If you’re looking for a dessert that uses ripe bananas or has a flavor kids and adults of all ages will love, this banana bars recipe is a must-try! The bars are like banana bread in cake form! Extra ripe bananas add fruit flavor and smooth cream cheese frosting adds a little extra sweetness that pairs deliciously with the cinnamon and banana flavors of the bars.
This dessert is made in a jelly roll pan, so you’ll get two dozen tasty squares from just one recipe. Need to serve a larger crowd? Just double up the batter and make two trays for nearly 50 bars. These banana squares are easy to slice and can be topped with additional bananas or drizzled with chocolate sauce. For more dessert bar recipes, try my cranberry bliss bars, magic cookie bars, or sugar cookie bars.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour – all-purpose flour gives the bars a bread-like softness. For the most accurate measurement, weigh the flour.
Ground Cinnamon – banana and cinnamon are a dynamic duo. Spicy and warm ground cinnamon is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the fruit. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg or use pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
Unsalted Butter – set the butter out ahead of time to soften at room temperature so that it creams smoothly into the sugar. One stick of butter is used for the bars, and another is used for the frosting.
Cream Cheese – full-fat cream cheese makes the best frosting. Make sure to use a block of softened cream cheese, not whipped or spreadable cream cheese.
Sugar – the bars are sweetened with granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar is used for the frosting. For a richer taste with molasses flavor, substitute brown sugar for white sugar. Powdered sugar is always the best option when making frosting or whipped cream because it blends smoothly. You can even make your own homemade powdered sugar if you only have granulated sugar!
How to Make Banana Bars
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with baking spray and line it with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
2. In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until the mixture is creamy, about 4 minutes.
3. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined before the next. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
4. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
5. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
6. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
7. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until creamy, scraping bottoms and sides as needed, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Then, beat in the vanilla. Increase the mixer to medium speed, and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
8. Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled banana layer and cut into 24 bars.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use ripe or overripe bananas. Very ripe or overripe bananas have the sweetest flavor and are easily mashed and incorporated into the batter.
- Grease and line the jelly roll pan. For easy removal and crumb-free serving, make sure to grease the jelly roll pan with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper. You may need to use wide parchment paper to span the width of the pan. Leave a little extra parchment on each end to help you slide the cake out of the pan after it cools if desired.
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for about 4 minutes until creamy. This will make the bars smooth, sweet, and perfectly light.
- Add a mix in. Make chocolate chip banana bars by stirring in ½ cup of chocolate chips into the batter! You can also add ½ cup of chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or peanut butter chips to the batter before spreading it in the pan. Top the frosting with additional nuts, coconut, or chocolate.
- Cool the bars before frosting. To prevent the frosting from melting, allow the bars to cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.
- Top the banana bars with sliced banana, strawberry, or chocolate chips. These bars are perfect as is, but feel extra special if you serve them with freshly sliced banana, strawberries, or even chocolate chips or a drizzle of chocolate ganache. A little garnish adds flavor and visual interest!
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Banana bars are a great mid-morning snack or afternoon pick-me-up and work great as a dessert for any gathering. You can individually wrap the squares to more easily enjoy them in lunchboxes or on the go. To offer your family a choice between fruity banana flavor or chocolate, make a batch of chocolate crinkle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, or double chocolate chip cookies to serve with these.
Bananas are wonderful for baking and also freeze well. If you have lots of bananas you can make a double batch of these banana bars or try another banana recipe such as banana cupcakes, banana oatmeal muffins, banana bread, or banana pancakes. You can also slice and freeze brown bananas for future baking or to use in smoothies or frozen blended cocktails.
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If you’ve tried this banana bars recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Banana Bars
Equipment
- Baking pan
Ingredients
For the Bars:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 3 large eggs (150 grams)
- 1 ¼ cup mashed very ripe bananas (286g, about 3 bananas)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (227g)
- ½ cup butter softened (113g)
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (360g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with baking spray and line it with parchment.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until the mixture is creamy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the bananas and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
For the Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until creamy, scraping bottoms and sides as needed, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Once incorporated, beat in the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium, and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled banana layer and cut into 24 bars. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Use ripe or overripe bananas. Very ripe or overripe bananas have the sweetest flavor and are easily mashed and incorporated into the batter.
- Grease and line the jelly roll pan. For easy removal and crumb-free serving, make sure to grease the jelly roll pan with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper. You may need to use wide parchment paper to span the width of the pan. Leave a little extra parchment on each end to help you slide the cake out of the pan after it cools if desired.
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for about 4 minutes until creamy. This will make the bars smooth, sweet, and perfectly light.
- Add a mix in. Make chocolate chip banana bars by stirring in ½ cup of chocolate chips into the batter! You can also add ½ cup of chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or peanut butter chips to the batter before spreading it in the pan. Top the frosting with additional nuts, coconut, or chocolate.
- Cool the bars before frosting. To prevent the frosting from melting, allow the bars to cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.
- Top the banana bars with sliced banana, strawberry, or chocolate chips. These bars are perfect as is, but feel extra special if you serve them with freshly sliced banana, strawberries, or even chocolate chips or a drizzle of chocolate ganache. A little garnish adds flavor and visual interest!
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