These gorgeously swirled Banana Cream Cheese Muffins are a decadent addition to brunch! Topped with sweet cream cheese that melts into the tops of the moist banana muffins as they bake, you won’t be able to resist. Bonus: they only take 30 minutes!
Why You Will Love This Banana Cream Cheese Muffin Recipe
If you love banana muffins, this cream cheese swirl version takes them to a whole new level. Here’s why you will love them:
- Easy to Make: No complicated steps or tools required, this easy swirled banana muffin recipe is perfect for beginners!
- Perfect for Overripe Bananas: If you happen to be tired of the classic banana bread recipe, this is a great way to use up those bananas sitting on your counter.
- Kid-Friendly: Easy to grab-and-go for busy mornings, these muffins will be a hit with children and adults alike.
- Impressive: The cream cheese swirl makes them look as good as they taste, I dare you to try to just hav one!
If you love swirled muffins, make sure to also check out my Nutella banana swirl muffins or swirled pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
What You Will Need
You will need a few simple, standard baking ingredients. If you bake often, you likely already have everything you need on hand! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Salt
- Bananas: You want to use over-ripe bananas have have a lot of brown speckles on them and are beginning to become mushy.
- Sugar: You will need granulated sugar and (light or dark) brown sugar.
- Egg: One egg and an extra egg yolk for the cream cheese swirl.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil, or any other mild baking oil.
- Pecans: Chopped, or use walnuts.
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese will create the best muffin.
- Vanilla Extract
Swirl Technique
It’s a lot easier than you think! No need for anything fancy, just a toothpick and a spoon. I drop a tablespoon of the sweet cream cheese mixture into the center of an unbaked muffin with a spoon. Then, using a toothpick, I swirl the cream cheese towards the edges as best I can. You don’t need to be perfect, you just want to swirl it a little as best you can. If the cream cheese mixture isn’t swirling for you, you can add 1 tablespoon of milk to smooth it out a little. If you need additional help, watch the video in this recipe card below for a great visual example!
Chef’s Tips
- Banana Ripeness: The riper the banana, the sweeter and more moist your muffins will be. Do not use fresh bright yellow bananas.
- Chocolate: If you want to add some chocolate, I recommend going with chocolate chips mixed into the muffin batter. About 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips works great!
- Don’t Overmix: Mix until the batter is just combined to keep the muffins tender.
- Cooling: Let muffins cool slightly in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to prevent them from becoming soggy.
How To Store
These muffins are great for up to a few days after baking them. Here are your storage options:
- Fridge: Allow muffins to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: For that freshly baked feel and taste, you can microwave a muffin for 10 seconds to warm it up again.
- Freeze: Individually wrap cooled muffins in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer muffins to fridge to thaw overnight, for best results.
