Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Rich, creamy peanut butter pairs with sweet bananas for a loaf of peanut butter banana bread that both kids and adults will love. 

We love peanut butter around here. Whether it’s the classic PB&J combination in my peanut butter and jelly bars or mixed with chocolate in peanut butter cup cookies or peanut butter cup brownies, my family loves it all.

We’ve been on a big banana bread kick lately, so it just made sense to combine our love for peanut butter with our banana bread obsession. The result is a peanut butter banana bread that we all devoured immediately.

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Rich and flavorful peanut butter banana bread

I have a rule when it comes to the recipes I share: If I am going to mention an ingredient in the recipe title, you need to be able to taste that ingredient in the final dish.

I just think that’s what I owe to you guys, ok?

So if I was going to make peanut butter banana bread, I wanted to make sure you could taste the peanut butter in every bite of the bread. 

I’ve noticed that a lot of peanut butter banana bread recipes use just ½ cup of peanut butter in the batter, but that wasn’t quite enough for me. It gave a hint of peanut butter, but I wanted a bolder peanut butter flavor.

My version uses ¾ cup of peanut butter in the batter, with another 2 tablespoons swirled into the top of the bread. It gives this bread a rich flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet bananas.

Plus, the peanut butter adds a little extra protein to each slice, making it a more filling after-school snack than Dominique Ansel’s banana bread. Pair it with a chunky monkey smoothie or a banana, peanut butter, and date smoothie for a really filling snack!

For more PB and banana goodness, try peanut butter and chocolate banana muffins or peanut butter banana chocolate chip granola bars.

How to make peanut butter banana bread

This recipe is based on my oatmeal banana bread, so it’s easy to make and you can get it in the oven in a matter of just a few minutes.

Ingredients you’ll need

To make my peanut butter banana bread, you will need:

• 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (from about 3 bananas)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the top
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½  teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

I prefer using creamy peanut butter for this bread, but you could use crunchy peanut butter if you want some added crunch in the banana bread. I would still recommend using creamy peanut butter for the swirl on the top of the loaf, though.

If you run out of brown sugar, don’t panic. You can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use in this recipe instead. 

And if your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, check out my tips for how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store. 

Making this bread

To make this peanut butter banana bread, start by mixing the mashed bananas with the peanut butter, sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla with a mixer until well combined. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined and pour the batter into a parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan. 

Now it’s time to add the peanut butter swirl to the top of the bread. If your peanut butter is really thick, microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up – 10-15 seconds should do the trick.

Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter over the top of the batter and use a skewer or chopstick to swirl it into the top of the bread.

Bake the bread at 350°F for 70-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check the bread around the 60-minute mark; if the top is deeply golden, tent the top loosely with foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

Let the peanut butter banana bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

By: Jamie

5 from 4 ratings

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 10

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Rich, creamy peanut butter pairs with sweet bananas for a loaf of peanut butter banana bread that both kids and adults will love.

Equipment

• 9×5-inch loaf pan
• KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer
• Mixing bowl set

Ingredients

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas from about 3 bananas
• ▢ ¾ cup creamy peanut butter plus 2 tablespoons for the top
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease (1) 9x5x2.5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine mashed bananas, peanut butter, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter over the top of the batter. (If your peanut butter is too thick to drizzle, microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up.) Use a skewer or chopstick to swirl the peanut butter into the top of the bread.
• Bake in preheated oven for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Check bread around the 60-minute mark; if the top is deeply golden, lightly tent with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark.
• Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before using the parchment paper to lift the bread out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Video

Notes

I prefer using creamy peanut butter for this recipe, but you could use crunchy peanut butter if you want some added crunch in the banana bread. I recommend using creamy peanut butter for the swirl on the top of the loaf, though.

If you run out of brown sugar, you can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use in this recipe instead. If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, check out my tips for how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store. 

Store your peanut butter banana bread at room temperature, well wrapped in foil, for up to 3 days. You could also extend its shelf life by storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezing for 1-2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 371mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 48IU, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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