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.
🙂
Hey, how long does this keep in the fridge? Does it go all brown and yucky like a banana would? :S
A few days. Yeah it gets brown, but if you stir it before eating it goes back to normal :).
WOW! i just used 3 oz. of frozen banana and 3 Tbsp of maranatha smooth almond butter and put it in my mini food processor and it was DA BOMB!!! i thought i would just have a Tbsp, then i had 2 tbsp, then i just ate the whole thing and I’ll have salad the rest of the day. It was like frozen yogurt and it was SOOOOOOOO yummy!! thanks, Katie! (that’s my 15 y/o dd’s name, so I’m a little partial to you- she loves to make yummy treats, too :-))
yes, yes, please have a calorie count. Thanks.
Please include calories! I love all of your recipes but I tend to not make them because I am a calorie counter and although they are healthy, I do not have any idea what the calories are like. If the calories were included in the recipes then I would be super excited to make more of your recipes and share them to my other “calorie counter” friends 🙂
To answer your email question, it makes 140 grams for less than 450 calories. So 14 grams (1 tablespoon) is less than 45 calories.
I made this yesterday and had to add a little milk to loosen it up as my hand blender didn’t seem to manage the “smooth blending”. It’s yummy though :))
I know that this is a REALLY, REALLY old post, but I’m just now reading it and wondering if you could use the powdered peanut butter (PB2) and come up with a similar output? It’d be more bananna-y in texture I suppose, but lower in fat…
I’m not a calorie counter, but a point counter (weight watchers) so I’m just trying to figure out which would be better for this diet – this recipe, or the PB2, or a combination of the two. I love my regular peanut butter on a whole wheat english muffin each morning, but the fat in regular peanut butter doesn’t love me back.
If some people are concerned with the high calories of peanut butter, a company makes powdered peanut butter you mix with water with 85% of the fat calories removed. It is called PB2, they also make a chocolate version.
Do you have to use a food processor with this? Or would it work just the same in a blender? Thanks (:
I also say no to calorie counting. What could be more boring. Eat mostly plant food and as close to how it was intended to be eaten and as little of proccessed food as you can and you won’t have to worry about calories.
Yes to calories, that way they are there for those who want them and if you don’t want them then simply don’t look. Everyone’s happy 🙂 and more then half the time I won’t eat something without knowing what in it. I’m very concious when it cone to what I eat and j know plenty of others are as well. Thanks 🙂