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 just made this! I feel so incredibly guilty saying what I’m about to say, but I think I actually like this just a tiny bit more than peanut butter.
…There. I said it. Sue me. But it’s true.
wooooooow, the banana butter concept is just phenomenal, great post. thanks. pranaworld.net
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a few days now, and when I was blessed with a TON of bananas about to go bad, ta-da! I made a lot of this amazing banana butter. The best part is every person in my household LOVES it, even the guys. I used organic peanut butter and added some cinnamon. I could eat this all by itself it’s so good. I love your recipes Katie. Truly a fan.
I say yes to calories. may as well have them up there for those that want them. those that don’t, don’t need to take notice 🙂
Calorieshmalories. It’s OKAY to have treats. That’s what they are, TREATS. This looks amazing, I’ll have to try it out.
I say YES to adding calorie counts. To me, they’re extremely important, and I won’t even touch a recipe unless it does have accurate nutritional information. Please add calorie counts to your recipes, so I have no fear in trying them out<3
This is amazing. I only had chunky peanut butter and my blender isn’t the strongest so I added in a tablespoon of almond milk and a tablespoon of tahini to get things going and voila! So yum- oh and some agave ’cause I have a terrible sweet tooth 🙂 thank you Katie!
Whoa, people have strong feelings about calories!
This was so good. Thank you
Gosh you’re absolutely amazing, thankyou for this!