Banana Bars

Banana Bars are moist, delicious bars that are topped with a sweet vanilla frosting. One of my family recipes that we have been making for years and years.  You won’t believe how easy and fast they are to make.

This easy recipe features moist cake-like bars. The ripe bananas give them a sweet, flavorful taste. The vanilla frosting is the perfect topping for this sweet treat.

This is a recipe that my mom would make when I was a kid, so you know that it has been around for a while. I love recipes like this because you know that it is a great recipe that has been tested over and over again.

Helpful Tips:

• This is a great recipe to use your overripe bananas in. The riper the banana, the better the flavor of the bars.
•  You will want your eggs and butter at room temperature. The butter will blend in better for the bars and the frosting.
• The bananas need to be mashed for this recipe.  The best way to mash the bananas is with a fork. Don’t worry if you have larger pieces of banana after mashing them; they will get blended with the mixer when making the bars.
• Don’t overbake the bars; the bars are done baking when they are golden brown. After taking them out of the oven, if the center falls slightly, don’t worry, they will be fine.
• When making the frosting, don’t worry if the frosting seems dry when you start mixing it. Keep beating it and it will become nice and creamy.
• The bars are best stored in the refrigerator since they have sour cream in the frosting. Be sure to remove the bars from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving to bring them to room temperature.
• Yes, the bars freeze well. They can be frozen for up to a month.

Ingredients.

• Butter – I use salted butter because I like the flavor better, but you can use unsalted butter for this recipe if you prefer.
• Sugar
• Eggs – Use large eggs for this recipe.
• Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream for best results.
• Banana – Ripe bananas are used for this recipe. The riper the better.
• Vanilla
• Flour – All-purpose flour works well for this recipe
• Baking Soda
• Salt – I use table salt for this recipe.

Steps for making Banana Bars

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a jelly roll pan (15-by-10-inch pan with sides).

Step one

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar.

Step two

Add the eggs and mix in.

Step three

Add the sour cream (minus the 2 teaspoons for the frosting), mashed bananas, and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Step four

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the banana mixture, and mix until blended.

Step six

Spread the batter in the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven once the bars are baked and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Step seven

While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and the 2 teaspoons of sour cream saved from the bars.

Step eight

Mix until creamy with an electric mixer.

Step nine

Spread the frosting over the cooled bars.

If you are looking for additional bar recipes, check these out:

• Carrot Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pear Cream Cheese Crumble Bars
• Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars

If you make these Banana Bars, I would love to hear about them! Please leave me a comment and a rating.

Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

This recipe was originally published on June 1, 2012. It has been updated with new content and pictures on May 15, 2025.