I’ve been eating peanut butter banana sandwiches for a long time. So I was surprised when I was making one for myself and my husband Ben came up to say “You’re doing it wrong.” Doing it wrong?? It’s just peanut butter smeared between two halves of a banana – how many variations could there even be?
Turns out the trick is in how you split the banana lengthwise. I was using a butter knife but Ben showed me how to gently push my pointer finger into the bottom of the banana so that it naturally splits. Just keep pushing through to the end of the fruit and it separates into two pieces: one larger with a cavity down the middle (think like a canoe) and one smaller and slightly convex.
The benefits of splitting the banana this way are threefold:
- It’s less slippery. Ben asked “Doesn’t your peanut butter just slide off?” Well, kind of. It was always a mildly messy experience for me, but I just licked my fingers and moved on with life. When you cut a banana with a knife the cut side is a bit on the slimy side, but a banana split at it natural point of separation avoids this and feels about the same on the inside as the outside. So, the peanut butter clings to it much better.
- You can use more peanut butter. The trench on the larger half is perfect for filling with a generous amount of peanut butter, and, again, no worries about sliding off.
- One less dirty knife. I realized a while back that a large number of my kitchen decisions are driven by my desire to reduce clean-up. I never liked that I used one knife to slice the banana and then another to spread the peanut butter, but I didn’t want to put a banana-coated knife in the peanut butter jar. Problem solved!
I hope I don’t sound overdramatic about slicing a banana. (And if you need some laughs to lighten the mood, check out the reviews of the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer.) But I was really excited to upgrade my peanut butter banana and always get enthusiastic responses when I pass on this tip on to others. It’s a neat trick that makes this snack easier and less messy – excellent for kids and adults alike.
Do you eat peanut butter bananas? We love them because they are an inexpensive, filling, and tasty treat. They are probably the snack we eat most!
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Huh! I’ve never heard of actually making a sandwich like this. I LOVE peanut butter banana sandwiches, but we still use bread! And also add in honey. And jam. So never mind, not the same thing at all!
This sounds like a delicious snack though! I’m totally going to try it!
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
Yum! I usually just glop the peanut butter on top, this seems much more practical
grapefruit / 4582 posts
Yum!
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I love peanut/almond butter on my bananas!! This is such a neat trick. Will have to implement soon because I hate that the peanut butter doesn’t stick on the banana!
nectarine / 2217 posts
hahaha i love tips like this!
kiwi / 549 posts
We did this allllll the time for X (split length-wise and all), until it became clear that bananas were majorly binding for him. I’m hoping we can reintroduce bananas (every so often) once he’s done potty training. This is a really great snack.
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
…I eat peanut butter banana sandwiches all of the time and never thought to try it this way!
guest
Just looking at the pictures made me hungry. Definitely trying this out!
honeydew / 7091 posts
I never thought about this – great idea!!
I am *dying* of laughter from the reviews of the banana cutter!
clementine / 811 posts
I always did whole bread and honey thing too…. genius. I will do this tomorrow! Yum!
pea / 13 posts
This never even occured to me! Thank you for posting this. What a great way to add protein to my LO’s morning favorite, “nana”.
watermelon / 14206 posts
I had no idea this was possible.
We always made banana “caterpillers”…we’d cut the banana into slices and put it back together with peanut butter. Now, I realize that it’s very time consuming, but it’s good for sharing.
I’ve never heard of it being done this way!
guest
I always add toasted wheat germ to mine for crunch. Well, not always. Sometimes I’m lazy. But I do love PB + bananas, either way.
honeydew / 7968 posts
Great idea, now, if u can only post a video.
pomegranate / 3053 posts
I am going to make this right now for my 4 y.o. before he tells me he’s “hungry” or more like wants a snack. Thanks for sharing!
guest
Great tip!
cherry / 206 posts
This.changed.my.life! THANK YOU! I’ve been doing this every day for a week now!