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?

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!