My vegan peanut butter bread is loaded with rich peanut butter flavor, and super simple to make with a handful of pantry staples. Just sweet enough and topped with a buttery peanut crumb topping, it’s perfect for everything from sweet snacking to an indulgent breakfast!
Peanut butter is kind of my love language. I'm not kidding. The first time I got into my husband's car, shortly after meeting him, I saw that he kept a jar of peanut butter in the console, just in case he needed a snack. That totally sealed the deal. Now we're married and celebrate our love with treats like vegan peanut butter cookies, vegan peanut butter pie, and vegan peanut butter cake.
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Our latest obsession: this vegan peanut butter bread. It's sweet, but not quite as sweet as the other desserts I just mentioned, so it's acceptable as a midday snack or even breakfast. Peanut butter, all day, every day.
I didn't come up with the idea for peanut butter bread on my own. It's actually a vintage, depression-era recipe. You can check out the original peanut butter bread https://www.sprinklebakes.com/2020/08/depression-era-peanut-butter-bread.html, if you'd like. It's egg-free, so easy to veganize. But, the classic peanut butter bread recipe is known for being a bit dry, and frankly, plain. So I tweaked the recipe to add moisture, and jazzed it up with a little extra sweetness and crumb topping. These changes turned an otherwise okay peanut butter bread into something totally delicious and crave-worthy!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose wheat flour in this recipe, also known as white flour. I haven't tested the recipe with other varieties, so I can't say how they'd work.
- Peanuts. Roasted and salted peanuts work best for our crumb topping.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar. Conventional granulated sugars, including brown sugars, are sometimes processed using animal bone char.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter. Most grocery stores carry this in the refrigerated section, near the regular butter.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a non-dairy milk that's unflavored and unsweetened. Anything you'd normally drink is fine, such as soy, cashew, almond, or oat milk. My guide to dairy-free milk can help if you don't know where to start.
- Peanut butter. Make sure you're using creamy peanut butter (not chunky) and make sure it's conventional (not the runny, natural type).
- Vegetable oil. Any neutral oil you normally like to bake with can be used, such as peanut oil, canola oil, or corn oil.
- Vanilla extract.
- Apple cider vinegar. Need another option? Read my guide to apple cider vinegar substitutes for baking.
- Granulated sugar. Remember what I said about the brown sugar? You got it — this also needs to be organic.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease the inside of your loaf pan.
Step 2: Make the topping. Stir some flour, peanuts, brown sugar, and salt together in a small bowl, then stir in melted vegan butter. Pop the bowl into the fridge and let it chill as you make the loaf.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients. Combine your non-dairy milk, peanut butter, oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk the mixture well, making sure to get the peanut butter relatively well distributed. A few small flecks are fine.
Tip: If you struggle to get the peanut butter mixed in, you can warm up the wet ingredients, but make sure you let them cool to room temperature before adding them to the dry mixture.
Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together your flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 5: Mix the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, then stir just until mixed. Don't overdo it!
Steps 6 & 7: Shape and bake. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, then sprinkle the topping over it. Stick it in the oven and let it bake for 50 to 55 minutes. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tip: Peanut butter bread only rises slightly, and then it falls a bit as it's cooling. Don't worry though — if you've followed the recipe the texture will be spot on!
Steps 8 & 9: Cool, slice, and serve. Let your peanut butter bread cool on a wire rack completely before you take it out of the pan. After that, you can slice it up and dig in!
Variations
- Chocolate chip peanut butter bread. Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Stir in a cup and a half of vegan chocolate chips for an ultra decadent treat.
- Skip the topping. Keep things simple and omit the crumb topping. Your loaf will still be delicious, even if less dessert-y.
- Cinnamon peanut butter bread. This is a surprisingly underrated flavor combo! Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter and a half teaspoon to the topping.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm afraid I haven't tested a gluten-free version, so I can't say. I think an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend would be your best bet if you'd like to give it a try.
I don't recommend it. Conventional peanut butter generally works better for baking, and that's what I developed the recipe with. Natural peanut butter may make your loaf overly crumbly and a bit oily.
Your vegan peanut butter bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about four days, or in the freezer for up to three months. I like to slice it up, separate the slices with parchment paper, then seal them up in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Individual slices can be thawed at room temperature or with a quick zap in the microwave when a craving hits.
More Vegan Quick Breads
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Topping
- â…“ cup all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup roasted and salted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
For the Peanut Butter Bread
- 1 â…“ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (use conventional peanut butter, not the natural, runny variety)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup organic granulated sugar
- â…“ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- To make the topping, stir the flour, peanuts, brown sugar, and salt together in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until the dry ingredients are evenly saturated. Place the topping into the fridge to chill while you mix the batter.
- In a medium bowl or container, whisk the milk, peanut butter, oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar together. Break up any large clumps of peanut butter and get the mixture relatively smooth — small flecks of peanut butter are fine, though.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, then stir just until the batter is combined. Don't overmix it — stop as soon as you no longer see flour streaks.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Take the topping out of the fridge and sprinkle it over the batter, breaking up any large clumps with your fingers.
- Bake the loaf for 50 to 55 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The loaf will only rise slightly — this is totally fine.
- Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and let the bread cool completely.
- Once the loaf is cool, loosen the sides with a knife, then remove it from the pan. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
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