Yes, the following is better than peanut butter.
I know, you’re all rolling your eyes right now, saying, “How can anything (besides chocolate) be better than peanut butter?” Hear me out; this spread has the one-up on regular pb because it:
- is easier to spread
- is lower in calories (more about this at the end of the post)
- tastes sweeter, without any added sugar, and has a serving of fruit
Above, spread on top of Banana Bread for One.
Another bonus: This recipe doesn’t make as much of a mess as trying to smush sliced banana into a sandwich. As usual, the recipe is so simple that I feel a little silly writing it down.
Banana Butter
- 1 medium banana
- 2 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, depending on how pb-y you like it (or almond, cashew, walnut butter, etc.)
- optional: I like to add a little cinnamon
My favorite ratio is 4 tablespoons peanut butter to 80 grams (without peel) banana (about 1/2 a large banana). And I often use a frozen banana, which makes this spread taste like peanut butter ice cream!
Procedure: Whir the two ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge. (If possible, it’s best to let the mixture sit for a few hours before enjoying, as the taste becomes more robust with time.)
Above, spread over a Breakfast Pizza Cake.
Other Ideas for Use:
This creation can be used anywhere you’d use regular peanut butter—warmed up and drizzled over oatmeal, as a sandwich spread, dip, or pudding, as a smooth-and-velvety topping for waffles or pancakes, on vegan ice cream, or simply eaten plain off a spoon (or out of the blender, depending on your level of self-restraint!).
As for calories… Ok, so I’m having a bit of a dilemma: Recently I’ve been getting quite a few requests from readers asking if I can add calorie counts to my recipes. I don’t count calories, but I know that a lot of you (readers and fellow bloggers) do count. So, since I really try hard to make my recipes—and my blog in general—suitable for everyone, and since it’s not hard for me to figure out the calorie counts anyway, I thought I’d ask: Do you want me to add calorie info to my recipes? Please vote; either way, I’m interested in hearing your opinion. And until I figure this dilemma out, here are the nutritional stats for the banana butter:
Banana Butter Calories:
Serving Size: 1 tablespoon (based on my favorite combination)
Calories per serving: about 40 calories
(As a reference, regular peanut butter has about 100 calories per tablespoon.)
Variations:
Yes, there is a chocolate version.
🙂
Kailey (PB Swirl) says
27th August 2009 at 2:57 pmI have to agree with jessica – no to calories. I hate when other blogs post calorie counts because then it just leads to comparison. Also, the person should be able to figure it out on their own. Its an unhealthy obsession in my opinion. I love that none of your recipes have the calorie count. I love the feeling of just not knowing.
of course I am totally going to make this as soon as i get back from vacation!!
Brandi says
27th August 2009 at 3:00 pmcalories or no calories- doesn’t really matter to me, especially since i know you DON’T count them.
um…making that into ice cream sounds amazing 🙂 great idea!
Diana (Soap & Chocolate) says
27th August 2009 at 3:03 pmOh MAN banana butter sounds just lovely. I feel a comeback tour of the brownie batter pancakes coming on…topped with banana butter!
As for calorie counts, I vote no. If you yourself live a life without counting calories, that should reflect on your blog because the blog is in fact a reflection of YOU, not your readers! I think it’s wonderful and considerate of you to take reader concerns into account, but only insofar as it fits with your own philosophies. If they want recipes with calorie counts, they can go find an obsessive blog that does include them. Or just do the work to figure out yours!
xo
tabitha says
27th August 2009 at 3:04 pmmmm
good, simple, quick–my favorite kind of recipes as a busy momma!
nope, no calorie counting for me
if you are eating healthfully i don’t think calories matter…i used to obsess when i was younger
i ate crappy stuff to keep them low–like 1000 or less a day
now i eat everything i want of the healthy foods and weigh less (after 3 kids)…i figured my calories for a couple weeks with a tracker and i’m getting in about 2500 a day at least!
i think if someone wants to know they can figure them out with a tracker…unless you are dying for more to do…then go ahead and include them
but…nutrients and fiber are more important to me
Lainie says
27th August 2009 at 3:05 pmKatie that sounds SO GOOD! I am honestly making this today. I can’t wait.
