My Banana Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, sweet rolls made with ripe bananas in the dough and swirled with gooey cinnamon sugar. They're topped with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting and a crunchy baked cinnamon streusel for the perfect bakery-style finish.
The banana adds moisture and flavor, giving these rolls a fun, cozy twist on the classic. Whether for brunch or dessert, these are the kind of rolls that disappear fast!
These rolls are perfect for cozy mornings, weekend baking, and anytime you have overripe bananas on the counter. They’re especially lovely in fall and winter when warm spices and comforting bakes shine.
Serve them for brunches, birthdays, or lazy holiday mornings—they're a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. You can even prep them ahead and bake fresh for Christmas or Easter breakfast.
If you loved these, try my Pumpkin Banana Muffins for a cozy banana breakfast treat. You’ll also love my Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls and Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls for more fun twists on classic bakes.
Jump to:
Ingredients
The ingredients are pantry-friendly—just basic dough staples plus a couple of ripe bananas.
Banana Bread Rolls
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Milk
- Mashed bananas (about 2 ripe bananas)
- Egg + egg yolk
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Yeast
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
Cinnamon Streusel
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Melted butter
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This banana cinnamon roll recipe is easy to make with a few simple steps, and it’s perfect for both beginners and seasoned bakers.
Step 1: Make the dough.
Warm the milk and butter together, then let the mixture cool to 110–120°F. Stir in the yeast and a little sugar, and let it sit until foamy.
Mix in the mashed banana, egg, and egg yolk, then gradually add the dry ingredients. Knead until smooth and elastic, then cover and let rise until doubled in size, roughly an hour.
Step 2: Fill and shape.
Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter to make a thick, spreadable filling. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 12x18 inches.
Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, going all the way to the edges. Slice the dough into 1-inch wide strips and roll each one up into a tight swirl.
Step 3: Second rise and make the streusel.
Place each rolled swirl into a greased 9x13-inch pan, spacing them slightly apart. Cover and let the rolls rise again until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
While they rise, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a small bowl until soft clumps form. Spread the streusel on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, then let cool and set aside for decorating.
Step 4: Bake the rolls, make the frosting, and decorate.
Bake the risen rolls at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until golden and set in the center. While they cool slightly, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk to make the frosting.
Spread the frosting over the warm rolls so it melts into the swirls. Finish by sprinkling the cooled cinnamon streusel over the top for a sweet, crunchy finish.
Hint: Topping the warm rolls with icing lets it melt into all the swirls, making every bite extra gooey and delicious.
Overnight Instructions
- Prepare the rolls as directed through the shaping step: mix the dough, let it rise, make the filling, roll up, cut, and arrange in the greased 9×13-inch pan.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a reusable cover, then refrigerate overnight (8–16 hours). The slow, cold rise will develop flavor and keep the dough from over-proofing.
- The next morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let the rolls sit at room temperature for 45–75 minutes until noticeably puffy. If your kitchen is cool, it may take closer to the full 75 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) during the last 20 minutes of proofing.
- Bake as directed for 25–28 minutes, until lightly golden on top.
- Frost and serve while warm for the softest, gooeyest rolls.
Substitutions
If some of these ingredients don't work for you, try these tried-and-true substitutions! I'm very familiar with dairy free baking and these are the ingredients I love to use.
- Milk - Use high-fat non-dairy milk if you don't want to use dairy! I highly recommend Oatly oat milk (full-fat or regular would be ideal).
- Butter - Use a non-dairy butter like Country Crock's plant butter. A neutral oil (like coconut oil) would work well here too! I've also had great luck using that brand in frosting.
- Cream cheese - While I haven't tested using a cream cheese alternative, there are lots of great ones out there like Kite Hill's cream cheese. (If you try it out, let me know how it goes!)
Variations
Want to mix things up? Try one of these fun twists on classic Banana Cinnamon Rolls:
- Chocolate Chip Banana Rolls – Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the filling before rolling for a banana bread-meets-cinnamon roll combo.
- Caramel Pecan Banana Rolls – Add chopped pecans and a drizzle of caramel sauce over the filling or on top of the frosted rolls for extra crunch and sweetness.
- Maple Glazed Banana Rolls – Swap the cream cheese frosting for a simple maple glaze made with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and a splash of milk.
- Nutty Banana Rolls – Fold toasted walnuts or pecans into the dough for added texture and a nutty banana bread vibe.
- Spiced Banana Rolls – Add ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and/or cardamom to the cinnamon filling for extra warmth and depth.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- small bowl for mixing streusel
- small bowl for mixing filling
- Icing knife or spatula for spreading the frosting or filling
- 9x13 baking dish
- Parchment Paper
- 5-wheel pastry cutter (or pizza cutter)
Storage
Banana Cinnamon Rolls are best enjoyed fresh, but they store beautifully too!
