Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

These Banana Cream Cheese Muffins are soft, moist, and filled with a sweet cream cheese center. Packed with banana flavor and ready in under 30 minutes, they're an easy breakfast or snack!

Do you ever look in your freezer and find way more bananas than you realized were in there? I thought I had about three to use up and found at least EIGHT, ha-ha! I originally planned on making my Old Fashioned Banana Bread, but when that didn't happen, my hubby and I decided to make a banana version of our favorite Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

The result was soft, moist banana bread muffins with a sweet cream cheese filling in the center. These cream cheese banana muffins are simple to prepare, packed with banana flavor, and perfect for breakfast or snacking. If you have even more ripe bananas to use up, my Mini Banana Muffins are another family favorite!

Quick Look: Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

• Taste: Sweet banana flavor with a creamy cream cheese center.
• Texture: Soft, moist, and fluffy with a smooth cream cheese filling.
• Total Time: About 30 minutes from start to finish.
• Skill Level: Easy and beginner-friendly.
• Tools: Mixing bowls, whisk, muffin pan, and muffin liners.
• Serving: Makes 16 muffins, perfect for breakfast or snacking.

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Ingredient Notes

See the printable recipe card below for exact amounts and step-by-step instructions.

• Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best natural sweetness and banana flavor. Fresh or previously frozen and thawed bananas work.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring to avoid adding too much, which can make the muffins dry or dense.
• Vegetable oil: Adds moisture to the muffin batter and helps keep the muffins soft.
• Cream cheese: Use softened block-style cream cheese so the filling mixes together smoothly.
• Brown and white sugar: Using both adds sweetness while the brown sugar also adds moisture and flavor.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to both the banana muffin batter and cream cheese filling.

Substitutions & Variations

• Butter: Melted butter can be used in place of the vegetable oil. Let it cool slightly before adding it to the muffin batter.
• Chocolate Chips: Fold about ½ cup of semi-sweet or mini chocolate chips into the batter for banana chocolate chip cream cheese muffins.
• Nuts: Add about ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for a little crunch. If you love nuts in your banana muffins, try my Banana Pecan Muffins next!
• Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese will give you the creamiest filling, but reduced-fat cream cheese can also be used. Avoid whipped cream cheese, as the texture is different. For another muffin with a sweet cream cheese center, try my Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins.

How to Make Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

Step 1: Prepare the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with liners or lightly grease. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 2: Make the banana muffin batter. In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugars, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Step 3: Fill the muffin cups. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full.

Step 4: Make the cream cheese filling. In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Step 5: Add the cream cheese filling. Spoon a small amount of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin, dividing the filling evenly between the muffin cups.

Step 6: Bake the muffins. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before enjoying your banana bread muffins with cream cheese.

Baking Tips

• Use ripe bananas: The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be. Look for bananas with plenty of brown spots. Have more bananas to use up? My Mini Cinnamon Banana Muffins are another quick option for breakfast or snacking.
• Don't overmix: Fold the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined. Overmixing the batter can result in dense muffins.
• Measure the flour correctly: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the container. Too much flour can make banana muffins dry.
• Soften the cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese blends more smoothly with the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla for a creamy filling.
• Watch the bake time: Bake the muffins just until a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion comes out clean. Overbaking can dry them out.

Storage & Freezing

• Refrigerator: Because these muffins have a cream cheese filling, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy chilled or allow them to come to room temperature before serving.
• Freezer: Once completely cooled, wrap the muffins individually and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe FAQs

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