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
what is the difference between this recipe and banana bread recipe, i believe this will be moist than the others, it has yoghurt and buttermilk
These cupcakes will be a bit lighter but with similar flavor to our banana bread!
Is the frosting recipe enough for a 3 layer 6 inch cake?
Hi Mary! Yes, it should be. You can make a larger batch if you prefer extra thick layers of frosting.
I ended up making 12 cupcakes and a 8 by 8 inch cake. The frosting recipe didn’t come out well because I used a local cream cheese and not the commercial Philly cream cheese. I think it is softer in consistency so the frosting is still very runny even with 1/2 cup extra powdered sugar. Lesson learned!
Was very moist and delicious
Will
Make again
The first time I made this recipe I was afraid that no one would like the cinnamon frosting.
I took a dozen to the nurses at my infusion session and they were floored by the combination of cinnamon and banana. I give this a 5 star. I’ve made this twice and both times its been a hit. The cake is very moist and not to mention delish.
I did not care for the cinnamon in the frosting. I was looking for a banana cupcake as well and this is more like a banana spice muffin for the pumkin spice latte crew wasn’t what I was looking for
An excellent and delicious recipe, perfectly worked out. It made exactly the 18 cupcakes specified by using approximately 5 tablespoons of batter in each form (a 1/4-cup capacity scoop, leveled, plus one additional tablespoon). If your 2 pans will not fit on the same oven rack, adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds, bake a pan on each rack, for 15 minutes, then quickly reverse the pans top to bottom and front to back, and bake an additional 5 minutes. This recipe is a keeper. If you have 3 to 4 overripe bananas, you should definitely make these. Thank you, Sally!
I was thinking about doubling the recipe. Do you recommend it?
Hi Soeli! It’s best to make separate batches for the absolute best cupcakes.
I doubled the recipe and made 24 cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes, and a small “loaf” cake. The cupcakes are so delicious they don’t even need frosting, but that’s not going to stop me from putting it on ’em!
Great banana cupcakes. I scaled down sugar by 75%, and still was great. Paired these with your not-so-sweet whipped cream frosting and added cinnamon to it. perfection!
This recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it out! I am making cupcakes for an organization that doesn’t allow cream cheese frosting…would this recipe pair well with buttercream icing or is there another frosting recipe you would recommend? I’ll be topping the cupcakes with buttercream flowers. Thank you very much!
Hi Alison! These cupcakes would be fantastic with peanut butter frosting, or vanilla buttercream with a bit of cinnamon added. Let us know what you try!
These are delicious! Have you tried this recipe using other fruit combinations? Like peaches, apples, etc?
Used this recipe to make a fabulous six inch cake. Like everything you share on your blog it was amazing. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into perfecting what you post.
Hi, how could i substitute honey for both the brown and white sugar?
Hi Savannah, honey is a much more wet ingredient so it would take testing to make that swap successfully. It may be best to search for a recipe specifically formulated for honey. Let us know if you try anything!
Am I allowed to sell these cupcakes?
Hi Lora, we appreciate your question about selling baked goods using this recipe. This is totally fine! We allow people to make our recipes and sell them – we just ask when possible to include a little tag or sticker with information about where the recipe came from. Of course, we don’t have control over how things are sold but if credit can be given, we would definitely appreciate that. Thank you!
What would be a good alternative (cream cheese) icing for people who are not big fan of cinnemon?
Hi Sabrina, you can simply leave the cinnamon out of this recipe to make our favorite cream cheese frosting.
Hi Sally! Love the banana chip garnish you used to top cupcakes
How do I make them?
Hi Cindy, we find banana chips at the grocery store by other dried fruit!
This recipe really delivered on the banana flavor. I subbed GF flour for AP and added chopped chocolate for just over 60 mini cupcakes baked for 12 min, turning around halfway through baking. So delicious, light, and just the right amount of sweet. Perfect!
Amazing recipe and a huge hit at my house! Thank you!
Excellent recipe, thank you! These land closer to muffins than vanilla cupcakes texture wise (slightly denser and tougher) but it’s not an issue. They are delicious and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting is a new favorite! I will use it again here and maybe on other recipes too.
Without any doubt The Best Banana Muffins. Very moist and excellent flavor. Very easy recipe with outstanding results.
Hey there, I made the banana cupcakes into mini cupcakes. You listed about 30 mini. I got over 60 mini cupcakes. Just fyi.
Awesome recipe.
My taste buds were singing with the first bite. 🙂 Made recipe exactly as written. So, So, Good! 5 Stars all day long. Thanks for the recipe!
Is there a substitution I can use instead of cinnamon in the frosting that would go well with carrot cake cupcakes? How about cardamom?
Hi Beth, cardamom or even nutmeg would be delicious. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, is it recommended to throw in chocolate chips in the recipe?
Hi Pao, you certainly can! We’d recommend about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup depending on how much chocolate you’d like.
Hi Sally! Love all of your recipes! Could I simply half all of the ingredients to bake around 9 cupcakes instead? Also, do I need to fill the extra cupcake wells with water before I bake my tray?
Thanks!
Hi Jess! Yes, you can cut the recipe in half for fewer cupcakes. There’s conflicting advice out there about filling the extra cupcake wells with water, but we’ve always found it to be unnecessary. Either way is fine, though!
Excellent, moist cupcake. I ended up with 21 using a level ice cream scoop to portion them. They were perfectly baked at 16 min. These are moist and a little dense (I like that in a banana cupcake). I used a tablespoon of vanilla for the frosting as well as browned (and cooled) butter. That gave a really nice flavor.
For anyone who doesn’t know this trick: when your bananas are brown but you’re not ready to bake, peel them and smash them flat in a freezer bag. (They store nicely flat and thaw quickly that way). That way you can make banana bread/cupcakes/cake anytime you want. The bananas are runny when you defrost them but they bake up exactly the same.
Made this for my dad’s birthday! Turned out so delicious. Loved the moist banana cake with the cream cheese frosting!!
Can I use this batter for a bundt cake? Also thought about using the banana cake recipe. Thanks so much ! I love all your recipes !!
Hi Monica, you’re correct — we’d recommend using our Best Banana Cake recipe instead. See recipe notes there for how to make in a Bundt pan!
What’s the substitution of buttermilk?
Hi Heba, buttermilk is required for this recipe, but you can make your own DIY version if needed. See recipe notes for details!
Made this recipe for my birthday (in 3- 6in rounds) and it was decadent and so yummy. I love cream cheese frosting and the addition of cinnamon was excellent.
What an amazing recipe!! Absolutely delicious! The use of buttermilk, for whatever reason, didn’t register in my head. I thought I read to use heavy whipping cream. I also tried your caramel sauce recipe, which I drizzled over the top of your fabulous Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting. I piped the Caramel sauce inside of the cupcake just to see how it would turn out. Did some little decorative nuances. Initially tried your recipe to make my daughter cupcakes for her birthday. This recipe really knocked it out of the park! It’s a keeper!! Thank you, so much, for sharing!!!