I don’t think you should add calories; why should you, when you don’t count them? This blog is YOUR creation; it’s all about your love and devotion to good, healthy food…and if caloric counts aren’t something you typically think of, then why add them? It seems you have faithful, loyal readers, calorie counts or not.
Mara @ What's For Dinner? says
27th August 2009 at 3:09 pmOMG must try this like, NOW 🙂
MarathonVal says
27th August 2009 at 3:09 pmGreat Katie!!! This is one of those “why didnt I think of this first” recipes…. I LOVE banana and PB together but it never occurred to me to blend the two together. Brilliant!
Krista says
27th August 2009 at 3:17 pmI often smoosh a banana with some PB but I can totally see how the MB makes thigns easier! And wouldn’t that just be da bomb frozen???
Kelly says
27th August 2009 at 3:28 pmOkay, that looks AMAZING. I love banana topped with peanut butter (…or vice versa, hehe) but blending them together is brilliant!
As far as the calorie-countin’ goes, I’m voting no, for basically all the reasons people have already said.
Kristen @ Simply Savor says
27th August 2009 at 3:31 pmyou had me at “better than peanut butter”. you are so right, nothing is better than bananas + peanut butter, can’t wait to try this. and my vote is for no calorie count–if its made with real, whole foods and tastes great then it shouldnt matter! have a great day 🙂
Run Sarah says
27th August 2009 at 3:37 pmThis looks awesome! Especially because pb & banana = amazing combo always.
Marina says
27th August 2009 at 3:39 pmI am sooo doing this!
Don’t start with the calories, there is no reason to count them when you’re enjoying your food while beeing healthy as you are now 🙂
Damjana says
27th August 2009 at 3:40 pmNo calories, it’s too time-consuming.
Add some cocoa and you get banana nut butter bliss:)
Laura says
27th August 2009 at 3:44 pmI say no to the calorie counts, especially since you don’t count them.. like someone already said people can find them out for themselves if they want to, I’d rather not read about the calories personally since i try very hard not to count them!
The voracious Vegan says
27th August 2009 at 3:58 pmUghgh NO calorie counting.
jcd says
27th August 2009 at 3:59 pmOh, we used to make this (or something very similar) when I was a kid! Thanks for reminding me about nutty-nana goo (as we called it). It is fantastic over waffles with some chocolate chips sprinkled on top. Just sayin’. I think I will have to make a nutty-nana sandwich for supper tonight! The comment about making this into ice cream sounds divine. 🙂
As for calories, please DO NOT add them. You don’t count calories so why go through the bother of calculating them? If anyone really wants to know, they can head over to one of the many calorie counter websites, enter the ingredients, and get a count for themselves. I won’t get into my whole numbers-obsessed-society rant here… you’re beyond that.
After all, it is your blog – do with it as you wish. Don’t let other people tell you how to run your blog. Once you start caving to requests that don’t follow your jive, the blog will no longer be fun. I love your blog (and all your wonderful e-mails). Don’t change it!
Jenna says
27th August 2009 at 4:10 pm1) I don’t think you should post nutritional information on your blog. At all. This is your lifestyle you’re blogging. If someone cares enough about nutritional information, they can take the time to do the calculations. It’s quite easy, actually, with the wealth of information available today. http://www.caloriecount.about.com and http://www.calorieking.com are just two examples of sites where you type in a food and get an approximation of the complete nutritional profile, plus I think they both have toolbars that you can download to make it even simpler! I DO sometimes count calories, but I absolutely think that you should not have to.
2) A response to the post-before-last, about you posting “too much.” Puh-lease. I enjoy the fact that if I’m away from the computer for a day or so, or don’t have time to check the blogs I love, I can come here and see a string of posts with delicious food porn photography and quirky thoughts and life stories! Post three times a day, once a week, whatever! And both “parts of you” are correct – you should have fun with this, on the one hand. And at the same time, those of us who adore your blog DO recognize the work that goes into these posts, and do not take you for granted.
And really, how is it possible to “miss out” on a post? Ya just scroll down….
Oh, P.S. – You mentioned the fact that you try to link back to previous posts whenever you reference things about which you’ve already blogged. I love this – it reminds me of those old Goosebumps scary children’s books – the “Choose Your Own Adventure” ones. Have you heard of/did you ever read those? I always used to keep nine of my fingers stuck inside the book, “bookmarking” where you had to make a decision and leaving just one finger free to turn the pages. With those books and your blog, you never know where you’ll end up!
