Name: Banana Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey); 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons milk ((2% or whole)); 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups mashed banana ((measured after mashing, about 3-4 bananas)); 4 ounces cream cheese (softened); 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 cups powdered sugar; Sprinkles (for garnish (optional))

Jump to Recipe

Homemade Banana Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting? Yes, please! Warm, soft cake doughnuts with a sweet, creamy icing – oh my!

The kids will sing your praises when you bake (not fry!) these luscious Banana Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting! An agave-sweetened, cakey Saturday morning treat featuring breakfast staple ingredients like bananas, flour, and cream cheese with a little cinnamon & lemon juice. You’ll be thrilled at how quick this easy, homemade donut recipe really is!

banana donuts with cream cheese frosting topped with sprinkles with recipe name at the bottom

Doughnuts Make Weekend Breakfast Fun!

Saturday mornings should be all about family fun time, right? So, leave the uber-healthy egg muffins and Super Food Smoothies for the weekdays and, just for today, enjoy a banana-filled breakfast donut that’s a little bit decadent and a whole lot delicious!

And while we’re at it, let’s skip Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme and make these tasty cream cheese & banana donuts at home!

Other Fun Breakfast Recipes like Frosted Banana Donuts

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Roll Ups are another really yummy and celebratory breakfast for the whole family.
Smores Chocolate Chip Pancakes with ganache and marshmallow syrup are an extra-special treat for the whole family!

Ingredients

Dry Batter: Donuts aren’t so different from muffins, coffee cakes, or other pastries where ingredients are concerned! You will need flour, baking soda, baking powder, sal,t and cinnamon. No sugar here because we’re using agave as the sweetener!

Wet Batter: This donut batter is also egg-free. So all you need here is agave syrup, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and vegetable oil.

Banana: A few ripe bananas give these donuts their yummy flavor and moist texture.

Frosting: The icing for the banana donuts is simply softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. (Maybe some colored sprinkles for a garnish?)

How to Make Banana Donuts with Cream Cheese Icing

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.

flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a mixing bowl

STEP TWO: In a medium mixing bowl, gently stir together the agave syrup, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and 3-4 mashed bananas. Then, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. (Don’t be tempted to overmix.)

wet ingredients add to dry ingredients in a mixing bowl for banana donuts

STEP THREE: Grease a donut pan and pour the batter into the molds until they are full. Bake for 27-30 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Remove the donuts from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP FIVE: While the donuts are cooling, make the frosting by beating together the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and combined.

STEP SIX: Frost each cooled banana donut with the cream cheese icing, toss on a few colored sprinkles for good measure, and indulge in a delicious breakfast treat!

banana donuts topped with cream cheese frosting on a wire rack

Tips for Success

Ripe – even overripe – bananas will give you the most flavor!
Don’t forget to generously grease or spray the donut pan!
For a tropical twist, top the cream cheese frosting with toasted pecans and coconut!
No donut pan? No worries! Make “mini-donuts” in the bottom of a regular muffin tin – just reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
You can substitute light corn syrup or honey for the agave nectar, if needed. It’s a 1:1 ratio for either option.

banana donuts with cream cheese frosting topped with sprinkles piled on a plate

Are Doughnuts Baked or Fried?

Depends on the donut! There are two basic types of donuts: Yeast and cake. Yeast donuts are deep-fried, making them light and airy and a bit greasy (in the best way!). Classic glazed donuts are the perfect example of a yeast donut.

The other type is a cake donut, which uses baking powder instead of yeast and can be either baked or fried. Oven-baked cake donuts will typically have fewer calories than their deep-fried counterparts and are denser and more cupcake-like when you bite into them.

close up of a hand holding a banana donuts with cream cheese frosting cut in half to show the texture inside

How Long Will Doughnuts Last?

Basic cake donuts can last for 5-6 days on the counter in an airtight container. Yeast donuts can, as well, but they will dry out by the 3rd day. However, counter-storage is not recommended for Banana Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting. Both the banana and the cream cheese need to be refrigerated to keep them safe from mold growth. So, sealed air-tight, these donuts should keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. (It’s best not to frost the uneaten ones and store the frosting separately. But if they are already frosted, that’s fine!)

stack of three banana donuts with cream cheese frosting

Other Brilliant Banana-Based Recipes

*This post originally posted on 02/28/2013.