Protein Banana Bread
This protein banana bread is a healthy snack that is so easy to make. With protein from greek yogurt, eggs and protein powder, this simple gluten free banana bread is perfect to meal prep for the week!
I’ve been so in love with my protein banana muffins lately so I had to make a bread version! This protein banana bread is so soft and tender, gluten free and has over 10 grams of protein per serving, compared to 2-3 in traditional banana bread.
All you need is one bowl, about 10 minutes of prep time and a few simple, pantry staple ingredients to make this recipe.
It’s perfect for a quick on the go breakfast, post-workout snack or even a healthy dessert. It requires no fancy equipment, just one bowl and a whisk! If you love this recipe, try my chocolate protein cake, breakfast cookies or chickpea cookie dough next!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy- made in one bowl!
- Gluten free
- Dairy free friendly
- 12 grams protein per slice
How to make protein banana bread
Whisk wet ingredients. Whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth. Be sure to puree your banana first, then measure out 1 1/2 cups worth.
Whisk in dry ingredients. Whisk in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flours and protein powder, don’t scoop right from the bag.
Add mix-ins. Add in any optional mix ins. I used chocolate chips for this recipe, but you can used chopped walnuts or just leave it plain!
Bake. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. If you notice the top browning too much, tent it with some foil.
Cool and serve. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing to prevent any crumbling. Enjoy and try my protein waffles or marbled banana bread next!
Key ingredients & substitutions
Banana. Very ripe and spotty brown bananas are what you need for this recipe. The riper the better, which means your bananas will be very sweet.
Greek Yogurt. The greek yogurt will add a lot of moisture to the bread as well as add a lot of protein. You can use dairy free or regular. I do not recommend non-greek yogurt as it is much more watery.
Eggs. You need three large eggs for this recipe, which will add a lot of protein and help this healthy banana bread rise. They also add a really fluffy texture and prevent the bread from getting dense.
Protein powder. Any protein powder you like will work, but I recommend one that is vanilla flavored and ideally stevia sweetened. I used pea protein but you can also use whey protein.
Sugar. I used light brown sugar, but any kind of granulated sugar will do. You can use white sugar to keep it simple, or coconut sugar for a refined sugar free version. If you use coconut sugar this protein banana bread will be much darker than pictured.
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Flour. You need a mix of blanched almond flour and gluten free all purpose flour. If you are not gluten free, you can use regular all purpose flour, but still use the almond flour.
This recipe calls for 1 cup of almond flour, but you can likely sub with equal parts oat flour for a nut free option. I have not tested this protein banana bread without almond flour, but oat flour is generally a safe bet!
Butter or oil. I recommend butter (either dairy free or regular) or coconut oil. To avoid any coconut flavor, be sure to use refined coconut oil.
Can I make it vegan?
Unfortunately, since this recipe calls for 3 whole eggs, I do not recommend subbing for flax eggs or any other egg substitute.
The eggs are really important for the overall texture and structure of the bread, so for best results, please follow the recipe as written! For a vegan option, try my chocolate chip banana bread instead!
How to store
I always find that any recipe made with a lot of banana or apple sauce can get quite mushy if left out at room temperature for too long.
Banana bread can definitely be left at room temperature, but I prefer to store it in the fridge.
Be sure to let it cool completely, then slice and add to a container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can eat it cold, or warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds so it’s good as new!
Can you use protein powder instead of flour in baked goods?
You can do this in some recipes, but gluten free baking is so tricky that I recommend sticking with a recipe that already calls for protein powder.
Oftentimes you can sub 1/3 cup for every 1 cup of flour for protein powder, but it’s so much easier following a recipe that already calls for it. Same with my banana bread protein cookies!
Protein powder acts similarly to flour in baked goods and helps absorb excess moisture. I don’t find that it gives a grainy texture at all, this banana bread is very soft and fluffy!
How to keep banana bread moist
I promise you will have no issues keeping this bread moist! Be sure you don’t over-bake it as that can easily dry it out. Also make sure you measure the flour properly to prevent a dry loaf.
If you scoop right from the bag, you may end up with more flour than you need, which can lead to dry bread.
More recipes you’ll love!
- Banana Protein Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Banana Waffles
- Protein Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list! As always, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation. Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe!
