Best Banana Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

You will love these moist and easy banana bars with cream cheese frosting! Lightly sweetened, using overripe bananas to enhance the sweetness naturally. You might say it’s the best ever banana cake recipe!

This is the perfect recipe when your counter is overflowing with brown bananas and doesn’t use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. This recipe is like banana bread but in bar form. Banana bars are also called banana cake, though my recipe is slightly less sweet than the typical one. 

I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!

Simple Ingredients for Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• Butter | Start these banana bars with salted butter at room temperature. If you use unsalted butter, add just a ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter.
• Sugar | Sweeten this great treat with granulated sugar; I’ve cut down the sugar substantially on this classic recipe. 
• Eggs | I use large eggs in all of my baking, room temperature is best; if you forget, submerge the eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5-7 minutes. 
• Vanilla | Add a creamy and rich taste to the frosted bars with vanilla extract in the batter.
• Bananas | Be sure to choose well-ripened bananas and have them mashed and ready to go.
• Flour | I always use unbleached all-purpose flour, see variations for gluten-free banana bars.
• Baking soda | Baking soda will help the final results be chewy and light.
• Cinnamon | Ground cinnamon balances the sweetness, with a warm spice.
• Frosting | Make delicious cream cheese frosting by combining cream cheese, ½ cup butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.

How to Make the Best Ever Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1 | Preheat Oven, Prep Pan

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (175° C) and greasing a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter, or you may use a jelly roll pan for thinner bars or 9×9 square baking pan, for thicker bars. 

Step 2 | Cream butter and sugar

Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer or electric hand mixer cream butter and sugar together on medium-high for about 3 or 4 minutes. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Then, mix in the mashed bananas, the mixture may look curdled, that’s okay, it will come together when you add the dry ingredients. 

Step 3 | Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, whisking until combined. Then, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

Lower the speed and carefully combine the ingredients until the batter is creamy and smooth, mixing until combined; do not overmix.

Step 4 | Bake Healthy Banana Bars Recipe

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. See below for times for various pan sizes. 

Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting.

Step 5 | Frost Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

In the meantime, prepare the frosting by mixing the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high in a stand or hand mixer until light and fluffy 2-4 minutes.

Start at a lower speed, slowly adding the powdered sugar, and increase the speed until you have smooth cream cheese frosting.

Then, frost the delicious banana bars, slice, and enjoy!

Baking Times for Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

For all three pan sizes, bake until golden, toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs and the top springs back when lightly touched.

• 9×13 Pan | Bake bars for 20-25 minutes.
• 9×9 inch pan | Thicker bars will require more time; start checking at about 35 minutes, baking for 45-50 minutes.
• Jelly Roll pan These bars will be thinner; start checking at about 15 minutes. 

Be sure to try my other favorite banana recipes, like my Sourdough Banana Bread or my High Altitude Banana Bread or this Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding.

If you’re craving more easy and delicious bar recipes, check out these tangy Lemon Cranberry Bars, sweet Oatmeal Cranberry Bars, and my irresistible Browned Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting.

Variations & Substitutions for Healthy Banana Bars

• Prefer to use Oil? Swap the butter for the same amount of your favorite vegetable oil.
• Chocolate Banana Bars: Add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the banana bread bars for a decadent bite of gooey chocolate.
• Fudgy Frosting: If you prefer rich chocolate flavor over cream cheese frosting, see this Fudge Brownie recipe to make a tasty frosting.
• Classic Buttercream Banana Bars: This homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is another great recipe alternative to cream cheese icing.
• Mini Banana Bars: Slice the bars into smaller pieces to make the perfect bite-sized bars.
• Banana Oat Bars: Replace half of the flour with oat flour (or grind oats in blender) and sprinkle in ¼ cup of old-fashioned roll oats.
• Banana walnut cake: Stir in ½ -⅔ cup chopped toasted walnuts into the banana cake batter.

Gluten-Free Banana Cake

These bars are easily made gluten-free. Replace the all-purpose flour with half Gluten-Free all-purpose flour (<– my favorite) and half with oat flour (easily made by grinding oats in your blender); proceed as directed.

*Make sure that your oats and oat flour are certified gluten-free.

Sugar-Free Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

I have successfully made this banana bar recipe using a cup-for-cup sugar replacement. My favorite to use is Monk Fruit, as it comes in granulated sugar form as well as powdered sugar form.

Use a little less when making the cream cheese frosting, as it’s a bit more sweet than typical powdered sugar. Replace regular sugar and powdered sugar for cup-for-cup replacements, proceed with recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Tips

Refrigerate – Leftover frosted banana bars will be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days when sealed with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container. 

How to Freeze Banana Bars 

For longer storage, tightly cover the unfrosted bars and keep them in the freezer for up to two months.

Breakfasts that Pair Well with Banana Bars

Try Instant Pot Egg Bites, generously filled with savory sausage and cheese, providing a satisfying and protein-packed start to your day. For a crispy and fast addition, make these Breakfast Sausage Links Air Fryer, and these Air Fryer Hash Browns for a quick on-the-go breakfast.

Best Drinks to Serve with Banana Bars

Pair your Best Banana Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting with one of these delightful drink options. Enjoy the comfort of a Homemade Chai Tea Latte or indulge this adult Hot Buttered rum.

More of the Best Banana Recipes

• Try my classic Moist Banana Bread recipe; you won’t be sorry!
• Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Banana Nutella Bread
• Healthy Banana Streusel Muffins
• Banana Graham Oat Bread
• Banana Pudding Recipe (Magnolia Banana Pudding)

I hope you loved this Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe — if you did, would you share your creation on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest? And be sure to comment below!