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This healthy Peanut Butter Banana Bread is moist and packed with peanut butter banana flavors. Made in a bowl with simple ingredients, this quick bread will become a staple in your kitchen. You won’t ever guess it’s healthy and refined sugar-free!
Banana and peanut butter are a match made in heaven—they were simply meant to be together. And when chocolate is involved, I’m in heaven. I don’t know about you guys, but for me, nothing will ever beat the taste of a banana topped with a spread of peanut butter and dark chocolate. That’s why no bake peanut butter chocolate bars, frozen banana snickers and banana bites rank amongst my favorite snacks. But today, there’s a new sheriff in town—let me introduce this banana peanut bread. Moist, banana-sweet, and slightly salty, it tastes even better when you slather a slice with more nut butter. You, your family, and your kids will all love it!
Ingredients and substitutes
This peanut butter banana bread recipe calls for just a handful of simple ingredients. You won’t need any refined sugar or flour and can easily customize it to your preferences. Here are all the details along with substitutes; the precise ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.
- Egg. One large egg helps bind the batter and enrich the flavors. To make vegan banana peanut bread, replace it with one flaxseed egg.
- Ripe bananas. You’ll need two ripe or overripe bananas—you know, those speckled bananas that are sweet and flavorful. As a replacement, use 1 cup of applesauce.
- Peanut butter. For a healthier recipe, I recommend natural peanut butter without added sugar or oil—a little salt is okay. Creamy or crunchy will both work, and you can also replace it with PB2, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Greek yogurt. The yogurt makes this quick bread moister without using oil or butter. Full-fat or minimum 2% fat Greek yogurt is recommended, but dairy-free alternatives such as coconut or soy yogurt will also work.
- Maple syrup. This adds natural sweetness together with the bananas. Feel free to substitute it with honey, agave, date syrup, or sugar-free syrup.
- Oat flour. Use homemade or store-bought oat flour, gluten-free if necessary. Great replacements are almond flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, and all-purpose flour. For more protein, swap part of the flour with protein powder (more on this later).
- Baking powder. This acts as a leavening agent, helping it rise.
- Vanilla extract. A dash of vanilla extract perfectly complements the flavors in this moist peanut butter banana loaf.
- Pinch of salt. Necessary to balance sweetness and enhance the flavors. You can skip it if using salted peanut butter.
- Chocolate chips. Optional but highly recommended! You can fold semi-sweet, dark, or extra-dark chocolate chips into the batter (sugar-free if desired).
The best peanut butter for banana bread
I always recommend using natural peanut butter with no added sugar or oils—just peanuts and a pinch of salt, if desired. Whether you go for creamy or crunchy is totally up to you; both work well here. If you’re looking for a lower-calorie option, powdered peanut butter mixed with a little water or milk is a great swap (or try my low calorie banana bread!).
How to make peanut butter banana bread
- Step 1 – Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a 7.9-inch (20 cm) loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greasing it with oil. Gather a bowl, the bananas and all remaining ingredients.
- Step 2 – Mix wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth, then mix in the peanut butter, Greek yogurt, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Step 3 – Add dry ingredients. Next, add the oat flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. If you’d like, fold in some chocolate chips. Depending on the bananas’ size, you might need to adjust the texture—add a bit more oat flour if the batter feels too runny, or a splash of milk if it seems too thick.
- Step 4 – Bake. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Step 5 – Let cool. Let the bread cool before slicing and serving it. It tastes even better if enjoyed on day two, after it has sit in the fridge overnight.
Recipe variations
- Higher protein. Replace ½ cup (50g) of oat flour with the same amount of protein powder. I recommend casein or vegan protein powder—vanilla flavor tastes best.
- Low calorie (PB2). To cut calories, swap regular peanut butter for powdered peanut butter (such as PB2 or PBFit). Just mix the powder with a little water or milk until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- Vegan. Replace Greek yogurt with dairy-free alternatives like Greek-style soy yogurt, and swap the egg for a flax-egg or chia egg.
- Mix-ins. Stir in a handful of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, or fresh blueberries—or mix them all! Personally, I can’t resist peanut butter banana bread with chocolate chips.
- Muffins. Turn this recipe into moist banana bread muffins by baking the batter in cupcake molds at 350°F (180°C) for 20-25 minutes.
Baker tips
- Use ripe bananas. The riper, the better! Those speckled, almost-too-soft bananas bring natural sweetness and extra moisture to your bread. If yours aren’t quite there yet, pop them in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10 minutes to speed up the ripening process.
- Don’t overmix your batter. Stir just until the ingredients are combined—no need to go overboard! Overmixing can make your peanut butter banana bread dense and chewy instead of light and fluffy. A few lumps in the batter are fine.
- Enjoy on day two. Trust me, this healthy banana peanut bread gets even better overnight! After cooling, store it in the fridge, and by the next day, the flavors will have improved, and the texture will be extra moist. It’s hard to wait, but it’s so worth it.
Storage directions
Once out of the oven, let the bread cool completely—first in the loaf pan, then on a wire rack or plate. After that, you can dig in right away or save it for later. Here’s how to store it.
- At room temperature: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- In the fridge (recommended): It keeps fresh for up to 4 days – you can eat it cold or warm it up in the oven or microwave for 10-15 seconds.
- In the freezer: Slice it up and freeze in ziplock bags for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the oven or microwave until warm and fluffy.
More healthy banana bread recipes
- Healthy chocolate banana bread
- Greek yogurt banana bread
- Protein banana bread
- Banana bread cookies
- Sugar-free banana bread
- Low calorie banana bread
- Banana oatmeal muffins
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
This healthy Peanut Butter Banana Bread is moist and packed with peanut butter banana flavors. Made in a bowl with simple ingredients, this quick bread will become a staple in your kitchen. You won't ever guess it's healthy and refined sugar-free!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, about 7 oz/200 g in total
- ⅓ cup (90 g) peanut butter, creamy and natural
- ⅓ cup (90 g) Greek yogurt, minimum 2% fat
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) maple syrup, or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
- ⅙ tsp salt, if using unsalted peanut butter
- 2 cups (200 g) oat flour, or preferred flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup (40 g) chocolate chips, optional
High Protein Option
- ½ cup (50 g) protein powder, as a replacement for ½ cup (50 g) flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a 7.9-inch (20 cm) loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greasing it with oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth, then mix in the peanut butter, Greek yogurt, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Next, add the oat flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. If you’d like, fold in some chocolate chips.Depending on the bananas' size, you might need to adjust the texture—add a bit more oat flour if the batter feels too runny, or a splash of milk if it seems too thick.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool before slicing and enjoying.
Notes
Storage directions
- To store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for a maximum of 4 days. Enjoy cold or warm it up in the oven or microwave.
- To freeze: Slice and store in ziplock bags for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in the oven or microwave until soft.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 177.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.2g | Protein: 5.4g | Fat: 6.4g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 15.9mg | Sodium: 114.9mg | Potassium: 210.7mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 9.1g | Vitamin A: 35.9IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 74.8mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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