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 because it gives them a soft 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! Grab a bag to make these muffins and then make a batch of Nutella swirl peanut butter banana bread to use up the rest.
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, blueberry banana muffins, 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.
PrintPeanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g)Â whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), or a mix of both
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup (170g) honey (or pure maple syrup)
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt; any fat content)
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80ml) unsweetened almond milk (or your preferred type of milk, dairy or nondairy)
- 1/2 cup (125g) creamy peanut butter (non-oily natural style is OK)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1/2 cup (113g) mini chocolate chips
- optional: 1/4 cup (63g) creamy peanut butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.Â
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large 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.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined—you can start with a whisk and then switch to a spatula if 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.
- 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.
- Drizzle muffins with melted peanut butter, if desired.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners |Â Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Yogurt: You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular. You can also use sour cream.
- Milk:Â You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
- 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
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.
Hi Sally,
I just made these muffins and wow are they ever yummy! Didn’t change anything and they turned out perfectly. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
OMG! I woke up wanting peanut butter banana muffins. I had two overripe bananas which was perfect. These are definitely the best muffins I have ever made! Not too sweet, fluffy, and delicious. I only had regular flour and sweetened vanilla almond milk and Ghiradelli 65% dark cocoa squares but all of this worked out. I just crushed the chocolate into small bits. I tried with and without melted peanut butter and obviously the second was the bomb! I am going to freeze 8 of these to deliver to my son this weekend. Thank you!
I have made this recipe a dozen times now and it’s been perfect every time – even with a few subs if I haven’t been able to scrape together the right ingredient.
So light, so yummy, and a perfect addition to our finger food for our toddler for getting nuts in his diet.
Highly recommended.
LOVE this recipe! Really moist inside and great flavor. This is the second time I am making them during quarantine – the first time wasn’t peanut buttery enough for me so I upped it to about 3/4 of a cup. I also added some toffee bits with some of the chocolate chips because I had them in the cupboard so why not!
I further reduced the sugar (and no honey) but then i didn’t mix in the bananas well because i didn’t want to over stir and now the bites without banana taste really bland. So don’t try to be healthier than Sally. The texture was okay though so i think as long as you replace the sugar with a different flavor it’ll be okay
These muffins are delightful! So fluffy and light. I subbed coconut yogurt instead of Greek yogurt to make these dairy free to suit my needs! They are delish and will make again. Didn’t use chocolate chips this time but I think I’ll try that next!!
I absolutely love this recipe! I used Bob’s gluten free all in one flour in my recipe and they turned out amazing. Thanks
OMG these muffins are AMAZING. How many calories in each muffin?
These muffins are amazing! The texture is perfect, the banana and peanut butter are both subtle. I decided to skip the topping this time but maybe the next time I’ll go for the peanut butter glaze too. For this time it’s nice to have a delicious lighter treat.
My toddler and I made these for breakfast this morning. I altered the recipe a little due to slight differences in a couple ingredients I had on hand and to my taste. They turned out beautifully and my toddler ate most of one even after licking off all the peanut butter icing. That’s a total win! It wasn’t difficult at all to follow and it was a lot of fun for my daughter; mixing all the ingredients and tasting everything before it went into the batter. (Sneaky monkey!) Thanks for the great recipe!
Made exactly per instructions. Only change I would make is I would not whisk the wet ingredients into dry-I would use a fork. Delicious muffins!
Sally,
would it be possible to bake this in an 8×8 pan? If so, how long?
Thanks,
Lucy
Hi Lucy, That should work, but I haven’t tested it so I’m unsure of the bake time.
The flavor and ease are great. However, my oven doesn’t cool down very fast and the muffins were burnt 9 minutes after I turned it down. Watch closely.
I came across this recipe by googling peanut butter muffins – so glad I found this! I made them this morning and they turned out amazing, they will be the perfect afternoon snack filler for sure. 🙂 I don’t see any nutritional info listed though, would you have this available? Or at least the calories and sugar count… Thanks so much!
I just made these and they are amazing, not to mention the prettiest muffins I’ve ever baked! I absolutely love the taste and texture. I mixed together a little milk, honey, and PJ on the stove for a rich and gooey sauce to top them with.
These are delicious! I used vanilla Greek yogurt and chocolate chips. Added some walnuts to half the batch which were my favorite ones.
Wow. These are so good. I just used what I had on hand which was the opposite of healthy… Whole milk, AP flour and sour cream (instead of yogurt)… And they turned out perfect. Just the right amount of peanut butter. Yum!!! Thank you Sally. You are my go-to for all recipes baking. I no longer have to peruse Pinterest for (what seemed like) hours on end. Every recipe of yours that I try is a success.
Hi, Sally.
Would this recipe work in a jumbo muffin pan if bake time is adjusted? I bought the pan for your delicious raspberry chocolate chip muffins and would like to try some other recipes in it.
Katherine
Yes, absolutely! The 350F bake time will be longer.
I have made these like 3 times in the past few weeks! Just made some to fill my freezer. Perfect thing for breakfast! Fills me up until lunch even and they’re so yummy.
I made these this morning and they were amazing!  My husband was drooling over the smell of the batter before I even baked them.  🙂  Thanks for such a great recipe!
Have you ever made this using PB2? I was thinking about trying that today. I’m trying to lose baby weight. I use a points tracking app and I’m really stingy with my points lol Peanut butter is one  my greatest weaknesses, so I mix PB2 with yogurt for a fruit dip to get my fix. I’ve just never tried baking with it before.
I’ve never tried it before actually! I love using the powdered PB in a stir-fry, but haven’t really baked with it. If you try anything, let me know!
Just made these, turned out so good! Instead of chocolate chips I added chopped apple. Great combination! Thanks for the recipe!
I made these for breakfast this morning and they are sooooo good! I’m a huge fan of yours Sally! Every recipe of yours that I try is amazing. I love how you explain details -makes baking so much easier!
Thanks for a great recipe! At first they weren’t sweet enough for my taste and I thought they were bland, but the flavors meld together more and get sweeter after the first day. Really yummy and very moist. For the second batch I substituted 3/4 cups flour with oat flour, added some walnuts and a little more chocolate chips, and they were so good
I have made this recipe at least 5 times now, and EVERY single time they are a big hit!
I made big muffins last night, as well as mini muffins (the mini muffins only took about 7 minutes), and my toddler devoured several this morning, as well as my coworkers when I brought some into the office.
Great recipe!
Just made these two nights ago. A massive hit with both my boyfriend and colleagues! Thank you for creating such a delicious and relatively guilt-free treat!! Satisfies on so many levels – light and banana-bready muffin texture, peanut butter taste and chocolate….YUM
These were perfect! Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed freezing them & reheating for a quick breakfast.