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Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe (with Cheesecake Filling) is the bakery-style muffin that hides a sweet whipped cream cheese cheesecake center inside a moist banana muffin, and Maddie says these taste like banana bread married a cheesecake. Soft, sweet, ridiculously easy, and bakes up in about 24 minutes. If you love a bakery-style cheesecake-stuffed pastry like our Cream Cheese Cookies, these Banana Cream Cheese Muffins are your new breakfast staple.
Three ripe bananas, a hidden cheesecake filling whipped from cream cheese and sugar, and a 350 degree bake deliver bakery-style stuffed banana muffins for breakfast or coffee with friends.
Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 24 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 12 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: Approximately 200 kcal per muffin
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Moist banana bread, sweet whipped cream cheese cheesecake center, cinnamon warmth (bakery-style stuffed muffin).
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our other from-scratch baking recipes.
Quick Answer
Whip 8 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese with 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons whole milk, 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy. Layer it between two scoops of banana batter in each muffin cup. The filling is essentially a small cheesecake mixture that bakes inside the muffin without sinking.
Jump to:
- Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Banana Cream Cheese Muffins
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Banana Cream Cheese Muffins FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Recipes
- Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe (with Cheesecake Filling)
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Three very ripe bananas. Brown spotted bananas have more sugar and more moisture than yellow ones. They mash smoother, blend into the batter without chunks, and give a stronger banana flavor. If your bananas are still yellow, wait 2 to 3 days or bake them in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes to speed-ripen. Green bananas will give you bland, dry muffins every time.
- The cream cheese stays in its own layer. Spoon the filling over the first layer of batter, cover it with the rest, then swirl just the tops with a toothpick so a little cream cheese peeks through. Keeping it layered instead of mixing it in is what gives you distinct creamy pockets. If you stir the cream cheese into the batter, it dissolves and you lose them.
- Half batter, filling, top with batter. The layering keeps the cheesecake center hidden until you bite in, the bakery surprise.
- Do not overmix the batter or the muffins turn tough. Banana muffin batter should be lumpy with visible streaks of flour. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which makes the muffins dense and chewy instead of soft and tender. Stir just until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. A few lumps are fine. The muffins will be lighter and more tender if you stop mixing sooner than you think you should.
- A steady 350F bake. It cooks the banana muffin all the way through in 22 to 24 minutes without overbaking the creamy center.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cheesecake hidden surprise. Bite into the muffin and discover the whipped cream cheese center.
- Use up ripe bananas. Forgotten brown bananas on the counter are the BEST bananas for this recipe.
- About 40 minutes start to finish. 15 minutes prep, 22 to 24 minutes bake. Faster than a coffee shop run.
- Family approved. Maddie eats two before they fully cool.
- Make-ahead breakfast. Wrap and freeze, thaw overnight, microwave 30 seconds the next morning.
Key Ingredients
- Ripe bananas: 3 medium. Brown-spotted are best. Forgotten bananas in the fruit bowl.
- All-purpose flour: 1.5 cups. Standard pantry flour, no need for cake flour.
- Granulated sugar: 1/2 cup in the batter + 5 tablespoons in the filling.
- Cream cheese: 8 ounces, room temperature. Full-fat block cream cheese (not low-fat) for the cheesecake center.
- Eggs: 1 large, lightly beaten. It goes into the banana batter.
- Ripe bananas: 1 1/2 cups mashed, about 3 bananas. They bring the sweetness and all the moisture, so there is no butter or oil in this batter.
- Whole milk: 2 teaspoons. It loosens the cream cheese filling so it swirls smooth.
- Cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla: the bakery muffin pantry standards.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and the full ingredient list.
Variations and Substitutions
One base recipe, six ways to switch up the flavor.
- Banana nut cream cheese muffins: fold 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter.
- Chocolate chip: fold 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter for extra decadence.
- Strawberry cream cheese: swap bananas for 1.5 cups diced strawberries and a teaspoon of lemon zest in the batter.
- Pumpkin cream cheese: swap bananas for 1 cup pumpkin puree + 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice for fall.
- Streusel topping: sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar + flour + butter streusel over the tops before baking for crunch.
- Gluten free: swap all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- In the mood for something different? Our cherry cupcakes scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Banana Cream Cheese Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined.
- Pour the wet banana mixture into the dry mixture and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Do NOT overmix or muffins go tough.
- In another bowl, beat the room-temp cream cheese until smooth, then add the sugar, milk, flour, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Fill each muffin liner halfway with banana batter. Divide the cream cheese filling evenly between the muffins, then cover with the remaining batter and swirl the tops with a toothpick.
- Bake at 350F for 22 to 24 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the tin, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Six moves that separate bakery-style banana cream cheese muffins from dense disappointing ones.
- Use VERY ripe bananas. Brown-spotted, soft. Yellow ones taste like nothing.
