Delicious Banana Cinnamon Rolls made with fresh banana, brown sugar, and plenty of cinnamon!

Delicious Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are such a labor of love but they are always SO WORTH IT. They may take a little work on the front end but the end result is so delicious. If you have never made cinnamon rolls before, you may be surprised to know that they’re easier to make than you think!

Watch How to Make These Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

These banana bread cinnamon rolls take my homemade buttermilk cinnamon roll recipe to the next level with the addition of fresh banana in the dough and filling.

The rolls are finished with a thick and fluffy cream cheese frosting that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful. It’s the perfect combination of your favorite banana bread cinnamon rolls in one!

More Banana Bread Recipes

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Whole Milk: we’re using regular whole milk for these rolls. I’ve included some additional milk options below if you are interested!

ACTIVE DRY YEAST: yeast helps the rolls to rise. We’re using two packets of yeast these cinnamon rolls.

Sugar: you’ll need a little granulated sugar for the dough.

Eggs: we’re using one egg and egg yolk for the perfect texture.

Banana: you’ll need a few bananas to mash for the dough as well as some fresh slices for the filling.

All Purpose Flour: regular white all purpose flour is all you need. You could use bread flour instead if you prefer!

Salt: this is a must and helps to give your cinnamon roll dough flavor.

Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter in both the dough and filling.

DARK BROWN SUGAR: you’ll need plenty of delicious rich brown sugar for the filling.

CINNAMON: I mean obviously, am I right?

VANILLA EXTRACT: there is plenty vanilla flavor running throughout the dough, filling, and cream cheese icing.

Ingredient Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use whole milk? – nope! I’ve used buttermilk, full-fat coconut milk, and almond milk for these rolls and they all work great! I really loved the flavor of the full-fat coconut milk in this recipe.
Can I make these dairy free? – yes! just use a non-dairy milk and a vegan butter!
Do I have to use walnuts? – nope! you can leave them out entirely or swap them for pecans if you prefer.
Can I use gluten free flour? – I haven’t tested these cinnamon rolls with gluten free flour.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

CANDY THERMOMETER – to help you make sure that the milk is just the right temperature.
LARGE MIXING BOWL – you’ll need a bowl with a lot of room to mix the dough.
WOODEN SPOON – I prefer using a wooden spoon to stir the dough because it has a nice firm handle.
TEA TOWEL – to cover your dough while it rises.
ROLLING PIN – you’ll need this to roll out the dough. I prefer to use French rolling pin without handles to get the dough an even thickness.
SERRATED KNIFE – this makes cutting the cinnamon roll dough a breeze! I’ve heard that you can use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls as well.
PARCHMENT PAPER – to line the baking dish and prevent any mess.
9×13 BAKING DISH – this recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls so you’ll need a 9×13 pan to hold all the rolls.

The Most Delicious Cream Cheese Icing

Any good cinnamon roll has a hefty slather of delicious cream cheese icing on top. For these rolls you’ll need cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a bit of ground cinnamon to really drive home that yummy banana bread flavor.

How to Make Banana Cinnamon Rolls

Step One: Warm the milk to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit and then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm milk and then sprinkle the granulated sugar over the yeast. The yeast should begin to foam and become frothy. If after 5 minutes the yeast still does not start to foam or become frothy, throw out the milk mixture and start again with new yeast. Next, add the melted butter, egg, and egg yolk, mashed banana, and vanilla extract to the yeast mixture and whisk together until well combined.

Step Two: Add the all purpose flour and salt to the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour until a well combined dough forms, being sure to incorporate all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You’ll know it’s time to move on to the next step once it becomes hard to stir. The dough will be thick, shaggy dough that’s still quite a bit sticky and that’s ok!

Step Three: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and then use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it becomes elastic and can easily form into a smooth ball. The dough should feel slightly tacky but it should not stick to your hands or the kneading surface. If the dough is still too sticky after kneading for a few minutes, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and continue to knead the dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

Step Four: Grease a clean, large bowl with one teaspoon of avocado oil and then transfer the ball of dough to the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm area (like the top of your oven/stovetop) for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step Five: While the dough is rising, make the filling by combining the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

Step Six: Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the extra air and then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into the shape of a rough rectangle and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 20×16 rectangle that is roughly 1/4 inch thick.

