These Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are unbelievably light and fluffy, and they are made without using flour! They make an easy protein-rich breakfast, or snack on-the-go.
Why You’ll Love this Muffin Recipe
This recipe is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas. If you’re like me and always have peanut butter and eggs on hand, this comes together quickly using common pantry staples.
You also don’t need any special equipment, other than a muffin pan and liners. Mashing the banana with a fork is sufficient enough to help them break down, and then you just have to stir everything together in a big bowl.
It’s amazing how fluffy the muffins turn out! They are not super-sweet, so keep that in mind if making these for children. My two kids prefer it when I had a few mini chocolate chips on top. (Not surprising, right?)
Peanut Butter Substitutions
If you or a family member can’t use peanut butter, this recipe works well with almond butter, cashew butter, or even sunflower butter or tahini for a nut-free option.
Keep in mind that using sunflower butter may result in the center of the muffins turning green. This is caused by a chemical reaction with the baking soda, but as I understand it, the green centers are safe to consume. (SunButter Foodservice covers this topic in their FAQ, if you want to read about it.)
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (Flourless & Fluffy!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter (no added sugar or oil)
- 2 very ripe bananas , mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 whole eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup honey (or stevia, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup fresh berries
- 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, mashed banana, baking soda, vanilla, eggs, salt, honey, and cinnamon, if using, and mix until smooth. I like to use a whisk to make sure the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Fold in one of the optional add-ins, if desired.
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Using a 1/4 cup measure should distribute the batter pretty evenly.
- Bake at 350ºF until the muffins have risen, and feel firm to a light touch in the center of the muffin, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
- These muffins can be served at room temperature once they have cooled, but I recommend storing them in the fridge for the best shelf life. They should last for up to a week in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container, too.
Video
Notes
- Almond butter can easily be substituted for the peanut butter in this recipe, if you prefer. You could also try sunflower butter as a nut-free option!
- I don't recommend substituting the eggs in this recipe. For an egg-free option, be sure to read the suggestions below this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition info above is for 1 of 12 muffins. This is a rough estimate using an online nutrition calculator; be sure to use the nutrition labels on your own ingredients for more accurate calculations.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
For an egg-free recipe, try my Peanut Butter Buckwheat Muffins, Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins, or try swapping the sweet potato for banana in my Sweet Potato Muffins.
–
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite muffin flavor?
These sound amazing and I love every single one of the ingredients in here! Definitely bookmarking this recipe! It would be a perfect swap for eggs on the mornings I don’t feel like cooking!
These look fantastic, I’m going to make for dessert because I love peanut butter!! 🙂
My usual breakfast is oats, fruit and nut butter all mixed up but now I’m new to the whole food combining thing so I’m doing just fruit and I’m starving all morning and I keep eating fruit. I usually do a quick workout before breakfast so I also have a “need carb and protein after workout” neurosis that I need to get over. Does it get easier? Do you really lose weight this way? I’m excited to try because I love chocolate and all your recipes seem so fun and indulgent lol!
I’m a big believer of taking the time to transition into this lifestyle– if you feel like you’re starving with just fruit in the morning, you should try something else!
Maybe a green smoothie, or some eggs with veggies, or a bowl of oatmeal without the fruit and nut butter topping would be possible options? If you’re not enjoying yourself, you won’t stick to this lifestyle long-term… which is the whole point! Make sure you’re enjoying what you’re eating, and don’t push yourself to move faster than you’re ready to.
Do you know the caloric value of these by any chance? Thanks!
Calculated without any additional toppings, I got that they were 161 calories 🙂
how are they this much? I got 60? please explain. I used stevia instead of honey
It tasted so good! But for every muffin there is 4 tsp of peanut butter!!! That totals to over 400 calories
Oh my gosh, I’m obsessed with the peanut butter banana combo lately and must make this pronto!
I used to eat a lot of baked goods for breakfast, but since I’ve been on the smoothie train i don’t seem to want the baked things. I find the volume in a smoothie so satisfyingly filling yet light in the belly early in the day. I think I’m addicted.
