Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — 🍌🍞🎉 This is the BEST homemade banana bread recipe! This cream cheese banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy and tastes ahhhh-mazing and it’ll be your new FAVORITE banana bread recipe! A total winner that will impress your friends and family!
Table of Contents
This cream cheese banana bread is soft and moist, and the cream cheese filling is like having a layer of cheesecake baked into the moist banana bread. No complaints here!
It’s an easy, no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes.
The big river of cream cheese is a thick, bold, unmistakeable layer. It really makes this bread out of this world.
Love Cream Cheese-Filled Desserts?
If you love this cream cheese-filled banana bread, then you’ll definitely love my Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread as well!
I use melted coconut oil so there’s no butter to cream and no mixer to dirty. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter, and I prefer the taste.
And a little sour cream (or Greek yogurt) is extra insurance for a soft, springy, bouncy, fluffy loaf. Using sour cream, Greek yogurt, or buttermilk in quick bread and muffin recipe ensures more tender results.
This banana cream cheese bread has been a reader favorite that went viral in 2014 when I first posted this recipe. The recipe and photos have been stolen and copied over the years, but that goes with the territory with viral recipes.
Most importantly, it’s been adored by thousands of people and those are the comments and feedback I love reading!
Ingredients Needed
After taking a bite of this banana bread, you’ll regret to having made a loaf using cream cheese sooner!
For the banana bread:
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Coconut oil
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Ripe bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
For the cream cheese filling:
- Egg
- Softened cream cheese
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Don’t let the cream cheese filling fool you into thinking this is a tough banana bread recipe to make — it’s not! This is an incredibly easy homemade banana bread recipe.
- Make the batter: Whisk together the egg, sugars, coconut oil, sour cream, and vanilla before stirring in the mashed bananas and the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Turn about two-thirds of the batter into a greased loaf pan and smooth out the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Make the cream cheese filling: Stir together the ingredients for the filling and carefully pour over the banana bread batter.
- Smooth out the top once more before pouring the remaining banana bread batter over the cream cheese layer.
- Bake the cream cheese banana bread until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note that the toothpick test isn’t the most accurate because the cream cheese never gets totally solid.
Baking Tip
Once the bread is out of the oven, let it cool completely before slicing and serving. The cream cheese center needs time to set fully, and if you slice it too soon it’ll just ooze out.
Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, you need to use brick-style cream cheese (not the whipped kind in a plastic tub). I used full-fat cream cheese, but lite cream cheese will also work so long as it’s the type that comes in a brick. Set the cream cheese on your counter to soften (this will take about an hour, maybe more). I don’t recommend softening the cream cheese in the microwave, as that can make it too soft.
Coconut oil adds a nearly imperceptible undertone that’s sweeter and more fragrant than canola or vegetable oil, but substitute with them if you’d like or if you’re very sensitive to coconut flavors.
I make this banana bread recipe in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, and this bread is a large loaf. I think an 8×4-inch pan would be too small, and the batter may run over the sides. This is the exact pan I use!
No, because the cream cheese filling is baked it’s safe to leave out at room temperature. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.
For the best tasting cream cheese banana bread, you’ll want to use really ripe bananas that have plenty of black spots on them.
Tips for Making This Recipe
Measuring the mashed banana: You need to actually measure out the mashed banana to see if it’s 1 cup, because your idea of two “large bananas” may be different than mine, and you want to add the exact right amount of banana to this bread.
Mixing the batter: Once you add the flour to the banana bread batter you should continue mixing the batter until everything is just combined. You do NOT want to over mix the batter, otherwise your homemade banana bread will be a little tough.
Baking times: Tent the pan with a sheet of foil draped over it at the 30 minute-mark if you feel the tops and sides of the cream cheese-filled banana bread will become too browned before the center cooks through.
Baking times will vary based on moisture content of bananas, cream cheese, climate, and oven variances. You need to bake this moist banana bread until done — watch your bread, not the clock.
Storage Instructions
Room temp: Store the banana cream cheese bread in an airtight container for up to 1 week on your counter.
Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Video Tutorial
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup liquid-state coconut oil, canola or vegetable may be substituted
- ¼ cup cup sour cream, lite is okay Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 2 large bananas
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened lite is okay
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- Make the Banana Bread
- In a large bowl, add the egg, sugars, coconut oil, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas and stir to incorporate.
- Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don’t overmix; set aside.
- Turn about two-thirds of the batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into corners and sides as necessary; set aside.
- Make the Cream Cheese Filling
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Alternatively, mix with a hand mixer.
- Evenly pour filling mixture over the bread, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into corners and sides as necessary.
- Top with remaining batter, smoothing the top very lightly with a spatula as to not disturb cream cheese layer and pushing batter into corners and sides as necessary.
- Bake for about 48 to 50 minutes or until the top is domed, golden, and the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Note this is tricky because the cream cheese never gets totally solid so the toothpick test isn’t the most accurate.*
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Easy Banana Bread Recipes:
ALL OF MY BANANA BREAD RECIPES!
Flour’s Banana Bread — Made with Flour Bakery’s famous recipe to see if it lives up to the hype. Verdict? Totally fabulous! Make it!!
Cinnamon Sugar Streusel Banana Bread – Super SOFT tender banana bread that’s impossible to resist!! The crispy, crumbly, streusel topping makes a good thing even BETTER!!
Brown Sugar Blueberry Banana Bread – Blueberry coffee cake meets super soft banana bread.
Six-Banana Banana Bread – Six bananas in one loaf of bread means an extremely soft, moist, and richly flavored bread.
Zucchini Banana Bread — This Zucchini Banana Bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light!
