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.
🙂
india says
I used roasted bananas and it was delicious!
Joe says
Katie, Thankyou for this great banana butter recipe. I have a son that wont eat chocolate so finding ideas like this helps a lot.
Jay says
wtf y’all crazy commenting about calories lol close your eyes if u don’t like the word calories
Johnna Prater says
HI THIS IS JOHNNA AND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING OVER YOUR RECIPES AND I AM IMPRESSED. I TOO HAVE A LOT OF LOW CAL, LOW FAT HIGH NUTRIENT RECIPES AND THIS ONE HAS INSPIRED ME. I MYSELF HAVE BEEN ON A WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY SINCE MID JANUARY OF THIS YEAR AND HAVE LOST 60 LB FROM SOME CHANGES I HAVE MADE AND PEANUT BUTTER IS SOMETHING I HAVE TRULY MISSED. SO I LOOKED AT YOUR IDEA AND I INCORPORATED A BIG CHANGE TO MAKE IT EVEN HEALTHIER AND LESS CALORIES AND FAT. I TOOK MEDIUM VERY RIPE BANANA ANS SMASHED IT UP AND THEN ADDED 8 TBS OF PEANUT BUTTER POWDER AT 35 CAL A TBS(280 CALORIES/8 GRAMS OF FAT) VS 100 PER TBS(400 CALORIES/32 GRAMS OF FAT) FOR REGULAR PEANUT BUTTER. I TRIED IT AND IT IS DELICIOUS, IT SPREADS WELL YET AT THIS RATIO IT IS A GOOD CONSISTENCY JUST A LITTLE LOOSER THAN REGULAR PEANUT BUTTER AND IT IS SWEET BUT I DID HAVE TO ADD 1 PINCH OF GOOD COARSE KOSHER SALT. THIS ROUNDED IT OUT VERY NICELY. IT IS SWEET AND IT IS VERY FLAVORFUL. I AM GONNA PUT IN FRIDGE OVERNIGHT BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE HOW YOU SUGGESTED TO STORE IT AND I WANT THE FLAVORS TO HAVE TIME TO MARRY PLUS I BELIEVE IT WILL GET A LITTLE BIT THICKER OVER NIGHT AS IT CURES. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL IDEA BECAUSE I CAN ENJOY MY PEANUT BUTTER AGAIN.
Kelsey M says
Ok, this is gonna happen and it’s going to be combined with the PB no bake cookie recipe. yuuummmo!