If you love ultra-moist banana muffins with a creamy surprise in every bite, these Banana Cream Cheese Muffins are about to become your new favorite treat. Sweet ripe bananas, crunchy walnuts, and a luscious cream cheese swirl come together in the fluffiest, bakery-style muffin. They're soft, rich, and completely irresistible, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Breakfast / Snack / Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 15-18 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12 muffins
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet banana, creamy vanilla, lightly nutty
- 🍚 Best Served With: Coffee, tea, or a glass of milk
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, stores beautifully
Summarize and Save This Content On
These Banana Cream Cheese Muffins are everything you love about banana bread, but better. They're light, not overly sweet, and perfect for using up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter.
This was inspired by my chocolate chip banana bread and mini chocolate chip muffins on this site, and pairs well with this McDonalds caramel mocha copycat.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ultra Moist Texture: Ripe bananas keep every bite soft and fluffy.
- Creamy Swirl Topping: The sweetened cream cheese adds richness and tang.
- Easy to Make: Simple pantry ingredients and no complicated steps.
Ingredients
These muffins use common baking staples and a few very ripe bananas. No special equipment required.
Muffins
- All purpose flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt: The foundation of most baked goods and gives muffins their shape and light, soft crumb.
- Mashed Banana: Add moisture, replace some fat and add that wonderful banana flavor.
- Granulated sugar and Brown Sugar: Sweetens and helps create a soft crumb.
- Butter, Add flavor, rise properly, a tender crumb and enough density to prevent cream cheese from sinking.
- Vanilla Extract: Amplifies flavor.
- Walnuts: Add crunch and nutty flavor.
Cream Cheese Topping
- Cream cheese: Adds slight tang and texture contrast.
- Confectioners Sugar: Powdered sugar dissolves instantly creating a smooth finish.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and prevents the topping from tasting overly sweet.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Variations
- Swap Nuts: Instead of walnuts use pecans.
- Add Flavor: Add ½ cup of chocolate chips or peanut butter chips for small bursts of flavor.
- Add Berries: Fold in ½ cup of fresh blueberries or diced strawberries.
- Gluten-Free Muffins: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Make Mini's: Bake at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes instead.
Instructions
These banana cream cheese muffins could not be easier to make. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract. Using a handheld or stand electric mixer, beat together on low speed until all ingredients are combined. In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
Add half of the flour to the mixture and stir using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour, stirring until well blended.
Mix in the chopped walnuts.
Spoon the muffin mixture into the lined muffin tins until ½ - ¾ filled.
In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
Top each muffin with a spoonful of the cream cheese. Using a butter knife, move in an up and down, circular or figure eight motion to swirl some of the cream cheese into the batter.
Bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are firm.
Remove from heat and allow to cool in the muffin tins for 8-10 minutes before removing and placing on rack.
If you love to try different kinds of muffins, you may also enjoy our muffin tin apple pies.
Expert Tips
- Use overripe bananas: The riper the banana, with lots of brown spots, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be.
- Measure flour properly: For best results, spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Too little flour means flat, dense muffins and too much means muffins will be dry and heavy.
- Do not overmix the batter: Overmixing the batter can cause dense muffins instead of light and airy. Stir just until the flour disappears.
- Bakery-style tops: Sprinkle on a little coarse sugar before baking.
- Storage: Place totally cooled muffins in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Muffins are done: The tops should feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion (not the cream cheese) should come out clean with maybe a crumb or two attached.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm with coffee or tea.
- Add to a brunch spread with asparagus quiche and old fashioned fruit salad.
- Pack in lunchboxes as a sweet treat.
- Serve alongside s'mores parfait or our chocolate raspberry cheesecake parfait.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Thaw completely and drain excess liquid before mashing.
Absolutely. They are optional simply omit the walnuts for a nut-free version.
You can substitute up to half the flour with whole wheat for a heartier texture.
If the batter is too thin or overfilled, the swirl can sink. Keep the swirl light and don't overmix it into the batter.
More Banana Recipes
Do you love moist banana treats? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Banana Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed banana 2-3 ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ Cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Topping
- 4 oz cream cheese softened, ½ a brick
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract. Using a handheld or stand electric mixer, beat together on low speed until all ingredients are combined.
- Add half of the flour to the mixture and stir using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour, stirring until well blended.
- Mix in the chopped walnuts.
- Spoon the muffin mixture into the lined muffin tins until ½ - ¾ filled.
Cream Cheese Topping
- In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
- Top each muffin with a spoonful of the cream cheese. Using a butter knife, move in an up and down, circular or figure eight motion to swirl some of the cream cheese into the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are firm.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool in the muffin tins for 8-10 minutes before removing and placing on rack. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Video
Notes
- Use overripe bananas: The riper the banana, with lots of brown spots, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be.
- Measure flour properly: For best results, spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Too little flour means flat, dense muffins and too much means muffins will be dry and heavy.
- Do not overmix the batter: Overmixing the batter can cause dense muffins instead of light and airy. Stir just until the flour disappears.
- Bakery-style tops: Sprinkle on a little coarse sugar before baking.
- Storage: Place totally cooled muffins in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Muffins are done: The tops should feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion (not the cream cheese) should come out clean with maybe a crumb or two attached.
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