Peanut Butter Banana Muffins – Sally’s Baking Addiction

These peanut butter banana muffins taste like a treat, but they’re made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and naturally sweet honey and bananas. Adding mini chocolate chips and drizzling with melted peanut butter is optional, but definitely recommended!

I’m bringing back a favorite that I originally published in 2013! Hard to believe these muffins have been a repeated staple in my kitchen for so long. I now exclude the added brown sugar and sweeten them exclusively with honey, which improves the taste and means there isn’t any added refined sugar. Except for those chocolate chips… a necessity! ????

One reader, Sam, commented: “These muffins were DELICIOUS and SO EASY to make! I had all the ingredients already in my kitchen! They were so warm and best eaten right when you take them out of the oven! I melted peanut butter with some honey for added sweetness to add on top of the muffins! Everyone in my house loved them. ★★★★★“

Why You’ll Love These Healthier Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

• Made from basic ingredients
• Super moist with loads of peanut butter flavor
• Quick and easy, just like regular banana muffins
• Nutritional boost from whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt
• Naturally sweetened with bananas and honey
• Like banana bread, they’re a delicious way to use up your spotty bananas

Ingredients You Need & Why

• Bananas: Bananas naturally sweeten the muffins. Make sure you’re using super-brown-speckled bananas—the riper, the better. Same goes for regular banana muffins. You can use thawed frozen bananas in this recipe—read about how to freeze and thaw bananas for baking.
• Honey: I love honey and peanut butter together, and try to combine the two as often as possible. Feel free to swap maple syrup or agave in its place. Using liquid sweetener, as opposed to dry like granulated or brown sugar, also keeps the muffins extra moist and tender.
• Greek yogurt: I love to add protein-packed Greek yogurt to muffin recipes, like today’s recipe and these banana blueberry muffins. It gives them a tender, moist interior without all the fat from butter.
• Coconut Oil: Just a smidge! The muffins taste a little rubbery without *some* oil.
• Egg: An egg helps to bind the ingredients together. (Plus adds a little more protein!)
• Almond milk: Or any type of milk, dairy or nondairy, you prefer.
• Creamy peanut butter: You can use natural (with the oil stirred in) or processed peanut butter in these muffins, but stick to the smooth creamy kind. Crunchy peanut butter makes for crumbly baked goods.
• Cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, & baking soda: Flavor and rising essentials.
• Whole wheat flour: I like to use whole wheat flour when I can, particularly when I make healthier versions of my favorite treats, like this whole wheat banana bread. These muffins can also be made with all-purpose flour, or a mix of both. I usually make them with a mix of both, as pictured.
• Chocolate chips: Optional, but recommended!

Using Whole Wheat Flour Instead of All-Purpose

Whole wheat flour has a big nutritional advantage over refined white flour—it’s richer in protein, fiber, and minerals. It’s also heavier and heartier than white flour, so it works especially well in muffin recipes, which naturally have a denser texture than cake—take these morning glory muffins, bran muffins, or these applesauce muffins, for example. 

Whole wheat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so it can dry out your baked goods. But in this recipe we’re canceling that out with the super moist content of the mashed banana.

How to Mash Bananas

I started doing this a while ago and it’s been a total game changer whenever I make banana muffins, breakfast cookies, or banana bread. Just use your mixer to mash bananas! Peel and break the bananas into chunks, place in your mixer, and beat until mashed. Beat the rest of the wet ingredients right into this bowl, then beat in the dry ingredients. So easy.

If you’d rather not use the mixer (it really isn’t necessary for this recipe), just mash the bananas in a big bowl with a fork or even a potato masher. You need 1 cup (230g) of mashed banana, which is about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas.

How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

The process is really easy. Whisk the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together in separate bowls, then combine it all. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using. The batter is pretty thick.

Success Tip: When you fill your muffin liners, make sure you fill the cups until practically full. They won’t overflow (like if you overfill the liners for vanilla cupcakes), because you’ll bake them at two different temperatures. This is my high-temperature trick for sky-scraping muffin tops. Start baking the muffins in an extra-hot oven; the initial burst of high heat raises the muffin tops straight up. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to cook the centers of the muffins for the remaining bake time. It’s such a simple trick that produces beautiful, bakery-display-case-worthy muffins.

You are just going to love these muffins. They are PACKED with flavor, moisture, and warmth. Lightly sweetened, cinnamon-spiced, and enough peanut butter flavor to make a peanut butter cup jealous.

Are These Peanut Butter Banana Muffins Healthy?

I’d say these are a healthy-ish treat. Like my banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies or these peanut buttery no-bake chocolate fudge oat bars, they are made with some healthier alternatives to traditional baking ingredients, but still include sugar. When it comes to labeling recipes as healthy, use the best judgment for YOU.

Print

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

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  Author: Sally
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  Prep Time: 15 minutes
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  Cook Time: 20 minutes
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  Total Time: 40 minutes
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  Yield: 12 muffins
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  Category: Muffins
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  Method: Baking
• 
  Cuisine: American

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Description

These peanut butter banana muffins taste like a treat, but they’re made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and naturally sweet honey and bananas. Adding mini chocolate chips and drizzling with melted peanut butter is optional, but definitely recommended!

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, coconut oil, egg, and milk together until combined. Then whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined—you can start with a whisk and then switch to a spatula once it becomes too thick to whisk. Try not to over-stir the muffin batter or your muffins will have a tough (not soft) texture. Fold in the mini chocolate chips (if using). The batter will be thick.
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
6. Drizzle muffins with melted peanut butter, if desired.
7. Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying. Warm up in the microwave if desired.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-Count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) 
3. Yogurt: You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular. You can also use sour cream.
4. Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
5. For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 225
• Sugar: 16.2 g
• Sodium: 214.7 mg
• Fat: 9.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 32.9 g
• Fiber: 3.2 g
• Protein: 6.3 g
• Cholesterol: 15.9 mg

Keywords: peanut butter banana muffins