Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

If you love the flavors of peanut butter and chocolate together in one luscious dessert, do I have a treat for you! This simple banana bread incorporates both of those wonderful treats. It’s like a Reese’s in banana bread form! 

Do Chocolate and Peanut Butter go Together?

When I was a kid Reese’s Peanut Butter cups were just getting famous. I remember watching all of those fun commercials they put out. 

One, in particular, stands out. I looked it up on YouTube, and. . .voila! There is was!

In this fun commercial a little boy is sitting on stairs with a jar of peanut butter. 

A guy comes walking down the steps with a chocolate bar in hand. He trips and falls and his chocolate bar ends up in the kid’s jar of peanut butter. 

The kid says, “Hey, you got chocolate in my peanut butter.” And the man says “Hey, you got peanut butter on my chocolate!” 

Then they both eat the chocolate/peanut butter combination, with delirious expressions on their faces. 

I can relate to that delirium. I’ve been a fan of peanut butter and chocolate for as long as I can remember, which is where the idea for this banana bread came from. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this delicious loaf of banana bread. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator. 

• salted butter
• brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• vanilla
• eggs
• overripe bananas
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• mini chocolate chips
• semi-melted creamy peanut butter

Note: If you use unsalted butter, add half a teaspoon of salt to the recipe.

How to make Reese’s Banana Bread 

This is such a simple recipe! You won’t believe how quickly it comes together. 

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with Baker's Joy or spreading with butter or Crisco. If you like, you can add parchment paper for easy lifting after baking, but I opted not to do this. Set prepared loaf pan aside. 

Break bananas into pieces and set aside. 

Place room temperature butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Whip until light and fluffy (2 - 3 minutes). 

Add sugars and continue to beat at medium speed.

Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated.

Add bananas to the mix.

Beat until they are incorporated. Bananas will break down, but don’t still want to be able to see chunks/bits of them. The batter will look a bit broken at this stage due to the mashed banana. Don’t worry! 

Add remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda) to the wet ingredients. Mix only until fully incorporated. 

Add chocolate chips to batter. 

Place half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 

Add dollops of softened peanut butter. Only use half of the peanut butter. Save the rest for the top.

Swirl into batter using a knife.

Add the rest of the batter. 

Add dollops of remaining peanut butter. 

Swirl into batter. 

Place in preheated oven and bake for 65 minutes or until banana bread is golden brown. A toothpick should come out clean. 

Place loaf pan on wire rack and cool for fifteen minutes. 

Flip bread out of pan and place directly on wire rack to continue cooling. 

Slice and serve! If you like, you can spread the slices with peanut while warm. (It’s yummy melted on top!) 

Wait until bread is fully cooled before you store it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container for 2 - 3 days at room temperature. 

If you don’t plan to eat it right away, banana bread can be frozen. It will stay good in your freezer up to two months. (A Ziplock bag is great for this process as long as it’s freezer-safe.) 

What to Expect from this Banana Bread

Okay, I’ll be honest. . .I was kind of hoping this one wouldn’t be as delicious as it sounded in my imagination. 

Why, you ask? 

Because I’m counting calories and I was worried about being tempted. 

Turns out, I had reason to be worried. This banana bread is as tasty as my imagination thought it would be. 

Those gooey chocolate chips, those ribbons of peanut butter? Pure deliciousness. And that banana bread base? Well, it’s absolutely perfect. 

I’ve always known that bananas and chocolate were a good combo. (One of my favorite treats on Balboa island is their frozen chocolate covered bananas. Yum!) 

I’ve used chocolate chips in banana bread before, but the addition of the peanut butter was a brilliant idea, if I do say so, myself. And what a moist banana bread this recipe makes! Perfect!

This is a tasty treat, perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert! I’m so glad I took the time to follow my imagination. Yum! This is one of those delicious banana bread recipes I can use again and again!

And just for the record, there are 376 calories in a slice of this bread if you divide the loaf into 12 slices. Ask me how I know. (Ahem.) 

Variations on this Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe

Nutella in Place of Peanut Butter: This is an easy substitution. Soften Nutella and use in place of peanut butter, swirling it into the batter. 

Peanut Butter Chips: Instead of using peanut butter, use ⅔ cup peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips. (Talk about an easy recipe!) 

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: Skip the chocolate chips and peanut butter altogether and chop up a cup of mini Reese’s to add to the batter. Lightly coat in flour before adding. 

Crunchy Peanut Butter: Such a simple change but what a difference it will make in the texture of this luscious banana bread!

Other Banana Breads from Out of the Box Baking

Here at Out of the Box we’ve got a lot of banana bread options. Here are a few of my personal favorites: 

Old-Fashioned Banana Bread with Mayonnaise: If you’ve been on a search for the best banana bread recipe out there, search no more! This one is absolutely perfect! Best of all, this Old-Fashioned Banana bread recipe is super easy to whip up in a hurry! It’s loaded with flavor. . .and thanks to a secret ingredient (mayonnaise!) it’s moist, flaky, and super tasty!

Classic Banana Bread with Walnuts: If you’re looking for that classic down-home taste of a great banana bread rich with walnuts, you’ve come to the right place. In this post I’m going to give you a great go-to recipe you can whip up when you’re in a hurry.

Strawberry Banana Bread with Coconut: very now and again it’s fun to mix things up. This recipe takes a traditional banana bread load and gives it tropical flair. With the addition of fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, and cream of coconut, you’ll feel like you’re on a desert island! Best of all, it’s easy-breezy to make! 

Easy Banana Bread Maui: If you’re looking for a Hawaiian banana bread recipe that’s a cut above the rest, have I got a great one for you! Until today I’d never even heard of Maui Banana Bread. Now that I’ve tried it, I can’t wait to share the recipe!

Brown Butter Banana Bread: If you love the texture and ease of a traditional banana bread but also love the warm, nutty flavor of brown butter, have I got a treat for you! This simple recipe adds rich spices and luscious browned butter for a unique twist on an old favorite. 

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious and easy banana bread recipe. 

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

The Lazy Gastronome

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.