(Whew, this comment turned out to be a novel!)
~Jessica~ says
27th August 2009 at 4:12 pmI second what others have said: no to calorie counts unless it’s something you personally believe in/want to do. In my opinion they reduce the enjoyment of multiple flavours, textures, aromas and colours to one number that is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and remove the love and pleasure from cooking/eating. I don’t think anyone *enjoys* calorie counting and it’s usually a manifestation of self-loathing or perceived inadequacy related to weight…I hope the commenter isn’t too obsessed by the issue and I truly sympathise with them if they are.
On a lighter note: amazing recipe! How long do you think leftovers would last in the fridge (shelf-life wise…although I doubt there would be any leftovers with me in the first place)
xoxoxo
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
27th August 2009 at 4:32 pmI love this! I recently discovered the wonders of raw banana soft serve (made from frozen bananas in the food processor), but I bet banana PB soft serve would be even better. I could even make it with raw almond butter for a crazy raw awesome treat!
Bananas are magic!
As for calories, I’ve recently started counting for fun…cause I got the iPhone calorie-counting app. But part of the fun is figuring out calories from a recipes raw ingredients. I don’t think you should worry about it for your blog. Folks who really want to know can figure it out.
Karen says
27th August 2009 at 4:39 pmI hope that you don’t start including calorie counts. I follow a few different blogs, and one thing I love is that each blog is a genuine and unique representation of that blogger’s philosopy towards nutrition/exercise/lifestyle. By including calorie counts, you are making your site less authentically ‘you’, and I think by doing so your blog would become less enjoyable for you and not as meaningful to your readers. Just my two cents! Thanks!
buffmuffy says
27th August 2009 at 5:07 pmWOW what a great idea! I love bananas and pb together, so making a spread out of them is such a fantastic idea! Loves it! Great cals too, so I can eat the whole jar right? LOL
-muffy
Jen says
27th August 2009 at 5:22 pmmmm I wonder how long it stays good for in the fridge…I guess the length a refridgerated banana would stay good for lol!. Katie I wonder what would happen if you caramelized the banana first like the brulee method and then blended…probably be super sweet.
I vote no to cals…too numerical. It would take away from the veganny goodness.
Emma says
27th August 2009 at 5:38 pmI’d say no to calorie counting. If other people want to know the calorie content, they can work it out for themselves, there are lots of websites to help them out with it too. Plus, it’s not really relevant. A lot of people get obsessed with numbers, but your blog is about enjoying food, you can’t enjoy food and worry about numbers at the same time!
Ariel says
27th August 2009 at 5:40 pmGreat recipe! 🙂 I love making up new varieties of nut butter and nut milk.
I’m happy to see so many of your readers saying no to calorie counting. I like the fact that you don’t focus on calories– it saddens me to see people obsessing over numbers and feeling guilty or virtuous according to what they eat! I know that many people find it useful to count calories, but I think that it draws attention away from eating a healthy and varied diet and leads people to choose foods because they are low in calories/fat/carbs rather than because they truly enjoy them. I’ve had people tell me that they don’t eat avocado and coconut like I do because they are so “fattening”, or that they won’t eat a potato or a slice of whole grain bread because they are full of carbohydrates, yet they pour aspartame into their coffee and eat 100-calorie packages of cookies and chips.
I’ve become disillusioned with a lot of other food blogs over time, but yours is always a joy to read. I like your philosophy that food is meant to be enjoyed and I like that you post about other aspects of your life, as well, such as travel, your family, and your volunteer work– by the way, I’d love to hear more about the charity projects you’ve mentioned!
itstartedwithafish says
27th August 2009 at 5:46 pmGenius looks at the ordinary and finds an extra-ordinary take on it, – so, what can I say? pure genius, Katie, PURE genius.
And, – the kids will LOVE you !!!! (at least the oldest J, peanut butter lover par excellence that he is 😉 )
Elvis butter, – oh yeah, that rocks !!!!!
