Sweet, moist, from scratch banana cupcakes with loads of banana flavor, topped with a super creamy cream cheese frosting.

When you’re tired of making banana bread but have ripe bananas to use up, what should you make? Banana cupcakes!

These from scratch banana cupcakes are easy to mix up, and the cream cheese buttercream frosting is extra creamy. It will literally melt in your mouth. They’re kinda like banana muffins with frosting on top which is the best of both worlds, in my opinion.

About this Banana Cupcakes Recipe:

Flavor: If you’ve ever had banana bread, this will taste very similar. There is a strong banana flavor, but also a hint of cinnamon and vanilla.
Texture: The texture of the cupcake is soft and moist, which pairs perfectly with the extra creamy frosting. I sprinkled the cupcakes with finely chopped walnuts. If you’d like more texture in the cupcakes, add walnuts in to the cupcake batter as well.

Tips for Making Banana Cupcakes

Mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients. That way you’ll be sure not to overmix the batter, which could make the cupcakes dry.

dry ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk

Follow the timing for mixing the butter and sugar together. Go the full 4 minutes That will give you the best texture.
Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. That way you’ll get a nice dome on top and the cupcakes will not overflow the batter.

The cupcakes should take about 18-22 minutes to bake. You can test the center with a toothpick and it should come out mostly clean. But you can also touch the center of the cupcake. When it bounces back, the cupcakes are done.
For the frosting, use room temperature butter, but not melted at all. If the butter has melted in any way, the frosting will have an oily texture. Only use 100% pure butter. No margarine.

Pipe or spread swirls of the cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. It’s a large tip and you don’t have to use a coupler with it. Simply place the piping tip in a piping bag and then fill with frosting.
If you’re decorating the cupcakes with nuts, sprinkles or mini chocolate chips, sprinkle them on immediately after frosting so that they stick.

Recipe Variations

Add mini chocolate chips to the cupcake batter. About ½ to ¾ cup would be great.
Instead of cream cheese frosting, try peanut butter frosting.
You could also try chocolate frosting.

Storage Instructions

The cupcakes will keep well in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Banana Cupcakes

5 from 5 votes

Sweet, moist, from scratch banana cupcakes with loads of banana flavor, topped with a super creamy cream cheese frosting.

Servings 12

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 20

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Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter at room temp
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana approx. 3 medium bananas
1/3 cup milk

For the frosting:

2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
1 1/3 cups cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped walnuts and dried banana chips to decorate optional

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 12 hole cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set this aside.
Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat on a medium speed until smooth and fluffy – about 4 minutes. You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon if desired.
Add the eggs one by one, beating to combine after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and mix again.
Add the mashed bananas and milk and mix to combine.
Add the flour mixture and beat on a low speed until just combined. Don't use high speed and don't overmix.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared cupcake pan. Each hole should be approx. 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a skewer poked into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Leave the cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat on a medium speed until completely smooth. You can also use a handheld electric whisk if desired.
Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until very smooth and fluffy – about 5 minutes.
Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat for another few minutes until thick.

Assemble the cupcakes:

Pipe or spread swirls of the cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake. I used a Wilton 1M piping nozzle.
Top with some chopped walnuts and dried banana chips to decorate (optional).

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 cupcake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**