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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Name: Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 230 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup whole milk; 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast; 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; 1 ½ cups well-mashed over-ripe bananas; 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk; 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar; 4 ½ cups bread flour (may need more or less depending on your kitchen); 1 ½ teaspoons table salt; 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened and cut into 4 pieces ); ½ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed); 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon cardamom (optional); ⅛ teaspoon table salt; 4 Tablespoons salted butter (softened (see note)); 1 banana (diced into small pieces optional); 2 oz cream cheese (softened); 2 Tablespoons salted butter (softened (see note)); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste ((or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)); 1 Tablespoon milk

By Sam MerrittPublished Mar 05, 2026

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2 Comments

Servings: 12 rolls

3 hrs 50 mins

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Gooey, perfectly spiced banana bread cinnamon rolls are an irresistible combination of two beloved breakfast treats. My recipe is easy enough for beginners and makes plenty to share! Recipe includes a how-to video!

Overhead view of banana bread cinnamon rolls being frosted with cream cheese icing.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls

I thought no other recipe could top my Amish cinnamon rolls, but these banana bread cinnamon rolls might do just that. The combination of ingredients–bananas, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter–all pair beautifully for a fun mishmash of my cinnamon roll recipe and banana bread recipe. Paired with the silky smooth vanilla bean cream cheese icing, these are an experience!

4 Things to Know About This Recipe

Banana ripeness matters. Super ripe bananas have the most sugar and flavor, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for here. This sugar feeds the yeast (making the rolls rise faster than usual!) and yields incredibly an tender, soft texture.
Bread flour vs. all purpose flour. Opting for bread flour makes for the perfect chewy texture. I do this with several of my cinnamon roll recipes, including my apple cinnamon rolls. It’s worth the higher cost–trust me!
Mixer is best. Using a stand mixer to combine the dough avoids the need for excess flour, ultimately making for more flavorful rolls. You can still make this recipe by hand, but the results will be better with a mixer.
Frosting options. While I prefer a cream cheese frosting with these banana cinnamon rolls, you do have other options. Scroll down to the FAQ section below for more frosting ideas.

Ingredients

Bananas. We want SUPER ripe bananas here, just like when making banana muffins. Ripe bananas are the most flavorful, and we want maximum banana flavor! If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can always roast them to get them to the right mashable stage.
Bread flour. Similar to my pumpkin cinnamon rolls, I prefer using bread flour here for the best texture. It makes these banana bread cinnamon rolls perfectly chewy and gooey. All-purpose flour will still work (use the same amount), but will yield fluffier results with less chew.
Yeast. You will need active dry yeast for this recipe. Check to make sure your yeast isn’t expired; if it is, you risk your rolls not rising at all or taking much, much longer to rise.
Butter. I use a combination of salted and unsalted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, simply increase the salt in the filling to ¼ teaspoon and add a tiny pinch of salt to the icing. If you only have salted butter reduce the salt in the rolls by a tiny pinch.
Spices. Including cinnamon (of course!) and a touch of cardamom. I find the cardamom works nicely with the banana flavor, but you can leave it out if you aren’t a fan or don’t have any on hand.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

Sam’s Tip:

This is a very sticky dough. Because of this, making it in a stand mixer is ideal; you end up having to add much more flour if making by hand, which makes the rolls more dry and less banana-y. It’s still doable without one, but the results are better with a stand mixer.

How to Make Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls (Step-by-Step)

Overhead view of proofed yeast in a mixing.

Step 1: Proof the yeast. Stir the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into the warm milk. The yeast should get nice and foamy over the next few minutes; if it doesn’t, you need to toss it and start over.

Butter being mixed into a yeast dough one tablespoon at a time.

Step 2: Make the dough. Stir in the banana, eggs, sugar, salt, and just 3 cups of the flour until everything is well combined. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, then add additional flour as needed until the dough starts to cling to itself and is tacky. Knead until smooth and elastic. Note: this dough is not ideal for performing the windowpane test because it tends to be stickier than most.

Overhead view of a bowl of dough after rising.

Step 3: First rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size. The rise time can vary quite a lot depending on the warmth of your kitchen (the sugars in the bananas help with this). I’ve had this first rise finish in less than 50 minutes.

Hands rolling banana cinnamon roll dough into a log.

Step 4: Roll the dough. Prep your filling, soften your butter, and grease your pan, then uncover and deflate your dough. Roll it out into a rectangle, then spread the butter over the surface. Sprinkle and press the filling over the butter, then scatter the banana pieces overtop. Roll the dough into a tight log.

Overhead view of banana cinnamon rolls in a pan before rising.

Step 5: Cut & arrange. Slice the log into 12 rolls, then arrange them in your prepared pan.

Overhead view of banana cinnamon rolls in a pan after rising.

Step 6: Second rise. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise again until puffed. Once again, this rise time can vary–I’ve had it be as fast as 15 minutes. Preheat your oven while your rolls are rising.

Overhead view of baked cinnamon rolls in a pan before frosting.

Step 7: Bake. Uncover and transfer the rolls to your preheated oven. Bake until the tops are light golden brown.

Overhead view of a pan of iced banana bread cinnamon rolls.

Step 8: Frost. Let the rolls cool for at least 10 minutes, then stir together your frosting. Spread it evenly over the rolls before serving and enjoying!

Sam’s Tip:

To make sure the rolls are done, I like to check the internal temperature of a middle, second row cinnamon roll–look for 180F.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does pouring heavy cream over cinnamon rolls do?

Adding a drizzle (2-4 tablespoons) of heavy cream over the rolls before baking will make them a bit more gooey and soft. It’s not necessary, but it can be a nice addition if you’re feeling a little extra indulgent!

Can I use a different frosting?

Yes! You can use my cinnamon roll icing (no cream cheese!), coffee frosting (you will need to halve/quarter the recipe), brown butter frosting (you will need to halve/quarter the recipe), or even the topping from my sticky buns recipe.

Personally, I think the cream cheese frosting included here pairs super well though, so I recommend sticking with the recipe for best results.

How do I make this recipe in advance?

Cover and refrigerate the rolls after cutting and arranging in your pan. The next day, bring the rolls out of the fridge, uncover, and let them rise in a warm spot until puffed; this will likely take longer since the rolls are cold. Proceed with the recipe as written.