3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Bread

Incredibly tender 3 ingredient peanut butter bread is the perfect loaf for breakfast, lunch boxes, and afternoon snacking. The easy-to-make quick bread recipe needs only 10 minutes prep time and 3 pantry staples. You’ll want to make this delicious peanut butter bread all the time!

Easy peanut butter bread recipe

If you’ve been here before, you may know my great affection for simple quick bread recipes. Like this 3-ingredient apple bread, condensed milk banana bread, and easy pumpkin bread. So, it was only a matter of time until I made a 3 ingredient peanut butter bread to share with you!

If you love all things peanuts and no-yeast quick breads, this easy peanut butter bread recipe is absolutely the best! It’s light, tender, and bursting with peanut flavor. A loaf never lasts long in my house, and I’m certain that your family will love it too!

Peanut butter bread always stirs up memories of busy school mornings when my mom would bake a big loaf and serve us a warm slice for breakfast. I’d always load my slice with extra peanut butter and a good helping of jelly. Sooo good!

Peanut butter is a great addition to desserts and baking recipes. Whether you’re making this 3-ingredient bread, a moist cake, breakfast muffins, cookies, or gooey brownies, peanut butter keeps baked goods moist and flavorful.

If you love peanut butter recipes as much as I do, take a look at our peanut butter cookies, peanut butter pie, and peanut paradise smoothie.

Ingredients

The recipe makes one loaf of 3 ingredient peanut butter bread. The bread is moist, slightly sweet, and downright delicious. See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact measurements.

• Peanut butter: Smooth or crunchy – the choice is yours! Be sure to use room temperature peanut butter.
• Milk: Any type of milk will work. I usually use whole milk, but you could also use low-fat or a dairy-free milk alternative like unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
• Self-Rising flour is a type of flour that has salt and baking powder (the leavening agent) already added. It’s easy to make your own if you don’t have self-rising flour. I’ll show you what to do a little later.

Regular vs. all-natural – Which peanut butter is best for bread?

All-natural peanut butter is not the kind you want for this recipe. It’s too oily and will change the flavor and texture of the bread.

For the best taste and texture, go for the inexpensive no-stir, sweetened peanut butter you loved as a kid, like Jif or Skippy. I’m on team creamy peanut butter, but crunchy works too.

How to make 3 ingredient peanut butter bread

My 3 ingredient peanut butter bread is simple to make. If you’re a peanut butter fan and crave warm bread and love easy recipes with minimal ingredients, this is perfect for you!

Step 1: Preheat oven

• Adjust a baking rack in the center position and preheat to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4.

Step 2: Prep loaf pan

• Grease a 9 in x 5 in / 23 cm x 12 cm loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
• Line with a piece of parchment (baking) paper, creating an overhang.

Step 3: Combine peanut butter and milk

• Put the room temperature peanut butter into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk until smooth and combined.
• Add another 1/2 cup milk and stir to fully incorporate.
• Now add the remaining milk and stir until smooth.

Step 4: Add flour

• Next, stir in the self-rising flour until just combined, and you no longer see streaks of flour. Be careful not to overmix.

Step 5: Bake

• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Optionally, sprinkle the top of the bread with chopped peanuts.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 6: Cool

• Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Then lift the loaf out of the pan and place it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7: Serve

• Cut into slices and eat warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

Follow these easy tips and tricks to make your 3 ingredient peanut butter bread turn out perfect!

• Use room temperature milk and peanut butter. The beauty of this easy peanut butter quick bread is that it comes together in just minutes, but you’ll need to set out the milk and peanut butter long enough to warm up.
• Adding the milk gradually is key when mixing the batter. Adding the milk all at once makes it difficult to combine with the peanut butter.
• Do not overmix to avoid dry bread. For asoft, moist peanut butter loaf, do not overmix the batter. Once you add the flour, only mix until you no longer see streaks of flour.
• Measure the flour correctly. And speaking of flour, be sure to measure the flour correctly. Too much flour will create a dense, dry texture. For the best result, use a digital kitchen scale or employ the spoon-and-level method.
• Clean slices: To cut neat slices, let the bread cool completely. Then use a serrated knife to cut the bread.

Variations & add-ins

The peanut bread is fabulous as written, but sometimes I like taking it to the next level with mix-ins. Here are some tasty ways to adapt the bread.

• Peanuts: For some crunch, use crunchy peanut butter and/or stir 2/3 cup shelled peanuts into the batter.
• Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are fantastic in this bread! Fold in about 1/2 cup.
• Spices: Feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to create warmth and cozy flavor.
• Dried fruits: Try adding 1/2 cup dried cranberries, banana chips, or raisins.
• Vanilla + brown sugar: For a peanut butter loaf cake, add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Topping: I topped my bread with peanuts. You could also brush it with melted butter and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar or add a simple glaze.

Storage instructions

My guess is that your family will gobble this right up. But if you’re lucky enough to have leftover peanut butter bread, here’s how to store it for later.

• Store: 3 ingredient peanut butter bread stores well on the counter at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. To protect the bread from drying out, keep it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap (cling film).
• Freezing: This easy peanut butter bread also freezes well. Cool the bread loaf completely, then wrap it with plastic wrap and then foil. I like to put the tightly wrapped loaf in a large, zip-lock freezer bag. The last step is optional, but it ensures the bread doesn’t get dry or freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Defrost: Set the peanut butter loaf bread out on the counter to thaw for a couple of hours, or let the loaf defrost in the fridge overnight.

FAQ’s

Does this bread work with another nut butter?

Absolutely! Feel free to substitute any other nut butter such as almond butter, hazelnut butter, cashew butter, or macadamia butter. I also have this scrumptious Nutella bread for those who love hazelnuts and chocolate.

If you need a nut-free alternative, try sunflower seed butter. Just note that the soda in baking powder can react with the sunflower seed butter and turn the bread green. It’s still tasty, though!

Can I use gluten-free flour?

Yes! Swap out the flour for the same amount of a gluten-free flour blend and add 3 tablespoons baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt. I love King Arthur’s gluten-free all-purpose flour and Bob’s Red Mill’s 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour.

Can I run this recipe into muffins?

Sure! Just prepare the batter according to the recipe instructions. Line a regular, 12-hole muffin pan (tin) with paper liners and divide the batter evenly. Bake 350°F / 180°C / gas mark for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

1932 Great Depression Peanut Butter Bread

My 3-ingredient peanut butter bread is based on a recipe from a Great Depression-era cookbook. Times were tough in the 1930s, and folks had to come up with creative ways to cook with the few ingredients they could afford.

If you’re interested in the original, here’s the 1932 Great Depression peanut butter bread. It was all over TikTok a while ago, and the simple ingredients line-up make it perfect for everyday baking. You’ll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Once you have your ingredients ready, follow these simple steps:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, then stir in the salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the peanut butter and sugar.
3. Add the milk and whisk together.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until just combined and you no longer see streaks of flour.
5. Transfer the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan (tin) and smooth out the top.
6. Bake the bread in a preheated 325°F / 180°C / gas mark 4 oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center removes cleanly.