Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’ve got a couple of ripe bananas sitting on your counter, this is exactly what you should make! These Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are moist, flavorful, and topped with a creamy, dreamy frosting that melts in your mouth. It’s everything you love about banana bread — but in dessert bar form! Perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or just a sweet afternoon treat.

There’s something special about the combination of banana and cream cheese — sweet, tangy, and just a little bit nostalgic. These bars bake up beautifully light and tender, and the frosting adds the perfect finishing touch. Plus, they come together with simple pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand!

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🍌 Ingredients

For the Banana Bars:

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 2 bananas, mashed

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp milk

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👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour, salt, baking soda, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Mix until well combined.
4. Stir in the mashed bananas last — the batter will smell amazing!
5. Pour the batter into your greased pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely.
7. For the frosting, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter and mix well.
8. Blend in vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk, mixing until smooth and creamy.
9. Spread frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

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💡 Kitchen Tip: How to Freeze Ripe Bananas

Don’t toss those overripe bananas — freeze them for later! Just place ripe bananas (skin and all) in a resealable bag or airtight container and pop them in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, take out the number of bananas you need and let them thaw at room temperature or defrost them in the microwave. Once soft, create a hole in the bottom of the banana and gently squeeze it out into a bowl — no mess, no waste, and perfect for baking!

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💛 Why You’ll Love These Banana Bars

• Incredibly soft, moist, and flavorful
• That cream cheese frosting is to die for!
• Great way to use up ripe (or frozen) bananas
• Perfect for parties, snacks, or make-ahead desserts

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🍰 More Delicious Dessert Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoyed these banana bars, try a few more sweet treats from Joyful Little Things:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Dessert — a rich, no-bake dessert with chocolate, peanut butter, and a Nutter Butter crust
• No Bake Funfetti White Chocolate Cheesecake — a colorful, fun cheesecake that doesn’t require an oven
• Monster Rice Crispy Bars — a fun, kid-friendly no-bake bar recipe

If you loved this kitchen hack, be sure to share it on Pinterest – Joyful Little Things or Facebook – Joyful Little Things, and don’t forget to follow along for more delicious, family-friendly recipes!