I’m loving smoothies lately, too! In this summer heat, I could have one for every meal. 🙂
What are your smoothies made from and why can’t you have one for every meal? Would smoothies for every meal cause weight gain, loss or maintain your current weight. I ask all this because I love smoothies but being on the Reboot due to the need to lose 88lb at least I don’t want to ambush myself as at my age I don’t have the time left to yoyo anymore. Thank you
I didn’t say you couldn’t have a smoothie for every meal! However, I think that would get pretty monotonous pretty fast, and I do think there is a benefit to actually “chewing” our food every now and then.
how many calories?
Please see my FAQ regarding nutrition info: https://detoxinista.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Looks awesome!! I have some sunbutter I need to use… might try this! Though I can’t imagine it would be better than PB + banana.
Do you eliminate grains from your diet entirely? I want to try this but, as a vegetarian, I feel quite limited not eating beans, steel-cut oatmeal, or whole wheat breads/pastas. Any tips?
For the most part, I have eliminated grains from my diet. Not in the strictest sense, but I definitely don’t incorporate them regularly into my meals anymore. However, I’m not a vegetarian, so I have plenty of options still available to me without the grains and legumes! (Peanut butter is the rare exception, as I still enjoy it sometimes.)
I don’t think that vegetarians must consume grains/legumes to ensure a complete diet (some thrive on high fruit consumption alone!), but I know it does make things easier, and often times more affordable. If you still include eggs and/or goat dairy products, those usually help add variety to a vegetable-centric diet, as do sweet potatoes and winter squashes. Honestly, it just takes some experimentation! If you had asked me even a year ago, I would have never thought I’d be avoiding grain… and now I hardly give it any thought.
I think the key is to not push yourself too far in any direction. Lean towards the direction you want to go (perhaps trying 2-3 grain-free days each week), and see if your body is happy with the results before going any further. Hope that helps! 🙂
OMG…these look amazing! Breakfast and treat perhaps..I think so! 🙂
I made these last night for my fiance and I and we both had two and had to force ourselves to stop! They are fantastic! I also added chocolate chips (any recipe that has room for them should obviously include them). I also took them out of the oven a little early and they really taste like bread pudding. They are pure heaven! Thanks for such a fantastic recipe. I’ve recently started reading your blog and you are fantastic! Thank you for helping me bring more health into our home!
These look absolutely delicious but unfortunately I’m doing a candida cleanse at the moment… I keep checking your blog (like 2 times a day!) to see if maybe you’ve uploaded a new muffin recipe for carrot and/or zucchini muffins that I can make and devour (hint hint).
Ha ha, I’ll get on that. I love zucchini muffins, too!! Are you avoiding all nuts while on your cleanse, or just peanuts?
In the meantime, you may enjoy this detox carrot cake recipe I made last year: https://detoxinista.com/2011/09/recipe-makeover-detox-carrot-cake/
It’s definitely candida cleanse friendly!
As it happens, my current almond obsession prevents me from abstaining for nuts completely but peanuts, bananas and natural sugars are out for the moment. I’ve made your “pumpkin” pancakes twice in the last 4 days (which is essentially the same carrot cake recipe minus the cute little pots because I don’t have those…yet) which has been satisfying my carrot cake cravings.
I got a little adventurous and tried to make zucchini pancakes this morning (1 zucchini, 2 eggs, 2 scoops raw cacao powder, stevia and 2 spoonfuls of flax), but they were a little too moist still and surprisingly less chocolatey than I had hoped for. Maybe ditch the eggs and just use flax (which would make them properly combined to boot)? More cacao powder? I also baked them a little longer – 20 mins one side, flipped and 5-8 on the other. Anyway, I’ll keep experimenting and let you know if I’m successful. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great recipe! I love how so many of your recipes use simple ingredients that I always have around the house.
I made these muffins this morning and my husband loved them! The recipe was also super easy to whip up. I’m looking forward to making a version with almond butter.
OMG you read my mind…Just came to your blog looking for breakfast inspiration, this is a great idea! Just make ahead and just grab n go on busy mornings… perfect for me 🙂
Bonus is that I already have all these ingredients on hand!
