These delicious gooey banana cinnamon rolls are the best way to greet the morning. The recipe includes instructions for overnight cinnamon rolls making them perfect for holiday mornings!
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These cinnamon rolls are THE ultimate breakfast treat. Cinnamon rolls are already completely irresistible but add in a little banana plus a touch of brown sugar and pecans, and these cinnamon buns are something seriously special!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Milk warmed to about 110° - the milk should feel warm but not too hot.
- Sugar
- Quick Rise Yeast
- Overripe bananas if you don't have overripe bananas you can also use banana baby food as long as bananas are the only ingredient.
- Butter
- Large Egg
- All-Purpose Flour or bread flour
- Dark Brown Sugar or regular brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon of molasses
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cardamom (optional)
- Half and half or heavy cream (optional) adding cream to the bottom of the baking dish keeps the cinnamon rolls moist and makes them super soft and tender.
- Pecans (optional)
- Vanilla Extract
- Dark Rum (optional)
For the Vanilla Icing:
- Powdered Sugar
- Half and Half, heavy cream, or milk
- Vanilla extract
See the recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
Making homemade cinnamon rolls is much easier if you have the right equipment.
- Must-have equipment includes measuring cups and spoons, a large bowl, plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, a rubber spatula, a serrated knife, and a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- The list of equipment that isn't 100% necessary, but makes the job MUCH easier is pretty short, but oh so worth it. Having a stand mixer with a dough hook takes almost all of the work out of kneading which is usually the most labor-intensive part of this recipe. I have a KitchenAid mixer that I got as a wedding gift almost 15 years ago and it still works great so I would say that if you like to bake it is well worth the investment.
Before you get started ...
Before making these banana cinnamon rolls, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the recipe. Also, be sure to sit your butter out to soften and your egg out so it can come to room temperature.
Instructions
Making cinnamon rolls from scratch can seem intimidating if you are new to baking. But as long as you follow the directions they really are not as difficult as you might think. Before you begin be sure to read over the recipe and familiarize yourself with all the steps.
Add the warm milk and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and gently mix. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes or until the mixture is beginning to get foamy.
Stir the mashed banana, egg, and melted butter in with the milk and yeast. Mix until smooth and well combined.
If you don't have a mixer or prefer to mix by hand mix the dough using a wooden spoon and rubber spatula until it comes together, then transfer it to a well-floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and elastic. If you aren't sure how to properly knead the dough, then check out this helpful video.
Next, add the flour and salt. Use your mixer's dough hook attachment and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes or until the dough has come together. Then, increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 5-6 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Form the dough into a ball and place it into a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (about 2 hours). For overnight rolls, allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator overnight for 8-10 hours.
Tip: You will know that you have kneaded your dough enough when you gently poke it with one finger and it is not sticky, and the indentation from your finger fills back in quickly.
Transfer the risen dough to a well-floured surface and roll it into a 14x16-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin around the edge of the dough.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Use your hands to sprinkle this mixture over the buttered dough, then gently rub the sugar into the butter.
Starting from the longest side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam to seal in the edges as much as you can and then keep the seam facing down
Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Pour the half and half into the bottom of the pan spreading it so that the bottom of the pan is fully coated. Cut off about 1 inch from the ends of the dough since they are not as full or uniform in size as the rest. Use a large serrated knife to cut the dough crosswise into 12 even pieces. Place them in the greased pan.
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise again for about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 350° F and prepare the bananas to foster topping by mixing the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and rum in a small bowl or measuring cup. Thinly slice one half of a banana.
After the rolls have risen, evenly disperse the sliced bananas and chopped pecans over the tops of the rolls. Then drizzle the butter and brown sugar mixture over the rolls, being sure to cover the sliced bananas.
Bake the rolls uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. They should be slightly underbaked so they stay soft in the middle. While the rolls are baking, prepare the vanilla glaze.
Whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Add additional cream if the glaze is too thick. It should be a honey-like consistency.
Allow the banana cinnamon rolls to cool for 5 minutes then drizzle the vanilla icing over the top. Serve the rolls while they are still warm.
Variations
Here are some of my favorite ways to change up this recipe:
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Turning these banana cinnamon rolls into pumpkin cinnamon rolls is super easy! Swap the mashed banana for pumpkin puree and swap the cardamom for pumpkin pie spice. Omit the bananas from the banana foster topping. Follow the remainder of the recipe as it is written.
Be sure to also check out my recipe for sweet potato cinnamon rolls!
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
To make these cinnamon rolls the night before, prepare them up to step 10. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. (16 hours max!) The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and allow them to rise on the counter for 1-2 hours before continuing with step 12.
Storage
Store any leftover cinnamon rolls tightly wrapped in the fridge or freezer. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. To reheat from frozen it's best to allow them to thaw before heating.
More Banana Recipes
If you looking for more banana recipes then I've got you covered! Check out my bananas foster pancakes for a healthier (and easier) bananas foster breakfast. For a quick and easy recipe, my banana bread mug cake is seriously the best! Lastly, for a more unique recipe don't skip this low carb banana bread bottomed cheesecake!
