Salted Maple Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

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This Salted Maple Banana Bread is moist and tender with a soft cream cheese frosting swirled with homemade maple caramel and topped with flaky sea salt. It’s just what I want to bake on a cool fall morning and enjoy cozying up on the couch a matcha latte.

Sliced and frosted salted maple banana bread on a plate with iced coffee.

I have banana bread for every season and mood. Blueberry Banana Bread for spring Strawberry Banana Bread for summer, and Tropical Banana Bread when you need a mental trip to Hawaii. For cozy season, this salted maple version is just that. I can’t get over the sweet smell of warm, caramelized maple syrup and butter. Oh, and if you have extra caramel, pour it on mine Pumpkin donuts! I promise it’s everything autumn feels like in every bite.

Frozen and sliced salted maple banana bread on a plate.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Salted Maple Banana Bread

Banana puree – You need about three ripe bananas for sweetness, moisture, and rich banana flavor. I like to use bananas with lots of brown spots for perfect ripeness.
Maple syrup – Maple syrup flavors the loaf, is the base of the maple salted caramel, and is mixed into the icing. Pure amber or dark maple syrup will provide the richest flavor.
Fat butter and oil – Melted butter adds richness, while oil helps the banana bread stay moist and tender. Any neutral oil can be used instead of avocado oil.
Cream cheese – My favorite ingredient to use in frosting. It adds a creamy, soft texture and mildly tangy flavor.
All purpose flour – This gives the banana bread just enough structure while keeping the crumb soft and tender. Measure it by weight if possible, too much flour can result in a dry loaf.

Please refer to the recipe index card below for the remaining ingredients.

How to make Salted Maple Banana Bread

Wet Ingredients for Salted Maple Banana Bread:

Mix the dough. Mix melted butter, oil, banana puree, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs.

Combine dry ingredients over wet ingredients for Salted Maple Banana Bread in a large bowl.

Add the dry ingredients. Mix baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Then pour in the flour.

Pour the salted maple banana batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-65 minutes

Fold the heavy cream into the warm salted maple caramel.

Prepare the salted maple caramel. Cook the maple syrup until it reaches 235°F. Then mix in the butter and heavy cream. Let it cool.

Adding salted maple caramel to cream cheese frosting.

Prepare the frosting. Beat cream cheese, softened butter and powdered sugar. Then add 2 tablespoons salted maple caramel, beating for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Decorate the loaf. Spread the frosting on the completely cooled banana bread.

Dollops of salted maple caramel are swirled in the frosting on top of the loaf.

Top with spoonfuls of caramel and swirl it in the ice.

Finish with flaky sea salt, slice the loaf and enjoy.

Quick Tips for the Best Salted Maple Banana Bread

Use ripe bananas. Bananas should be at least very yellow, but brown-spotted bananas are best. We want a sweet banana flavor.

Avoid over mixing. Add the flour just until the dough comes together. Over mixing can make the bread dense or hard.

Keep a close eye on the maple syrup. It may bubble as it cooks, so stir frequently and use a thermometer to determine when it reaches 235°F.

Cool the loaf completely before freezing. Even a slightly warm loaf can melt the cream cheese frosting and make it slide.

Salted Maple Banana Bread Baked and Frozen.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Make forward. Bake the banana bread up to 1 day in advance and store tightly wrapped at room temperature before freezing.

Storage. Once frosted, it is recommended that the banana bread be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days as the frosting contains cream cheese. (I’ve never had a problem leaving it out at room temperature for a day or two, but if your kitchen is very hot, I’d definitely refrigerate the loaf.) An unfrozen loaf can be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you have tried this Salted Maple Banana Bread recipe or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you for visiting.

Salted Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease and grease an 8″ x 4″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, and place a piece of parchment paper running right down the center with the ends of the parchment hanging over the edge of the pan for an easy way to cool the loaf.
In a medium bowl, add the melted butter (make sure the butter is not hot), oil, mashed bananas, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla paste, and eggs, and whisk to combine. Then mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Finally, add the flour and use a large silicone spatula to mix everything together until the dough comes together, trying not to over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, until the loaf turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan with parchment paper and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make salted maple caramel:

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil. Allow the maple syrup to cook and bubble, stirring frequently (to avoid bubbles) until it reaches 235 degrees F, about 5-7 minutes. Then stir in the butter until it melts into the maple syrup and turn off the heat. Now mix in the heavy cream and salt until combined. Allow salted maple caramel to cool and thicken, about 1 hour.

Salted maple cream cheese frosting.

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Then add the butter and beat until smooth, about 15 seconds.
Add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of the salted maple caramel. Beat for a full 2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. If the frosting is a little loose, just put it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
Once the loaf is cool, spread the frosting on top of the loaf and use the back of a spoon to swirl it around. Top the loaf with the remaining salted maple caramel, sprinkle the flaky sea salt on top and slice it.
Store leftover banana bread tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Quick tips

Use ripe bananas. Bananas should be at least very yellow, but brown-spotted bananas are best. We want a sweet banana flavor.
Avoid over mixing. Add the flour just until the dough comes together. Over mixing can make the bread dense or hard.
Keep a close eye on the maple syrup. It may bubble as it cooks, so stir frequently and use a thermometer to determine when it reaches 235°F.
Cool the loaf completely before freezing. Even a slightly warm loaf can melt the cream cheese frosting and make it slide.

Make ahead and stock up