Peanut Butter Banana Muffin
intro
Moist, tender muffins swirled with creamy peanut butter and sweet ripe banana, a cozy, portable treat perfect for sharing or quick on-the-go bites.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Mix wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add 300g peeled ripe spotty bananas and mash thoroughly with a fork until no large lumps remain. Stir in 56g cooled melted unsalted butter, 65g granulated sugar, 50g packed light brown sugar, 1 room-temperature large egg, 80ml whole milk, 5ml vanilla extract, and 90g of the creamy peanut butter, whisking until completely smooth with no streaks of egg remaining.
Fold in dry ingredients
Add 190g all-purpose flour, 4g baking powder, 2.5g baking soda, 2g ground cinnamon, and 1g fine table salt directly to the wet ingredient bowl. Fold gently with a rubber spatula only until no dry flour streaks remain; do not overmix, as this will create tough muffins—small lumps in the batter are completely normal and will disappear during baking.
Portion batter into tins
Use a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full to leave room for rising. Warm the remaining 30g creamy peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds on high heat until it is thin and pourable.
Add peanut butter swirl
Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of the warmed peanut butter over the top of each portion of batter. Use a toothpick or small wooden skewer to swirl the peanut butter into the top layer of the batter in a gentle zig-zag motion, then sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of chopped roasted peanuts over each muffin top for added crunch.
Bake until golden
Place the muffin tin on the middle oven rack and bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 190°C (375°F). Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of a middle muffin: it should come out with 1 to 2 moist crumbs attached, not coated in wet batter, to ensure tender, not dry, muffins.
Cool before serving
Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the batter once dry ingredients are added—overstirring develops gluten in the flour and results in dense, tough muffins, while a few small lumps will bake into a light, tender crumb.
3.For a school-safe, nut-free version, swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and replace chopped peanuts with rolled oats for added crunch.
OMG these peanut butter banana muffins are a total game changer for my chaotic school mornings! I baked a batch on Sunday for meal prep and my 3 kids devoured half of them before I even packed their lunch boxes. SO moist, not too sweet, perfect grab-and-go snack. 10/10 will be making these biweekly from now on.
Super easy recipe, even for a guy who burns toast half the time. Cook time was exactly 35 minutes like the recipe said, no guesswork. I added a handful of chocolate chips on top for extra flair and my roommates lost their minds. Bringing the rest to our intramural soccer potluck tomorrow.
I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free blend and these turned out perfectly! I was worried they’d be dense or gummy like so many other GF muffin recipes, but nope—fluffy, rich, the peanut butter and banana flavor combo hits so hard. My husband who swears he “hates GF food” ate three in one sitting, and we even served them alongside scrambled eggs for our quick family dinner last night when we didn’t feel like cooking a big meal.
Brought these in for my team’s weekly Wednesday snack break and everyone was begging for the recipe before our meeting even ended. They’re not overly sugary so you don’t get that 2pm crash, which is a huge win for work days. Only note: I’d line the muffin tin with paper liners because mine stuck a little when I greased the pan directly.
I’m so excited to make these this weekend! Quick question though—can I use natural peanut butter (the kind that separates with oil on top) for this recipe? I have a giant jar at home I don’t want to waste, but I don’t want to mess up the texture! The reviews are so good I know I’m gonna love them.
I made these with my 7 year old daughter this weekend for her girl scout troop meeting, and let me tell you—she was so proud to pass out muffins she helped make. The recipe was easy enough for her to help mash the bananas and stir the batter, no fancy steps required. Every single girl asked for seconds, even the picky eaters!
These are perfect for my post-gym snack! I swapped the regular sugar for monk fruit sweetener and added a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and they still came out so fluffy and tasty. No weird protein aftertaste at all, which is rare for baked goods with protein added. 10/10 for meal prep.
Made these vegan last night by swapping the egg for a flax egg and using maple syrup instead of honey, and they turned out *chefs kiss*. So dense and flavorful, you can’t even tell they’re vegan. I was worried the texture would be off, but they were just as good as the non-vegan muffins I’ve had before.
Wait, hold on—has anyone added chocolate chips to these? I feel like peanut butter, banana, and chocolate is the ultimate combo but I don’t know how much to add without making the muffins soggy.
I’ve been making peanut butter banana muffins for my grandkids for 40 years, and let me tell you—this recipe is the best one I’ve ever tried. Not too much sugar, the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor, and the tops get that nice little crisp while the inside stays soft. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top like I always do, and it was perfect.
How well do these freeze? I like to make big batches of muffins to pull out for quick breakfasts during the work week, but I hate when muffins get all freezer burnt and weird tasting after a week.
Ugh, I was so excited to make these, but my muffins came out super dense and didn’t rise at all? Did I do something wrong? I followed the measurements exactly, I swear. The flavor was still good, but the texture was off.
Y’all. I ate 4 of these straight out of the oven and I have zero regrets. The peanut butter flavor is so prominent, the banana adds the perfect natural sweetness so you don’t need a ton of added sugar, and the crumb on top? *Chef’s kiss* Game changer, I’m never buying store-bought muffins again.