We Whipped Up a Banana Bread-Inspired Cream Cheese Flavor with PopUp Bagels—and You Can Make It at Home

A brisk fall morning in New York City isn't complete without a bagel. Whether it's a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (like Timothée Chalamet) or simply scooped out and loaded with lox and schmear, the breakfast staple has become synonymous with the Big Apple—which is why we had to put them on our Red Plaid Café menu, along with a special BHG spin.

ICYMI: We're hosting our first-ever pop-up café experience in SoHo on Oct. 17, featuring seasonal sips, celebrity coffee chats, and lots of nostalgia inspired by our iconic Red Plaid cookbook. To deliver a quintessential NYC experience, we teamed up with PopUp Bagels to create a custom Salted Maple Banana Bread cream cheese flavor, also available in their shops from Oct. 16 to 22.

(Tickets are currently sold out, but limited walk-in spots will be available. For more details, visit bhgredplaidcafe.com.)

What Does the Salted Maple Banana Bread Cream Cheese Taste Like?

Our food editors and Test Kitchen experts worked with PopUp Bagels to develop a recipe that's fluffy and flavorful, tastes natural, and feels cozy.

Balancing sweet and spice, the schmear delivers hints of cinnamon, brown sugar, and, of course, banana, with a smooth, creamy consistency.

"The flavor has a nice, strong banana taste. It's very reminiscent of banana bread, with the combination of the spread and bagel together. Since it was so simple, I would also consider making this at home!" says Test Kitchen assistant Jaelyn Luong.

Let the flavor shine by topping a toasted plain bagel, or enjoy a bit more texture on a salt bagel. Whatever your go-to, we recommend you serve it with a piping hot coffee—bonus points if you add in homemade Salted Maple Banana Bread Syrup.

About PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels has grown from a backyard pickup window to multiple popup and permanent locations, winning Brooklyn Bagelfest "Best Bagel" back-to-back years.

The shop often features limited-edition cream cheese flavors on its menu, from Kraft Mac & Cheese to Truffle Butter, and its permanent lineup keeps it classic with Plain, Scallion, and Salted Butter. "No frills, plainly perfect: crispy crust and soft crumb center, just the right size and with a perfect proportion of seeds," its website reads.

Salted Maple Banana Bread Cream Cheese Recipe

If you can’t visit our Red Plaid Café in person, you can get in on the schmear fun of it all with this make-at-home version:

Stir together 8 oz. plain cream cheese, 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana, 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon until smooth. For a lighter texture, whisk with a mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute.

You can order the limited-edition flavor at any PopUp Bagels location, with preorders available online on its website starting Oct. 12.