Banana Cupcakes: These moist and sweet cupcakes have a touch of cinnamon and are topped with creamy vanilla-cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They’re irresistibly delicious!
We love using overripe bananas in baking! Be sure to try our Cinnamon Banana Bread, Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, or Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt the next time you find yourself with leftover overripe bananas.
Banana Cupcakes
Bananas are one of the most common things I buy at the grocery store because my whole family loves them. They make such an easy snack so I’m always offering them to my kids. We are usually pretty good about eating most of the bananas before they go bad, but every couple of weeks I end up buying more than we finish and I’m left with a bunch of overripe bananas. If I’m being honest, I think we try to always leave a few bananas to over-ripen so we can make something delicious. (Like these Chocolate Banana Muffins, these Banana Pancakes, or these Banana Crumb Muffins).
But the last few months, our project has been to use all those overripe bananas to perfect a recipe for banana cupcakes. My toddler is cupcake obsessed – he could eat cupcakes for every single meal if I let him! He also enjoys making them almost as much as he loves eating them!
Ingredients
- Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder: These make the cupcake mix. Flour holds it together, and baking soda and powder make it rise.
- Spices: Use fresh spices for stronger flavor. You can also add more or less depending on how much spice you like.
- Butter, Brown & White Sugar: Mix room-temperature butter and sugars well to get light cupcakes.
- Bananas: We’re using 2 bananas to get 3/4 cup, depending on the size of your bananas you made need more or less. The riper the banana, the tastier and moister the cupcake.
- Eggs, Vanilla: Use eggs at room temperature to mix better.
- Buttermilk: Makes the cupcakes soft and slightly tangy. No buttermilk? Mix milk with vinegar as a backup.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Use all at room temperature to make frosting easy to spread.
Quick Tip
The frosting recipe that comes with this one makes a lot, enough to really pipe a tall pile of frosting on each cupcake, just like in the pictures. If you want less frosting, just make half the amount of the frosting recipe.
How To Make Banana Cupcakes
So let’s break down these incredible Banana Cupcakes, starting with a few tips on how to make them!
- Prep: Warm cold eggs quickly by placing them in warm water for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven and get your muffin tins ready.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in a bowl. Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling it off to make sure your cupcakes aren’t too dense or wet.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Cream the softened butter with sugars briefly to avoid excess air, then blend in mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Switch between adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet mix, stirring just until blended to keep the cupcakes light.
- Bake: Fill cupcake liners three-quarters full and bake in the preheated oven. They’re done when they’re light golden, the toothpick test passes, and they have smooth, rounded tops.
How To Speed Up The Ripening Process For Bananas
Want to make these cupcakes but your bananas aren’t super ripe yet? No problem; it’s easy to do this!
Take some bananas and put them on a baking sheet without peeling them. Bake them for 7-8 minutes in an oven that’s been heated to 350 degrees F. The bananas are done when their skins are completely black (you might need to turn them over to get them all black). Let the bananas cool down, and then they’re ready to be mashed for Banana Cupcakes.
Tips For Success
- Use Ripe Bananas: The riper the bananas, the more flavor and moisture they’ll add to your cupcakes.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure ingredients like eggs, butter, and cream cheese are at room temperature to mix more evenly and to get a smoother batter.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined to avoid dense cupcakes
- Mash Bananas Well: Mash bananas until smooth so they mix well in the batter, making the cupcakes taste and feel better.
Variations
Fun Banana Cupcake Flavor Variations
- Frosting: Instead of the cream cheese frosting, you can add a peanut butter frosting or a brown sugar buttercream to these cupcakes.
- Mix Ins: If you like nuts with your banana treats, you could mix in some chopped walnuts. Or, you could add some mini chocolate chips. If you decide to add nuts or mini chocolate chips, use about 3/4 cup for this mix!
- Make them mini: Use a mini muffin tin with paper liners and bake for 10-15 minutes. Check doneness at 10 minutes with a toothpick; if it comes out clean or with few crumbs, they’re ready. If wet, bake longer.
- Topping cupcakes: I love to add banana chips on the top. Buy them at the store with dried fruits or in the bulk section. Other options include adding ground cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, fresh banana slices, crushed toasted nuts, or candied pecans on top.
Storage
How To Store Banana Cupcakes
- Storing: Keep leftover cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge with a paper towel to prevent excess moisture. Best enjoyed within 3-4 days, with flavors peaking on the second day.
- Freezing: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes by first placing them on a tray for 45 minutes, then storing in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting.
More Delicious Desserts
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with a “secret” ingredient that makes these the best!