Anon. says
27th August 2009 at 5:46 pmI’m just curious, but as someone who is as thin as you are and who has said before that they would like to gain weight – I have to ask:
Why do you keep replacing high-calorie foods with things that are lower in calories? I mean, zucchini pasta? Banana butter? Truly. For someone who runs several miles, is already very thin – that is not a good idea. You need the fuel found in REAL foods that are calorically dense in order to keep yourself going. I’m not trying to bash you, but it is kind of a cause for concern. There is nothing wrong with eating real PB or real pasta – in fact I eat about 1/4 cup of PB and a plate of pasta on a daily basis. Because, like you, I am a runner and am naturally thin to begin with. And we NEED the calories and energy provided by whole grains and fats. I’ve read your blog for awhile now, and while I know you say you eat 2600 calories a day, and I believe that – it does concern me that every recipe you post now seems to be getting lower and lower and calories. What happened to the good, calorie-dense, brain and body feeding foods?
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
27th August 2009 at 5:56 pmOhhh I now know what I’m gonna do with those nannas on my countertop! Banana butter, awesome idea. Thank you!
Girlfriend, putting calorie counts on recipes is alot of work. If you care to add to the stress/workload of running your blog, awesome. If you don’t, don’t. You will never be able to please everyone, either. To include or not to include calorie counts. Just please yourself 🙂
xoxo
Tay says
27th August 2009 at 5:56 pmI am for sur trying out that one. Thanks girl!!
VeganBabette says
27th August 2009 at 5:59 pmI say no to calories.
I imagine this blog already takes a lot of your time, so there’s no need for you to spend more time counting them.
Since you usually give recipes, people who do count calories can do so themselves, that’s my opinion.
taleoftwovegans says
27th August 2009 at 6:04 pmI also vote no to adding calorie scores! Personally, I think anyone should be able to figure out if something is worth eating without consulting a calorie count. For exampe, this recipe is bananas, with a few tablespoons of nut butter. What’s not to like? Food is about balance, not numbers! I just got hooked on banana ‘soft serve’ myself – adding a spoonful of nut butter sounds a-ma-zing! -Eve
teenagedvegan says
27th August 2009 at 6:07 pmLike most people, I don’t think you should post calories. You don’t count calories, so if people want to know, they can do the maths themselves.
By the way, I’m going to have to make this one day soon now!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
27th August 2009 at 6:18 pmTo Anonymous:
Thank you for leaving such a well-thought-out comment that wasn’t derogatory or accusatory as many anonymous comments can be. To answer your questions:
I DO DO DO eat regular pasta. I love the stuff. Please read through my blog before you assume I don’t eat it, as I have quite a few pasta-centered posts (including Betty Spaghetti, Lo Mein, and Soba). In fact, I’ve actually written a not-yet-published post centering around the goodness of pasta. Look out for it in the future! 😉
Why are my recipes so “light”? As I said in this post, I try to make my recipes suitable for everyone. And I know that many people who read my blog are trying to watch their diets. Therefore, I always include variations such as “sauteeing liquid of choice” instead of saying “oil” etc. That way, people can make the recipes as high-cal or as low-cal as they want.
And I don’t eat this peanut butter spread in place of peanut butter. I do still eat regular nut butters on an almost-daily basis. But I like this one (my mom actually made it up when I was in high school) because it’s easier to spread, less messy, and I think the pb and banana flavors really stand out more when they’re mashed together. Plus, I eat bigger quantities of this stuff than I would regular pb (i.e. I spread more on a sandwich than I would if it were plain pb), so I make up for the extra calories that way.
If you are really interested in my diet/life/philosophy, I’d be happy to talk more through email if you want to de-lurk.
Thanks for reading!
Daria (Summer of the CSAs) says
27th August 2009 at 6:18 pmWhat a great idea!
I don’t mind that you don’t post calories – it’s pretty easy to estimate if one is really concerned with how many calories are in a dish, and I think it’s great to promote a less calorie-centric relationship with food. So rock on! 🙂
Diann says
27th August 2009 at 6:33 pmI swear you and I are on some weird psychic wavelength. I made this just last night, except I wasn’t fancy enough to put it in the blender. I added chocolate chips to my banana butter. Because chocolate and peanut butter, well you know….
luckytastebuds says
27th August 2009 at 6:40 pmTOTALLY think that you shouldn’t complicate your own life if it’s not what you normally do! If someone wants to find out the calorie count on something, they can 220% always do it on their own!! Don’t worry so much about it Katie! Your loyal readers will always be loyal readers, and I’m sure whoever requests the calorie count will still be a reader despite not having stats. THey just gotta get off their butt and work on their math a little more. 🙂 hehehe
OH and I love the fact that your spread is smoother!!!! and i’m sure it’s more fragrant, and naturally sweeter too!
