Soft, sweet, and topped with creamy frosting, these Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are one of my favorite ways to use up ripe bananas. These bars have all the cozy flavor of banana bread but bake up faster and easier in a simple 9x13 pan.
Whether you’re making these for a potluck, packing them into a cold lunch, or just trying to rescue those overripe bananas sending up an SOS from the counter, this recipe is a keeper.
They're soft, moist, easy to make, and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting that makes everyone come back for seconds. Extra bananas? Problem solved.
And if you love easy snack bars like this, be sure to try my zucchini bars, pumpkin snack bars, and carrot cake bars, too!
Pick This Recipe If:
- You have bananas turning brown on the counter
- You need a simple dessert for a potluck
- You love banana bread but want something a little different
- You need an easy recipe that feeds a crowd
- You want a make-ahead dessert that freezes well
If you love these banana bars, try my pumpkin snack cake, too.
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🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need from the pantry and fridge.
For the Banana Bars:
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Vanilla extract
- Mashed ripe bananas - The bananas should have lots of brown spots. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful your bars will be.
- Vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
See recipe card below for specific quantities and ingredient list.
If you're craving a moist and flavorful banana bread, be sure to try my Hawaiian pineapple banana bread.
🥣 How to Make Banana Bars
These banana bars come together quickly with simple pantry ingredients. Before you get started, preheat the oven and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
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- Mash bananas. Place ripe bananas in a bowl, breaking into pieces. Mash with a fork.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
Add vanilla, mashed bananas, and vegetable oil. Stir until combined.
Stir in flour just until incorporated. Don’t overmix or the bars can become dense.
- Bake. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow approximately 1 hour for the bars to cool completely before frosting.
- Make cream cheese frosting. Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
Add vanilla extract.
Gradually mix in powdered sugar until fluffy and spreadable.
Spread frosting evenly over cooled banana bars.
Helpful Tip: The uglier the bananas, the better. Brown, spotty bananas create the sweetest, most flavorful bars.
📋 Variations
If you'd like to add your own spin to this recipe, try these...
- Add chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts are great)
- Add chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
- Add cinnamon for a warmer flavor
- Swap the frosting for a simple vanilla glaze
For another midwestern dessert, try my Raspberry Oatmeal Bars!
Tips For the Best Banana Bars
- Don’t overbake. These bars are meant to stay soft and moist.
- Let the bars cool fully before frosting.
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easier removal.
- For extra flavor, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
Storage
I love freezing overripe bananas for recipes like Hawaiian Banana Bread, sourdough discard banana muffins, and these easy banana bars.
You can store frosted banana bars, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 2 months. Thaw and frost before serving.
Side note: If you love baking with ripe bananas, banana bread and banana muffins also freeze beautifully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Banana bars are softer and more dessert-like than traditional banana bread. If you’re looking for a classic loaf recipe, try my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Hawaiian Banana Bread.
Sure can! Freeze the bars unfrosted for best results. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
Banana bars are slightly denser and sturdier than banana cake, making them easy to slice and serve by hand. They're also a bit shorter in height than a cake.
The best bananas for banana bars are very ripe with lots of brown spots on the peel. Ripe bananas are sweeter, softer, and add more banana flavor to the bars.
Because of the cream cheese frosting, they should be stored in the refrigerator.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know what you think! Leave a ⭐ star rating and review below. It helps other readers and makes my day! 😉
More Banana Recipes to Try
You'll go bananas for these other tasty recipes!
Recipe
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas and ½ cup vegetable oil. Stir until combined.
- Add 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix or your bars will be tough.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let cool completely before frosting.
- Beat 4 ounces cream cheese and ¼ cup butter until smooth.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in 2 cups powdered sugar until fluffy and spreadable.
- Spread over cooled bars, slice, and serve.
Farm Girl Tips
- Use very ripe bananas for best flavor. The uglier the better!
- Bars will be soft and tender - don’t overmix or overbake.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze unfrosted bars for up to 2 months.
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