Peanut Butter Banana Bars are packed with bananas, whole wheat flour, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. This banana peanut butter bread is a perfectly sweet, filling & satisfying snack!
This peanut butter banana bread is great any time of day, for breakfast, lunch, a snack or even after dinner treat! Make this chocolate chip banana bread to use up your ripe bananas and also create a healthy and delicious snack.
A Variation of Another Favorite Recipe
These bars are so tasty and filling, your whole family is sure to love them. They have a ton of bananas in them which is just one reason why we enjoy these so much. I like to bake a batch, cut them into squares and freeze them individually for school lunches, or when we are on-the-go.
This recipe is a variation on our very popular recipe, Chocolate Chip Banana Bars. The addition of peanut butter in this recipe takes this treat to the next level! It blends with the other flavors nicely and adds a great protein boost. The texture of the bars is still light and the chocolate chips provide just enough sweetness to make them so delicious.
Why you’ll love this easy banana bread recipe
- Great on-the-go snack. I like to make a batch, then cool, cut and freeze in individual baggies. Since they are filling, they make a wonderful snack, breakfast or school lunch addition.
- Use up ripe bananas. The most common go-to for ripe bananas is banana bread but turning them into other recipes (like these bars) is always a welcomed change of pace.
- Make them healthier. Swap out half the flour for whole wheat and enjoy this recipe in a slightly healthier way without removing any of the great flavors.
PB Banana Bars Ingredients
Bananas: You will need 5 very ripe bananas, this is equal to about 1 ⅔ cups of mashed bananas.
Brown sugar: For a wonderful depth of flavor and sweetness, add in ⅔ cups of brown sugar.
Oil: You will need ¼ cup of oil for these bars so that they stay nice and moist. I used coconut oil, but you can use canola or vegetable oil.
Peanut butter: Add in ½ cup of creamy peanut butter for more amazing flavor and texture.
Eggs: 2 eggs will bind the batter together well so that the bars don’t crumble when sliced.
Vanilla extract: Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to enhance the amazing flavors in this bread recipe.
Flour: You will need 1 ¾ cups of flour for the structural base of this recipe. I regularly swap out all-purpose flour for whole wheat for a healthier version.
Baking soda: To help the banana bars puff up as they bake, you will need 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Salt: You need ½ teaspoon of salt to help balance the flavors in the dough.
Chocolate chips: For added deliciousness, you can add in ½ cup of chocolate chips. We love to use mini chocolate chips so that there is more chocolate in every slice. This amount will be divided between the batter and the topping.
How to make Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Prep
Get started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, spray a 15×10.5″ pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
Batter
Next, peel the bananas and mash well. After that, add in the brown sugar, oil, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla extract, stir until ingredients are combined.
Then, add the dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir again to combine.
Last, fold in ½ of the chocolate chips until just combined.
Bake
Proceed to spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cut and Serve
Let the bread cool completely for about 15-20 minutes and then cut into squares.
Serve immediately or save for later, either way, enjoy!
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BARS
Ingredients
- 5 very ripe bananas about 1 ⅔ cup
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup oil any type- I used coconut oil.
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cup flour I regularly swap out all-purpose flour for whole wheat.
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Prep: Get started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, spray a 15×10.5″ pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
- Batter: Next, peel the bananas and mash well. After that, add in the brown sugar, oil, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla extract, stir until ingredients are combined. Then, add the dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir again to combine. Last, fold in 1/2 of the chocolate chips until just combined.
- Bake: Proceed to spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cut and Serve: Let the bread cool completely for about 15-20 minutes and then cut into squares. Serve immediately or save for later, either way, enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Are bananas and peanut butter good for you?
The combination of peanut butter and bananas is a wonderful addition to your diet. Combined, peanut butter and bananas are a great source of protein and fiber. They also contain certain vitamins and minerals that are good for your health, such as potassium and iron. See recipe card for full nutritional information.
How long are banana bars good for?
These banana bars can be kept stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. The bars can be kept at room temperature, but I find they last longer if stored in the fridge.
Can I use a 9×13 baking dish?
Yes, absolutely! The bake time will be a little longer (about 5 minutes or so) because the pan is deeper. So keep that in mind.
Like the Peanut Butter Banana combination? Try more here:
- Creamy Peanut Butter Dip
- Banana Cream Cookies
- Banana Cinnamon Breakfast Cake
- No-Bake Peanut Butter cookies
- Easy Baked Oatmeal Cups
For more Bar Recipes, check out these other great recipes:
- PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BARS
- OATMEAL COOKIE BROWNIE BARS
- PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES WITH BOX MIX
- BLUEBERRY PIE BARS
- BLUEBERRY CRUMB BARS
- BERRY LEMON BARS
- BAKED S’MORES BARS
- OREO MAGIC COOKIE BARS
- NO BAKE S’MORES BARS
- RASPBERRY OATMEAL BARS
Peanut Butter Banana Bars are loaded with great ingredients like peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate chips. This banana peanut butter bread is a filling, sweet, & OH SO satisfying.
