Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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

Peanut butter sliced banana bread on a wooden board.

We love peanut butter around here. Whether it’s the classic PB&J combo in my Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars or mixed with chocolate in Peanut Butter Cookies or Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, my family loves it all.

We’ve been having a lot of banana bread fun lately, so it made sense to combine our love of peanut butter with our banana bread obsession. The result is a peanut butter banana bread that we all devoured immediately.

Cooled loaf of peanut butter banana bread placed on a piece of parchment paper.

Rich and flavorful peanut butter banana bread

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

I just think that’s what I owe you, okay?

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 many peanut butter banana bread recipes only use ½ cup of peanut butter in the batter, but for me, that wasn’t enough. It had a hint of peanut butter, but I wanted a bolder peanut butter flavor.

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

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

For more PB and banana goodness, give this a try Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Muffins OR peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars.

Three slices of peanut butter banana bread stacked on a plate.

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 pop it in the oven in minutes.

Ingredients you will need

To make my peanut butter banana bread you will need:

1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (makes about 3 bananas)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, plus 2 tablespoons for 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 of baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Peanut butter banana bread ingredients laid out on a beige countertop.

I prefer to use creamy peanut butter for this bread, but you could use crunchy peanut butter if you want to add a little crunch to the banana bread. However, I would still recommend using creamy peanut butter for the swirl on the top of the loaf.

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

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

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Make 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.

Wet peanut butter banana bread ingredients in a white bowl.

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 well combined and pour the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Peanut butter banana bread batter in a white bowl.

Now it’s time to add the peanut butter swirl to the top of the bread. If the peanut butter is very thick, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen it up – 10-15 seconds should be enough.

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

Peanut butter swirled into the top of peanut butter banana bread batter in a skillet.

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 golden, cover it lightly with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

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

Loaf of peanut butter banana bread cooled on a wire rack.

Storage Tips

Store your peanut butter banana bread at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. You can also extend its shelf life by storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Like many quick bread recipes, this bread freezes well.

Freeze the entire loaf by wrapping it in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy duty foil. Store in the freezer for 1-2 months. Let the bread defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Or freeze individual slices by wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing in a zip-top freezer bag for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour, or unwrap and microwave each slice for 30 to 60 seconds to thaw and reheat.

Slice of peanut butter banana bread broken in half, placed on top of a second slice of bread.

Recipe FAQs

What kind of peanut butter should I use?

I made this Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Jif and Costco’s Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter and it worked great with both. Kirkland peanut butter is much thinner than Jif, but both work well in this recipe.

I do not recommend using natural peanut butter made in the supermarket with only ground peanuts. It’s not smooth enough to be great for baking.

I don’t have a mixer. Can I make this bread by hand?

YES! You can mix the wet ingredients together with a whisk instead of a mixer. Just make sure to mix them thoroughly so that the bananas and peanut butter are really well combined before adding the dry ingredients.

I don’t like cooking with vegetable oil. Can I use butter instead?

If you don’t want to use vegetable oil, I recommend replacing it with another neutral-tasting oil, such as avocado oil. You can use melted butter, but I prefer to use oil in this recipe for a moister banana bread.

Cut a loaf of peanut butter banana bread onto a wooden cutting board to show the cross section.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease (1) 9x5x2.5-inch baking 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 the mashed bananas, peanut butter, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. well blended.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Drizzle the remainder 2 spoon peanut butter over batter. (If the peanut butter is too thick to drizzle, microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it.) Use a skewer or chopstick to swirl the peanut butter on top of the bread.
Bake in the preheated oven for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Check the bread around the 60-minute mark; if the top is very browned, cover it lightly with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.
Leave to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before using the baking paper to lift the bread onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

I prefer to use creamy peanut butter for this recipe, but you could use crunchy peanut butter if you want to add a little crunch to the banana bread. However, I recommend using creamy peanut butter for the swirl on the top of the loaf.
If you run out of brown sugar, you can make a plain one cane sugar substitute to use instead in this recipe. IIf your brown sugar has hardened in the pantry, check out my recommendations how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the supermarket.
Store your peanut butter banana bread at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. You can also extend its shelf life by storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezing it for 1-2 months.

Serve: 1slice, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 42G, Protein: 8G, Fat: 22G, Saturated fat: 4G, Polyunsaturated fats: 9G, Monounsaturated fats: 8G, Trans fats: 0.1G, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 371mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 2G, Sugar: 23G, Vitamin A: 48UI, Soccer: 51mg, Iron: 2mg

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