Of all the sweet treats that we've been having (not that I'm complaining), I think it's time for some healthy wholesome one. Don't you think? And that's what this healthy chocolate peanut butter banana bread is about!
If you're a fan of chocolate and peanut butter (I mean, who's not right?) then you'll absolutely love this.
And if you're a fan of banana bread (I mean, duh!) then I don't need to convince you of anything.
Let's just get into it!
Recipe Highlights
In this recipe you'll find:
- whole grain flour
- natural sweetener
- natural fat
- unsweetened cocoa powder
Taste and texture - Amazing combo flavours of chocolate and peanut butter with soft, fluffy and moist textured banana bread.
Level - super easy, just minimal whisking by hand.
Size - 1 delicious loaf.
And what I love the most about using whole grain flour in this recipe is that 1 slice of this bread really fulls you more than a typical banana bread would. I mean, who wouldn't want that, right?
Lets Talk Ingredients
Peanut butter - I use natural peanut butter, unsweetened. 100% is the best or try to find at least 90%. Just make sure you mix the oil and paste really good before using.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Use natural almond butter or any natural nut butter instead.
Honey - You can also use maple syrup or 100% coconut sugar syrup.
Spelt flour -It's the best for this. I use whole grain spelt flour. Oat flour in loaf breads tends to make the texture denser and gummy.
Eggs - I've tried making this recipe using flax seeds egg and yes, it's doable. But personally for me I didn't like the texture. It was too dense, gummy and crumbly for my liking. But if you can't have eggs and don't mind those, then just know that it's doable.
Milk (buttermilk) - I'd suggest using full fat milk for buttermilk in this. I've tried using oat milk for this recipe and found out that the bread was a tad too dry for my liking.
SUBSTITUTION: Use coconut milk instead.
Chocolate chips - Use whichever tickles your tummy. Vegan? Peanut butter chips? No sugar? By all means, use them. No problem.
Banana - Ripe ones. I've used fresh and frozen bananas in this recipe, both worked great.
TIPS: If you're using frozen banana, thaw them first and then mash. Don't throw the liquid that you get from thawing the bananas, mash it all together.
More Healthy Goodies
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Whole wheat English muffins
- Oats banana muffins
- Zucchini brownies
- Blueberry oatmeal muffins
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cup whole grain spelt flour (260 g)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25 g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Buttermilk
- ½ cup full fat milk (125 ml), room temperature
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup natural peanut butter (140 g)
- ¼ cup honey (80 g)
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (270 g) or from 3 bananas
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Other
- 1 ½ cup dark chocolate chips (150 g) or use whichever you like
- more peanut butter , for topping
Instructions
Dry Ingredients
- Add all ingredients into a bowl, mix well and set aside.
Buttermilk
- Add all ingredients into another bowl, leave for 10 minutes
Wet Ingredients
- Add all ingredients into buttermilk bowl and whisk everything together using a hand whisk.
- Now add in ½ of dry ingredients and mix well before adding the rest, try not to over mix. The batter will be quite thick, no worries. Finally add in chocolate chips and fold everything together using a spatula.
Baking
- Pour batter into a greased and lined 4.4x10 inch (11x25 cm) loaf pan. Spread evenly (shaking the pan helps). Spoon some peanut butter on top, making lines or swirls as you like.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 340ºF (170ºC), no fan, on lower ⅔ rack, with upper and lower heat, for 70 minutes or until you insert a skewer in the center and it comes out clean. Check at minute 50 to avoid over baking.
- Remove from the pan and leave to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use spoon and level method when measuring the flour (for cup measurement)
- Use portable oven thermometer for a more precise temperature reading (I use it too)
- Refer to my post above for substitutions
Nutrition Facts
Originally published on Jul 11, 2020. Updated with improved text on Jan 12, 2021.
Jean Simkiss says
This sounds great, I am going to try this next week, one question, can we freeze this ?
thanks, Jean
Bea says
Hi Jean! Yes, you can freeze this with no problem. Hope it helps!
Tat says
Hello Bea
When I saw photo image of your healthy chocolate peanut butter banana bread, I fell in love with it! Bread looked SUPER DELICIOUS - it has all my favorites, chocolate, peanut butter, bananas, etc. I'm going to make it this weekend. Not to ,entire, your cheesecake looked very delicious too!
I have a question about ingredient of your bread. Can I use "baking powder" instead of baking soda? If yes, can I omit milk?
Bea says
Thanks Tat! No, you need baking soda in this, not baking powder. I really hope you give it a try, it's super easy to make and delish! Let me know how it goes!
Violet Ooi says
Hi Bea, the cake turned out to be so delicious. i didn't have much honey left so I used half honey and half brown sugar. I used my homemade PB as well as fewer chocolate chips to reduce the sweetness and calories haha. It was so so good!
Bea says
Hi Violet! I'm so happy to know you liked it and adapt it to your taste and what you had on hand. Thanks for leaving your comment!
Gemma Antlon says
I always look forward to your healthy recipes!! I agree with you that healthy food doesn't need to be sad. Thanks for all the amazing recipes. This bread is becoming a staple in our house. Regards, Gemma.
Bea says
Right? I'm super excited to know that everybody loved it. Thank you Gemma!
Lizzie De Rozario says
Can I use plain flour instead?
Bea says
Yes, you can 😊
Beth K says
Thank you for another delicious sounding low sugar recipe.
I'll be making this today and I'm sure it will taste wonderful.
I will be winging it on the bake though as my oven is gas, has a fan that can't be turned off, and doesn't have upper & lower heat - just lower heat. Hopefully with regular testing I can find the right amount of time. Patience will be the key 😀
Looking forward to suprising hubs with a special treat when he gets home.
Bea says
Hope it turned out great and you both liked it!