Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This gluten free peanut butter banana bread is moist, easy to make and bursting with flavor. Load it up with chocolate chips or keep it plain- it is so delicious either way! It’s dairy free friendly and perfect for a mid day snack.

Don’t come for me, but I’m not a huge peanut butter kind of girl. This gluten free peanut butter banana bread recipe is definitely one I will make an exception for. It’s so moist, flavorful and easy to make. It’s a variation of my classic gluten free banana bread, but with a few swaps! I opted to add chocolate chips, but you can add crushed nuts or just leave it plain- it’s so delicious either way.

This recipe is made with pantry staple ingredients and takes just about 15 minutes of actual prep time. If you love this recipe, try my banana bread donuts next!

Tips before we get started…

• Be sure to use really ripe bananas! You want them to be nice and brown and spotty to ensure they have maximum sweetness. Unripe bananas won’t have as rich of a banana flavor.
• For all of my banana bread recipes, I suggest blending the bananas into a puree instead of mashing them. I find banana recipes naturally lean a bit gummy, and with gluten free flour this doesn’t help! Blending them ensures you don’t get any weird gummy chunks of banana in the bread.

How to make peanut butter banana bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Puree your ripe bananas in a blender. I find the texture of the bread is much better with pureed bananas (less gummy!) but you can mash them really well if you don’t have a blender.

Measure out 1 1/4 cup worth and add to a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining wet ingredients and whisk really well. To measure the peanut butter, I suggest spraying your 1/2 cup measuring cup with oil so the peanut butter slides right out.

Add in the dry ingredients (aside from the chocolate) making sure to spoon and level the flour to measure. Fold in the chocolate if using. It will be fairly thick.

Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and spread the top out smoothly. Top with extra chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sugar if desired.

Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then lift out by the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack. Ideally let it fully cool for 1-2 hours before slicing so it doesn’t crumble, the bread really needs time to set! Enjoy as is or with butter and enjoy! Try my oat flour banana bread next.

How to store and freeze

To store: Once prepared, this gluten free peanut butter banana bread will keep for about 3-5 days on the counter. You can store it in the fridge for longer if you prefer, then warm it up quickly so it’s good as new! I find that with any baked good that uses fruit, like bananas or apple sauce, it keeps better on the counter but not in an air tight container. I like to just leave it on a plate with a some foil on top, but leave a little air so it can breathe and doesn’t get mushy.

To freeze: This banana bread also freezes well! Let it cool completely, slice and place in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw at room temp or reheat in the oven until warm through the center.

Ingredient swaps

Sugar. You can use any kind of granulated sugar you like here. I used brown because it has a bit of a richer flavor, but white will also work. If you prefer you can sub for coconut sugar for a refined sugar free option. I do not recommend a liquid sweetener here. You can decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup if you prefer a less sweet option.

Flour. I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour which I highly recommend for this recipe. Other GF all purpose flours should work, but make sure your blend has xanthan gum in it. I don’t recommend almond flour here, but you can try my almond flour banana bread instead.

Eggs. The eggs are a key ingredient in this recipe to give the bread its height and fluffy texture. I do not recommend leaving them out. You can try my vegan gluten free banana bread instead!

Butter. You can easily swap for a dairy free alternative or just use vegetable oil instead!

Tips for success

Spoon and level the flour. I recommend this for every single one of my baked good recipes! This is so important to ensure you don’t end up with more flour than the recipe actually calls for. Simply spoon the flour into your dry measuring cup and then level of the top to measure.

Use room temperature ingredients. We melt the butter, but if it comes into contact with really cold eggs the butter will harden again and not mix well with the remaining ingredients. For best results, I suggest room temperature eggs!

Let the bread cool. The bread will need time to set after baking, so to ensure it doesn’t crumble or collapse in the center, let it cool completely before slicing. If you want to eat it warm, just let cool, slice, and then warm for a few seconds in the microwave.

What to bake next!

• Banana Bread Bars
• Banana Breakfast Cookies
• Gluten Free Banana Cake
• Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

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