This cream cheese banana bread recipe is incredibly moist, nutty, and has a creamy texture that will have you coming back for more! For a recipe that gives you 20 servings, is perfect for breakfast or dessert, and has full-on banana flavor.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and grease two bread pans.
Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 – 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Put the butter and cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and mix until blended and creamy.
Add the sugars, and beat well to combine.
Blend in the vanilla, and then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one to blend.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, then add to the wet and mix at a low speed, until just blended.
Stir in the bananas and walnuts.
Scrape dough evenly into well-greased bread pans, and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.
Cool bread on wire rack for about 15 minutes, then remove from pans and allow to cool an additional 30 minutes before slicing, to avoid excessive crumbling.
Recipe Notes
The more bananas you use in the recipe, the less sugar you'll need. This is because bananas are rich in natural sugar and are sufficiently sweet. So the more concentrated the banana mash is, the less artificial sweetness you'll need.
As much as it is tempting to open the oven to check if the banana bread batter and cream cheese layer are baked properly, I recommend not opening the oven for at least 45 minutes into the process. Opening the oven door will result in it caving in due to the temperature dropping and ultimately will stop it from rising and becoming airy.
Adding cream cheese mixture to the banana bread does taste delicious, but if you cannot find it or don't like it for some reason, you can substitute it for sour cream or Greek yogurt and still establish a similar flavor.
If you're on a ketogenic diet, then this recipe can also serve to give you a wonderful tasting alternative to your regular meals. By switching all the ingredients for their keto or vegan counterparts, (such as coconut oil for butter, flax egg for the eggs, and so on) you can make banana bread that's perfect for your diet and still certified delicious.