- Room temp cream cheese. Cold cream cheese will not whip smooth. 30 minutes on the counter minimum.
- Do not overmix the batter. Fold just until combined, lumps are fine. Overmixed gluten goes tough.
- Cover the filling completely. The top layer of batter keeps the cheesecake center hidden and creamy while the muffins bake.
- Toothpick test in the center. Pull them when a toothpick in the middle comes out clean, right around 22 to 24 minutes.
- 350F, no higher. A hotter oven browns the outside before the center is set.
- Make it a full spread. Our gingerbread muffins rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Breakfast on the run: Wrap one in a napkin for a portable breakfast with coffee.
- Easy breakfast: Pair these muffins with our creamy yogurt fruit smoothie
- Brunch spread: Plate alongside our Blueberry Lemon Poke Cake or our homemade munchkins for a brunch dessert table.
- Pack lunch dessert: One muffin in the kid lunch box is the easiest sweet they will eat.
- Holiday breakfast: Perfect alongside scrambled eggs and bacon on Christmas or Thanksgiving morning.
- Looking for more? Try this easy strawberry butter and crescent roll cinnamon rolls for another easy family favorite.
Bake a batch of these Banana Cream Cheese Muffins this weekend and tell us how the cheesecake center turned out. Tag us on Instagram @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen.
Banana Cream Cheese Muffins FAQs
Overmixed batter, oven not preheated, or opened too early. Fold gently, preheat fully to 350F, and avoid opening the oven during the first 18 minutes.
Three causes. First, the bananas were not ripe enough. Use brown spotted, overripe bananas. Second, you overbaked. Check at 18 minutes with a toothpick. Third, you overmixed the batter, which develops gluten and makes a tough, dense texture. Stir just until combined.
Follow the layering. Fill each liner halfway with batter, add the cream cheese filling, then cover it with the rest of the batter. That fills each cup nearly to the top, which gives these their rounded bakery look. Bake at 350 degrees and keep the oven door closed until the last few minutes.
Yes. Thaw frozen bananas completely and drain the excess liquid before mashing. Frozen bananas are already overripe (that is usually why they were frozen), so they work perfectly. The thawed banana will be very soft and mushy, which is exactly what you want for muffin batter.
Yes. Swap all-purpose flour 1:1 for a gluten-free baking blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days (the cream cheese filling requires fridge storage). Microwave 20 seconds to warm before serving.
Yes. Cool fully, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then bag and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, microwave 30 seconds.
Usually the bottom layer of batter was too thin. Fill each liner halfway with batter before adding the filling, then cover it with the remaining batter so the cream cheese stays in the middle.
Yes. Fold 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or mini chocolate chips into the banana batter. Add at the end of mixing to keep them whole.
Yes. Fill a mini muffin tin halfway with batter, add a small spoonful of filling, top with more batter, and reduce bake time to 12 to 14 minutes. The cream cheese swirl works the same way, just use a smaller amount per cup. Mini muffins are perfect for parties, brunch spreads, and kids snacks.
Other Recommended Copycat Recipes
If you made these Banana Cream Cheese Muffins, leave a star rating below. Tag us on Instagram @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our frosted Banana Blondies, strawberry donuts, banana sweet rolls, and oreo banana bread loaves.
And when you are planning next week’s dinners, our pumpkin muffins, cranberry orange muffins recipe, Cream Cheese Banana Bread loaf, and banana cream cheese muffins keep the same easy comfort going.
Banana Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe (with Cheesecake Filling)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups mashed bananas
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with liners, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined; set aside.1 ½ cups mashed bananas, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the room temperature cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese
- Add the sugar, milk, flour, and vanilla, and mix until combined.5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons whole milk, 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fill each muffin liner halfway full with the muffin batter.
- Evenly distribute the creamy filling between each muffin. Smooth out the top.
- Add the remaining batter on top of each muffin. Smooth out the top and then take a toothpick and swirl the tops of the muffins so a little of the cream cheese mixture peaks through, and you have a cream cheese swirl.
- Bake muffins for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, take the muffins out, and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- This makes a big batch of 12 muffins, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- Great for a make-ahead breakfast.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- The filling can also be used for Pumpkin Muffins and makes the best blueberry muffins!
Nutrition
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No the mashed bananas replace the butter.
Hi there, no butter required for this recipe?
Bananas Are Doing the Moisture + Fat Job
Mashed bananas bring natural moisture, tenderness, and a subtle richness. In quick breads and muffins, bananas can partially replace fat without sacrificing softness. Adding butter on top of that would risk overly dense or greasy muffins.
Cleaner Banana Flavor (Butter Would Compete)
Butter has a strong dairy aroma and flavor. In this recipe, the star is banana + cinnamon, with a cream cheese swirl as the supporting act.
Butter would:
Mute the banana flavor
Compete with the tang of the cream cheese
Push the muffins toward “cake” instead of “banana muffin”
Why is there no butter in this recipe