Tori says
27th August 2009 at 6:41 pmJust stumbled on your blog. That PB spread is too cute. I used to actually make something very similar to that, except I added in vanilla protein powder and a bit of soymilk. Then poured it into a bowl and topped it with granola ^.^ Best snack ever, albeit a bit time consuming to make. Good stuff though!
BTW – In reference to your anon. commenter – I do the SAME thing when I make food for some reason. I know that everyone else in my house doesn’t quite have the same caloric requirements as me, so when I make food for the family, I tend to set aside a bit for myself that I’ll stir-fry up with extra olive oil or add some coconut milk into my rice, add an extra handful of almonds to my side salad etc. The beauty of food is that it’s adaptable to everyone’s needs, and you can even do it up with the same basic ingredients.
Jessica says
27th August 2009 at 2:56 pmI say no to the calories. If people care that much, can’t they just figure it out from how much of each item you put in the recipes? Personally, counting carlories (and pounds!) just leads me to obsessing.
*Andrea* says
27th August 2009 at 7:02 pmya i agree, calorie counting is just not a good thing in general. too much work for the brain and can lead to obsession. this recipe looks delicious though! and simple 🙂 aka i can recreate it in my dorm
CoconutGal says
27th August 2009 at 7:06 pmGirl, it’s your blog. You don’t count calories. So why, take the extra time to do it for others? I know you are super sweet and want to cater to the greater majority of people. But, in my humble opinion, if those people are counting calories, they can do it themselves. You are busy enough! It’s sweet of you to consider but I say keep your blog as real and fabulous as you are and post what YOU are excited about/want to talk about. That’s why I love you. 🙂
Jessica says
27th August 2009 at 7:25 pmI don’t count calories either because I’m afraid of becoming obsessed. I used to do it, and I just got too tied up on numbers. Besides, its pretty easy for someone to look up nutritional info online if they really want to know.
I bet your banana butter would be AMAZING with my dark chocolate PB! A match made in heaven, perhaps?!? I wish I had a magic bullet, but my food processor might get the job done. Do you use a really ripe banana?
Maria says
27th August 2009 at 7:38 pmI say no to the calories because this is your blog, and you don’t count calories anyways. If the reader wants the calorie count he(?)/she can calculate it–less work for you 😉 You are so sweet to consider all your readers though, Katie. We really appreciate it!!!
Hmm, I’ve got to figure out a way to ship some chocolate mousse to you…5000 entries is a lot ya know 😉 But it seems as though you’ll be having plenty of chocolatey goodness on your birthday, but you can never have too much, no?
Brilliant Banana Butter by (whoa look at that alliteration) the way! Sounds AMAZING!!!
Meg says
27th August 2009 at 7:51 pmCalories schmalories…if it tastes good, is nutritious, and satisfies hunger, why bother? I feel like calories really take the joy out of eating. You know?
Anyways…I.MUST.MAKE.THIS.ASAP.
You’re a culinary Queen, Katie!
I think it’d be great as a topper for your banana brulee oatmeal, which I love, by the way 😉
Love ya!
Meg
Alison says
27th August 2009 at 8:05 pmLooks smooth and tasty. If only I liked bananas…
Teresa says
27th August 2009 at 4:13 pmMy vote is NO TO CALORIE counts. I don’t think you should have to figure out nutritional facts for other people, especially since they can figure it out on their own. One reason I love your blog (and there are many) is because you don’t harp on calories, weight loss, body image…. In such a diet obsessed world, your blog is truly a breath of fresh air. No need to change- keep it real girl!
Jessica says
27th August 2009 at 8:34 pmAnonymous,
You obviously don’t read CCV’s blog, do you? Just take a look at her Morning Routine post that she just did, which was brilliant, and you’ll see that she doesn’t shy away from the healthy fats or carbs:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/08/18/my-morning-routine/
So stop attacking someone and assuming they don’t eat healthily, especially under the cowardly cloak of anonymity. Those of us who follow CCV’s blog regularly can see that she eats what’s probably the healthiest diet out there.
