Banana bread just got a serious upgrade with this Peanut Butter Banana Bread recipe. This easy quick bread is so moist and has the perfect combination of peanut butter and banana flavor. Plus, it’s loaded with melty peanut butter cups. So good!
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe
- The BEST flavor combo. Peanut butter, chocolate, AND bananas? Get out of here! That’s literally the best flavor combination on the planet (I think). This recipe brings all three together in a moist, flavorful breakfast (or dessert?) bread that you won’t be able to keep your hands off of.
- The perfect amount of peanut butter. Some peanut butter-y sweet treats are overwhelming. This banana bread isn’t. The peanut butter flavor is wonderfully subtle. You can still taste it, but it doesn’t take over the whole dessert.
- Supremely moist. Thanks to the vegetable oil and ripe bananas, this peanut butter banana bread is super moist. It’s a total dream to sink your teeth into and it does a great job of retaining its moisture for a couple of days.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to turn this peanut butter banana bread recipe into a sweet reality. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- All-purpose flour – Feel free to use a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour instead.
- Baking soda and baking powder – I find that the combination of the two makes for the perfect rise in this bread.
- Kosher salt – Table salt will also work. Use a little less, though.
- Very ripe bananas – Aim for medium-sized bananas and mash them until they are somewhere between smooth and lumpy. You want some of those lumps in there to keep things exciting.
- Creamy peanut butter – Creamy is best. You could use chunky if you really wanted to but I don’t like it as much. Don’t use natural or homemade peanut butter, either. They separate and, thus, have a tough time incorporating smoothly and easily into the batter.
- Vegetable oil – Some banana bread recipes use butter, but I prefer vegetable oil for this one. I find that it yields a moister end result.
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar – I used granulated sugar but you could use half granulated sugar and half light brown sugar if you’d like. The bread will have a richer, almost molasses-y flavor.
- Mini peanut butter cups – If you can’t find the minis, go ahead and chop full-sized peanut butter cups.
How To Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Time to tie on your apron and get to baking. Here’s a quick look at how to make peanut butter and banana bread. Check out the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F, line a 9X5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, and coat with nonstick spray.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg, and sugar.
- Put it all together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and then fold in the peanut butter cups.
- Bake. Spread batter into the pan and bake for 55 – 60 minutes.
- Cool. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
Tips & Variations
Want to get this recipe right the first time? Pay attention to these pro tips. I threw in a few fun variation ideas as well, just in case you’re feeling creative.
- Avoid the stick. This sweet, chocolaty banana bread gets pretty sticky. So, I used parchment paper to line the pan and even went the extra mile and sprayed the parchment paper with baking spray. If you don’t have parchment paper, make sure to LIBERALLY grease the baking pan with butter or non-stick baking spray. Seriously.
- Be choosy with your peanut butter. Use creamy peanut butter and stay clear of natural products (and don’t make your own). Homemade and natural peanut butters separate and won’t mix smoothly into the batter.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop which can leave you with tough, overly dense banana bread.
- No minis? No problem. If you can’t find the mini peanut butter cups you can use larger ones. Just chop them up!
- Try a different nut butter. I know that not everyone can eat peanut butter. Fret not! You can easily swap the peanut butter in this recipe out for a different nut (or seed) butter of your choosing. You’ll probably want to consider something other than mini peanut butter cups as a mix-in as well. See my next point.
- Mix in mayhem. Not a peanut butter cup person? Swap ’em out for chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, peanut butter morsels, walnuts, or another mix-in of your choosing. The sky is the limit.
Serving Suggestions
I love this banana bread in part because it can be enjoyed for breakfast OR dessert. It’s great spread with butter and served with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. In a brunch mood? Enjoy it alongside your favorite scramble or frittata.
On the sweeter side, peanut butter banana bread goes beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream after dinner. If you have a little extra time, try making my 2 Ingredient Ice Cream.
How to Store Leftovers
- Countertop. Once the banana bread has cooled completely, seal it in a large ziplock bag or another airtight container of your choosing. Otherwise, wrap individual slices in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. Allow any leftovers to cool and then seal them in a large freezer bag or airtight container (you can also wrap individual slices in a double layer of plastic wrap). Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, allow the leftovers to thaw at room temperature.
