These chocolate chip banana protein muffins are the ultimate meal prep snack. They’re healthy, sweetened with just honey, made with almond flour and ready in under 30 minutes.
I’ve been on a bit of a protein powder kick lately. I love adding it to smoothies of course, but lately I’ve been loving it in pancakes and now these banana protein muffins.
These muffins are the perfect recipe to have on hand for quick snacks, whether after school, post-workout or when the late night chocolate cravings hit.
Protein powder is great for baking because it can help turn a very non-nutritious recipe into a very nutritious one! As far as which one is best, I like pea protein, but if you are not dairy free, whey is great too!
They’re naturally gluten free, dairy free, oil free and ready to eat in about 30 minutes. Try my protein cookie dough, healthy chocolate chip cookies or protein overnight oats next!
Key Ingredients & substitutions
Banana puree. This is one of the key ingredients that add moisture to these banana protein muffins and help naturally sweeten them. Be sure to use very ripe and spotty bananas and puree them instead of mash them. This is key for the texture!
Almond & oat flour. We’re using half almond flour and half oat flour, but you are welcome to use all of one or the other if you prefer. The texture is best with half of each, but it will work with all of one.
Honey. Honey will help add some sweetness to the muffins without tons of added sugar. I have not tested these with maple syrup, but I imagine that would work as well.
Protein powder. I use a vanilla pea protein for this recipe, which I recommend. You can use other kinds of protein such as whey, but I recommend sticking with vanilla for the best flavor. You want to make sure it has stevia or some kind of sweetener for the best flavor.
We’ll be using 1/2 cup of protein powder, which adds just the right amount of nutrition, but not so much that the texture is negatively impacted.
Eggs. The eggs help bind all of the ingredients together, add moisture and add some extra protein!
How to make banana protein muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with 10 liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.
Whisk in the dry ingredients, aside from the chocolate or nuts if using. Fold in the nuts or chocolate chips.
Scoop into the prepared tray, filling each liner about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
How to store and freeze
To store: Once prepared, these banana protein muffins will keep at room temperature for 3-5 days. I like to store them in a container or a ziplock bag to keep them moist.
To freeze: I have not tried freezing them, but I do think that would work well! Be sure to let them cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
To reheat: If frozen, let the muffins defrost in the fridge, then reheat until warm through the center at 300. If they were simply in the fridge or at room temp, just pop in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up!
Can I make them vegan?
I have not tested these without the eggs, and to be honest, I don’t think the texture would turn out very well. If you do choose to make them vegan, my suggestion would be to use two flax eggs or add in an additional 1/2 cup of banana puree.
They won’t rise as much as they do with eggs or be quite as fluffy, but the flavor will still be delicious.
Try these muffins next!
- Matcha Muffins
- Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
- Zucchini Muffins
- Sweet Potato Muffins
- Carrot Cake Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
Banana Protein Muffins
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 1 cup banana puree
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder see notes
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with 10 liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients, aside from the chocolate or nuts if using.
- Fold in the nuts or chocolate chips.
- Scoop into the prepared tray, filling each liner about 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
Olivia says
I just made these but swapped the banana for pumpkin, the honey for maple syrup, and added some pumpkin pie spice, and they were delicious! This will definitely be my go-to protein muffin recipe!
Claire Cary says
Yum! Love the pumpkin version!
Kalie says
Absolutely amazing recipe. Normally protein recipes kinda suck, this is a 10/10 ❤️
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Kalie!
kap says
Love these. Today is my second time making them in 2 weeks. I make a double batch and get 18 muffins. I also swapped walnuts for the pecans, and used 1/2 the chocolate chips (mini dark.) I used paper liners with spray. Perfect!
Claire Cary says
Yum, sounds perfect!
Jenny says
Can I use 1 cup of regular organic flour instead of half almond and half oat?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tried that since all of my recipes are GF, I suggest sticking with the recipe as written!
Michelle says
Delicious!! (Even my traditional-baked goods-loving-teen likes these!!) And I love that there is no additional artificial sweetener other than what is in the protein powder.
Should i store these in the fridge?
Claire Cary says
Fridge will work for up to 5 days, or room temp for about 3 days!
Emerald says
Amazing, thank you!
Christie says
These muffins are absolutely AMAZING! We make these once a week! My boyfriend is obsessed with them and even told me his morning muffin brightens his day! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe!
Meri Wyn says
Absolutely delicious!!
Great recipe!!
Pat S says
These muffins have an excellent texture and taste, the best I have found!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Pat!
Nikki says
My kiddos are obsessed with these! I have to put my own stash aside so they don’t steal them haha We sub a flax egg to make them vegan!
Claire Cary says
Haha love that! Thanks Nikki 🙂
Britney says
Can you sub blueberries for chocolate chips?
Claire Cary says
Yes!
Angela says
Omg! Delicious…. I made it with just oat flour ( I had to improvise and just blended instant oats into a “flour”) as we have a severe nut allergy in our home.
One thing I wish I did using paper liners was to spray them as they stuck to the paper….. but the flavour and texture was amazing!
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad that worked. That might be because of the protein powder, but definitely try spraying the liners next time!
Nicole says
Absolutely love these muffins. I have made them twice now. Simple to make and delicious! Perfect snack for work.
Claire Cary says
Thanks, Nicole!
McKenna M says
Hello! I haven’t made these yet but I’m definitely going to! Quick question. Do you think I could freeze these?
Claire Cary says
I think that would be fine! Just let them cool completely, then reheat in the oven until warm through the center.
Ri says
I made these today and really enjoyed them. I used two bananas and vital brand vanilla protein powder. I was able to get 12 muffins and they cooked for 18 minutes. Would make again!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, thanks Ri!
Erin says
These look great! Can you use collagen instead of the protein powder?
Claire Cary says
Possibly, but I don’t recommend it since collagen doesn’t absorb wet ingredients the same way protein powder does.
Marcelo Lydia says
Hi, Claire, Greatings from Brazil! It seems really good, but I have one question: should I use one scoop of Whey or one cup? Thanks!
Claire Cary says
You need 1/2 cup of protein powder!
Marcelo Lydia says
Thanks!
Abby says
Is the calorie total including chocolate chips?
Claire Cary says
yes!
Kelsey says
Hi which kind of protein do you use??
Claire Cary says
I used a vanilla pea protein!
Jennifer says
Great muffins and great shot of protein pick me up in the middle of the day! Loved these!