Jules says
27th August 2009 at 6:16 pmI vote no for the calories, because they really don’t matter that much. Who cares about calories as long as the food is healthy and delicious? You should do what YOU want to do, and people can figure out the calories by themselves if they really want to. And that peanut butter and banana spread sounds delicious, I really want to try it as ice cream 🙂 And that anonymous person doesn’t sound very nice, I don’t think you should listen to them, especially since you already addressed the issue they brought up in a different post. You eat foods because they’re healthy, not because you have to get a certain number of calories. You already know what works for you, and that person is just being inconsiderate and rude.
randomlymikey says
27th August 2009 at 10:30 pmyay! i will have to try this 🙂 when i did count calories it really wasn’t that hard to figure out the calories for a recipe so i think that your readers should be able to do that themselves.
mikey
Cassie says
27th August 2009 at 10:39 pmNo to the calorie counts! I was an obsessive calorie-counter for a long time and I think it is an unhealthy road to travel down. Just listen to your body (speaking to myself too lol)! btw, i love banana butter. Usually I don’t even use the blender and just mash the banana up w/ a fork and mix it with heated pb (microwave). It’s really good if you scoop some of the excess bread from a bagel and use it as a filling…mmm!!!
ttfn300 says
27th August 2009 at 11:27 pmoh, now that might have put those brownie batter cupcakes i made this morning off the hook! 🙂 i’m glad you’ve ix-nayed the calories!
Christina says
27th August 2009 at 7:49 pmI don’t think you should add calories either. If someone needs them, it’s not hard to calculate them herself! I used to do that all the time.
And banana butter is a genius idea! So simple but so good. I’ll be trying it asap!
lola says
28th August 2009 at 12:01 amyay!!!! this recipe sounds delicious, it’s just my kind of recipe!!!
but i don’t know if i could make it in a regular blender, id make such a mess because it’s a very small quantity and the blender is so big.
CaSaundra says
28th August 2009 at 12:09 amYour mind is so busy coming up with these stunning recipes, I don’t think you should assert mental energy to cals–so you can just keep the recipes comin’ please–ha!
Shelby says
27th August 2009 at 8:36 pmFABULOUS IDEA!!!
Meredith says
28th August 2009 at 12:54 amOh my goodness! This is great! I can’t wait to try it!
Kiersten says
28th August 2009 at 1:05 amBanana butter would not be safe around me. I could polish off a whole bunch of that in minutes, lol.
I am glad you’re not changing anything just to appease a few readers. Your blog is great the way it is. That’s why you have so many loyal readers!
If someone wants to count their calories so bad they can just use a calorie counting website.
Julie says
27th August 2009 at 9:32 pmWhat ? NOTHING is better than peanut butter ! 😉 But as I do love banana, that spread must be as best as my favourite breakfast mixture !
Julie says
27th August 2009 at 9:40 pmI think putting calories account are very silly. Food should be a pleasure not a torture !!! Unfortunately, more and more people are attracted to lose weight because of the media.
balancejoyanddelicias says
28th August 2009 at 1:46 ami personally don’t think it’s necessary to add calorie for your recipes. And don’t do it to please your readers. Do what you think it’s good for you! 🙂
love this banana-PB combo.. sounds delicious~~~
Jess says
28th August 2009 at 2:01 amNo need to add calorie counts to things! Life is wayyyy more about the amount of calories in that delicious sounding PB. Shouldn’t it be about the taste? And isn’t on able to have good nutrition and not have to rely on counting cals?! Yes and yes! Don’t posts the amounts, way too tedious. No need to change your blog for one (?) person 🙂
<3 jess
xoxo
Lori says
28th August 2009 at 2:55 amThat looks so good. I’ll be making it for sure. Another one my kids will go nuts for!
I am glad you are doing what you want to do on your blog! I actually like to see calorie counts but in no way need to. If I want I can figure it out on my own. And I think looking at the ingredients is much more important than the calories. Keep doing what you are doing and have fun with it. It seems lots of people love your blog the way it is!