I do not recommend storing this sweet treat in the fridge. It will dry out.
More Banana Bread Recipes To Try
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Toasted Coconut Banana Bread
- Blueberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
- Yield: serves 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Banana bread just got a serious upgrade with my Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread recipe. This banana bread is moist, dense, and filled with mini peanut butter cups!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8– ounces miniature peanut butter cups or chopped peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 5- inch loaf pan with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
- In another large bowl mix together the bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg, and sugar.
- Pour the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.
- Stir in the peanut butter cups and spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 336
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 271.2 mg
- Fat: 16.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.4 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 16.6 mg
This sounds amazing. When I bake banana nut bread or zucchini bread, my 21yr. old son drives 45 minutes home to indulge. He text me the link to this recipe yesterday with a :*-9 (meaning: so delicious it makes me cry). I always cut and save (I mean hide) half of the bread for something even better. I cut the remaining loaf into 3/4″ slices and dip them into mixture of milk and egg. Then brown each side in a pan on medium heat, add a little butter and syrup and you have the best french toast you’ll ever put in your mouth. I’m baking this reeses-peanut-butter-banana-bread today and I’ll use it for my french toast tomorrow morning. The things mothers will do to get their young to come home for a visit is shameful!
UMMMMM HELLO??? THAT SOUNDS AMAZING! TOTALLY GOING TO DO THIS IN THE MORNING 🙂
Sorry to say, but this recipe was a huge disappointment 🙁 I had really high hopes for it and planned to make 2 batches for Christmas gifts. I made it exactly as the recipe says, but the flavors together are awful. After making the first batch I had to scramble to find another recipe to make that will hopefully taste much better. I enjoy all your other recipes I have tried, but this one did not live up to the hype 🙁
What flavors didn’t you like together? The banana and peanut butter & chocolate?
Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate flavors together are “awful”??? That’s crazy talk, my friend.
Did you not put the eggs in there? i knew that was a problem a little while ago on the printable recipe
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
My boyfriend LOVES reeses and banana bread. What a great surprise 🙂
I cooled it in the pan for 10 min. and then put it on the cooling rack. It stayed together for an instant…and then relaxed into crumbles. I cut it into square-like morsels and stuck it in the fridge. When I got home yesterday…OMGoodness they were yummy. My husband and son agree and couldn’t care less about the shape. They were gone in an instant! So no worries, and thanks for the recipe.
I made this last night and it did not hold together. I didn’t end up taking it to our staff party today, but already had something else made anyway, so no worries. My college son is coming home today and I know he won’t mind the crumbles one bit! 🙂
Did you wait until it cooled to cut it?
How strange that it crumbled…
This sounds SO good. I’m going to try to make small loafs to put in the “holiday goodie basket” I send to my husband’s coworkers… anyone know the temp and time change if I’m using the mini loaf pans from Michaels?
I might reduce the oven temp to 325, and bake time I am not sure…I would let it go for 20 minutes and then check it from there on out.
This bread was AMAZING!! It went quickly and rave reviews! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Using the extra crunchy peanut butter gave it a great crunch, more nuts the better! I guess I didn’t wait long enough to slice, as it kinda of fell apart…but hey, it was good either way! Many thanks!
This recipe looks AWESOME!! Just put this in the oven..I only had the extra crunchy peanut butter…but I love nuts in everything…can’t wait to try and hope it makes it to the church tonight, or I’ll have to make another loaf!
let me know how you like it 🙂
Wow, I think I just heard angels singing! I’ve made peanut butter banana bread before, but this sure blows mine out of the water!
For the person that forgot the egg, it won’t make any difference. I make banana bread for a friend with an egg alergy and leave out the egg. It makes no difference at all.
So excited about trying this recipe out! I just texted my husband to pick up some Reese’s Peanut Butter cups – minis…I had 2 packs last week but I ate them already. 😀 So yummy! Can’t wait to try this out!