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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Banana bread cinnamon rolls with banana-enriched yeast dough are rolled, sliced, and baked until golden, then finished with a brown butter cream cheese frosting that melts into the swirls. Soft, fluffy rolls with a classic cinnamon-brown sugar filling make a banana sweet roll crossover you can serve warm.
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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
  

dough
  • 2 ripe bananas mashed
  • 3 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
filling
  • 4 tbsp butter softened
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
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

Method
 

Make the banana dough
  1. Mix warm milk, instant yeast, and sugar in a bowl, then let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Add mashed bananas, softened butter, egg, flour, and salt, then knead until smooth.
  3. Cover the dough and let rise for 1 hour until puffy and nearly doubled.
Fill, roll, and rise
  1. Roll the dough into a 12x18 rectangle and spread the softened butter evenly over the surface.
  2. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the buttered dough.
  3. Roll up tightly from the long edge, then slice into 12 rolls.
  4. Place the rolls in a greased 9x13 pan, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake and frost
  1. Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until the tops turn golden.
  2. Beat browned butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth, then spread over the warm rolls immediately so it melts into the swirls.

Notes

For the best texture, use ripe bananas and warm milk that’s comfortably warm to the touch (not hot) so the yeast blooms. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm individual rolls in the microwave for 10–20 seconds. Freeze frosted rolls up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and rewarm before serving. For a dairy-light swap, use cream cheese and butter substitutes designed for baking and frosting while keeping the rest the same.