Peanut Butter Banana Bread is a soft, moist quick bread made with overripe bananas, creamy peanut butter, butter, and a delicious peanut butter swirl on top. It has that classic Banana Bread flavor we love, with a little extra goodness from the peanut butter. It’s our go-to bread for the peanut butter and banana lover.
We love making this when we have bananas sitting on the counter that need to be used up. It’s perfect for breakfast, after-school snacks, brunch, or a simple treat to slice and share with the family.
For more fun banana breads, try our Pumpkin Banana Bread, Chocolate Banana Bread, and Hawaiian Banana Bread recipes.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Calling Peanut Butter Lovers: Soft and moist banana bread with creamy peanut butter flavor.
- Enjoy Beyond Breakfast: Perfect for breakfast, snacks, brunch, and lunchbox treats.
- Use Those Ripe Bananas: Great way to use up bananas sitting on the counter.
- Creaming Adds Lightness: Beating the sugar, butter, and peanut butter together helps create a soft loaf.
- The Peanut Butter Swirl Adds Flavor on Top: Piping and swirling the remaining peanut butter gives each slice a pretty finish and extra peanut butter flavor.
Peanut Butter Banana Bread Ingredients
- Sugar (1 cup): Sweetens the bread and helps create a tender crumb.
- Unsalted butter softened (½ cup): Adds rich flavor and helps the bread bake up soft.
- Creamy peanut butter divided (½ cup): Adds peanut butter flavor to the batter and creates the swirl on top.
- Eggs (2): Binds the batter and give the loaf structure.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Adds warm flavor that pairs well with banana and peanut butter.
- Milk (3 tablespoons): Adds moisture and helps the batter mix smoothly.
- All-purpose flour (2 cups): Gives the bread structure and helps it bake into a sliceable loaf.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness and brings out the banana and peanut butter flavors.
- Baking soda (½ teaspoon): Helps the bread rise and brown properly.
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon): Adds lift and helps the loaf bake up soft.
- Bananas overripe and mashed (3): Adds sweetness, moisture, and classic banana bread flavor. See How to Ripen Bananas.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread
PREP. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
(The best way that I’ve found to prevent the bread from sticking to the bread pan is to spray the pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper, making sure that it overhangs a little on each side).
BATTER. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter, and ¼ cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk, and mix until smooth.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas and pour into the prepared loaf pan. (I like to add the bananas last so there are still some small chunks of banana in the finished bread.)
SWIRL. Scoop the remaining ¼ cup peanut butter into a Ziploc bag, and cut the corner off the bag. Pipe three lines of peanut butter across the top of the batter, then drag a toothpick or skewer through the batter to swirl the peanut butter.
BAKE. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for the sweetest flavor and best texture.
- Cream the sugar, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy before adding the wet ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients in just until combined so the bread stays tender.
- Pipe the peanut butter in lines on top, then drag a toothpick through it for a pretty swirl.
- Make-ahead tip: Bake the bread a day ahead, let it cool completely, then wrap tightly and slice when ready to serve.
Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 bananas overripe and mashed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter, and ¼ cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk, and mix until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
- Scoop the remaining ¼ cup peanut butter into a ziplock bag, and cut the corner off the bag. Pipe three lines of peanut butter across the top of the batter, then drag a toothpick or skewer through the batter to swirl the peanut butter.
- Bake 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for the sweetest flavor and best texture.
- Cream the sugar, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy before adding the wet ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients in just until combined so the bread stays tender.
- Pipe the peanut butter in lines on top, then drag a toothpick through it for a pretty swirl.
- Make-ahead tip: bake the bread a day ahead, let it cool completely, then wrap tightly and slice when ready to serve.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
With just a couple of adjustments, you can make muffins. Fill each muffin tin ⅔ of the way full add a bit of peanut butter on top and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
No need to store in the refrigerator; simply keep the bread on the counter in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for a few days.
Wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
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This recipe was originally published July 2018.
How many muffins will this recipe make?
With the full recipe, I’d expect it to make 12–14 standard muffins, depending on how full you fill the cups. FBake at 325°F for 20–25 minutes, checking with a toothpick for doneness.
I want to make this either this afternoon or tomorrow. Can I use self rising flour?
Yes, you can use self rising flour, but since it already contains baking powder and salt, I would omit the baking powder and salt called for in the recipe. Hope you enjoy the bread and let me know how it turns out!
Oh my goodness! This bread turned out amazing! I did end up using the All Purpose Flour. I only wish I had recorded a video of my husband’s face when he took the first bite. It was priceless 😂
That is the best compliment! Thanks so much for coming back to share! 😊
Looks good but could I make it with gluten free flour please?
Yes, you can usually substitute a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend in this recipe and it should work well. If you can, use a blend that includes xanthan gum for the best texture. Hope you enjoy it!