I just made my first batch of these awesome muffins! This is an amazing recipe – not only because it tastes WONDERFUL but every bite I take I can’t help wondering how in the world there is NO flour in the recipe while the look and taste says there is! But there isn’t! This ticks all the boxes, as it were, for a healthy delicious snack muffin..I will be making this again and again. This time the only slight difference from the recipe was that I used Organic crunchy peanut butter…Thank you for your culinary adventurous spirit!
I just made these yesterday and LOVE the recipe! More than almost anything, I am amazed at how much they look and taste like there IS flour in the muffin, yet, I know there isn’t! The only change I made in the above recipe is I used organic crunchy peanut butter…can’t wait to try a whole load of variations on the original…
I love the looks of this recipe. I will definitely be giving it a try. Nothing against PB, but I may see how almond butter works. 😉
Ok. I just made these. I was skeptical the texture would be right, but OMG they’re awesome. Thing is, I ate two steaming hot out of the oven. Could not even wait the 10 minutes for them to cool. And they’re still SITTING there SMELLING all great. Now what do I do? How do you resist eating the whole batch????
I made these using almond butter and chocolate chips and they were delicious. Definitely making them again and add more chocolate. I use them as an afternoon snack. I gave them to a co-worker and she was amazed there was no flour. Thanks for the great recipe.
Do you have the nutritionals on these muffins? Going to bake theme today and was just wondering. Thanks.
I made these today and they turned out incredible!! I was also a little skeptical of the texture without flour, but they came out perfect! One question though, has anyone tried freezing them? They make a great school snack but I’m afraid if I leave them in the fridge they will be eaten too fast – they’re so good! 🙂
Just found your site and tried these muffins….love them! But a dozen is more than I can eat in a week.
Any idea if these freeze well after baking? Could I just through them in the freezer and thaw as needed?
Yes, they freeze very well! Just thaw one the night before you’ll need it. 🙂
Hi! Made these last night for me & my bf… there’s one left this morning 😉 These turned out amazing for something that doesn’t contain flour or sugar! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
I made these tonight but instead of just peanut butter… I used 3/4 c of almond flour and completed the cup with peanut butter, then I added mashed bananas and some apple sauce. I used just 2 eggs and 1/4 c of brown sugar. Then turned out fluffy, moist and so yummy.
When they were done, we all sat down (all 6 of us, the whole family) and played tea party with real tea and these cupcakes. My DD5 was so very happy. 🙂 Thank you for these great recipes.
tereza
That sounds like a wonderful tea party! Glad you all enjoyed them! 🙂
I just made a batch and added pecans just to add more protein. As a gastric sleeve patient i have to put protein first in my diet but i have always loved to bake so hopefully it turns out great and i can get back to baking again 😛
I tired this recipe but my muffins did not turn out very firm at all. My husband said it tasted like not cooked – what did I do wrong? 🙁 need help!
Did your muffins rise and start to crack around the tops? You may not have baked them long enough– oven temperatures do vary! They should be golden around the edges and tops before you remove them from the oven. Also, make sure you allow them to cool before serving, as they firm up more when cooled. The only other thing I could think of is that maybe your bananas were bigger? Make sure you use no more than 1 cup of mashed banana, or they could become too moist. Hope that helps!
I had the same problem. My first batch sank in the middle after they came out. I measured the banana for the second batch, and kept it in the oven for an extra 15 minutes, checking every five after the first 15. They rose above the top of the muffin pan brim, but stayed level across the top and never cracked. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter both times, my bananas were a rich yellow but not extra ripe, and I sprayed the pan with cooking spray instead of using cupcake liners. Other than that, I followed the original recipe exactly. My oven temp might be off, but leaving it in longer didn’t seem to help.
Quick followup: they’re still edible and tasty, mind you, I was just concerned that I wasn’t doing them right. I see now that you mention in a separate comment that yours are also flat across the top? From the images and your comment here, I was under the impression that the recipe was less than optimal if the “puffed dome” wasn’t achieved.
Though I’ve only been aware of your site for a month, these muffins are already a staple at our house! Thank you so much!