TC says
Hello. I was wondering if this recipe doesn’t use milk (like the original or double chocolate) because it has peanut butter?
Jessica says
That’s exactly right TC! They end up with the same consistency though!
TC says
It’s delicious! My co workers went through them as soon as I put the container down. 😆
Lisa says
These bars bring back wonderful childhood memories as I used to always eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Love them!
April says
My kids absolutely devoured these! They are now begging me to make some more, lol.
Celeste says
I made the double chocolate version of these and they are to die for! I’d like to try to make double chocolate peanut butter banana. Could you just replace part of the flour in this recipe with cocoa powder? Thanks for the great recipe!
Jessica says
I would just add the cocoa powder into the recipe- no need to omit flour. Maybe add 1 TBSP more milk? It should work fine! I’ve done so many variations of this recipe and they all work well!
Kristin says
These are great! I have my second batch in the oven now- I took your advice and put 2 bars in a bunch of baggies and my kids have enjoyed having them for breakfast- I just throw them in the toaster oven to thaw and warm them up! I did use regular sized chocolate chips but they turned out delicious!
Alison says
Kristin, I love how easy these are for the kids to grab! I’m so glad you are enjoying them as well!
Jennifer says
How long to they keep in the fridge?
Jessica says
We ate ours over the course of a week without any issues!
Rikki H. says
I made these this morning and the whole family gave them 5 stars!!
So yummy!!
The house smells amazing.
Mark says
I was imagining something good and dense like brownies, and I halved the baking soda. I think next time, I will omit the baking soda altogether – these are more like cake
Sara says
Can these be made in a 9×13″ pan? I don’t have a bigger one
Sara says
Please reply as soon as possible because I want to make these today 😊 thank you
Sara says
Just ignore my previous comments. I don’t have the patience to wait for a reply. I’m just going to make these in my 9×13 pan and bake for about 5 min. longer and hope for wonderful results. Have a great day 🙂
April H. says
I’m curious how they turned out with 9X13 pan?
Thanks!
Janet Cortez says
Delicious, but a little too “cake-like” for a bar. I think of a bar as half way between a cake and a cookie.
Flavor is very good, peanut butter is subtle. I’d like a little more PB flavor as well.
Frances says
I love this slice. Delicious. I also used coconut oil. I replaced a small amount of the brown sugar with a few tablespoons of chocolate flavored protein powder. I used some spelt flour that I had in the cupboard. I also used a mix of white and milk mini chocolate chips. 👍from my husband. 😊
Victoria says
Hiya. Tried out this recipe tonight for the first time, & everything smells amazing, looks lush looking through the oven door, but when I took it out of the oven after the 20 mins specified, it was still too wet in the middle. Put back in for a further 3 mins, but didn’t want it to burn, so took out in end & now letting it cool (as apparently bananas harden when they cool?)…not sure if that’s the right thing to do or not, or if leaving in longer would’ve been best? I guess we’ll soon see once everything’s cooled down a little, huh?
Jessica says
What size pan did you use? The bars are moist, but should cook through.
Jillie says
Can I use all purpose flour instead of wheat? I don’t care for wheat.
Nicole says
Yes you should be able to use all purpose white flour instead of wheat
Richard Scott Moore AKA "Big Chef Rich Boi Ardee" says
So I recently came into possession of a whole bag of overripe bananas (they were going to toss em at work) and I saw this recipe the other day (the original chocolate chip banana bar) and figure now is as good a time as any to try it. I’ve been cooking my whole life but just recently started getting a REAL interest in baking. I love how you have so many variations of this recipe, am actually planning on doing half chocolate chips and half cinnamon chips (I just found out about them and they’re amazing) on the peanut butter ones. I’ll let you know how they came out. Sorry for the novel just really wanted to thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Very excited to try, and taste, it.
Jessica says
Hi Richard! So glad you found us! YES- this recipe is SO versatile! I hope you like it. It’s a fantastic way to use up ripe bananas as it generally uses 3x the amount required for banana bread. Enjoy!
Noreen says
I do not have a 15 x 10.5” metal pan. Used a glass dish approximately 9 x 13”. Should the oven temperature & time be more? Did set oven to 350 & kept it in for 25min. Dry crumbs on wooden screwer so should be done. Very, very moist – like cake. Any advice is appreciated. Still a bit warm after 3 hours – guess I should put it in the fridge to cool before cutting into squares? Thanks for your help.
Jane S says
I made these tonight. They are more cake like, as others have noted. I like them just fine! The banana definitely is the flavor I taste, not sure I can taste peanut butter except the peanut butter chips I used (what I had on hand). A pan sized 15″x10.5″ is a jelly roll pan and that is what I used. Maybe a note of that would help others to know and plenty persons likely have one on hand. I’ll definitely keep this recipe and make them again. They are fantastic and easy to make!
Nicole says
Thanks! 🙂