Protein Banana Bread
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 1 ½ cups banana puree about 3 large, ripe banans
- ⅓ cup melted butter or coconut oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar of choice light brown, coconut or white all work
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour can sub regular AP flour
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray and line a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
- Puree the bananas and measure out 1 1/2 cups and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in all remaining wet ingredients until smooth.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flours, don’t scoop right from the bag.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if using, you can also used chopped walnuts.
- Transfer to your prepared loaf pan and top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Because of the nature of almond flour, you may notice the top browning before the center is done. I usually just leave as is, but you can tent the top with foil if desired.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully lift out from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Slice and enjoy as is or with melted butter or nut butter.
Notes
Comments
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We all LOVED it. Perfect sweet but protein filled treat. How do I get the chocolate chips to not sink?!
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The batter should be thick enough that they don’t sink! Was the batter thin?
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This was delicious and so moist! I added dark choc chips and walnuts and served with a dallop of greek yoghurt. Will definitely make again =)
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Made two loaves for a holiday work party and almost all of it was gone in a matter of hours! Everyone thought I bought it from a bakery 😊
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Moist and flavourful. It’s a go to now for our family
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First time I have ever made banana bread, and it came out great. I love how moist it is. I had to cook it longer than it said, because it was gooey when I stuck the toothpick in, but I added another 25 minutes and then it was fine.
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Best recipe I’ve found so far, I just use plain flour, instead of almond and it works great, add some banana chunks towards the end for that extra chewiness!
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Sounds delish! Thanks, Jack!
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Can I replace the all-purpose flour with OAT flour? I am GF, but I don’t have any GF AP. 🙁
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Oat flour should be ok! You may need to increase the bake time slightly though.
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This is pretty good now I have to figure out some nutritional facts I added 4Tbsp chia seeds and 2Tbsp ground flax.
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Delicious! I used a complete meal protein powder (Creamy vanilla by HLTH CODE) and added an additional egg along with Vanilla Collagen Peptides. I added chocolate chips and walnuts and used only half of the sugar. It is even better toasted. I will be overbuying bananas in the future just to have some nice ripe ones for this recipe.
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Thank you, Eileen!
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Delish!
I swapped 3/4 c of oat flour + 1/4 c of sourdough starter for the almond flour. I swapped cottage cheese for the yogurt. Made into 12 yummy muffins. Thank you!-
So glad those swaps worked! Thanks, Laura!
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Love this banana bread – just need help perfecting the texture!
I absolutely love this banana bread – the flavor is amazing, and I really appreciate how high in protein it is. I love that I can add my protein powder to it and still keep it healthy and delicious.
That said, I’ve had some trouble getting the texture right. Every time I make it, the inside stays quite soggy. If I bake it longer to try and fix that, the outside becomes too hard or dry before the middle is cooked through.
I’m using a mix of half pea protein and half whey protein. When I use only pea protein, the bread turns out even wetter, and when I use only whey, it gets really dense and hard. I’m following the recipe exactly, so I’m wondering if I need to adjust something – maybe add more flour or tweak the wet ingredients?
I’d love any tips or suggestions! I really want to get this right because everything else about the recipe is perfect.
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What kind of pan are you using? You can try adding a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to see if that helps absorb some of the moisture. What brand of protein are you using?
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I made this and it turned out awesome. I will be using this recipe in the future. Not to be that person that modifies recipes, but… I used vanilla Two Good yogurt as it’s what I had on hand. I also added ground flax seed and phylum husk to increase the fiber – both are not noticeable in the final product. Banana bread is more dense that your standard bread, so don’t expect a light and fluffy bread. The batter should be slightly thicker than a cake batter consistency. Note that you can use yeast like in normal bread and it will make it lighter – I may actually try that next time.
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Have to disagree with everyone. I made this recipe exactly and it came out very dense, thick. Didn’t pour into the pan I had to press it in. The bread itself is dry. I think there are some better recipes from EWC than this one.
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Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you! Make sure your baking powder isn’t expired – that can cause issues. What brand of flour did you use?
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WOW. This is SO good. Based on other comments here, I left out the sugar and added dark chocolate chips. Amazing. Moist, flavorful but not too sweet. This will now be my go-to banana bread recipe.
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Thank you, Amy!
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This is a great recipe!! I substituted whipped cottage cheese rather than Greek yogurt to up the protein, added two scoops of collagen and used coconut sugar to sweeten!! YUM!
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