Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Published 6/5/2022
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Cream Cheese Banana Bread never looked so delicious! Take classic banana bread up a notch with the addition of cream cheese for extra flavor and texture.
What is cream cheese banana bread?
This cream cheese banana bread recipe is exactly what it sounds like –> classic banana bread amped up with a little something extra: CREAM CHEESE!
It is made with 3 medium, ripe bananas so you get all of the nanner flavors, but then there are little chunks of cream cheese throughout the bread making it extra moist and flavorful.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread Ingredients
Good news for you, this banana bread recipe with cream cheese only calls for 10 ingredients! Here’s what you need:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- light brown sugar
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- ripe bananas
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- 1% milk
More about the cream cheese!
You can do one of two things when it comes to the cream cheese:
- soften + mix it in: soften the cream cheese to where it’s soft enough to mix into the batter where you can no longer see it.
- chunk + mix it in: chunk the cream cheese and mix it into the batter so that you can still see it.
Which is better? Well, it is a toss-up. My personal favorite way is to soften it an mix it into the batter because each bite comes out silky smooth. However, you’ll see that this recipe was photographed as chunked and mixed in. That way, you get a little bite of heaven with each bite!
How to soften cream cheese
Looking for a quick method to soften cream cheese? Check out our post – How to Soften Cream Cheese – 4 Ways! Here you’ll learn 4 unique (and quick!) methods to soften cream cheese to the perfect amount for baking and cooking.
Can I turn banana bread with cream cheese into muffins?
Turning cream cheese banana bread into muffins is super simple. Here’s how to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Generously spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Fill each muffin about 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
- Bake at 350ºF for 18-24 minutes or until the center of the muffins is fully cooked.
- Let muffins cool for at least 5-10 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.
More Flavor Ideas
Since this is such a great base recipe for a banana bread recipe with cream cheese, you can pretty much make it your own by adding different flavors to spice it up. Here are some add-in ideas:
- chocolate chip
- blueberries
- nuts (walnuts or pecans)
- cocoa powder
- peanut butter
Storage
Once the banana bread cools completely, store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze Cream Cheese Banana Bread
To freeze banana cream cheese banana bread, let it cool completely. Then, write it tightly with a piece of saran wrap and then again with a piece of tin foil. Remove as much air as possible and then place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 heaping cup mashed)
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup 1% milk, any milk works
Instructions
- Begin by spraying a standard loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Next, add brown sugar and butter to a stand mixer and cream them together on low/medium.
- Once creamed, add one egg at a time and beat on low/medium until they are combined into the butter and sugar.
- In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash 3 bananas. Then add banana, cream cheese, and vanilla to the stand mixer. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined.
- Finally, add the milk to the batter and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the banana bread batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
- At 30 minutes, add a tin foil tent to the top of the banana bread to prevent the top from browning too quickly and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes.
- Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it on a cooling rack.
- Let banana bread cool completely before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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When do you add the dry ingredients to the wet?
Hi Julie! Steps 2 through 6 in the recipe instructions will tell you when to add each specific ingredient together 🙂
It doesn’t specify when to add the dry ingredients, but I added them just before I added the milk and it turned out great!