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These Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are unbelievably light and fluffy without using flour! They make an easy protein-rich breakfast or snack on the go.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe comes together quickly in one bowl without separating dry ingredients from wet ones. It’s the perfect fuss-free way to use up ripe bananas in your house! You can use any other nut butter you like, like almond butter or cashew butter, too.
This muffin recipe is naturally gluten-free while not being too sweet. If you want to make them a little more dessert-like, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top before baking. They are a hit with kids that way!
Substitution Note: You can replace the baking soda in most recipes with three times the amount of baking powder. So, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda would be replaced by 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder in this recipe, if you need to make that swap.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
1. Mix.
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. To the mashed banana, add the peanut butter, eggs, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, and honey. Stir well until the batter looks smooth. (Use a whisk or a spatula!)
2. Bake.
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 in a preheated oven 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, if you want to make sure the centers are no longer wet.
3. Enjoy!
Let these healthy peanut butter banana muffins cool in the muffin pan for at least 20 minutes; then they are ready to eat.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try using sunflower butter or tahini for a nut-free option. 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.)
Of course! Try adding in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon for added spice or dark chocolate chips for more of a dessert. You can also add in a handful of old-fashioned oats for extra texture.
Flouress baking relies on eggs for structure and binding, so if you were to use flax eggs in this recipe, the centers would sink and possibly turn out gooey. Try Gluten-Free Banana Muffins for a tested egg-free option.
These flourless muffins may stick to the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray alone. I find that they release best when you use silicone muffin liners.
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
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
- 2 very ripe bananas , mashed (~1 scant cup)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Optional Add-Ins:
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup fresh berries
- ½ 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 22 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
Nutrition
If you try these peanut butter banana 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 😛