- Magic Cookie Bars sweetened condensed milk gooey bars
- Carmelitas with a chocolate caramel center
- Mini Cheesecakes with a raspberry sauce topping
- Strawberry Scones with a simple glaze topping
Banana Cupcakes
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk see note 1
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) package full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Optional: banana chips to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cavity muffin pan with cupcake liners, and line a second pan with 4 liners, filling the unused cavities halfway with water (see note 2). Set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Mash enough bananas to make 3/4 cup and blend them into the mixture until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and continue beating until smooth.
- Gradually add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4-full with batter, distributing all the batter evenly among 16 cavities (see note 2). Bake in the preheated oven for 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add powdered sugar while mixing on low until smooth. Chill the frosting until ready to use.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and if desired, garnish with a banana chip.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It’s a shame this recipe does not have the measurements for the ingredients. Cups are so imprecise and not everyone is American!
There’s an app for that! 😉
That’s what is google for 🙂
Can i use whipping cream or heavy cream instead of butter milk?
You actually need the acid in the buttermilk (or DIY version) for these cupcakes to properly rise!
Just made these tonight and they are soooo good! I put a bit more cinnamon in mine, because I’m a huge fan of cinnamon and I did use plain whole milk, and they are just amazing. And the frosting is to die for! I’m always skeptical of cream cheese frosting because sometimes it can be too cheesy. But this frosting was just perfect. It compliments the cupcakes wonderfully! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear this Jamie! I totally agree on the frosting. I don’t like the overly cheesy cream cheese taste so I love this frosting too! Enjoy!! 🙂
Please can anyone give the ingredients in gram etc but not cup. I am in the UK and I don’t know how to measure in cup
https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/metric-conversion-charts
Even though I’m not finished baking these, I can already tell these are going to be delicious. Several minutes into baking scents of banana and butter have already started to waft out of the oven. I love foods with banana; the fruit adds a rich flavor and scent to my desserts. The smooth frosting is no exception either – it’s heavy, creamy, and tastes so good! I will definitely be trying this recipe again.
Ahh i’m so glad to hear this! I love cooking with fruit adds too because of the way it makes my house smell! 🙂
Okay but these actually are the best ever! OMG! I am not much of a baker and I’d never had banana cupcakes before but I was just craving the idea of them. These are perfect! A people denser than regular cupcakes but incredibly moist and icing is to die for. I followed the recipe exactly and I would make these a million times again. Perfection.
Ahh I love how dense they are too! I’m so glad you enjoyed:)
How much vinegar do I add with the milk for “buttermilk”
The notes section on the recipe give my recommendation; enjoy! 🙂 (You can make your own buttermilk by combining 3/4 cup milk with 3/4 of 1 full tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes before using. Do not use plain milk for this recipe.)
Not to sound obtuse, but the reason you’re getting questions about the vinegar is because of the odd way you say 3/4 Tablespoon — which I think is what you mean when you say “3/4 of 1 full tablespoon”. Anyhow, I made the cupcakes exactly as written and have to agree that they’re really the best I’ve ever had. I’m going to make a banana/bourbon frosting. Thank you very much.
Thank you Grady, I was confused and came to the comments for clarification. Lol
Or you could say, 3/4 cup milk with 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice.
How do I put 3/4 of the 1 Tbls? Also can I suse almond milk?
2 and 1/4 teaspoons 🙂 I would not recommend almond milk for this recipe
Wow! So delicious. It was my first time baking banana cupcakes and they came out perfect.
Didn’t have buttermilk so I used my 1/4 tsp and added 3 of those to my 3/4 cup of milk.
Oh also in case anyone is confused 1/8 tsp is a pinch. This is in regards to the nutmeg measurement.
Also, if you freeze the frosting for 10mins it comes to a perfect pipping consistency. I used a ziploc bag with a corner cut off. ????????
Have bookmarked recipe and will be baking again. 🙂
Thanks so much for your helpful tips! So glad you loved this recipe! 🙂
Hi, I only have skim milk.
Will this work?
Your pictures are to die for!! What camera and lens do you use?
You’re so kind; thank you! I use a canon 5d mark 3 and primarily a 24-70 2.8 mm lens 🙂
These were perfect! Will definitely make again.
So happy to hear that! 🙂
What do you consider as room temperature? My house is 50 in the Winter, sometimes up to 60. Thank you.
I’d say around 70 degrees F 🙂 Thanks for asking!
These look gorgeous and I’ve got two overripe bananas hanging in my kitchen right now calling my name! haha.
Thank you Samantha! 🙂
The only recipe I will ever use. I have made them twice in 2 weeks and they are absolute deliciousness! Follow the directions and they will turn out perfectly. Thanks!!
So happy to hear it! Thanks for the comment 🙂