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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Banana bread cinnamon rolls with a ripe-banana dough are swirled with cinnamon sugar, then topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting. Soft rolls bake until golden, and the frosting melts into every swirl for a gooey, bakery-style finish.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
rising 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dough
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 0.75 cup warm milk
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 0.333 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For the filling
  • 4 tbsp butter, softened
  • 0.333 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
For the frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbsp brown butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the dough and first rise
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, warm milk, instant yeast, and sugar, then rest for 5 minutes until foamy around the edges.
  2. Add softened butter, egg, all-purpose flour, and salt, then knead until smooth, elastic, and no dry flour remains.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly covered bowl, and let it rise for 1 hour until puffy and about doubled in size.
Shape the rolls and second rise
  1. Roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
  2. Spread softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly across the surface.
  3. Roll the dough up tightly into a log, keeping the seam on the bottom.
  4. Slice the log into 12 rolls, then arrange them in a greased 9x13 pan.
  5. Cover and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes until noticeably swollen and touching slightly.
Bake and frost
  1. Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until the tops are golden and the centers look set.
  2. Beat brown butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth, then spread the frosting over warm rolls so it melts into every swirl.

Notes

Pro tip: warm milk should feel comfortably warm to the touch (not hot) so the yeast blooms reliably; if your kitchen is cool, expect the rises to take closer to the upper end of the time. Store leftover rolls covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and rewarm gently in the microwave for 15–25 seconds to soften. Freeze baked rolls (without frosting if possible) for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm. For a lighter version, use reduced-fat cream cheese and replace some butter with an equal amount of plant-based butter in the frosting.