Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist banana bars are studded with walnuts or pecans and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting for a dessert that’s sure to please.

I love bananas but I can never seem to use them up before they are way too speckled to eat with my morning Cheerios. 

Luckily, that almost always gives me an excuse to bake up something delicious with them!

From strawberry banana muffins to banana cupcakes to banana coffee cake, I’ve got you covered if you also always struggle with a never-ending supply of overly ripe bananas.

And today we’re adding these banana bars with cream cheese frosting to that list!

Perfect Banana Bars with Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting

This is such a weird time of year. We’re done with the holidays and all of the classic ingredients that come with them like cranberries and peppermint, but spring produce hasn’t popped up yet either.

This is the time of year when I lean really heavily into citrus recipes and ingredients like bananas. You know – stuff I can get any time of year, but help me bridge the gap between winter and spring. 

These banana bars with cream cheese frosting are one of the recipes I turn to this time of year.

These bars are moist with just the right amount of sweetness. They’re studded with nuts – I typically use walnuts, but pecans are amazing here, too – and finished with a tangy, luscious cream cheese frosting. 

Plus, they are a perfect dessert for feeding a crowd or sharing with friends and neighbors because you can cut them into any size pieces you want. 

If you’re a fan of banana nut bread, you’ll adore these banana bars!  

How to Make Banana Bars

These banana bars are easy to make, so they’re a great option when you need a last-minute dessert for a party or gathering.

Ingredients you’ll need

If you’ve got ripe bananas on hand but not enough to make Dominique Ansel’s banana bread, this is a great option because you only need 2 bananas. 

For the bars, you will need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas (from about 2 medium bananas)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

The bars get finished with a rich cream cheese frosting. For the frosting, you will need:

• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

I typically spread the cream cheese frosting over the banana bars, but you can choose to pipe it on for a pretty look if you want. If you go that route, you may want to double the frosting since piping uses more than spreading it on will.

Helpful resources

• Before starting, make sure you know how to measure flour and how to cream butter and sugar correctly. Knowing the basics of these seemingly simple steps will help make sure your banana bars turn out perfect every time.
• The butter and eggs for the banana bars need to be at room temperature before you start. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, I have a few tricks for bringing butter and eggs to room temperature.
• This recipe uses brown sugar along with granulated sugar. Don’t panic if you run out or if yours hardened in the pantry; learn how to make a brown sugar substitute and how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the store. 
• Out of powdered sugar? No problem. Learn how to make powdered sugar and use that simple substitute instead.

Making this recipe

In order to get the perfect thickness to these banana bars, we will use a jelly roll pan, which measures about 15x10x1 inches. Line the pan with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick spray to prep it.

To make the batter for the banana bars, cream together the butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer. This will take about 3 minutes to do.

Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the sour cream and vanilla until well combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas and the chopped nuts until fully incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely before topping with the frosting.

While the bars cool, make the cream cheese frosting.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, then add the vanilla.

Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once that is fully incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting is fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 

Spread the frosting onto the cooled banana bars, slice, and enjoy!

Storage Tips

Store the banana bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

You can also freeze the bars. Place the sliced bars onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the entire baking sheet in the freezer.

After 1-2 hours, or when the bars and frosting are firm, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in a zip-top freezer bag for up to a month.

Let the banana bars thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make these banana bars in a 9×13-inch pan?

I know not everyone has a jelly roll pan, although it is useful to have on hand for making pumpkin rolls or chocolate chip cookie bars. 

But if you want to make these banana bars and don’t have a jelly roll pan, you can make them in a 9×13-inch pan instead. Keep in mind that they will be thicker – more like my moist banana cake – and will need to bake longer.

I don’t like cream cheese frosting. What else can I use instead?

There are still plenty of ways you can enjoy these banana bars even without the cream cheese frosting! My brown butter frosting would be delicious on these, as would classic homemade buttercream frosting.

Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream in the bars?

If you don’t like baking with sour cream or you don’t have any on hand, yogurt will work just fine in this recipe. I typically like to bake with full-fat greek yogurt.

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Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

By: Jamie

4.34 from 6 ratings

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 20

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Moist banana bars are studded with walnuts or pecans and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting for a dessert that’s sure to please.

Equipment

• Jelly Roll Pan
• KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup mashed bananas from about 2 medium bananas
• ▢ 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

For the Frosting

• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar sifted

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (jelly roll pan) with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time to the creamed mixture. Mix in sour cream and vanilla until fully incorporated into the batter.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined. Stir in bananas and walnuts or pecans until they are fully incorporated into the batter.
• Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated over for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the bars are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix until fully combined. Turn mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until super fluffy; about 3-4 minutes. Use an offset spatula to frost the bars or pipe the frosting onto the bars (see note below).

Video

Notes

If you choose to pipe the frosting, you may need to double the frosting recipe as this technique uses more frosting than simply spreading it onto the bars.

Refrigerate bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 175mg, Potassium: 126mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 469IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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