DELICIOUS! How is it possible that they don’t contain flour?! My mom hates muffins, thinking them too dense, but even she loved these: this is officially my new favorite blog. Thank you for all of your wonderful, simple recipes!
I used 3 bananas unfortunately and used flax seed substitute for the eggand it is still baking 40 minutes later and still mushy..hmmmm any antidote? Should I take it out and start over with something else mixed in?
Flax eggs do tend to result in a mushier muffin… I’m not sure how the results will be if you add something in at this point, but maybe you could try adding an additional dry ingredient, like almond or coconut flour? You’ll have to experiment as you go! Hopefully they’ll at least taste good, regardless. (And no worries about uncooked eggs, too!)
Hi Megan! I hope you have a gorgeous 2013!
Thanks for this recipe, I made for New Years Eve breakfast and everybody love it, also I love the work you do here in your blog.
I have a question for you: Do you know how many calories has each muffin?
I don’t calculate calories, but if you’d like to, you can use a free website such as Fitday.com. Just add in all the ingredients, and divide by the number of servings.
Thanks Megan! 🙂
These were awesome!
Well, I’m torn between saying this recipe was an epic WIN or an epic FAIL, lol. I made these with the full intention of keeping my husband out of them and keeping them all to myself for easy breakfast food. (He hates peanut butter recipes in general.) However, he LOVES these and I couldn’t keep him out of my batch. They just came out of the oven an hour ago and he has already eaten two. My best laid plans foiled again! Thanks for a great recipe Megan. My favorite (and the hub’s) so far!
I’m glad you both enjoyed them! Maybe make a double-batch next time. 🙂
These look fantastic!! Can’t wait to try them! Any thoughts on how agave nectar may work instead of honey or stevia? I have some at home to use up 🙂
Agave may be a little sweeter than honey, but I’m sure it’ll work just fine as substitute.
WOW- I just had to comment on how great these muffins are. Just finished letting them cool for 10 minutes after 18 minutes in the oven, they turned out so fluffy yet LIGHT (unlike regular muffins which tend to be dense). The texture and flavors are wonderful with the peanut butter being very prominent (which I love). I used organic chunky unsalted peanut butter and maple syrup instead of honey (allergies) but I used a little less than 1/4 cup of maple syrup and added 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar for the sweetening (although looking back I really don’t think this was a necessary step). I added 1/4 cup of Enjoy chocolate chips (small kind) and I only used 1/4 tsp of himalayan salt. They are wonderful-
Very fluffy, nice crunch to them, and not to sweet.
I have to say though, if I didn’t make these with the chocolate chips, I might’ve thought the flavor was kind of “missing” something, so I definitely recommend experimenting with “add-ins”. Otherwise, for a more simple muffin I’d love to remake these adding 1/2 tsp of pumpkin spice and enjoy them with some quality grass-fed butter.
*I strongly recommend using parchment paper muffin liners if you have access to them- they peel off of the muffins completely so you’re not losing any muffin to the paper. I got mine at my local health food store.
Thank you so much for this recipe. These are fantastic!
Wow these are amazing and delicious, I can’t believe something could come out so good without ANY flour. I’ve been gluten free for two years and have been experimenting with all types of flour and nothing comes out “great”. Your recipes are a life saver for my sweet tooth. And these muffins are sooooo good and fluffy and yummy. Thanks!!
Have just discovered your website and am alrady hooked. Made these muffins today and they’re a big hit with everyone.
Oh my goodness-I just made a batch of these and that are fabulous!!! I was wondering if the freeze well? I have a bunch of bananas to use up and want to make a big batch of these and through them in the freezer.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I can’t remember if I froze this particular recipe, but most of my grain-free treats freeze and thaw pretty well!
how many calories does this have? sugar content? I am diabetic is this good for me?
I have made these several times and they get better and better everytime! Added cranberries this time and OMG…delish! thanks for all of your delicious clean recipes!!!
I had to post a thank you for such a great recipe. These were the first flour less muffins I have made and so I was a bit nervous when they did not rise like traditional muffins. They were a big hit with by bf and I feel good serving him such a healthy muffin. Thank you very much!