FAQs and Troubleshooting
There are a few things that can cause cinnamon rolls to be tough. The most common issues are not kneading the dough enough or allowing the dough to rise for too long (AKA over-proofing).
The dough has been kneaded enough when it is no longer sticky and when you poke it, the indention pokes back out quickly.
You can tell if your dough is over-proofed using a couple of methods. If the dough smells like alcohol, or it doesn't spring back when it is gently poked then it may be over-proofed. Check out this article to help you salvage over-proofed dough.
To prevent dry cinnamon rolls, be sure to slightly underbake them. Remove them from the oven when the edges are just turning golden brown. In addition, you can bake the rolls covered with aluminum foil for the first 15 minutes. Also, adding cream to the bottom of the pan while baking keeps the rolls extra moist.
Cinnamon rolls that won't rise were usually made with bad yeast or the temperature where they are left to rise is too cool. If a cool temperature is to blame then the rolls will eventually rise, but it will take longer. To speed things up fill a baking dish with boiling water and place it on the bottom rack of a cold oven. Place the dough on the middle or top rack and shut the door (make sure your oven is NOT on)
To ensure that your yeast is good, make sure that you use milk that is heated to 110 degrees F (it should feel like warm bathwater) and make sure you allow the yeast, milk, and sugar mixture (from step 1) to get foamy before going to step 2. If this mixture doesn't get foamy after 10-15 minutes then the yeast is probably not good. You will need to try again with fresh yeast.
Top tips:
- Before you begin be sure to read through the recipe and be sure to check out the troubleshooting section.
📖 Recipe
Bananas Foster Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment or a large bowl and a wooden spoon
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Bowl
- Clean Kitchen Towel or plastic wrap
- Rubber Spatula
- Serrated Knife
Ingredients
For the cinnamon rolls:
- ¾ cup Whole Milk warmed to about 110°
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Quick Rise Yeast (¼ oz package)
- ¾ cup Overripe Banana mashed (about 1 ½ bananas)
- ¼ cup Butter melted
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- pinch Salt
- ½ cup Butter softened
- ⅔ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom optional
- ¾ cup Half and Half or heavy cream
For the Bananas Foster Topping:
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cardamom optional
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tablespoon Dark Rum optional
- ½ Banana thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp Pecans chopped (optional)
For the Vanilla glaze:
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon Half and Half or milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- pinch Salt
Instructions
- Add the warm milk and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular bowl if you prefer to mix and knead by hand). Sprinkle the yeast on top and gently mix. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes or until the mixture is beginning to get foamy.¾ cup Whole Milk, ¼ cup Sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoon Quick Rise Yeast
- Stir in the mashed banana, room-temperature egg, and melted butter. Mix until smooth and well combined.¾ cup Overripe Banana, ¼ cup Butter, 1 Large Egg
- Next, add the flour and salt. Use your mixer's dough hook attachment and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes or until the dough has come together. Then, increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 5-6 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you prefer to mix by hand, use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a dough begins to form. Then, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes.4 cups All-Purpose Flour, pinch Salt
- Form the dough into a ball and place it into a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size (about 1 ½ - 2 hours). For overnight rolls, allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator overnight for 8-10 hours.
- After the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a well-floured surface and roll it out into a 14x16-inch rectangle.
- ½ cup Butter
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Use your hands to sprinkle this mixture over the buttered dough, then gently rub the sugar into the butter.⅔ cup Dark Brown Sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- Starting from the longest side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam to seal in the edges as much as you can and then keep the seam facing down.
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Pour the half and half into the bottom of the pan spreading it so that the bottom of the pan is fully coated. Cut off about 1-inch from the ends of the dough since they are not as full or uniform in size as the rest. Use a large serrated knife to cut the dough crosswise into 12 even pieces. Place them in the greased pan.¾ cup Half and Half
- Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise again for about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 350° F and prepare the bananas foster topping.
- In a medium bowl combine the warm melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and rum, vanilla.4 tablespoon Butter, ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Ground Cardamom, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1-2 tablespoon Dark Rum
- Once the rolls are done rising in the pan, top them with the thinly sliced bananas and chopped pecans. Pour the bananas foster topping over the rolls, doing your best to cover each banana slice.½ Banana, 3 tablespoon Pecans
- Bake the rolls uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. They should be slightly under-baked so they stay soft in the middle. While the rolls are baking, prepare the vanilla glaze.
For the vanilla glaze:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of half and half, vanilla, and salt. Add additional cream if the glaze is too thick. It should be a honey-like consistency.½ cup Powdered Sugar, 2-3 tablespoon Half and Half, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, pinch Salt
- Allow the banana cinnamon rolls to cool for about 5 minutes before serving them topped with the vanilla glaze. Enjoy!
Notes
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
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Courtney Meacham says
How would these need to be stored after baking ?