You will love these super soft and subtly spiced banana cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. To ensure the best results, use sour cream, buttermilk, and extra-ripe bananas—these power ingredients make all the difference in this cupcake recipe.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and more success tips, and now include a touch of baking powder for a lighter, less dense cupcake.
This banana cupcake recipe is a scaled-down version of my (absolute very favorite!) banana cake. It boasts a super-moist texture, a soft yet dense crumb, and wonderfully rich banana flavor with a hint of cinnamon.
And, using the proportions and ratio of ingredients below, produces truly perfect banana cupcakes.
One reader, Britt, commented: “This is my go-to recipe when I have overripe bananas. The cupcakes are seriously so good and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting takes them to the next level. I like to candy some pecans for an added crunch on top. Everyone who has tried them has raved about them. ★★★★★“
One reader, Lisa, commented: “Brought these gems to work for my coworkers and they were a hit! Several folks approached me to tell me they were the best banana cupcakes they had EVER had. Pretty amazing recipe. Big hit all the way around. Thank you Sally! ★★★★★”
Tell Me About These Banana Cupcakes
- Texture: These banana cupcakes aren’t as dense as banana muffins, but aren’t really as light as vanilla cupcakes. Instead, they land somewhere in the middle. You’ll love how moist the crumb is too—we have the butter, buttermilk, sour cream, and all the banana to thank for that!
- Flavor: Each bite includes banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla. (Some of the best flavors in baking!) It all pairs so nicely with the tangy cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top.
- Ease: Besides mashing the bananas (which is even easier if you use your mixer), the entire process is simple and straightforward. If you make your own buttermilk substitute, there is one extra step. See recipe Note below.
- Time: Set aside about 2 hours to complete this recipe, which includes prepping, baking, cooling, and decorating.
Don’t Skip These Key Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients you need and why each is important.
- Flour: All-purpose flour serves as the base of these banana cupcakes. Don’t use cake flour because it’s too light to support the banana.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: These leaveners helps the cupcakes rise. If you’re interested in learning about the science behind these magic ingredients, see Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda.
- Bananas: You need 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) of mashed banana, which is about 4 medium or 3 large bananas. Make sure the bananas are very ripe because more brown spots = sweeter banana flavor.
- Butter: For that unparalleled buttery flavor! When you cream butter with sugar, you’re creating structure and incorporating air for a lighter, springier crumb.
- Brown Sugar: We love the mix of both brown sugar and granulated sugar in these cupcakes. Plus, the brown sugar adds more moisture.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream creates a moist and tender crumb.
- Buttermilk: For best taste and to ensure proper rising, use buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, see the recipe notes for a DIY buttermilk substitute.
You’ll also need eggs and a few flavoring ingredients.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes, frozen and thawed bananas work in this recipe and you can read more about how to freeze & thaw bananas for baking if you’d like. Two important things to remember:
Strain off excess liquid. As bananas thaw, they let out a lot of liquid, which can throw off the wet ingredients in any baking recipe. I always recommend draining off most or all of that excess liquid before mashing and measuring them for your recipe.
The riper the banana, the better. When you bake with bananas, you want to use brown, spotty super-ripe ones.
Success Tips for Banana Cupcakes
- Easy Mash: My team and I make a lot of banana treats including banana bread, chocolate banana bread, and whole wheat banana pancakes, and here’s our best tip: mash the bananas using your mixer. Peel and break apart the bananas, then place inside your mixing bowl and turn the mixer on to medium-high speed. If using a stand mixer, either the paddle or whisk attachment work for this. A blender or food processor works as well. Mashing bananas by hand with a fork works too, but takes a little arm muscle and extra time. Transfer the mashed bananas to a separate bowl—don’t even wash the mixer bowl. Just place the butter/sugars inside and begin creaming as the recipe instructs. Super simple.
- Don’t overfill: Fill your cupcake liners only 2/3 full to avoid the batter spilling over the sides and baking into sad mushroom tops. This recipe makes enough batter for 18 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 6 liners, or you can bake in batches.
- Room temperature: All refrigerated items should be brought to room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. If you’re interested, feel free to read more about why room-temperature ingredients are important in baking.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
We’ll pair these banana cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon and banana are a natural pairing and 1/2 teaspoon of the spice is the perfect amount in this frosting recipe. (Not too much, not too little!) It’s crazy how such a tiny addition to regular cream cheese frosting can make such a flavorful difference. This frosting would also be fantastic on top of snickerdoodle cupcakes!
