Fit for a king, this Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips is a fun take on Elvis’ favorite flavor combination – peanut butter and bananas.

Banana Bread is a favorite when we have overripe bananas on hand. For more versions, check out my traditional Banana Bread Recipe, this Blueberry Banana Bread with Coconut, or Banana Oat Bread.

sliced loaf of Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips on a cutting board

Love banana bread but get tired of the same banana bread every time?

This Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips is your answer!

A deliciously moist banana bread with great peanut butter flavor is studded with chocolate chips – with those flavors, you really can’t go wrong!

You may end up like me – grabbing for this banana bread recipe every time!

Ingredients

Flour: I have only tested this recipe using all-purpose flour. I would guess you could sub in half whole wheat and it would be fine.
Sugar: I use granulated sugar.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Yes, you’ll need both for this recipe!
Salt: I like to use sea salt, but table salt will be fine.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can just use cinnamon and it will still be delicious.
Bananas: The more ripe the bananas are, the sweeter they are. I like to make sure they are nice and brown!
Eggs: You’ll want to use large eggs.
Peanut Butter: I have always used smooth peanut butter. And I think this recipe works best with a peanut butter like Jif or Skippy instead of natural.
Applesauce: Add in some unsweetened applesauce cuts back on the fat without sacrificing texture or moistness. If you don’t have applesauce, just use an equal amount of oil.
Vegetable Oil: You can use any neutral oil you like.
Vanilla Extract: I always suggest real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Chocolate Chips: I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use what you like the best. Mini chocolate chips are also great in this recipe!

How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

1: Start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a large bowl – the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

2: Add your bananas to another large bowl and mash them. I usually just use a fork, and you don’t have to go too crazy. You do want them mashed all the way, but you will still have some small chunks.

Mixing the wet ingredients for banana bread

3: To the bananas, add the eggs, peanut butter, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.

4: Mix it all together.

mixing together batter for peanut butter banana bread

5: Pour this banana mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.

6: Gently mix this together until it is almost combined.

mixing chocolate chips into peanut butter banana bread

7: Add the chocolate chips.

8: Now mix again to incorporate the chocolate chips, but be careful to not overmix the batter.

9: Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I like to line mine with parchment paper so that it is easy to remove, but you can also just grease the pan.

10: Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the center of the bread is set and a tester comes out clean, about an hour. I like to start checking on it around 45 minutes.

full loaf of Peanut Butter Banana Bread in a loaf pan

Storing and Freezing

Store the bread covered at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. You can store it in the refrigerator to give it a few extra days, but the refrigerator will often dry it out.

This peanut butter banana bread can be frozen as well. Cool the loaf completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil and then place in a ziplock bag. Label, and freeze. It will last in the freezer up to 4 months. You can freeze the whole loaf, or just part if you have half a loaf that you want to save for later!

sliced loaf of Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Troubleshooting

One of the biggest problems in encounter when it comes to quick breads is that the wrong size of loaf pan is being used. If all of the batter is not fitting in your loaf pan, check to make sure it is a 9×5-inch loaf pan. A lot of people own a 1-pound loaf pan, which is actually only 8.5×4.5 inches. A 9×5 inch loaf pan is a 1.25 pound loaf pan. Not all loaf pans are created equal! I have been using this pan lately and it works well and is very affordable.
If your bread is falling in the middle, you are either over-mixing the batter, or more likely, removing the bread from the oven too soon. When testing to see if the bread is done, your tester should come out mostly clean. You might have a few moist crumbs, but you won’t have wet batter. Remember that everyone’s ovens bake a little differently, so it might take a little longer or a little less time.
Since the bread does bake so long, it may start to get a little dark on top. If this happens, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top. I like to bend it and tent it over the top of the loaf so that the foil doesn’t touch the bread.

slice of peanut butter banana bread with a bite taken from it

More Quick Bread Recipes

Strawberry Bread
Red Velvet Quick Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Bread Recipe
Pumpkin Bread
Zucchini Bread

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