- Room Temperature: Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave to bring back that soft, gooey texture. (15 seconds at a time)
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just note they’ll firm up a bit when cold—warm them before serving for best results.
- Freezer: You can also freeze the rolls (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 2 months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or store in a freezer-safe container, then thaw in the refrigerator and warm when ready to enjoy (15 seconds incraments in the microwave until warmed through).
If freezing after baking, I recommend waiting to add the streusel topping until after reheating so it stays crisp!
Top tip
Using a kitchen scale is one of the easiest ways to instantly improve your baking. It’s affordable, reliable, and the most accurate way to ensure your recipes turn out just right every time. I always recommend weighing your ingredients—see the “Equipment” section above for my favorite scale!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Banana Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- small bowl for mixing streusel
- small bowl for mixing filling
- Icing knife or spatula for spreading the frosting or filling
- 9x13 baking dish
- Parchment Paper
- 5-wheel pastry cutter (or pizza cutter)
Ingredients
Banana Bread Rolls
- 113 g unsalted butter melted, ½ cup. Salted butter would work well too, just use less salt in the dough.
- 180 g milk ¾ cup
- 250 g mashed bananas 1 cup, roughly 2 bananas
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 810 g all-purpose flour 6 ¾ cups
- 6 g salt 1 tsp
- 7 g yeast 2 ¼ tsp, one packet
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 75 g unsalted butter ⅓ cup, softened. salted would work fine too.
- 90 g dark brown sugar ¾ cup
- 10 g ground cinnamon 1 ¼ teaspoon
- pinch salt if using unsalted butter
Vanilla cream cheese frosting
- 113 g butter ½ cup
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 400 g powdered sugar 4 cups
- 15-30 g milk 1-2 tablespoons
- 5 g vanilla extract 1 tsp
Cinnamon streusel
- 60 g all-purpose flour ½ cup
- 100 g sugar ½ cup
- 12 g ground cinnamon 1 ½ tablespoons
- pinch salt
- 56 g melted butter 4 tablespoons
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Warm the milk and butter: Melt the butter with the milk in a heat-safe bowl or saucepan. Once melted, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and let it cool to 110–120°F.113 g unsalted butter, 180 g milk
- Bloom the yeast: Stir in the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar, then let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy and bloomed.7 g yeast
- Mix in wet ingredients: Add the mashed banana, egg, and egg yolk to the yeast mixture and stir until just combined.250 g mashed bananas, 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add them to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed or with a spoon until the dough comes together.810 g all-purpose flour, 6 g salt
- Knead the dough: Knead on a lightly floured surface or using the dough hook on low speed for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the bowl. The dough should pass the windowpane test.
- First rise: Lightly grease the bowl, return the dough to it, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1–1.5 hours).
Make the Filling
- Combine ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Set aside: Keep the filling nearby while rolling out the dough.
Roll and Fill the Dough
- Roll out the dough: Once risen, punch the dough down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 12x18 inches and ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the filling: Evenly spread the softened butter over the rolled-out dough, then top with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, going all the way to the edges. Use your hands or a spatula to spread the cinnamon sugar and work it into the butter.75 g unsalted butter, 90 g dark brown sugar, 10 g ground cinnamon, pinch salt
Shape the Rolls
- Cut into strips: Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 1-inch-wide strips, starting along the shorter, 12-inch side of the dough.
- Roll individually: Starting at one end of each strip, roll it up tightly like a pinwheel. Place each rolled strip into a greased or parchment-lined 9x13-inch pan.
- Second rise: Cover the pan and let the rolls rise again until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
Make the Streusel
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed.60 g all-purpose flour, 100 g sugar, 12 g ground cinnamon, pinch salt
- Add the butter: Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until soft clumps form and the mixture looks crumbly.56 g melted butter
- Bake the streusel: Spread the streusel evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, or until lightly golden and crisp around the edges. Leave the oven on, as you will be baking the rolls at 350°F as well.
- Cool and crumble: Let it cool completely on the pan, then break into chunks or crumbles for topping the rolls after icing.
Bake the Rolls
- Bake: Once risen, bake the rolls for 30 minutes at 350°F or until golden brown and baked through.
- Cool slightly: Let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before frosting.
Make the Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.113 g butter, 4 oz cream cheese
- Add sugar and vanilla: Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla and a splash of milk to reach your desired consistency.400 g powdered sugar, 15-30 g milk, 5 g vanilla extract
Frost the Rolls
- Spread while warm: For gooey, melted frosting, spread it over the warm rolls. Wait 5-10 minutes after taking them out of the oven to add the frosting so it doesn't melt entirely.
- Cool for a thicker layer: Let the rolls cool completely if you prefer a thicker, fluffier frosting on top.
Leave a Reply