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Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are surprisingly light and fluffy without using flour! They make an easy protein-rich breakfast or snack on the go.
When you don’t want to wait around for a loaf of banana bread to cook, this recipe is the perfect fuss-free way to use up ripe bananas in your house. Muffins always bake faster than a loaf of quick bread!
This muffin recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and not too sweet. To make them more dessert-like, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe uses simple pantry staples, including peanut butter which acts as a swap for both flour and oil. Another nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter, should also work.
Combined with bananas and eggs, these muffins develop a fluffy structure without needing all-purpose flour or granulated sugar. This recipe calls for no dry ingredients!
Egg-Free note
This is NOT the time to use a flax egg as an egg swap. (Those work best in a recipe that only calls for one egg.) Instead, try my gluten-free and vegan banana muffins recipe.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper liners.
In a medium bowl, mash two ripe bananas with a fork. The mixture should become relatively smooth, like fruit puree, with a few lumps.
To the bowl of mashed banana, add:
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 salt
Use a whisk or spatula to stir until the batter looks smooth. It’s okay if you still see a few small lumps of banana. Now, fold in any add-ins you like, such as fresh blueberries or chocolate chips. (This is optional for extra flavor.)
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners, then divide the batter among the 12 cups using a 1/4 cup measure. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips or walnuts on top if you like.
Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until the tops puff up and the centers feel firm to a light touch. Test the center of a muffin with a toothpick to ensure the centers are no longer wet.
Let these healthy peanut butter banana muffins cool in the muffin pan for at least 20 minutes. Then they are ready to enjoy!
Storage Tip
For the best shelf life, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Looking for more muffin recipes? Try Banana Oatmeal Muffins (made with oats in a blender!), Banana Buckwheat Muffins, Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins, or Sweet Potato Muffins for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe bananas , mashed (see notes)
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Optional Add-Ins:
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup fresh berries
- ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, mash the two bananas with a fork. Then, add in the peanut butter, eggs, honey, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix until the batter looks relatively smooth. Fold in chocolate chips, berries, or dried fruit if you like. (This is optional; they can also be sprinkled on top before baking.)
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Using a 1/4 cup measure should distribute the batter evenly.
- Bake at 350ºF until the muffins have risen, and feel firm to a light touch in the center of the muffin, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan.
- These muffins can be served at room temperature once they have cooled. Store 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. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these banana peanut butter muffins, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like them.
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.
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 were awesome!
Thanks Megan! 🙂
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.
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!)
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!
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!
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.
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 😛