This post may contain affiliate links.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread looks like an innocent glazed loaf until you slice it and find a ribbon of white chocolate cheesecake baked right through the middle, and the loaf I made on a *quiet Wednesday afternoon* had Maddie asking if we could call it cake and eat it after dinner too. If you love our banana cream cheese muffins, this is the showstopper loaf version.
It is classic banana bread and cheesecake in one pan, no water bath, no mixer gymnastics.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 1 loaf
- ⚡ Calories: 5777kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet banana bread with tangy white chocolate cheesecake and vanilla glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, less fuss than our pumpkin cheesecake
Quick Answer
Make a banana bread batter with mashed bananas, butter, brown sugar, eggs, and sour cream, then beat cream cheese with melted white chocolate, an egg, vanilla, and flour for the filling. Layer half the batter in a loaf pan, add the cream cheese mixture, top with remaining batter, and bake the Cream Cheese Banana Bread at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes.
Jump to:
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread FAQs
- Other Recommended Banana Dessert Recipes
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The filling floats. Spooning the cheesecake layer between two batter layers, away from the pan sides, seals it inside so it bakes into a perfect hidden ribbon.
- Flour in the filling. Two teaspoons of flour stabilize the cream cheese layer so it slices cleanly instead of oozing out.
- A foil tent at 30 minutes. Covering the loaf partway through stops the top from over browning during the long bake the filling requires.
- Sour cream in the batter. Its acidity keeps the crumb tender and moist through a full hour in the oven.
- Glaze on a cool loaf. Waiting until the bread is completely cool keeps the vanilla glaze thick and pretty instead of soaking in.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Every slice has a built in surprise, a creamy white chocolate cheesecake center.
- It uses up those spotty counter bananas just like our banana nut muffins, but feels like a bakery splurge.
- One loaf covers breakfast, snack time, and dessert, no one turns down a slice.
Key Ingredients
Here is a quick look at what goes into the banana bread, the cheesecake filling, and that vanilla glaze on top.
- Ripe Bananas: Two full cups of mashed spotty bananas keep the bread moist and loaded with real banana flavor.
- Cream Cheese: The heart of the cheesecake layer, whipped smooth with melted white chocolate and an egg so it bakes into a creamy ribbon.
- White Chocolate: Melted into the filling and stirred into the batter as chips for double the sweetness.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture and a gentle tang that balances all that sweet white chocolate.
- Powdered Sugar and Vanilla: They whisk into the simple glaze that drips down the loaf, the same finish as our banana bundt cake.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Cream Cheese Banana Bread welcomes a few easy twists. Our favorites:
- Chocolate lover: Swap the white chocolate for semi sweet in the filling and the batter.
- Add crunch: Fold chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the banana batter.
- Skip the glaze: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking for a crackly bakery crust instead.
- Berry swirl: Dollop a few teaspoons of raspberry jam over the cheesecake layer before adding the top batter.
- Make muffins: Want handheld portions? Our banana cream cheese muffins use the same idea in muffin form.
How to Make Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the brown sugar and butter for 3 minutes, beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream, bananas, and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Stir the flour, baking soda, and salt together and slowly mix them into the wet ingredients, then fold in the white chocolate chips.
- For the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth, mix in the melted white chocolate, then add the egg, vanilla, and flour and mix until combined.
- Spoon half the banana batter into a greased 8×5 loaf pan, add the cream cheese mixture without touching the sides, and top with the remaining batter.
- Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, loosely covering the loaf with foil at the 30 minute mark, until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean.
- Cool 20 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely. Whisk the melted butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and water into a glaze and pour it over the cooled loaf, letting it run down the sides.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use very ripe bananas. Heavily spotted bananas mash smooth and bring the most flavor and sweetness.
- Keep the filling off the pan walls. Centering the cheesecake layer keeps it sealed inside so it cannot leak and burn.
- Do not skip the foil tent. Cover loosely at 30 minutes or the top will be deep brown long before the center bakes through.
- Test the bread, not the filling. Aim the toothpick slightly off center, the cheesecake ribbon stays soft even when the loaf is done.
- Cool completely before glazing. A warm loaf drinks the glaze in, a cool loaf wears it beautifully.
- Chill for cleaner slices. Thirty minutes in the fridge firms the filling so every slice shows a neat cheesecake ribbon.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Cream Cheese Banana Bread earns a spot at brunch, but it moonlights as dessert with zero changes, serve thick slices slightly chilled so the cheesecake ribbon stays picture perfect.
For a brunch board, slice it alongside our banana nut muffins and a warm pan of banana blondies for the full banana bakery experience.
Hosting a party? Pair slices with our banana pudding dessert cheese ball and fresh fruit for a sweet grazing table.
Because of the cheesecake filling, store the loaf wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It also freezes well, wrap individual slices and thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread FAQs
Yes. Because of the cheesecake style filling, Cream Cheese Banana Bread should be stored wrapped or covered in the refrigerator, where it keeps for up to 5 days. Let slices sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving for the softest crumb.
The batter under it was likely too thin or the filling went in too close to the edges. Use full fat cream cheese, keep the filling layer centered away from the pan walls, and make sure the bottom batter layer covers the whole pan so the filling has a sturdy base.
Yes. Leave the melted white chocolate out of the filling and add 2 tablespoons of sugar in its place, and skip the chips in the batter. You will have a classic Cream Cheese Banana Bread with a tangier cheesecake ribbon.
Insert a toothpick slightly off center at 60 minutes, it should come out clean of batter, though it may carry a little creamy filling. If you see wet batter, bake 5 more minutes and test again, keeping the foil tent on so the top does not over brown.
Yes. Cool the loaf completely, skip or finish the glaze, and wrap it tightly in plastic and foil. Freeze whole or in slices for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
You can. Fill muffin cups a third full with batter, add a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture, and top with more batter, then bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 24 minutes. The loaf pan gives the prettiest ribbon, but muffins are perfect for lunchboxes.
Still have bananas on the counter? Our banana blondies with cream cheese frosting are the fastest way to use them.
For the chocolate lovers, our oreo banana bread bakes whole cookies into every mini loaf.
For a holiday quick bread, my eggnog bread with eggnog glaze is a December staple.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Cups mashed bananas 4-5 bananas
- 1 stick 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ¾ Cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temp
- ½ Cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup white chocolate chips
Cheesecake filling
- 8 oz cream cheese room temp
- 1/2 Cup melted white chocolate
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons flour
Vanilla glaze
- 2 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the brown sugar and butter for about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or with hand mixer. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating them into the mixture. Add the sour cream, bananas and vanilla, beat for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a large spoon or spatula, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until no flour pockets remain but do not over mix. Fold in the white chocolate chips. Set aside.
Cheesecake filling
- Cream the cream cheese until smooth with a hand mixer. Add in the chocolate and throughly mix. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Set aside.
Banana Bread Assembly
- Spoon half of the banana batter into 8×5 loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Add in the cream cheese mixture, trying not to touch the sides. Spoon on the rest of the banana batter.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, loosely covering the bread at the 30 minute mark with foil. This will make sure the bread doesn’t get too dark. Bread is done when toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Take bread out of oven and let cool for 20 minutes on wired rack. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely.
Vanilla glaze
- While bread is cooling, make the vanilla glaze. Melt the butter in microwave safe bowl, add in the vanilla, powdered sugar and water. Stir to combine.
- When bread is completely cool, pour glaze over the top of the bread and let it run down the sides, make sure you have a pan underneath to catch any excess glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
Are, You. Kidding. Me?!?! This is autumn flavor insanity! ♥♥♥