Protein Banana Bread
54
Published Oct 20, 2023, Updated Mar 18, 2024
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
This high protein banana bread is perfectly moist, fluffy and super easy to make. It’s packed with 13 grams of protein per slice and makes for a great healthy snack or breakfast option to meal prep for the week.
I’m always trying to find ways to add more protein to my diet and this protein banana bread has been my latest obsession.
Not only is this whole loaf packed with 130 grams of protein (which is about 13 grams per slice), but it’s so quick and easy to whip up. We’re using a blend of oat flour and almond flour for this loaf, resulting in a perfectly soft and fluffy texture that is guaranteed to be hit!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s perfectly moist, fluffy and absolutely delicious.
- Protein-packed! One slice has 13 grams of protein.
- Comes together quickly with simple ingredients.
- Can be eaten for breakfast, as a post-workout snack or even dessert!
- Gluten-free, oil-free + refined sugar-free.
Ingredients Needed
- oat flour – you can make your own oat flour if you’d like or use store-bought. I like Bob’s Red Mill oat flour.
- almond flour – make sure you get almond flour and not almond meal! Bob’s Red Mill almond flour is what I typically buy.
- vanilla protein powder – the main source of protein in this protein banana bread. Your favorite brand of vanilla protein powder works, but Nuzest is one of my favorite brands. It’s plant-based and has a minimal, clean ingredient list. Plus, the vanilla flavor is delish. You can use my code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order.
- ripe bananas – the star of the show adding moistness and natural sweetness. Make sure you’re using ripe bananas that have brown spots for the best results.
- Greek yogurt – the secret ingredient for a moist texture without the need of added oil. Plus, it adds some more protein to this loaf. I used full fat Greek yogurt, but 2% will also work. I don’t recommend using fat-free yogurt as it has added ingredients that can change the consistency of this banana bread.
- maple syrup – the perfect natural sweetener for this recipe! I love the flavor the maple syrup adds to this loaf. Make sure you’re using pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup as that’s loaded with corn syrup and additives.
- eggs – helps bind all the ingredients together and provide structure for the banana bread.
- pure vanilla extract – a nice flavor enhancer.
- baking soda, baking powder and salt – three essential baking ingredients.
- chocolate chips – I really like Lily’s chocolate chips because they’re dairy-free, lower in sugar and still have a great flavor. I also like the Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips which are vegan + allergen-friendly.
How to Make
This protein banana bread recipe is so easy to whip up. Here’s how to make it:
Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your loaf pan with some parchment paper or grease it with oil or cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine your oat flour, almond flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Whisk wet ingredients: In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together your Greek yogurt, maple syrup, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Combine: Add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add chocolate chips: Gently fold in your chocolate chips.
Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and top with additional chocolate chips if desired. Place in the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Check the loaf around the 30-minute mark and if it’s looking a bit too golden, place some tin foil on top of the bread.
Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Substitutions & Notes
- Flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with different flour so I don’t recommend substituting the oat or almond flour with another flour.
- Protein powder: This loaf hasn’t been tested with anything besides protein powder, so I don’t know what a good substitute would be. If you’re looking for a chocolate chip banana bread recipe that doesn’t call for protein powder, I suggest making my almond flour banana bread or chocolate chip coconut flour banana bread instead.
- Eggs: I haven’t tried this loaf with an egg substitute like flax eggs, but if you end up trying it let me know in the comments below!
- Greek yogurt: To make this loaf dairy-free swap the Greek yogurt with a dairy-free yogurt of choice.
- Maple syrup: You can swap the maple syrup with honey or another liquid sweetener like agave or monk fruit maple syrup. I wouldn’t recommend subbing the maple for a dry sugar like coconut sugar or cane sugar as I haven’t tested it and that would likely affect the overall texture of this loaf.
- Chocolate: Feel free to skip the chocolate chips or substitute it with a different mix-in of choice like chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds would all work well) or dried fruit.
- Chocolate protein banana bread: Want some extra chocolatey goodness? Swap the vanilla protein powder with chocolate protein powder!
