Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — This is the BEST homemade banana bread recipe! The banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in thanks to the luscious cream cheese filling! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!!
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. But you can give it a try if that’s what you have on hand! Just keep in mind that you’ll likely need to bake the bread for longer as well.
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
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Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Banana Bread Recipes:
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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!
Could you use this same recipe but make muffins instead of a loaf? If so, would you have to modify anything?
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://www.averiecooks.com/faq for answers to the most common questions.
And in this recipe, it will be a bit fussy to add the cream cheese layer to all the muffins but it’s possible. Baking time would need to be modified.
For the muffins, put the cream cheese mixture in a qt. ziplock bag & snip one of the corners off to use it like a pastry bag. Easy, quick & muss free. I do this with deviled egg filling.
Great tip!
have you ever considered using Banana baby food in combination with Bananas (if you don’t have enough) or in it’s entirety?
No I haven’t considered it. My days of baby food are 8 years ago so not something I have on hand nor would I probably bake with it even if I did have it. Just too bland!
You’ll definitely need to beat the cream cheese filling with a mixer..like..definitely, otherwise it comes out clumpy and it doesn’t melt at all while baking. That’s the only thing that ruined this otherwise great bread :) And maybe a little more b. powder & soda to rise more, mine didn’t rise much.
Yes with any baking recipe that calls for cream cheese, you always need to beat it long enough to make sure it’s lump-free and smooth and silky!
Also maybe replace your baking soda/powder because freshness is key with leaveners so things rise nicely. Thanks for trying the recipe and glad you found it great!
Just in case anyone is wondering, I did the math, and the nutritional info for 10 servings comes out to this:
Calories–238
Carbs–39
Fat–7
Protein–4
Sodium–145
Sugar–25
It would be easy to cut this into 20 servings, too. Making this tonight!
Wow, thanks for doing that and sharing!!
okay, wow well thank you so much for doing the math it is very nice when you are trying to find a good recipe in a short amount of time, along with a reasonable calorie amount and they have calculated the calories, this one didn’t and i don’t usually have time to count the calories of the ingredients so your comment was very useful!
Maybe this is a silly question but should this be refrigerated?
I personally don’t because I think bread in the fridge dries it out really fast! But do whatever you’re comfortable with.
This looks amazing! But how do you get the coconut oil in liquid state? Just microwave it?? The only ones I’ve seen are solids in a jar.
Turn up your heater or turn off your A/C is one way…it becomes liquid at about 77F indoors. Or just micro a hunk of it for 15 seconds or so.
so glad i found this is was wondering as well since ive never bakes with coconut oil and it seems like u r very fond of it id like to try other recipes with it
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://www.averiecooks.com/faq for answers to the most common questions.
I wouldn’t personally sub it but you can read over my thoughts and then try if you’d like. Enjoy the bread!
I have used whole wheat and think it’s better or you can use half and half. I say it will work I do it.
Banana bread was the best I have ever put in my mouth. I too was looking for a recipe and so happy to find yours.
thanks, I can’t wait to try other recipes
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it was the best you’ve ever had. That’s awesome to hear!! LMK if you try other recipes!
My bread did not cook all the way through after being in oven for 1 hour 20 minutes then again for another half hour:( I followed the recipe exactly how it said. I bake everyday so I know it’s not my oven malfunctioning. This is the 1st thing I ever made that I have to throw out:( any suggestions as to what may have happened??
It’s hard to say with banana bread and ovens and pans exactly what went wrong but I don’t think that 1 hr 20 mins is unreasonably ‘over’ or totally out of line because some ovens do run lower/slower (even if you said yours doesn’t, maybe for this recipe it does) and some bananas are very juicy and just take awhile to cook through fully. Banana bread, in general, historically can take awhile to cook through. I honestly would have just baked it til it was done, whatever that number was – doesn’t matter. Done is done, without regard for what the clock says. Thanks for trying the recipe.
I cooked my bananas tonight but am not going to be able to make my bread! Will they be ok until tomorrow?? Should I put them in the fridge? Thank you!!
The recipe doesn’t call for cooked bananas. It calls for mashed bananas like you’d do in any banana bread recipe.
Will have to do some shopping for ingredients. This bread looks fantastic. I do make bread but never with cream cheese. many thanks for recipie.
I loved making this! My first time making any bread really. I had some bananas that were getting too ripe for my taste and I went on a hunt for what to do with them. Found your recipe, had all the ingredients and gave it a shot! Turned out amazing! Instead of sour cream/greek yogurt, I used a vanilla yogurt, kept it moist and gave it a nice flavor. Thanks for sharing this!
Very cool that this is your first time making any bread and it turned out great for you!
Mine didn’t turn our too well:( the cream cheese center looks like rubber/glue. It took forever for the center to cook so maybe that’s why.
Sounds like getting it to cook through fully was a bit tricky for you, yet it still sounds over-baked hence the rubbery taste. Double-check to make sure your oven is running up to temperature because that can definitely contribute to issues!
Made this today for the first time. So easy and good! I used vegetable oil, 3 small (very) ripe bananas, greek yogurt, and neufchatel cheese for the filling. Delicious!
Glad it turned out great and the neufchantel sounds perfect!
I baked the Banana Bread with cream cheese and it turned out really good! The best banana bread I’ve ever baked. :) My husband loved it, so did my 2-year old! The only thing is, that the creamcheese filling was bland, couldn’t taste it. I used Philadelphia. But overall, the bread was AMAZING!!
Glad it’s the best banana bread you’ve ever made and cream cheese, yes, it is kind of a ‘bland’ food when you think about it. You could add more sugar, or some salt, if you’d like.
my math is so off! i thought i poured about 2/3 of the batter in or whatever the amount was (i understood what i was supposed to be doing)… but really i poured probably like 85% or something lol smh… anyway. i wasnt able to get the batter to reach all the way to the sides completely without disturbing the creamcheese layer too much. what will happen now?
its in the oven now so i cant review the taste, but the smell smelled AMAZING! i could smell the coconut oil, the vanilla extract, the bananas, everything! i cant wait to try it…just hope i didnt ruin it :/
It may not be the prettiest ever bread but I’m sure you didn’t ruin it and it’ll taste just fine!