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.
🙂
I thought I invented this stuff! But, instead of using a blender/food processor, I just microwave the banana, which makes it soft enough to easily mix with the peanut butter – it helps that the PB melts a little, too.
I usually use almond butter & make one serving at a time – 1/4 – 1/3 banana & 1T almond butter. Since I’m microwaving the banana, frozen ones work fine. Whenever I have a banana that’s a day from unusably overripe, I peel & put in the freezer, sincer they’re perfect for the almond butter mix or banana bread at that point.
Entry for the food scale!
mystery photo?
This is delicious! I’ve made pb banana icecream before with rice milk and frozen bananas, but never even thought of making banana butter with just fresh bananas and pb! All I need now is some whole-grain bread to put this on… But I really love it with apples!
And as for your question: I’m fine without knowing the calorie content of your recipes. If I really must know, I can do my own research on it, but it’s not crucial to know. It’s not all about the calorie and fat content, it’s WHAT’S eaten that really matters.
Great idea! I’ve been thinking about making something like this- I got the idea somewhere of a coffee peanut butter, or maybe like a Kahlua or Bailey’s Irish Cream flavor!
Ah! Peanut Butter and Banana…I think I might like that pair more than PB&J. Great Idea!!
OMG. it looks amazinggg. How long can it keep for though??
oh boy, this is deeeeelish! thanks for the recipe, it was super atop vanilla ice cream 🙂
Making this. . . Now! 🙂 Thank you for the idea.
I’m sure you’ve made it 1,000 times but just in case you haven’t… This with coconut butter is amazing – I didn’t think anything could taste that good…! : )
Eleanor,
Can you believe I haven’t tried it that way yet??! Now I know I must! Maybe tomorrow? 🙂 🙂