The BEST Strawberry Banana Bread — This strawberry bread is packed with fresh, juicy strawberries in every bite! This is an easy, no-mixer quick bread recipe you’re going to love!
Carrot Banana Bread — EASY, no-mixer, super soft banana carrot bread that reminds me of carrot cake but healthier!! Great Easter brunch idea or spring baked good!
I made this today….really delicious and so easy! Would this work as muffins? If it would how long would you bake them?
Glad you loved it! As far as muffins, you could try and bake for probably about 20 minutes. The only thing is that I am not patient enough to deal with something so small as filling up muffin tins with the banana, cream cheese, banana layers but if you are, go for it :)
FYI, Buzzfeed stole your recipe and didn’t give you credit. They subbed butter for the coconut oil. I’m sorry. Here is their link: https://www.buzzfeed.com/robertbroadfoot/heres-what-happens-when-cream-cheese-meets-banana-bread?utm_term=.kfP2mRJOL#.daXyq15mK
It never ceases to amaze me how unethical people are. If they would have just credited me, then I would have been fine with it. And on top of it…Tasty made a video of it that got 40 million!! views. Normally I let this stuff run off me and not get too upset anymore but this one stings. Thank you for bringing it to my attention :)
I’m going to make this tonight and am so excited!
Yes, people suck unfortunately. I found you on pinterest and can’t wait to make more of your recipes!!!
Glad you found me and hope all goes well!
Do you think this recipe could be combined with your strawberry banana bread recipe successfully, or with strawberries in the cream cheese filling?
I think you could add a layer of cream cheese filling (using this recipe) to the strawberry banana bread recipe. I think it would be great! LMK if you try it!
Hi I was wondering can this be converted to be cooked in a thermomix
I’m not familiar with a thermomix so you’d have to do some experimenting on your own.
I baked this last night, and the end pieces came out delicious, but the middle was soup. I cut into it and it oozed out like it was still batter. I put foil over the top around 30 minutes and after 45 minutes I checked it every 10 minutes. I left it in the oven for about 65 minutes at 350. I’m not sure what went wrong. I was wondering if you had any suggestions? I want to make this bread work! The end pieces tasted divine!
All ovens, bananas, climates, etc. vary and with banana bread, sometimes you just have to keep on baking. I have had loaves that I swore were done, and weren’t. Even using the same recipe, from day to day, baking times can vary and in your case, you simply underbaked. Bake until the center is done and set. If for some reason the top is browning quickly, tent with a sheet of foil over the top in the last 15 minutes or so of baking.
Best banana bread EVERRRRR!!!
Thinking of a way to try to it make vegan for my vegan friends.:)
I doubled the cheesecake and it was great !
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad double cheesecake worked great!
An 8 inch loaf pan is the only one I have; would it work?
Thank you!
I fear it could be a little too small and it could overflow.
Thank you for letting me know your thoughts. I bought a 9 inch pan and we’ll see how it goes!
Great, enjoy!
I tried this last night and it didn’t come out right :( the cream cheese filling was too “eggy” like spongy not creamy.. is there a suggestion on what I could have done wrong ?
Did you use a large egg? If yours was bigger I could see how it could overwhelm the filling but this filling is not super creamy or loose. You possibly could have overbaked by a bit and that could do it.
I have made this bread 4 times in as many weeks!!! It is usually gone in a few days and the kiddos are begging for more. I cant buy and ripen the bananas fast enough! Looking forward to trying some of your other yummy sounding recipes :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you – each time you’ve made it! And the mini chips sound great, too!
Baked this up last night (there’s one piece left ;_;…) and everyone loved it! I used the whole 8 oz and added maybe 3 T of peanut butter to the cream cheese, and it worked well! (The pb did overpower the cream cheese, though, so next time I’d just add 2 T.) Also, I reduced the sugar to 2 T for the cream cheese filling and 1 T for the bread, and it came out plenty sweet for me. ^_^ Thanks for the creative recipe! Your site is full of cool recipes and ideas!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I bet the peanut butter was great with the banana bread. Peanut butter and bananas are such a great pairing and this was a fun twist on things!
I can’t wait to try this. I plan on using the whole 8 oz cream cheese and also using parchment paper to insure it comes out perfectly. If all goes well I’ll try the filling with my great banana bread recipe. Thanks.
Enjoy!
I am hoping it turns out okay…as it is in the oven now. What I found to be a problem for me was adding the last of the banana bread mixture over the layer of cream cheese–It just sunk into the cream cheese layer so there is more cream cheese exposed than there is banana bread mixture on top :(. I don’t know if it was because the cream cheese layer was not very thick? I even added more flour to thicken the cream cheese mixture up a bit. I guess we will see how it works out. As long as it tastes good, I am not too concerned about appearances. I am making this for my husband not for a gathering.
This is absolutely, hands down the best banana bread recipe I have ever had! So moist and fragrant, so addicting! I use 4 bananas and Mexican vanilla. OMG! So glad Ifound your site! Can’t wait to try more, my husband loves this bread! Thank you!!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you and that it’s hands down the best banana bread you’ve ever had! Keep me posted what other recipes of mine you try!
ive tried this egg free it didnt come out well,it taste really good i will try to add more flour next time or lessen the yogurt
The recipe was written using eggs and I recommend following the recipe for best results.
Love this! Added 1/2 cup of crushed pecans to the bread mixture and cinnamon to the cream cheese! Will be making again for sure.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Pecans and cinnamon sound like wonderful additions!
Awesome recipe Cream Cheese filled Banana Bread, I will be making it again and I also love baking and cooking with coconut oil, thanks for sharing
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad you love baking with coconut oil, as do I!