Just made these with sunbutter. Unfortunately I learned tonight there is a chemical reaction which takes place between sunflower seeds and baking soda, and it turns the resulting product green after being baked!
Next time I will try them with almond butter, I just wanted to use up what I had.
As far as I know, the green baked goods are still safe to eat! I actually intentionally use sunflower seed butter for baking around St. Patty’s Day for GREEN colored treats! 🙂
Sooo, after sitting in the fridge overnight, the green color somewhat dissipated…its much less vibrant the next day. The kids loved them, and I’m sure my mom will too (with only 10 net carbs per muffin without chocolate chips, they will be a nice addition to her diabetic regime). Still going to make them again with almond butter, they really are tasty (and hopefully the next ones come out more visually appealing 🙂
Sorry to keep coming back to reply, but I think these muffins deserve it. Since the kids demolished the first batch, i finally got some almond butter and made your original recipe (first time I used sunbutter). Can I just say the almond butter version is flat out amazing!!. I have no idea what the difference is between the two, perhaps more oil in the Sunbutter?, but whatever it is, it is a very noticeable change. The first were good, but these were incredible.
I’m so thankful to have found your website and your recipes are out of this world!!
These are great, I halved the recipe since it’s just me here and used applesauce instead of bananas (i didn’t have any), then added chopped apples:) So good! I also left out the honey and just sprinkled sucanut on the tops. I can’t wait to try the banana version!
Sorry to keep coming back to reply, but I think these muffins deserve it. Since the kids demolished the first batch, i finally got some almond butter and made your original recipe (first time I used sunbutter). Can I just say the almond butter version is flat out amazing!!. I have no idea what the difference is between the two, perhaps more oil in the Sunbutter?, but whatever it is, it is a very noticeable change. The first were good, but these were incredible.
I’m so thankful to have found your website and your recipes are out of this world!!
Wow, these turned out amazing! I was so impressed with the texture and how moist they turned out! These are going to become a staple in my house from now on!! Thank you so much 😀
Thank you! These are awesome! I even had a mix up with my oven but they still turned out yummy!
I just finished baking these and they small amazing! However, the centers deflated while cooling – any idea why?
In my experience, grain-free baked goods will always deflate a bit when cooling. Mine usually have a flat top, rather than the traditional “puffed” muffin top. If they sink below that, it may be that they are slightly under-baked. (Which wouldn’t be a problem in my house, since we prefer our baked goods that way!)
Use baking powder also (1/2 tsp). They will rise! These are awesome! I make many batches a week for my family!
I’m afraid I didn’t like these muffins. They smelled great while cooking and turned a golden beautiful brown, but the end result was very much like… peanut-butter-flavored scrambled eggs. That is not what I was hoping for. I couldn’t taste the banana, cinnamon or vanilla; they were overwhelmed by the peanut butter. And I didn’t like the eggy texture. It wasn’t as muffin-like as I expected.
Perhaps my problem was using conventional smooth peanut butter and omitting the added honey and salt (because regular peanut butter already has sugar and salt added). But I don’t see how that would have affected the texture.
Any thoughts for how to achieve a more muffin-like texture and to bring out the other flavors more? Unless I made major revisions, I wouldn’t make this recipe again.
I got the same outcome… mushy muffin mash of ingredients 🙁
So good. Mine were light and fluffy – perfect muffin texture. Used organic crunchy peanut butter and gf baking powder. Will be making again – perhaps with a choc avo icing!!
These are really yummy! My 3 year old can’t have nuts right now, so I subbed sunflower seed butter. I also replaced the honey with maple syrup.
It’s so great to have a portable, grain, flour and nut free snack for him. Thank you!
These were amazing! It’s like a miracle muffin! I just found your blog and I’m thrilled with it. Thanks for all your hard work. We added vegan chocolate chips and they were perfection.
Perfect.
That looks incredible! I will try tomorrow. Can I use chunky peanut butter?
Sure, why not!
Chunky peanut butter would be amazing!!! Such a good idea!
Came out perfectly. Thanks for another awesome recipe.