These Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are soft, moist, and bursting with sweet banana and nutty peanut butter flavor. They taste like a treat and you would never guess they are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and can be made high-protein, too.
Positively Perfect Muffins!
Is there anything more classic than the combination of peanut butter and banana? It’s right up there with peanut butter and chocolate!
Today, we’re taking the combination back to basics with these homemade peanut butter banana muffins. Better than anything you’ll find from a boxed mix or in a store, they’re:
- Made with a handful of pantry staple ingredients.
- Ready to eat with minimal prep time and a total time of about 30 minutes.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free.
- Full of nutrients and healthy fats and high-protein-friendly.
- Great to prep ahead of time for breakfasts, snacks, and desserts!
Peanut Butter Banana Muffin Ingredients
In most muffin recipes you’ll find lots of added sugars and white flour, but not here! Instead, we use simple, nutritious ingredients to create tender muffins that are out-of-this-world delicious.
Here’s what you need:
- Peanut Butter – We recommend using no-stir natural peanut butter to infuse every bite with flavor and create a tender crumb. If needed, creamy almond butter can be used instead.
- Bananas – These help create moist muffins and contribute to their sweet flavor without the need for refined sugar. For the best results, use ripe bananas with spots. They’re easier to mash and sweeter in taste!
- Large Eggs – Eggs are crucial to providing structure to the banana peanut butter muffins, helping them hold their shape. We haven’t tested this recipe with any vegan egg substitutes and cannot guarantee your results, but let us know how it goes if you do!
- Honey – Used as a natural sweetener. Maple syrup can be substituted if preferred.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – This adds structure to the muffins along with a boost of protein. If preferred, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, or oat flour can be substituted
- Baking Essentials – Vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are included to enhance the taste and texture of the muffins.
- Optional Toppings – You don’t have to include them, but we love to add a swirl of peanut butter and extra banana coins on top.
- Optional Mix-Ins – We kept these healthy peanut butter banana muffins simple, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add a few extra ingredients! Some of our favorite variations include adding:
- Chopped nuts (walnuts, peanuts, pecans, etc.)
- Chocolate chips
- Cinnamon
Before You Begin: Baking Tips
Ready to get started? Us too! But before we begin, let’s go over a few extra notes to guarantee your muffins always turn out amazing.
- Avoid Overmixing. Combine the ingredients just until they are smooth and no streaks remain. Continuing to mix will overwork the batter, creating dense, dry muffins.
- Don’t Overfill the Muffin Pan. Fill the muffin cups about ⅔ of the way full with the batter. This allows plenty of them to rise as they bake.
- Don’t Overbake. Keep a close eye on the oven, and remove the muffins as soon as they’re fluffy and a very light golden brown.
- Let the Muffins Cool. We know it’s tempting to dig in right away, but it’s important to allow the muffins a few minutes to cool! They’ll continue to bake and set as they do so they don’t crumble to pieces as soon as you take a bite.
How to Make These Muffins
- Prepare. To begin, preheat your oven, and grease or line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients. In a blender or food processor, blend the peanut butter and bananas until smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl, and add the eggs, vanilla, and honey. Whisk to combine.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix just until the batter is smooth.
Baking Tip: The texture of the batter will vary slightly depending on whether you use protein powder, cocoa powder, or peanut butter powder, but don’t worry! The end result is still the same delicious flavor and moist, fluffy muffins.
- Portion. Use a large ice cream scoop or a ⅓ measuring cup to scoop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan. Top with the extra peanut butter and banana slices, if desired.
- Bake. Place the muffins in the center of a preheated oven. Let them bake until they rise in the muffin cups and a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Then, transfer the muffins from the pan, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Health Benefits of Peanut Butter
Super popular and tasty, peanut butter also packs a punch of health benefits, too! As long as you aren’t allergic, peanut butter can be a great addition to a healthy diet.
For instance, it’s:
- High-protein, low in carbs, and a good source of fiber.
- Rich in vitamin E, vitamin B3, and vitamin B6.
- An excellent source of folate, magnesium, copper, and manganese.
How to Store and Freeze
We love to add these peanut butter banana muffins to our weekly meal prep lineup because they store super well!
- To Store: Transfer the muffins to a sealable bag or an airtight container, and keep them stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Once cooled, muffins can be transferred to a sealable bag or freezer-safe container, and frozen for up to 3 months.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Muffins
Common Questions
The most common reason why your muffins might have turned out hard is that the batter was overworked. Be careful to mix just until the ingredients are smooth, and be careful not to overbake!
We don’t recommend trying it out! Adding too many eggs can make your peanut butter muffins rubbery.
You can leave your muffins at room temperature for a day, but we recommend storing them in the fridge in order to keep them fresh.
The bananas, fat, and not overmixing the batter all contribute to moist muffins.
Yes! Feel free to use any nut or seed butter like cashew butter or sunflower seed butter to fit your needs.
Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins Recipe
- Total Time: 30-35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Learn how to make the best healthy peanut butter banana muffins for a gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Ingredients
- ¾ to 1 cup (200 to 220 grams) no-stir natural peanut butter or creamy almond butter
- 2 bananas (200 grams)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ⅓ cup (25-30 grams) vanilla protein powder, peanut powder, or unsweetened cocoa powder (see notes for substitutions)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional Toppings: peanut butter or sliced bananas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the peanut butter and bananas until creamy. Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey to the peanut butter banana batter and gently whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
- Using a large ice cream scoop or ⅓ cup, scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups filling about ⅔ to ¾ full. Top with optional peanut butter (swirl with a knife) and/or banana slices.
- Place the muffin pan on the center rack in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center shows a few moist crumbs. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them directly on the cooling rack. Serve immediately, either warm or at room temperature.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Storage Tip – Once cooled, store muffins in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Substitutions – 30 grams gluten free oat flour may be substituted for protein powder, but note the flavor will not be as sweet.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 9.2 g
- Sodium: 124 mg
- Fat: 9.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.5 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
OMG these are FANTASTIC!! I did add chocolate chips. I also used peanut butter powder for the protein powder and used half the amt of honey and added a dropper full of liquid vanilla stevia (hubby is diabetic and honey raises his blood sugar).
they aren’t overly sweet, just enough and the chocolate chips add a little yum.
Also they aren’t overly banana flavored. Just a hit of banana. The ingredients blend very well together for perfect flavor and texture. I wouldn’t even know these didn’t have flour. Definitely my new go to recipe for over ripe bananas!!
Thanks for the feedback, Lynne! So glad your lower sugar tweaks worked out well. They sound perfect!
I was hoping they would be moist and they most certainly were! Yummy! I used Almond Butter since I had no Peanut Butter. I will definitely play around with this recipe and maybe add chocolate chips next time!
Yay! We are so happy you love this recipe as much as we do. Chocolate chips will definitely take these muffins to the next level. Happy baking!