Banana Bread Bars are a great variation on a favorite breakfast meal in our home. Similar to banana bread with a cream cheese frosting.
Jump to RecipeBanana Bread is a favorite breakfast in our house. Any time we have a few bananas the boys always beg us to save them to make banana bread. But one day, we decided we wanted to try something a little different and made it into banana bread bars.
Since it’s so close to banana bread, we named these banana bread bars. Yeah, we’re really creative over here! I don’t know if they would really be breakfast anymore, with the cream cheese frosting on top, but they made a great snack.
The ingredients for the bars are very similar to those used for bread. It’s just slightly different amounts and methods. Plus, as I said, the bars have a delicious frosting on top that we don’t put on the bread.
Tyler and Ryan really enjoyed helping us make this recipe. And of course, they especially like helping us eat it!
Banana Bread Bars Step by Step
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp butter (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 bananas (overripe)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups cream cheese frosting
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until they are fluffy. I like to use my stand mixer for this because it is quick and easy without me having to hold the mixer.
Then beat in the eggs, ripe bananas, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly stir this into the banana mixture until it’s just blended together.
Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish and pour the banana batter into the dish.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the bars in the dish on a wire rack.
Once the bars are completely cooled, frost and cut into one-inch squares and serve. Garnish with crushed pecans if desired.
Recipe
Originally Published On: April 23, 2019
Last Updated On: January 20, 2022
Banana Bread Bars
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp butter (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 bananas (overripe)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups cream cheese frosting
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar
- Beat in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla extract
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt
- Slowly stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish and pour the batter in the dish
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack
- When the bars are completely cooled, frost and cut into one-inch squares
- Garnish with crushed pecans if desired
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Banana Recipes
- Banana Bread
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie: McDonald’s Copycat
- Banana Cake with Glaze
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Pancakes
- Dreamsicle Protein Smoothie
- Bananas Foster Sticky Buns
- Banana Cream Puppy Chow
- Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Cream Cheesecake
- French Vanilla Banana Pudding with Nilla Wafers
- Banana Muffins with Streusel and Icing
- Chocolate Banana Milkshake
- Banana Bread Cheesecake
- Banana Bread Bars
- Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
Recipes Using Cream Cheese Frosting
- How to Make Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
- Elegant and Creamy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- No Yeast Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls in Less than One Hour
- Banana Bread Bars
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Key Lime Frosted Cookies
- Nearly-Headless Nick’s Deathday Cake
- Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
Yummy! I’m a fan of anything with bananas in it period. Definitely a spin to the usual banana bread.
Bananas are a favorite in our house, too. Especially with my boys.
Oh my gosh these look amazing! My boyfriend is a big fan of banana bread, so I know he would love this.
This sounds like a perfect dessert for him, then!
Oh yum! I love Banana Bread and I may have to try this recipe out. so good!
We do too, and these are a great variation of banana bread for something different.
You are on fire with these banana bread bars! I love banana bread, but never thought about topping them with cream cheese frosting!
Cream cheese frosting is my favorite! It goes so well on these banana bread bars.
These banana bread bars look so yummy! I love banana bread on its own, but the icing looks like an amazing way to change things up!
The frosting definitely adds another layer of awesome to this dessert!
My mouth started watering the second I saw that frosting! No need to cut them into squares though- I have no doubt that I’d be able to eat a whole pan’s worth in the span of an hour. Whoops!
I like the way you think 😉 I could do the same, that’s why I have to cut them up, to help limit myself!
Yes please. I would love to try one of these right now. Might be baking these soon, maybe for the holidays dessert this year.
Did you ever get a chance to make these for the holidays? They would be a perfect dessert to have out at any gathering.
I love banana bread but have never tried making bars. I think the cream cheese topping is such a perfect touch!
These are slightly different than regular banana bread since you don’t want them to rise like a loaf of bread. But otherwise, still taste the same, or even better once you add the cream cheese frosting!
Oh wow these little squares look scrummy. I love how moist they look and bet with the banana they taste yummy xx
All true! The bars stay very moist as they bake, and the banana flavor is amazing.
Omg this looks so yummy and easy to make. I have been looking for a recipe to use our bananas in. Going to save this and make it in home ec with my kiddos this week. Thanks.
That’s such an awesome plan. I’m sure your students would love making (and eating) something like this.
I will make anything that says to put cream cheese icing on it. These sound perfect and are totally something I want to try!
Girl, me too! Cream cheese frosting is by far my favorite and makes everything better.
I just love banana bread this time of year! So creative making them into bars with frosting on top!
Banana bread is good any time of year!
This is great! I’m always looking some nice ideas to use our overripe bananas, these bars sound perfect!
My boys love bananas, but we often get overripe ones, too. This has been one of the many ways we’ve used them up!
Banana bread is one of my favorites so I know I would love these. Definitely giving these a go!
It’s one of our favorites, too. But, we were making it almost every other week so had to try out something different and came up with these banana bread bars!
ah! we got the thumbs up! I’m going to try those as soon as possible! I have a bunch of ripe bananas that I need to use up and this idea is exactly what I needed!
Yep, my little taste-tester gave these a thumbs up, I figure that’s pretty good because he can be a picky eater sometimes!
As a lover of banana bread I am pretty sure these would really be great! I may try them!
I hope you get a chance to try these, they are so yummy and a great variation on normal banana bread.
I love banana bread so I definitely want to try these! YUM!
Dessert bars are a great change to regular banana bread for something different. I’d love to know what you think when you try them.
Yummy, I love bananas. So always willing to try anything new with bananas. I have made banana bread. But this is new. And I really like how pretty it looks. This weekend I am giving it a try.
My boys eat a banana every day, so bananas are big in my house, too. I hope you enjoy these when you make them. I’d love to hear back once you do and let me know how they worked for you!
This looks amazing and seems so easy to make! Would make a great breakfast or dessert too 🙂
Yes! They are perfect for either one. We tend to eat the banana bread bars for both dessert when we first make them and breakfast the next morning.
Seems I already have something new to try out this weekend 🙂 As always, thank you for sharing.
I hope you like the recipe! It’s definitely a favorite here.
I love to save this new recipe and I will definitely make this. I am sure my son love and will be favorite. Yumm yumm
My boys both can’t get enough of these when we make them. I’m sure your son will be the same!
You had me at banana bread. This looks amazing. Definitely making this this weekend!
These bars are banana bread and then some! They are amazingly delicious.
love banana bread! yours look so delicious! especially with the frosting!
The frosting makes them so much better!