Banana Blondies (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

Banana Blondies are a fun twist on a classic blondie! More like a banana bar, they’re thick and filled with banana flavor. Topped with a peanut butter frosting, you can’t go wrong!

We love banana desserts in our house.

Now, my preference is typically banana accompanied with chocolate. I think my kids would agree (who can say no to chocolate?!).

But, my husband isn’t always all about chocolate. He loves Lemon Cookies, Orange Muffins, etc. He still loves chocolate, but he isn’t always “in the mood” for it (which I don’t understand that, because chocolate is a 24/7 mood for me!).

I love that baking with him in mind has expanded my horizons though. Instead of just covering everything in chocolate, I go for more citrus and fruity flavors now too.

Which is how these Banana Blondies came to be. I wanted to make a fun banana flavored dessert, but make it a little healthier.

These Banana Blondies are very different from a classic blondie. I think blondies are like chocolate chip cookies in bar form. These aren’t like that.

The texture is thick and dense, dare I say almost fudgy. Sort of like banana bread combined with blondies. You can add chocolate chips in, or put some peanut butter frosting on top (or both!) for added decadence.

If you’re looking for a different banana-flavored dessert (and if you love banana bead), these Banana Blondies are definitely worth a try!

Let’s talk about making these bars.

First, to keep these Banana Blondies gluten-free you’ll need to make them with a gluten-free all purpose flour. Or, you can make them with regular flour.

To make these dairy-free, you can use a dairy-free butter alternative in both the blondies and frosting. You’ll also need to use your favorite dairy-free milk in the frosting.

To make these bars vegan, you can try all of the dairy-free adjustments above, as well as one flax or chia egg (1 tbsp flax or chia seed & 2.5 tbsp water, sit till gelled).

If you can’t have nuts, you can replace the peanut butter in the blondies with more butter (or you can try sunflower seed butter). You could also try a chocolate frosting on top of these bars, instead of peanut butter frosting!

These Banana Blondies are made a little healthier with less sugar in the bars themselves, and more mashed banana instead. I think it’s what also helps give them the best fudgy-like texture.

I recommend using brown sugar to add enough sweetness, but you could use coconut sugar instead if you prefer.

And BANANAS! The star of the show here. Be sure to use those super overripe, brown bananas sitting on your counter, just waiting to be baked with! They will give you the sweetest flavor.

Now, onto the frosting.

Let’s talk peanut butter. I think a half a cup is what gives the frosting plenty of peanut butter flavor. You may prefer less, but I prefer a strong peanut butter flavor.

What type of peanut butter to use? I’ve had success with both a natural, more oily peanut butter, and a jar of Jif.

However, the frosting does turn out smoother with a jar of Jif. You may be able to see in my pictures that I used a more natural peanut butter, making my frosting texture not quite as smooth. It still spread just fine, just not quite as well.

Depending on what type of peanut butter you use, you may need to add more milk to your frosting to get it to blend properly as well.

If you’re in the mood for banana and peanut butter in dessert form, give these Banana Blondies a try. Banana bread lovers, these are for you!

And if you make these, let me know what you think! I love to hear from ya’ll, with a comment and star rating below, or tag me on Instagram.

Want more banana recipes before you go? Check out my gluten-free Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies, Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Bread and Banana Coffee Cake.