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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 25 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 25 minute 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: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 12 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: Approximately 285 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 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate 10 minutes to firm up so it dollops cleanly into the muffin batter. 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 swirl stays creamy because it is added cold. Drop the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter in the muffin cups and swirl with a toothpick. The cold cream cheese sets slower than the surrounding batter during baking, which keeps it soft and creamy in the center while the muffin bakes around it. If you mix the cream cheese into the batter, it dissolves and you lose the distinct creamy pockets.
- Two-thirds batter, dollop 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.
- Bake at 375F, not 350F. The higher temp gives muffins that signature bakery dome rise + golden top in 25 minutes.
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.
- 40 minutes start to finish. 15 minutes prep, 25 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: 3/4 cup in the batter + 1/4 cup in the filling.
- Cream cheese: 8 ounces, room temperature. Full-fat block cream cheese (not low-fat) for the cheesecake center.
- Eggs: 2 large total (1 in batter, 1 in filling).
- Butter + oil: 1/4 cup melted butter + 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Butter for flavor, oil for moisture longevity.
- Whole milk: 1/4 cup. Adds tenderness to the batter.
- 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.
How to Make Banana Cream Cheese Muffins
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mash 3 ripe bananas with a fork. Whisk in melted butter, oil, egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- 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 a third bowl, beat room-temp cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate 10 minutes to firm up.
- Spoon banana batter to fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Dollop 1 to 2 teaspoons of cream cheese filling in the center. Top with more banana batter to cover.
- Bake at 375F for 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted on the SIDE (not center) comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
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.
- Chill the filling 10 minutes. Firms the cheesecake mixture so it sinks slightly into the batter, not all the way through.
- Toothpick test on the side, not the center. The cream cheese center will read “wet” but the muffin is done.
- 375F for the dome. The higher temp gives that bakery muffin dome rise.
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 375F, 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.
Start baking at 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 350 for the remaining time. The initial blast of high heat causes the batter to rise quickly and set in a dome shape before the rest of the muffin catches up. Fill the cups 3/4 full, not halfway. More batter means a taller dome.
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.
The filling was too warm when added. Chill the cream cheese filling 10 minutes in the fridge before assembling to firm it up so it sinks just slightly into the batter.
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 3/4 full 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.
For a grab and go breakfast, our banana cream cheese muffins have a cheesecake surprise inside.
Our cranberry studded pumpkin muffins are another quick breakfast bake.
Another cream cheese beauty is our cranberry orange muffins recipe with a white chocolate glaze.
For a spiced December bake, our gingerbread muffins are the move.
My cherry cupcakes take the fruit flavored crumb idea straight into birthday territory.
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
Love This Recipe?
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There is no butter required to make the recipe.
I read the comments. Get ready to make it but notice no butter but saw the writer who make this was supposed to add butter & I don’t see it????
I was so hopeful. Not enough liquid. The muffins were tough and dry. The cream cheese part was good.
I’ve never tried but it would probably work
Can this be made into a loaf instead of muffins
No, no butter is required that seems to be a mistake, so sorry. I’m fixing it now!
The recipe gives an alternative for the butter in the muffin base but I don’t see butter as an ingredient listed in the recipe. Is there butter needed?
My goodness!! Made them and they are delicious!!! I would say it’s the best banana muffin I’ve ever had! Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours but they were still delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe
That’s so sweet, I’m glad she loved them!
Made these for my Mom’s 82nd birthday which just so happens to be today. She absolutely loves them. I couldn’t have done this without you, Dana. I was going to include a photo of them as they were picture perfect, but didn’t see an option to do so. No worries.
Thank you,
Todd