Peanut Butter Banana Bread is moist, tender, and packed with that warm banana flavor we all know and love, with a creamy peanut butter twist that nudges it into treat-yourself territory. It’s the perfect quick bread for busy weekday mornings, sweet weekend snacks, or any time those overripe bananas on your counter start begging for a second chance.
All you need is one bowl, a few ripe bananas, and a loaf pan to whip up something that tastes like it cost five bucks a slice at your favorite café.
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Our Peanut Butter Banana Bread is like the best parts of a banana sandwich baked into a banana peanut butter loaf.
The bananas bring that deep, familiar sweetness, while the peanut butter adds a creamy, nutty richness that makes each bite feel just a little indulgent. Brown sugar gives it that soft, almost fudgy texture through the middle, and the oil keeps it tender without weighing it down.
You can tell a bread is a winner when it barely hits the cooling rack before someone slices into it.
Once your bananas start to turn, this loaf is just a few pantry staples away. No store run required.
It keeps beautifully for a few days, making it perfect for make-ahead snacks or late-night kitchen wanderings.
If you’re as banana-bread-obsessed as we are, don’t miss our Blueberry Oat Banana Bread with Pecans, Chocolate Banana Bread, and our always-popular Banana Bread Recipe.
And when you’re after something handheld and irresistible, our Banana Pecan Muffins and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are perfect for lunchboxes, road trips, or sneaky little snack breaks.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Peanut Butter Banana Bread recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Change Up the Recipe?
Absolutely. We make our banana and peanut butter loaf with creamy peanut butter, but you can use crunchy peanut butter if you want a little texture. Natural peanut butter works too, just make sure it’s well stirred and keep an eye on the amount of sugar, since it’s usually less sweet.
If you’re a chocolate lover, mix in some chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or even chopped peanut butter cups to boost the chocolate flavor.
To lean into different flavor profiles, try a swirl of cream cheese, a splash of maple syrup, or a handful of peanut butter chips for a sweet treat with your favorite flavor combinations.
To make it vegan, swap in flax eggs for the regular ones and use a non-dairy yogurt or sour cream alternative to keep the bread moist and tender. You’ll still get a flavorful banana bread with the perfect amount of peanut butter.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make Peanut Butter Banana Bread in your home kitchen.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Liberally grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
- Mash the bananas with a fork or a potato masher.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- In a separate bowl or stand mixer, combine the mashed bananas, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Mix just enough to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 70 -75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
*Check the bread at the 60-minute mark. If the top of the bread is getting too dark, cover it with aluminum foil. - Remove the pan from the oven and set the whole loaf in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the loaf from the pan and place it back on the wire rack to finish cooling.
Bake our peanut butter banana bread for a weekend brunch, a cozy family visit, or the kind of quiet evening that calls for something warm and familiar.
Once you’ve had a taste, your bananas just might start spending a suspiciously long time on the counter.
How to Store and Freeze
Let the peanut butter banana bread cool completely before storing. Wrap slices in plastic wrap or store the whole loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Refrigeration is not recommended, as it tends to dry out the crumb more quickly.
To keep it longer, wrap it tightly in foil and freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature or warm individual slices in the microwave for about fifteen seconds.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can. If your bananas are nice and ripe, they’ll bring plenty of natural sweetness on their own. Just know the loaf will be less sweet, but still moist and full of banana flavor.
Ceramic and glass pans will still work, but they bake a little slower and might need extra time in the oven. Keep an eye on the center of the loaf and check it with a toothpick near the end.
It’s definitely the best way to go. Room temperature eggs and peanut butter mix more smoothly and help the bread bake up with a lighter, more even texture. Cold ingredients can slow things down and make the batter clump up.
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Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas -approx. 3 large bananas
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar -packed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Liberally grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
- Mash the bananas with a fork or a potato masher.
- Add the mashed bananas, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, large eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer).
- Mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix just enough to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 70 -75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.*Check the bread at 60-minute mark., If the bread is getting too dark, cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the loaf from the pan.
- Place the loaf back on the wire rack to finish cooling.
- Serve warm
Pierrette says
I have been baking for over 60 years ,so I figured the amount of flour was wrong so I added 1 cup of flour to the 3/4 of a cup and the bread turned out beautiful.
Chef Dennis Littley says
You were absolutely correct that was an error on my part, it was supposed to be 1 3/4 cups. Thank you for catching that.