This delicious banana protein muffin recipe is packed with 10g of protein and ready in under 30 minutes! They’ve even got a punch of whole grains (thanks to the addition of whole wheat flour) that will help you stay full and satisfied all morning long. A great grab-and-go breakfast or snack. Perfect for meal prep!
Why This Recipe Works
These muffins are a GAME CHANGER for hectic weekday mornings. They’re a one-stop-shop for some whole grains, protein and fruit. Plus, they make a great vehicle for things like your favorite nut butter! And I mean it doesn’t hurt that they taste like they’re from a bakery!
I knew you would all love these muffins just as much as I do because you all went absolutely nuts for both my blueberry protein muffins and my banana carrot muffins! And these banana protein muffins are basically like those two had a baby: packed with protein AND fluffy!
Ingredients Needed
- Banana. Ideally you want this to be dark and spotty. If your banana is not super spotty you may want to add a little extra sugar, since overly ripe bananas are sweeter.
- Flour. I like to use a mix of whole wheat and white flour. That’s just a little of what I call “gentle nutrition” to get my body some whole grains easily in the morning. Using a mix kinda gives you the best of both worlds since the regular all-purpose flour IS softer. You can totally use 100% all purpose or whole wheat though!
- Protein Powder. I like to use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey (vanilla ice cream flavor!) for baking. To me it tastes the best and gives a good, sturdy texture. I’ve noticed that plant based protein powders, such as Garden Of Life, tend to be almost “silkier” and have less structure to the muffin. Moral of the story: your muffins may turn out a tad different based on the protein powder you use! I recommend whey if you can tolerate it (i.e. no allergies or intolerances!)
How to Make Fluffy Banana Protein Muffins
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick spray. I like to use these reusable silicone muffin liners– they’re fab!
In medium sized bowl mix up your flours, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl mash up your bananas with either a potato masher or a fork.
Then add in your sugar, greek yogurt, egg and vanilla.
Next, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
Mix everything up until just combined and pour into muffin liners.
Now, bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick (or one of these reusable cake testers) comes out clean!
Allow the banana protein muffins to cool fully and enjoy! Eat them plain or slather with some peanut butter!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Muffins are ultra versatile, and there are many add in options. You can add nuts, chocolate chips, or even swirl in some Nutella! The possibilities are limitless! You can also top your muffins with anything you like like peanut butter or my no added sugar blueberry jam.
You can easily use all-purpose flour, wheat flour, and gluten-free flour interchangeably, with little difference in results. It’s not recommended to substitute all purpose flour for other flours like coconut or almond flour. These flours act differently and you will need a recipe formulated for them specifically. If you’re looking for a tasty almond flour recipe, check out my recipe for almond banana muffins!
No! Storing your baked muffins in the refrigerator actually makes for more dense, less moist muffins. For the best results, store your muffins at room temperature in an airtight container OR store in the freezer.
The best way to keep your muffins moist is by storing them in a bag or container that does not allow air in or out. One of the best choices is a plastic freezer bag, but any airtight container or jar will work. Also, be sure to store them at room temperature to avoid any moisture loss that happens during the refrigeration process.
This recipe has not been tested with alternatives to protein powder, and so I cannot recommend any substitutes at this time.
The typical banana muffin has anywhere from 2-5g of protein in a single serving. Banana protein muffins contain approximately 10 grams of protein, thanks to the addition of Greek yogurt and protein powder. The combo of protein and whole grains makes for a super satisfying grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
Expert Tips
In order for these banana protein muffins to turn out fabulous, you want to make sure you’re using the best kind of banana for this recipe. Here are a couple tips when you’re gathering you bananas at the store or from your fruit bowl:
- Pick bananas that have brown spots on them, ideally. They’re sweeter and easier to mash so the consistency is right.
- If you don’t have any super ripe (brown spotted) bananas you can quickly ripen bananas by placing them in a 250 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (with the peels on!)
- If you would like to use frozen bananas, you can totally do that! Just allow the bananas to thaw in a bowl for a few hours beforehand. Then, proceed with the recipe as written!
I also do NOT recommend using paper liners for these muffins. They will stick. It’s best to just use non-stick spray or the silicone muffin liners I mentioned above!
More High Protein Recipes You’ll Love:
If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below!
Don’t forget to pin it on your Pinterest board for later, or tag me on IG @no.food.rules if you try the recipe and love it!
XOXO
-Colleen
Banana Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup protein powder I used optimum nutrition gold standard whey
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 ripe spotty bananas
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt used whole milk plain, vanilla will also work
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with silicone liners or use non-stick spray. (I don't recommend using paper liners)
- In a medium sized bowl combine flours, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk well.
- In a large bowl, mash your bananas very well! I like to use a potato masher but a fork will also work. Make sure you don’t have any large banana pieces. Your mashed bananas should be nice and uniform.
- Add in the yogurt, egg, sugar and vanilla.
- Mix it up well.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Fill the prepared muffin tin, nearly filling each muffin to the top. This should make ~8 or so muffins, depending on the size of your muffin tin.
- Bake muffins at 375 for 20-22 minutes until slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool fully and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.
Helene says
Made these this morning. They were very good!!!
Colleen says
So glad you loved them!
Danielle says
Christine says
Loved these! Muffin recipes are my favorite!
Colleen says
Yay! I’m so glad you love it!
Christine says
Erin Feyereisen says
These turned out great! A little bit dense and I may have over cooked a couple minutes. Still great though!
Jess says
How much baking soda do we use? It’s listed in the written instructions and in the picture but not in the measurements. I am making these as we speak!
Colleen says
1/4 tsp! Updating now!
Jennifer Hansen says
These turned out so good! I used a light whole wheat flour instead of mixing flours and they still came out nice and moist. I also added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon because I like it in my banana bread.