Bonus: this frosting pipes beautifully. For the pictured cupcakes, I used piping tip Ateco #826, the same one I used on these pretty pink strawberry cupcakes.
Other frostings we love: If cream cheese frosting isn’t your thing, traditional vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, Nutella frosting, peanut butter frosting, salted caramel frosting, or even chai spice buttercream frosting all pair beautifully with banana cupcakes.
For an optional garnish, I love topping these cupcakes with a sprinkle of crushed vanilla wafers (a nod to banana pudding!) and a banana slice:
My Best Banana Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 18 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Top these soft homemade banana cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. To guarantee the best results, use sour cream, buttermilk, and extra ripe bananas–these power ingredients make all the difference in this spiced cupcake recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional: banana slices and/or crushed Nilla Wafer cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan (or bake in batches) with 6 liners—this recipe makes about 18 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until creamed together, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream/yogurt, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the mashed banana. (Buttermilk is in the next step.)
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no dry flour pockets at the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For about 36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I usually add it).
- If desired, to help ensure the frosting holds piped shape, refrigerate the bowl of frosting for at least 20 minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes. For the pictured cupcakes, I used piping tip Ateco #826. I also like Ateco #808 piping tip for cream cheese frosting. Instead, you can skip the piping tips and use a knife or icing spatula to spread on the frosting. Garnish with banana slices and crushed Nilla Wafer cookies, if desired.
- Cover leftover cupcakes tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco #826 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Frozen Bananas: You can use thawed frozen bananas in this recipe. Thawed bananas are extra wet, so drain off as much of the excess liquid as you can before mashing. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Room Temperature: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more on why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Update in 2025: To slightly increase the rise, I added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the recipe, as reflected above.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Do you think i could leave out cinnamon on both cupcake and icing ? Would it through off taste?
You can simply leave the cinnamon out of this recipe to make our favorite cream cheese frosting.
I’m wondering if you Have you ever tried a gluten free flour alternative for these banana cupcakes?
I could just use a gluten free flour or I wonder about an almond or coconut flour? What would you suggest?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Rebecca, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally, thank you for all of your amazing recipes firstly! I was just wondering if this recipe could be used to make a 6 inch cake like your other cake recipes? Thanks so much!
Hi Elyse, yes, absolutely!
So moist! These are dense for sure but still soft and tasty! I made these for my 4 year olds class Easter party and they were a win
So moist! These are dense for sure but still soft and tasty! I made these for my 4 year olds class Easter party and they were a win!
I made these cupcakes today along with the cinnamon buttercream frosting and both turned out amazing. Thank you for these recipes. My mom was my tast tester and she really liked them.
This recipe is easy to follow yet very impressive. The cupcakes are soft and moist, and the cream cheese frosting is delicious. My family and friends loved it.
This is my go to recipe when I have overripe bananas. The cupcakes are seriously so good and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting takes them to the next level. I like to candy some pecans for an added crunch on top. Everyone who has tried them has raved about them.
This recipe was a huge hit among my family! I made a batch for my mom’s birthday and she loved them! I added a few more spices (ginger and all spice) and a cup of chopped walnuts. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting was amazing! And the salted caramel and banana chip make a lovely garnish! This Thursday is Thanksgiving and I have been asked to bring them to this year’s family dinner. 5 stars!
Love this recipe I was just wondering could I make it into a loaf
Can’t see why not!
Brought these gems to work for my coworkers and they were a hit! Several folks approached me to tell me they were the best banana cupcakes they had EVER had. Pretty amazing recipe.
Big hit all the way around.
Thank you Sally!
Cupcakes with frosting are sooo delicious!! Only issue I had was cupcakes sticking to liners.. other than that cupcakes are amazing!!!
Give your liners a spritz with an oil spritzer. Works every time.
Fabulous recipe!! I made some candied pecans for a topping which added a delicious crunch. Will be making them again for sure!
Being a baker (retired), I enjoy trying recipes on the Internet. Well, I baked these cupcakes today and they are a keeper. Moist, not too sweet,full of flavor. Definitely a keeper!
