Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread is a delicious twist on the classic banana bread, incorporating the rich and nutty flavor of peanut butter and chocolate chips. The combination of ripe mashed bananas and creamy peanut butter creates a moist and indulgent bread, perfect for those who love the delightful pairing of bananas and peanuts. Enjoy it as a tasty breakfast treat, snack, or dessert.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested this recipe with my own gluten-free flour blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1 – to 1 and King Arthurs Measure for Measure. All blends mentioned work great in this peanut butter banana bread recipe and give the bread moist crumbs. I did have some texture issues with the raw batter made with Cup4Cup. It appeared very gummy but did bake off just fine. All those blends mentioned already contain xanthan gum.

Peanut Butter: The key ingredient for this peanut butter banana bread is definitely peanut butter. I prefer baking with “conventional” peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. Conventional peanut butter is made with fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, which help stabilize the peanut butter and prevent it from separating. In my opinion, it’s more reliable in baking than natural peanut butter (which is perfect for snacking!). Smooth or crunchy peanut butter works in this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with a different kind of nut butter.

Bananas: I like to use ripe bananas, with a lot of brown spots but aren’t mushy.

Oil: I tested this recipe with melted butter and a neutral oil (such as canola oil). Overall, the texture and crumb of the gluten free peanut butter banana bread made with oil was better. The bread made with oil stayed soft and moist longer. The main reason is that vegetable oil remains liquid at room temperature whereas butter turns back to a solid at room temperature.

Chocolate Chips: Chocolate Chips are optional. I use a mix of regular chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips to turn this peanut butter banana bread into a chocolate banana bread.

Recommended Tools

This gluten-free peanut butter banana bread is very simple to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment like a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. You will a large bowl to mix the quick bread batter, a separate bowl for the dry ingredients, a small bowl to mash the bananas in, a whisk, a rubber spatula, and a small offset knife. You will also need an 8.4”x4.5”x4.1 Pullman Loaf Pan but a standard 8×4 loaf pan will work as well. A Pullman loaf pan is a rectangular pan with straight sides which allows quick breads, like this peanut butter banana bread, to rise taller without collapsing.

How to make a Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This chocolate peanut butter banana bread recipe is very straight forward and requires very little prep time. Please make sure the ingredients used are at room temperature. I recommend placing the eggs in a bowl with some warm water and allowing them to sit for 10-15 minutes. This will bring them to room temperature quickly.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Make sure the wire rack in the oven are arranged in the middle so the banana bread will bake at an even temperature. Spray the loaf pan (I use a pullman pan) with some cooking spray, and line with parchment paper leaving some overhang on the sides. This will make removing the fully baked bread a lot easier.

Step 2:  In a small bowl sift together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and kosher salt. Set the flour mixture aside.

Step 3: To a separate bowl add the peeled bananas and with a fork mash them up. You can also use a potato masher or even you clean hands to do this. Set aside until needed.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl combine the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, peanut butter, vanilla extract and oil. Whisk until smooth. Add the room temperature eggs, one by one making sure they are fully incorporated.

Step 4: Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients. Mix well.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until fully combined. While we don’t have to worry about building gluten, try not to overmix your batter. With a rubber spatula fold the chocolate chips into the banana bread batter.

Step 6: Transfer the peanut butter banana bread batter to the prepared loaf pan and use a spatula, spoon, or small offset to smooth it out evenly.  If you like, dip a butter knife in some neutral oil and make a “cut” around ¼ inch deep down the middle of the loaf batter. This will be a guide for the “middle crack” of your gluten-free banana bread. The bread will develop a crack anyways but this way you know where it will happen. Sprinkle with some additional chocolate chips if you like.

Step 7: Allow the gluten free banana bread batter to rest for a few minutes before baking. This resting time allows the flour to hydrate and results in a moister end product.

Step 8: Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes.  Cook time and total time depends on the size of loaf pan you use and the oven. If you are worried your bread might turn too dark quickly, cover it with some aluminum foil after 45 mins of baking.  The loaf is done when it is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. (If using a digital thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200F or higher).

Allow for it to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan and transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely. This can take up to 2 hr.

Storage & Freezing

Store any leftovers of the Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Baked goods made with gluten-free ingredients have a shorter shelf life than products baked with all-purpose flour.

If you plan on freezing the banana bread you can either freeze the entire loaf (preferably unglazed) or freeze the individual slices. To freeze an entire loaf, make sure it cooled completely. Tightly wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months. Allow for it to thaw in the fridge overnight or for several hours at room time, glaze as directed and serve.

To freeze the individual slices place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place it in the freezer for at least 2hrs or until the slices are fully frozen. Once frozen wrap each slice in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.

FAQ - Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.