Step Seven: Use a spatula or knife to spread the softened butter evenly over the dough and then sprinkle the filling mixture over the butter, being sure to cover all of the edges of the dough. Use your fingers to press the cinnamon sugar mixture into the butter a bit. Add the banana slices on top of the cinnamon sugar mixture in a single layer. Then, sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the bananas.

Step Eight: Tightly roll up the dough, on the long side, and place the log seam side down. Pinch the seam a bit so the rolls don’t unravel. Use a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the roll into 12 equally sized pieces. Place the cinnamon rolls in a 9×13 casserole dish, lined with parchment paper, evenly spaced apart. You should have 3 rows with 4 rolls per row.

Step Nine: Cover the casserole dish with a tea towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 25-30 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.

Step Ten: Bake the cinnamon rolls on the center rack at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before icing. You can finish the rolls with a bit of chopped walnuts, too!

My Favorite Tips and Tricks for the Best Cinnamon Rolls

Make sure your yeast is not expired – check the label on your packets of yeast to make sure that it hasn’t expired so that you get a good rise on your cinnamon rolls.
Don’t overheat or underheat your milk – in order for your yeast to activate properly you want to be sure that your milk is heated to 110-115 digress Fahrenheit. I like to heat my milk in a small pot on the stovetop but you can also heat it in the microwave in increments of 15-20 seconds until warm. Use a candy thermometer to ensure the milk isn’t too hot or not hot enough.
Make sure your eggs are room temperature – this helps to keep the milk the right temperature and not negatively impact your yeast.
Measure the flour correctly – be sure to measure your flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and then using a knife to level it out. Measuring it correctly will ensure that you don’t add too much flour to the dough.
Swap AP flour for bread flour – I’ve made these rolls with both all purpose flour and bread flour and both ways come out great. But, if you want extra fluffy chewy cinnamon rolls then bread flour is the way to go!
Use room temperature butter in the filling – I’ve tested these with both melted butter and room temperature butter and room temp butter wins every single time. I found that the filling leaked out of the rolls while baking when I used melted butter.
Use measuring tape – I use to really struggle with getting evenly sized cinnamon rolls until I started to pull out my measuring tape. Now, I keep one in the kitchen and it helps me to cut evenly sized cinnamon rolls every time.
Line your pan with parchment paper – if you want to make clean up a breeze and keep your rolls from sticking, don’t forget to line your baking dish with parchment paper before adding the cinnamon rolls.
Don’t over bake – the cinnamon rolls should be a nice golden brown on the top and not too dark. If you tap the top of a roll and it sounds hollow then you know they are done.
Practice makes perfect – here’s the thing with any type of cinnamon roll, you get better at making them the more you make them. I’ve made dozens of batches of both my homemade cinnamon rolls and these banana cinnamon rolls at this point, and I still feel like I learn a new little trick or find something I want to tweak every time I make them. Just know your rolls will be delicious and you’ll feel even more confident making them with more practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best way to heat the milk?

I prefer heating the on the stove top in a small pot. However, you can also heat it in the microwave by heating it in 15-20 second increments. Just be sure to use a candy thermometer to ensure it’s the right temperature.

Can I use a stand mixer?

Yes! Instead of kneading by hand, if you have a stand mixer you can knead the dough using a dough hook. Just know that if you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry! Personally, I never use a stand mixer.

How to Make Overnight Banana Bread Rolls

You can easily make these banana bread cinnamon rolls the night before and bake them the next morning. That way you can do all of the work the night before and then everyone wakes up to a fresh, warm, cozy, batch of perfect cinnamon rolls. It’s amazing.

To make overnight: Roll, cut, and place the cinnamon rolls in a parchment lined baking dish after they have finished their 1st rise. Then, cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, remove the baking dish from the fridge and let the rolls finish their second rise in a warm area for about 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking.