Maple Cinnamon Baked Bananas

These maple cinnamon baked bananas are the perfect quick and easy dessert. They take just a few minutes of prep time and are perfect served with vanilla ice cream on top. They’re made with simple ingredients but have a rich, decadent flavor.

I need a sweet treat after dinner every night, but most of the time I don’t have the patience to bake anything formal. These maple cinnamon baked bananas are one of my go to recipes because I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand and they’re so easy to make. All you need is a few bananas, some butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla.

This healthier dessert has just a touch of added sugar- from maple syrup, but the natural sugars in the bananas are released as they bake so it becomes sweet without the needed for tons of added sugar! You can enjoy them as is or even on top of gluten free crepes, a brownie, gluten free pancakes etc. This is a must try recipe and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

How to make baked bananas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a small dish, then whisk in the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.

Slice the bananas in half lengthwise and place on an oven safe baking dish or in a cast iron pan.

Drizzle the maple butter mixture on top and spread it evenly over the bananas. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bananas are soft and the glaze is a little bubbly.

Let cool for a few minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream, crushed walnuts, chocolate chips etc! Try my banana bread cookies next!

Air fryer instructions

You can easily make these baked bananas in the air fryer! They technically won’t be baked but will be more like caramelized bananas but still so delicious! Follow all the same steps, but line your air fryer (makes for much easier cleanup- I like these parchment air fryer liners) and then air fry at 380 for about 10 minutes or until the bananas are sufficiently soft.

Key ingredients & swaps

Bananas. It really doesn’t matter if your bananas are ripe or not, and in fact, I think slightly more unripe bananas work better here! They won’t fall apart when you slice them and they won’t end up too soft after baking. I don’t recommend green bananas, you definitely want them yellow but not with too many brown spots. Save your super ripe bananas for my gluten free banana bread!

Maple Syrup. You can use either maple syrup or honey here, but I prefer the flavor of maple syrup. Maple and cinnamon is one of my favorite flavor combinations.

Butter. I like the richness a little bit of butter adds, but you can swap for coconut oil if you need a dairy free version. I suggest refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.

Vanilla. Helps balance all of the other flavors!

Cinnamon & salt. I like a generous amount of cinnamon, but you can also add in some nutmeg, ginger or other spices.

How to store

These baked bananas are definitely best fresh but they will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Bananas naturally get really soft when they bake, and they’ll get a bit mushy when they sit in the fridge. If you have leftovers, I suggest letting them cool, transferring to a sealed container and then reheat in the oven before serving.

Variations

I love these baked bananas exactly as is and think the flavor profile is perfect, but here’s some other variations if you want to mix it up!

• Use brown sugar or honey for a different sweet flavor.
• Top with chocolate chips instead of nuts. The chocolate will melt into the warm bananas and pairs perfectly with the ice cream.
• Mix up the ice cream flavor! I stuck with vanilla, but chocolate chip or even coffee is so good!
• Slice the bananas into discs rather than in half lengthwise and use as a topping for oatmeal, pancakes etc.

Try these easy desserts next!

• Air Fryer Apples
• Gluten Free Cookie Dough
• Banana Bread Protein Cookies

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