This peanut butter banana bread proves that everything is better with peanut butter! Every bite is soft, moist, and studded with sweet-salty candied bacon for a fun, unexpected spin.
If you love classic banana bread recipes as much as I do, wait until you give this version with peanut butter and sweet, crunchy bacon a try.
If peanut butter makes everything better, the only ingredient that could possibly match that energy is my sweet, salty, spicy, crispy candied bacon! This homemade peanut butter banana bread has both. I wanted to make soft, moist peanut butter banana bread that perfectly balanced the banana and peanut butter flavors.
I could have stopped there, but I have zero self-control. So, before I knew it, I was stirring crumbled candied bacon into the batter. Let’s just say, the sense of adventure paid off! The sweet-salty bacon adds just the right amount of delicious, unexpected crunch and flavor.
What Makes This the Best Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Simple ingredients. The creamy peanut butter and sweet bananas make for a perfect loaf of soft, moist bread. The secret is using up those super ripe bananas in the fruit bowl!
- Candied bacon. What sets this recipe apart is the candied bacon. If the combination of bacon and peanut butter sounds strange to you, I promise it’s really, REALLY good. Of course, you can skip adding bacon for a classic peanut butter banana bread instead.
- Easy recipe. There’s a reason why banana bread is one of the most beloved homemade baked goods. Just like classic recipes, this peanut butter banana bread is beginner-friendly, quick, and easy.
What You’ll Need
To make this peanut butter banana bread, you’ll need a handful of pantry staples. Check out the ingredient list below for notes on each one, plus some easy substitutions in case you need to swap something out. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the printable recipe, along with step-by-step photos showing how to make it.
- Dry Ingredients – Your baking staples like all-purpose flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Check the expiration date on your baking soda package to make sure it’s fresh.
- Ripe Bananas – The riper, the better. The best bananas for making banana bread are actually overripe, with plenty of brown spots. These have the maximum sweetness and moisture.
- Butter – Unsalted, melted before you start.
- Egg – Lightly beaten.
- Peanut Butter – You’ll want to use shelf-stable, creamy peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif. Crunchy peanut butter is also fine if you prefer a bit of texture in your banana bread. Avoid natural peanut butter (the kind you need to stir) as the oils separate and make the bread greasy.
- Vanilla – Use either pure vanilla extract or an equal amount of vanilla paste.
Homemade Candied Bacon
If you are iffy about the candied bacon in this recipe, you don’t have to include it. Or you can reduce the amount of bacon on your first try to give it a taste. But there’s a good chance that once you bite into a slice of this banana bread with bacon, you’ll never look back! It’s very easy to make candied bacon at home with the following ingredients:
- Bacon – This can be streaky bacon, back bacon, or any kind you’d like.
- Maple Syrup – I love the combination of maple and bacon. You could also use honey or additional brown sugar.
- Brown Sugar – Granulated sugar also works.
- Cayenne Pepper – I like to add cayenne pepper for a slight spicy kick to balance the sweetness. However, if you’re sensitive to spice, you can skip it.
Tips and Variations
- Use ripe bananas. As I mentioned earlier, you really want to use the ripest bananas you have. If you need to ripen bananas quickly, place them into a paper bag along with an apple. Lightly close the bag and leave it on the table for a day or two, and they should ripen right up.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Too much mixing leads to a dense, tough banana bread loaf.
- Let it cool before slicing. For neat, clean slices, let the bread cool completely to room temperature before you cut into it.
- Check for doneness. Your banana bread is done baking when a toothpick stuck into the center of the loaf comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).
- Substitute the bacon. Go ahead and substitute the candied bacon in this banana bread with any add-ins you’d like. Good options are nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds. You could also add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or fresh berries.
How To Store
- At room temperature. The best way to keep banana bread moist is to store it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Be sure to let the bread cool completely beforehand, otherwise the condensation makes the bread soggy.
- Freeze. To freeze the peanut butter banana bread, wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
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Prep. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
For the Candied Bacon
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Season the bacon. Mix maple syrup, light brown sugar, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Generously rub each slice of bacon with the maple syrup mixture until evenly coated.
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Bake. Arrange strips of bacon on a wire rack; set the wire rack over a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until caramelized. You could also use the air fryer. Let the bacon cool, then roughly chop.
For the Banana Bread
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Sift the dry ingredients. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, sift (or whisk) together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
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Mix the wet ingredients. Using a spoon, in a large mixing bowl mix together the melted butter and the mashed bananas. Mix in the beaten egg, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla.
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Combine. Continue to stir with the spoon while gradually adding in the flour mixture; mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chopped candied bacon.
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Bake. Pour the mixture into a greased 8×4-inch loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350˚F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes; remove the banana bread from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Use ripe or overripe bananas for maximum sweetness.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter, which can result in a loaf of tough, dense bread.
- Let your banana bread cool completely before slicing it.
- Store the cooled and wrapped banana bread at room temperature for up to 4 days or keep it in the fridge for up to 6 days.
- To freeze your banana bread, make sure it’s completely cool first. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then add a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How To Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread
I read somewhere that Elvis Presley favored the PB, bacon, and bananas combo. So. maybe we should call this “Elvis Banana Bread”? 🤔 I think I’m on to something. In any case, let’s dive into how to make it:
- Prepare the candied bacon. If you’re adding bacon to your banana bread (highly recommend), start by rubbing the bacon with a mixture of maple syrup, brown sugar, and cayenne.
- Cook. Afterward, bake the bacon on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet, at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes. You can also cook the bacon in the air fryer. Roughly chop the bacon once it cools.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir melted butter with the bananas, then add the egg, sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing to form the batter. Lastly, fold in the chopped candied bacon by hand.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to a greased 8×4” loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy every slice!
