured work surface with rolling pin, roll dough into roughly a 24 inch by 12-14 inch rectangle.Spread softened butter over the dough with a spoon or pastry brush. Spread banana filling evenly over butter, then sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
- Carefully roll dough lengthwise into a long roll. Mark the dough into 12 equal portions with a knife.
- Use a piece of clean string or dental floss and slide the string underneath the roll. Pick up both ends of the string, cross them, and pull tight to cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Place rolls cut side down into an oiled 9x13 inch pan or large baking sheet, being careful not to crowd the rolls so they have room to rise.Cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 45 minutes to one hour until almost doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake for 25-30 minutes (9x13 pan), until light golden brown on top. (Glass or ceramic pans take more time, dark pans & large baking sheets take less time, 22-25 minutes.) Cool 15-20 minute before icing.
For the frosting:
- In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over baked banana cinnamon rolls.
For the walnut topping:
- In a frying pan over medium heat, warm butter and add walnuts, and toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, remove from heat, then add in brown sugar. Cool and sprinkle evenly over frosted banana cinnamon rolls, then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
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