Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 3 bananas (ripe and mashed); 2 large eggs; 3/4 cups granulated white sugar; 1/4 cup oil; 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use smooth); 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup oats (plus more for sprinkling on top); 1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread | If you love banana bread, peanut butter, and chocolate, then you'll be making this lovely loaf almost daily like I am at the moment. This easy quick bread uses very ripe bananas like most banana bread recipes but I also add in some extra peanut butter flavor and some cocoa powder to get a delicious chocolate swirl.

loaf of baked banana bread on a wood platter

One of the easiest one-bowl quick breads, this is the perfect chocolate peanut butter breakfast or afternoon coffee snack.

Banana bread recipes have really been trending this past year as I'm sure we all know. What's not to love about banana bread? I used sweet ripe bananas in my first basic banana bread too but I also used oats. I just love oats, they're good for you and filling and honestly, I like the aesthetic of them sprinkled on top of a quick bread loaf.

To make this banana bread a little more special and different from that one, I also add in a half cup peanut butter and a quart cup of cocoa powder for the chocolate swirl.

loaf of banana bread with two slices cut and one slice buttered on a plate

You'll probably notice that I've called this a one-bowl recipe and then have piles of different bowls gathered around in my ingredients photo below -- those are just for a visual representation of the ingredients for this recipe. I don't do that when I'm baking unless I'm photographing something.

The way I made this a one-bowl recipe is by first combining all of the wet ingredients - including the peanut butter - in a bowl together. Then I sift the dry ingredients in on top. Fewer dishes = happy banana bread eaters right? Less time spent washing dishes is more time to eat.

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One of the easiest one-bowl quick breads, this is the perfect chocolate peanut butter breakfast or afternoon coffee snack.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient Substitutions
How to make a chocolate peanut butter swirl banana bread
Tips and Tricks
Recipes FAQs
Other Banana Recipes
Recipe
More Recipes with Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oats

Ingredients you need

ingredients for banana bread in measuring cups and bowls

You can see the ingredients in the above photo, mainly your basic baking items like flour, oil, baking powder (not baking soda), and sugar, plus the bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa powder.

I use dark cocoa powder (my fave is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder) in this recipe instead of chocolate chips because I want a chocolate batter to swirl in with the peanut butter batter.

Ingredient Substitutions

Peanut butter: You could give chunky peanut butter a try here. We usually only buy smooth peanut butter.
All-purpose flour: I bet oat flour would work here also but I haven't tried it yet.
You could also try adding in a ½ cup chocolate chips or peanut butter chips for a really loaded peanut butter chocolate banana bread. I didn't use either of these because it didn't want my banana bread to be too sweet.
I link my Best Banana Bread below in case you want to try out the basic version of this recipe too. That would be a good one to add in baking chips or nuts like walnuts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread loaf with two slices cut

How to make a chocolate peanut butter swirl banana bread

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper if you want to guarantee that your bread won't stick. My pan is pretty new and non-stick so I didn't.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork, whisk, or electric mixer. Next add in the eggs, sugar, oil, and peanut butter. Mix together until completely combined.

step by step photos of mixing batter for chocolate peanut butter banana bread

Stir in the oats and the salt.

Next, set a sieve over top of the mixing bowl and sift in the flour and baking powder. Whisk those into the mixture.

Next, pour half of that mixture into your loaf pan.

Sift the cocoa powder into the remaining batter.

Spoon scoops of the chocolate batter on top of the peanut butter batter in the loaf pan.

Take a skewer or knife and swirl the chocolate batter into the peanut butter batter, scooping down to the bottom to get some chocolate throughout the loaf if you like.

Now we just bake it. Baking will take between 45 and 60 minutes. Mine is usually closer to 60 minutes and you'll know it's done when you insert a skewer and it comes out clean.

Start checking at 45 minutes. I usually leave mine for another 15 minutes after the first check if the toothpick has come out with wet batter. By 60 minutes it's usually perfect.

skewer with batter showing bread not done and a clean skewer showing bread is done

Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then move it to a cooling rack. It'll be easier to slice if you let it cool. Good luck waiting because it will smell and look fantastic.

Enjoy with softened butter spread on top. Although who says you can't top it with a little extra smear of peanut butter?

Tips and Tricks

Line your loaf pan with parchment paper so that your loaf won't stick to it.

Recipes FAQs

Is this chocolate peanut butter banana bread gluten-free?

This one isn't, but as I mentioned in the Substitutions section, I think oat flour could probably work here. Make sure your oats or oat flour are certified gluten-free (Oats are naturally gluten-free but can sometimes be grown next to wheat or processed in the same facility as wheat.)

How do you know when banana bread is done?

Stick a skewer in and if it comes out clean, your banana bread is ready. Check for photos above.