Wanting to replicate the taste of Gerber baby food’s Hawaiian Delight and would love your thoughts on topping these cakes with a pineapple buttercream. Love your work.
Hi Scott! We’ve never tested a pineapple buttercream, but it sounds delicious. Let us know what you try! You may love this hummingbird cake recipe as well.
This recipe is so good. My family loved it so much
Love this recipe!!! Make for special occasions, family dinners, and especially for my Great-grand children’s bake sales!! Everyone loves them if they try them!!! Thanks for the recipe!!! These stay moist for many days if they last that long. Really easy to make up.
This recipes is super moist and yummy. Adding this to my go to banana cupcakes. I also did loafs as well as added blueberries.
These were made for a 1 year olds birthday party, and were a huge hit. An absolute favorite now for my family. This wont stop me from making and enjoying these, but do you have any idea about how many calories per cupcake.
So glad they were a hit! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I love this recipe and my coworkers are obsessed and have been bugging me to make them again for 6 months! Was hoping to make this as a sheet cake, should that work ok?
Hi Maggie! Here’s our banana sheet cake recipe 🙂
My son has requested banana cupcakes with a strawberry frosting for his birthday this year. Can I omit the cinnamon in the frosting and add strawberries instead? Or make another one of your strawberry frosting?
Hi Ashley! We would use this cupcake recipe with our favorite strawberry buttercream. Hope they’re a hit!
These turned out great! I made a half recipe to use up some extra frosting but I really wish I’d made a whole one bc they’re so delicious (also, I had way more frosting than I thought, lol!) will definitely make again and try the frosting with the recipe.
Love this recipe! Although it makes enough frosting for a cake!!
Amazingly tender crumb and awesome banana flavour. Will definitely make these again. Love that they can be frozen with the frosting.
Making this recipe for birthday party, can I add choc chips to this?
Absolutely. You can fold in 1 cup, about 180-185g.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY, good! I made the recipe as is, but I did use the weigh option verses the measure one for the bananas. I ended up with 19 cupcake papers, each filled about 3/4 full. Mine had to bake longer, 24 minutes before the toothpick test told me they were done. They are moist and dense but with a finer crumb and lighter texture than a banana muffin. I wanted to make a banana, chocolate, peanut butter product so didn’t make your frosting. I made a chocolate, peanut butter fudge type frosting which literally “put the frosting on” an amazing cake. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I’m 82 years old, married 60 years and have been baking since I was a child. When I saw 4 bananas, sour cream and buttermilk in your recipe I figured I had a winner! Good job!
Omg love how these cupcakes turned out! Took them to the office and everyone loved it!! I did add in half cup of pecan pieces and half cup of bitter sweet chocolate chip to the batter and only use 2 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting. But omg! Love it!!
Would like to rectify my rating. The following day the cupcakes didn‘t stick to the paper and they were perfectly moist and had a good flavor!
The cupcakes were delicious! But mine looked beautiful in the oven and then shrank and sank during cooling. I weighed my ingredients and followed all instructions plus monitored the oven temperature with an extra thermometer. Any clues as tonmight what happened? Thanks
Hi Grace, cupcakes that sink are often the result of under baking. An additional minute or two in the oven should help for next time. Also be sure that your baking soda is fresh (we find it starts to lose its power after about 3 months) and be careful not to over mix the batter (as it can cause the cupcakes to become a bit squat and dense). We’re glad you enjoyed these cupcakes!
This is a delicious recipe. The frosting is by far the best part. I am a huge fan of cinnamon raisin cream cheese so this is just a sweet version of that. I halved the butter, cream cheese and sugar but accidently used the written amount of vanilla, salt and cinnamon. It was very flavorful. I think I’d reduce the sweetness of the cupcake in the future but other than that the cupcake was perfectly moist and flavorful.
Can this recipe be used to make a 6 inch 3 layer cake instead of cupcakes?
Hi Kaitlyn, we have a post on 6 inch cakes that you might find helpful! The general rule is that cupcake batter that produces about 12-15 cupcakes is the perfect amount for a 3 layer 6 inch cake. This banana recipe makes 18 cupcakes so you will have a little bit extra batter, but you can always just make a few cupcakes to enjoy or freeze for later!