Moist Peanut Butter Banana Bread | No Oil & Less Sugar
This peanut butter banana bread is tender and moist with a natural banana and peanut flavour making it a wholesome and cozy treat to consume all year round.
AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
BAKING TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.
What does this banana bread taste like?
- This cake-like banana bread has a tender and moist texture making it comforting to consume all year round.
- It has a balance of natural banana and peanut butter flavour that is hearty without being overly sweet.
This is the perfect banana bread for those who do not really enjoy the classic banana bread especially because of its texture or flavour.
Why is this the best peanut butter banana bread?
Flavour
This bread combines two classic flavours – banana and peanuts wherein the sweet flavours of the banana are paired with the natural earthy flavours of peanuts. These two flavours together make the bread a cosy, warm and hearty treat to enjoy. Made with less sugar, like most of my recipes, the bread is bursting with the natural flavours of the ingredients used.
Ease
This banana bread uses simple ingredients like ripe bananas, natural peanut butter and other commonly used baking ingredients. It follows the one-bowl method wherein all these delicious ingredients are whisked in to make a thick yet fluffy banana bread batter.
Texture
Once baked this banana bread is soft, firm and light without being dense and heavy to consume. It also has a nice crunch and gooeyness if you decorate it the way I have.
No oil
This recipe uses melted unsalted butter to help make the bread tender without making it dense which is common in oil-based banana breads.
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Key Ingredients in this peanut butter banana bread
Ripe Bananas
This recipe uses ripe yellow bananas with black spots on them as they are naturally sweeter and soft in texture.
Natural & unsweetened peanut butter
Use natural & creamy peanut butter that does not have added oil, stabilizers or sugar added in it. Make sure to check the ingredient list of the peanut butter you are using.
All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
The all-purpose flour provides a firm structure to the banana bread while the baking powder & baking soda make the bread light & fluffy. The salt helps cut the sweetness and boosts the flavours of the banana bread.
Castor sugar and brown sugar
While recipe testing, I found that the brown sugar weighed down the bread and made it sticky to touch as the moisture content increased. This is because of the molasses that is present in brown sugar.
Using more castor sugar than brown sugar provides the right amount of moisture to the bread without making it dense. Make sure to use castor or superfine sugar for the recipe rather than granulated sugar.
Unsalted butter
This recipe uses melted butter to make the cake tender rather than oil. Banana bread can be made tender by either using softened butter, flavourless oil or melted butter. But each of these gives a different result to the texture of the bread.
The butter made it cakey and flavourful while the oil made it so moist that the result was a dense banana bread without added flavour.
So, the clear winner was the melted butter.
The melted butter provided moisture and a little bit of structure (from the milk solids that are naturally present in the butter) and also FLAVOUR.
Whole eggs
Use whole eggs for this recipe but make sure to weigh them before using.
Which is the best banana to use to make this bread?
The best bananas for this banana bread are of course yellow bananas as they are much sweeter and softer than green bananas.
I recommend purchasing the bananas 2-3 days in advance when they are yellow with a few black spots.
Once you buy them, wrap them in a newspaper or a paper bag or keep them a cardboard box.
Make sure to have them completely covered. Keep the bananas in a warm place in the kitchen for them to ripen. Use them when they have big black spots on them.
What makes this peanut butter banana bread moist?
I have to admit that making a moist banana bread without being dense was a lot trickier to achieve but it all lies in the ratio of the dry to moist ingredients and the texture of each of these ingredients, especially the banana and peanut butter.
Usually, banana bread is made by mashing up ripe bananas with bits of bananas left over. I found that doing this prevented the bananas from mixing evenly with the other ingredients and it also made the structure weak as it released moisture while baking. So, preparing a banana puree moistened the cake without weighing it down.
From the beginning, I aimed to prepare this bread using natural peanut butter because it is healthier. But natural peanut butter is thinner than other kinds of peanut butter so I highly recommend using creamy unsweetened peanut butter.
Using a higher quantity of castor sugar than brown sugar, made the cake tender and moist but the lower quantity of brown sugar did not weigh down the bread.
05 Tips to make the best peanut butter banana bread
Use thick & creamy natural peanut butter
Natural peanut butter is comparatively much thinner in consistency than those with added palm oil, sugars and other ingredients. But to create a fluffy banana bread that had a noticeable peanut butter flavour in turn using a larger quantity of it, I had to think of a different way to use the natural peanut butter without it weighing down the bread in any way.
This is what I did, I highly recommend you do this too:
When you purchase the creamy unsweetened natural peanut butter, using a spoon mix the peanut butter so the natural oil that has separated combines in with the grounded peanuts. After that, chill it overnight and use it when it’s cool to the touch. This ensures that it retains its thick texture which is just what you need to have the fluffiest banana bread.
Use cool melted butter
When you use hot melted butter, the sugars begin melting when they are whisked in. This makes for dense banana bread.
For this reason, once the butter has melted let it cool down completely before using which will give you a light, fluffy and firm bread.
