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Protein Muffins are a delicious way to sneak more protein into your life, without relying on protein shakes. They have a fluffy texture and flavor you’ll love!
These banana protein muffins are inspired by my Healthy Banana Muffins. I replaced a portion of the flour called for with unsweetened protein powder. As a result, these muffins have double the protein when compared to a traditional muffin and make an easy breakfast or after-school snack.
If you or your kids struggle to eat enough protein, add a few chocolate chips to these muffins to make them even more appealing. They are also delicious with crunchy walnuts added in!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe calls for unsweetened protein powder (affiliate link) and relies on ripe bananas and coconut sugar for sweetness. If you are already using a protein powder that is sweetened, feel free to cut back on the sugar called for, or swap the banana for pumpkin puree as a less-sweet add-in.
Paired with eggs and oat flour, these muffins have a fluffy texture you’ll love.
While oat flour is naturally gluten-free, make sure you look for a package that is “certified gluten-free” to make sure there is no cross-contamination during processing. This recipe is also dairy-free, as long as you choose a dairy-free protein powder.
You can use olive oil or melted coconut oil in this recipe. Olive oil will make the muffins slightly more tender, since it stays in a liquid form, even in a cold room. Feel free to add a splash of vanilla extract or any other flavorings you love to these high-protein muffins.
How to Make Protein Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas until relatively smooth.
Add in the eggs, protein powder, oat flour, coconut sugar, oil, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder, then stir well.
Once the muffin batter looks smooth, add in walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips for extra texture. (Fresh blueberries would also work!)
Prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners, then divide the batter between the cups evenly. Sprinkle a few extra walnuts or chocolate chips on top, if you’d like.
Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the muffins feel firm to the touch in the center. You can insert a toothpick in the center of the muffin to make sure it’s not wet.
Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Storage Tips: Store these muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you prefer to store them on the counter, be sure NOT to store them in an airtight container because they will sweat overnight and have a sticky texture on the outside.
Since they are very moist, they are best kept in the fridge to prevent spoilage.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have chocolate protein powder on hand, you can make chocolate protein muffins! In that case, you might need to cut back on the sugar called for here. (Or add a tablespoon of cacao powder for extra chocolate flavor.) If you’re using vanilla protein powder, I’d cut the sugar in half so the muffins won’t be too sweet.
This recipe was tested with Garden of Life Vegan Protein Powder, which is unsweetened. I’m guessing that whey protein powder will work similarly if you don’t need a dairy-free recipe.
The banana in this recipe provides moisture and sweetness. You can usually use unsweetened applesauce as a swap, or try Greek yogurt for extra protein. (It won’t be as sweet in that case.)
I don’t recommend replacing ALL of the flour in a recipe with protein powder, simply based on the flavor. However, I was able to replace a 1/2 cup of flour with protein powder in this case, and I think the results are delicious!
I tested this recipe with a 1/4 cup of honey instead of the coconut sugar, and the results were okay. (Not quite as sweet or fluffy, but it’s satisfactory if you’re not too picky.)
You can replace the baking powder in this recipe with 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. The muffins might not rise quite as high with this swap.
Looking for more muffin recipes? Try my Flourless Peanut Butter muffins (which also pack 7 grams of protein per muffin), Carrot Cake Vegan Muffins, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, or Almond Flour Muffins for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas (about ¾ cup mashed)
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ½ cup unsweetened protein powder
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional Add-Ins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until they look relatively smooth.
- To the bowl of mashed bananas, add in the eggs, oat flour, protein powder, coconut sugar, oil, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir well until the batter looks smooth, then fold in any of the optional add-ins.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. I usually use a ¼-cup measure to scoop the batter, but you may need to top them off with extra batter once all of the cups are filled. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins feel firm to the touch.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The muffins can be served as soon as they are cool. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this protein muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I’d love to hear how you like them!
We will go on holidays next week and I’m looking for a good and healthy treat for the trip. I found these Muffins and would love to try them.
One question: can I freeze them?
I freeze all my muffins so they don’t go bad. Just make sure they are fully cooled before putting them into the freezer. I typically use ziplock bags to keep them and then pop them into the microwave to defrost.
I am allergic to baking powder (and vinegar and citrus and cream of tartar — so I am guessing it’s anything reactive). I can have baking soda, however, and I am wondering if I can swap that in? I know the general ratio would make it 2/3 teaspoon, but would they rise or just be squishy and weird? This allergy is a recent discovery and I have had quite a few cooking fails in my efforts, so would really appreciate any insight. And these do sound lovely!
Okay, I dove in and gave it a shot, and they turned out great subbing approximately 2/3 t. of baking soda. I also had to substitute maple sugar for the coconut, and grapeseed oil for the olive, and leave out the cinnamon. I stirred in dried cherries, and they are definitely going into my rotation. Thanks for a healthy muffin recipe!
So these may be one of the best muffins I have ever made! I did replace the oat flour with almond flour. Normally I would never do this because I know how hard you work on the recipes. However, I needed to make new oat flour with my blender, and I didn’t want to risk waking the kids up. I am happy to report the muffins turned out perfectly. Thank you for another great recipe!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that the almond flour worked well, too. Thanks for sharing, Christine, and I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins!