Banana bars with brown butter frosting are the perfect treat when you want something a little more special than classic banana bread. These moist banana bars are made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, which keeps them tender and light while enhancing the banana flavor. The real showstopper is the luscious brown butter cream cheese frostingโnutty, rich, and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Made in a 9x13 pan, this easy dessert is ideal for family gatherings, potlucks, or simply when you have a bunch of overripe bananas waiting to be used.
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- Moist and tender: Greek yogurt and mashed bananas keep this moist banana cake soft and flavorful.
- Nutty browned butter frosting: A unique twist that elevates the cream cheese frosting with a rich, nutty taste. If you're a fan of browned butter try our brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, brown butter cinnamon rolls, and brown butter M&M Rice Krispie treats.
- Simple ingredients: Uses pantry staplesโripe bananas, brown sugar, flour, butterโfor an easy dessert.
- Perfect for any occasion: A great dessert to make for brunch, after-dinner treat, or to share.
- Easy to store and freeze: Keep them fresh in an airtight container or freeze for later with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Ingredient Notes
- Bananas - use ripe, brown bananas for the best flavor; the brown specks mean more sweetness. This recipe is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas to create one of the best banana desserts. Also try our gluten-free banana zucchini bread with chocolate chips.
- Greek yogurt - swapped for sour cream for a lighter but still moist texture. However, you can use sour cream if that's what you have on hand.
- Butter - browned for the brown butter icingโwatch for foaming and golden brown with brown specks. Provides the best nutty flavor!
- Cream cheese - room temperature works best for a smooth frosting. You can use full fat or reduced fat.
- Milk - regular milk or a plant-based milk of choice both will work for these easy banana bars.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements for these banana bread bars.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Watch your butter closely when browning; stir often and remove when it turns golden brown with brown specks.
- Add cinnamon or chopped walnuts for a twist. You could also add chocolate chips for chocolate chip banana bars. Also give our banana coconut chocolate chip muffins a try!
- For a sheet pan version, double the recipe.
- Frost cooled bars for a cleaner cut.
- Want to try sour cream instead? It creates a slightly tangier bar but equally moist.
- Serve the warm bars with vanilla ice cream if desired.
How to Make Banana Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas.
Step 2: Add the melted butter, Greek yogurt, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Whisk together until combined.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 4: Mix until just combined.
Step 5: Spray or grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and evenly spread the batter. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.
Step 6: While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt and continue to simmer until the butter turns golden brown and has small golden brown bits at the bottom. Remove the butter from the heat and let it cool.
Step 7: Once the butter has cooled, add the cream cheese and browned butter to a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or Kitchenaid stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat them together until very light and fluffy.
Step 8: Add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and powdered sugar. Mix the frosting until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Step 9: Let the cake cool..
Step 10: Evenly spread frosting on the top.
Brown Butter Banana Bars FAQs
Refrigerate the bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 15โ20 minutes before serving for the best texture or reheat in the microwave for warm cake.
Yes! Freeze cut bars individually by wrapping in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Yes! Sour cream works well, but Greek yogurt is lighter and still produces moist banana bars.
The butter foams, then turns golden with brown specks. Remove from heat as soon as the nutty aroma develops.
These are not gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan. They are vegetarian.
Other Delicious Banana Recipes
If you make this brown butter banana bar recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Donโt forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished productโit makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 medium mashed bananas (2 medium mashed bananas is about 1 cup)
- ยผ cup melted butter
- ยฝ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
- ยฝ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ยผ cup unsalted butter
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 ยฝ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add the melted butter, Greek yogurt, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Whisk together until combined.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined.
- Spray or grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the mixture into the dish and evenly spread the batter. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt and continue to simmer until the butter turns golden brown and has small golden brown bits at the bottom. Remove the butter from the heat and let it cool.
- Once the butter has cooled, add the cream cheese and browned butter to a mixing bowl or Kitchenaid stand mixer. Beat them together until very light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and powdered sugar. Mix the frosting until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Let the cake cool before evenly spreading the frosting on top.
Notes
- Save time/prep ahead:ย
- Brown the butter ahead: Make browned butter up to 2 days early; store in the fridge and bring to room temp before frosting.
- Freeze mashed bananas: Peel, mash, and freeze overripe bananas; thaw when ready to bake.
- Prep dry ingredients: Combine flour mixture in advance; store in an airtight container.
- Bake ahead: Bars stay moist; bake the night before, cool, wrap tightly, and frost the next day.
- Freeze bars: Freeze cut or whole bars (frosted or unfrosted) wrapped well; thaw in fridge, then bring to room temp.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
Sheri Lee
Made this three days ago. Loved it so much am making it again, but doubling the recipe. The crumb is super tender, holds together well, and is moist; have never had a banana type cake/bread this good. Am pretty sure there is an error in the recipe with the doubled and tripled ingredients with regards to the amount of mashed bananas needed. I believe the recipe should read for 2x - 2 cups, and 3x - 3 cups of mashed bananas. The browned butter for the frosting is so good; adds a nice flavor that doesn't scream OMG I'm eating a ton of butter! Thank you for a lovely and relatively easy recipe. Greatly appreciated:)
Olivia & Annie
We are so glad to hear you are loving this recipe Sheri! We are big fans of this one too. Thank you for the heads up with the error in the ingredients when doubled/tripledโunfortunately we are limited by the format for how we enter the recipe so I just made an edit to make that clearer for the future. I hope that helps!