Blend the banana puree instead of mashing it
As mentioned above, once the bananas are ripe, chop them and blend them in a food processor till no lumps remain. Using banana puree helps to combine the banana with the other ingredients without weighing down the bread.
Bake the bread one day in advance for maximum flavour
When the bread is allowed to rest, the flavour intensifies making the bread delicious. It also improves the texture and becomes lovely and moist.
Avoid overmixing the banana bread batter
As this batter uses melted butter, there is no addition of extra air that you get when you cream the butter. For this reason, mix all the ingredients till just combined and it bake immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add chocolate or nuts to my banana bread?
Yes! You can add chocolate, nuts and seeds to the banana bread. But I recommend not using too much as there is a risk of weighing down the bread. I have mentioned the ideal quantity of add-ins in the recipe card. Always chop whichever add-ins you are using.
Which spices can I add to my banana bread?
I highly recommend using ground cinnamon for the best flavour. Ground cardamom and vanilla would also be a lovely addition. But make sure to add just 1 gram or a pinch so it does not mask the flavours of the peanut butter & banana.
How can I freeze my banana bread?
Once baked and completely chilled, you can either freeze the banana as a whole wrapped in plastic wrap, You can also slice the bread and then wrap each slice using plastic wrap. If you do slice the bread, store them in a Ziplock bag.
Do not forget to label the bread with the name and best before date. I recommend freezing the banana bread for only a month.
Can I use frozen bananas?
I highly recommend using fresh bananas because the flavours are deeper and fresher.
Step-by-step instructions
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Equipment
- 01 Weighing Scale
- 01 Food processor or mixer
- 01 Chopping board and knife
- 01 Sifter
- Bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Spoons
- 01 7 inch or 8 inch loaf pan
- 01 Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 50 grams Unsalted Butter, chopped melted
- 55 grams Natural Unsweetened Peanut Butter, creamy*
- 60 grams Castor Sugar
- 40 grams Light Brown Sugar
- 55 grams Ripe Bananas, chopped puree*
- 125 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 04 grams Baking Powder
- 03 grams Baking Soda
- 02 grams Salt
- 100 ml Whole Eggs
- Ripe Bananas, stripes or circles garnish
- Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped garnish
- 50 grams Add-ins (like nuts, chocolate or seeds)
Instructions
Preparation
- Lightly grease and line an 7 inch or 8 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Weigh, chop & melt (on a double boiler or microwave) the unsalted butter in a bowl. Set aside to cool.
- Weigh the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Mix and sift. Set aside.
- Weigh the castor sugar and brown sugar in another bowl.
- Weigh the eggs in a bowl. Set aside.
- Weigh the peanut butter in another bowl.
- Chop the banana and blend using a food processor till smooth. No lumps should remain.
- Weigh and cut the other banana in strips or in circles for the garnish.
Method
- In a bowl, add the cool melted butter and peanut butter. Whisk till just combined.
- Add the castor sugar and brown sugar. Whisk till combined well.
- Add the eggs and whisk till a little pale and fluffy.
- Add the banana puree and whisk till just combined.
- Fold in the dry ingredients till just combined and no flour pockets remain. The batter will be very thick.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
- Garnish as desired. Press the banana and peanuts into the batter a little so it stays in place.
- Bake at 180°C for 45-50 minutes or till browned and a skewer comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- You can eat the bread as is, drizzle peanut butter or honey, and serve.
Notes
- Cake Pan Conversions - I used a 7-inch cake pan that holds about 500 grams of cake batter. I recommend lining your loaf pan with parchment paper with an overhang on the sides (parchment paper is about an inch taller than the sides of the pan) to ensure the batter does not leak. You can also use an 8-inch cake pan. Leftover batter can be baked into a muffin pan.
- 9 x 5” loaf cake pan - Double the recipe to make a bigger banana bread. I recommend lining your loaf pan with parchment paper with an overhang on the sides (parchment paper is about an inch taller than the sides of the pan) to ensure the batter does not leak. Leftover batter can be baked into a muffin pan.
- Easy peanut butter and honey glaze - Mix 5g - peanut butter and 45g honey in a bowl. Drizzle on the bread before serving.
- Peanut Butter - I highly recommend using thick & creamy natural peanut butter for this recipe.
- Ripe Bananas - Use ripe yellow bananas that have black spots on them. The more the better.
- Peanuts - I recommend using roasted peanuts for the garnish but it is optional.
- Make-ahead instructions - Banana bread is best prepared a day in advance, so the flavours can develop.
- Storage Instructions - You can store this bread in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days but in a cool place away from the sun. You can store the bread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing Instructions - I highly recommend making fresh banana bread for better results. But follow the instructions given below to freeze the bread if you prefer to:
- Wrap the whole or sliced cool banana bread in plastic wrap.
- If you do slice the bread, store it in an air-tight container or zip-lock bag.
- Make sure to label it with the name and best-before date.
- You can store banana bread in the freezer for a month. Thaw before serving.
- Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
Hi! I'm Khushali Patel, a cookie-loving professional pastry chef, recipe developer and content creator whose aim is to guide you to find more happiness in your baking journey every step of the way.
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