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe bananas: Make sure you’re using ripe bananas with brown spots on them for the mashed bananas that are being mixed into the batter. The older, browner and mushier, the better! Here are some different ways to quickly ripen bananas if your bananas aren’t ripe enough.
- Cover if needed: Make sure to check your bread around the 30-minute mark in case your loaf is browning quickly. If so, I recommend covering the bread with tin foil so it doesn’t get too brown.
- Test for doneness: To check if your banana bread is fully baked, insert a toothpick or a knife into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, your bread is ready. If there’s wet batter on the toothpick, bake for a few more minutes and check again.
- Transfer to a cooling rack: Once done cooking let the bread cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely on a wire rack. Don’t leave the bread in the pan for too long because it’ll continue to bake and could dry out or start to condensate.
How to Store
Store this banana bread in an airtight container on the counter for about 2-3 days or in the fridge for about 1 week.
For longer storage, you can store this banana bread in the freezer for up to 3 months! You can freeze the full loaf or individual slices for easy serving when you’re ready to thaw and enjoy. To thaw, place bread in the fridge overnight, at room temperature or defrost in the microwave or toaster oven.
Protein Banana Bread FAQ’s
I recommend using a plant-based protein powder with minimal ingredients. I used Nuzest vanilla protein powder but I also love the Sun Warrior Vanilla Warrior Blend protein powder. Both don’t have a chalky taste and the ingredient list is minimal. You really can’t taste the protein powder in this banana bread at all and they have a great texture!Â
This loaf makes 10 slices and one slice of banana bread has about 13 grams of protein. The amount of protein will of course depend on the type of protein powder and yogurt you use as well as how big or small your slices are. If you want to add even more protein to this recipe swap the chocolate chips for chopped nuts instead.
More Protein Recipes to Try
- Protein Muffins
- Protein Waffles
- No Bake Protein Balls – 4 Ways
- Protein Cake
- Blueberry Protein Muffins
- Protein Pudding (3 Ways)
- PB&J Protein Yogurt Bowl
- Protein Cookie Dough
Be sure to check out more high protein breakfast recipes as well as the full collection of quick bread recipes on EBF!
Protein Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder, I used Nuzest
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, 3 medium bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- â…” cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment or spray with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: Greek yogurt, maple syrup, bananas, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with additional chocolate chips.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. It’s okay if it doesn’t come out fully clean as the bread will continue to bake in pan. Check at 30 minutes and cover with tin foil to help the top from browning too much, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I didn’t have any almond flour, so I just used another cup of oat flour with 2 Tbsp of ground flax seed. I added less chocolate chips than the recipe stated and it still turned out amazingly well. I will definitely make this again! So light and fluffy. Yum!
YAY! I am happy to hear this recipe turned out amazing for you, Susan. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, it truly means so much to me!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I haven’t used any chocolate and ate it with peanut butter instead. And I used less almond flour as my protein comes from almond.
The texture is perfect and the taste is incredible.
YUM! Sounds amazing, Mégane. I am so glad you are loving this bread and it turned out fantastic for you. I appreciate you coming back and sharing your review & star rating, means so much to me!
Can I make this into muffins instead?
Hi Grace – I haven’t tested this recipe in muffin form, but another reader did and said they were able to make 18 muffins, baking at 350 for 20 minutes. Hope this helps. Let me know if you give these a try!
Can you use all oat flour and no almond flour? I’m allergic. Thanks! th
Hi Aimee – Unfortunately, this recipe hasn’t been tested with different flour so I don’t recommend substituting the oat or almond flour with another flour. So sorry!
Hi! Can you use cottage cheese as a substitute for the yogurt?
Hi Lindsay – I haven’t tested this recipe with cottage cheese instead of yogurt, you might be able to blend it to make it smooth. But I am not sure how it would change the texture of the bread. Let me know if you give it a try.
This is a delicious recipe! I added some Naked PB for a more nutty taste and used no fat Greek yogurt bc that’s what I had on hand. Also baked in muffin tins ~20 – 23 minutes. Will definitely make this recipe again. Thank you!
YUM! This sounds great, Misha. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I am glad these turned out delicious for you!