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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Banana bread cinnamon rolls combine banana-enriched yeast dough with a cinnamon-brown sugar swirl, then finish with brown butter cream cheese frosting. The result is soft, fluffy rolls with a golden top and frosting that melts into every spiral.
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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: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the banana dough
  1. In a bowl, mix warm milk, instant yeast, and sugar, then let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Add mashed ripe bananas, softened butter, egg, flour, and salt, then knead until smooth and elastic.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly covered bowl, and let rise 1 hour until puffy.
Fill, roll, and bake
  1. Roll the dough into a 12x18 rectangle on a lightly floured surface and spread the softened butter over the dough.
  2. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly across the buttered dough.
  3. Roll up tightly from the long edge into a log, then slice into 12 rolls.
  4. Place the rolls into a greased 9x13 pan, leaving space between them, and let rise 30 minutes until swollen.
  5. Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until the tops are golden and set.
Brown butter cream cheese frosting and finish
  1. Beat the browned butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  2. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls immediately so it melts into the swirls.

Notes

For the best soft crumb, make sure the milk is warm (not hot) so the yeast foams in step 1, and don’t overbake once the tops turn golden. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm gently in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended because the frosting texture may change after thawing. If you want a dairy-light option, use lactose-free cream cheese and lactose-free milk in the frosting.