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Protein Banana Bread is made with protein powder and almond flour to help keep you feeling full and satisfied. It has 12 grams of protein per slice!
This high-protein banana bread recipe is the perfect way to use ripe bananas in your kitchen. It makes a filling breakfast or snack on the go, and the texture is remarkably similar to the traditional version.
Enjoy a slice topped with peanut butter or plain Greek yogurt for even more protein!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Inspired by my almond flour banana bread, this recipe uses protein-packed almond flour, unsweetened vegan protein powder, eggs, maple syrup, and classic flavorings like cinnamon and vanilla extract. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and high in protein.
Paired with ripe bananas, which provide natural sweetness, this recipe tastes like a treat. (But it will also keep you feeling full.)
Protein Powder Note
When testing this recipe, I used Garden of Life Unsweetened Plant-Based protein powder. It does not taste delicious on its own! If you enjoy the flavor of your protein powder, you may be able to increase the amount used in this recipe.
How to Make Protein Banana Bread
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan to guarantee easy removal later.
Mash three large ripe bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl. When you’re done, the mashed banana should look like puree. (This is about 1 1/3 cups total.)
Next, add in:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened protein powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
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Stir or whisk well until the batter looks relatively smooth. (You may see a few small lumps of banana in the batter, and that’s okay.)
Optional Mix-Ins
To give this bread more texture, you can add a 1/4 cup of raisins, pecans, chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts. You could also stir in 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts or chia seeds. Feel free to experiment with it each time!
If you like, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips over the top of the loaf. This adds minimal sugar but makes each slice a little more fun.
(Chopped nuts or oats would also make an excellent topping.)
Bake at 350ºF for 55 minutes, or until the edges look golden and the top starts to crack. When it’s done, the center of the loaf should feel firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices and enjoy it at room temperature for the best flavor.
Top it with almond butter or another nut butter and a drizzle of honey if you like. You can also add a dollop of Greek yogurt for extra protein.
Storage Tip
This moist banana bread shouldn’t be stored at room temperature. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place the slices between pieces of parchment paper in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can thaw one piece at a time this way!
Looking for more protein-packed recipes? Try Protein Cookies, Protein Waffles, or Protein Rice Crispy Treats for more options.
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas (see notes)
- 1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened protein powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan to ensure easy removal later.
- In a large bowl, add the peeled ripe bananas. Mash them with a fork until relatively smooth. Then add the almond flour, eggs, protein powder, maple syrup, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Stir well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top, if you like. Bake at 350ºF for 55 minutes, or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The edges should be golden brown and the top may crack.
- Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the loaf into 1-inch slices and enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze the slices between parchment paper in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this protein banana bread recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it!
This bread is very moist and delicious! I love that it has so much protein in it and is gluten free. I added walnuts to my loaf…very good!
The flavor was great, but my loaf burned around the edges before the middle was done. I followed the recipe except used 1/4 C honey instead of syrup. The only other thing I can think of is that I buttered my glass loaf pan instead of using parchment (which I don’t usually do). Otherwise, super easy tasty recipe. Maybe next time I’ll try it in muffins.
Yummy!! Will add nuts next time!
Very nice. Came together as indicated, I used slightly less maple syrup (about 1/6 cup) but the bananas sweetened the cake enough to my liking. I also added some sultanas. You can’t eat huge amounts of this cake so it lasted more than a day 😉 . It’s a wonderful snack when you’re hungry.
Fantastic recipe! I did make muffins instead of loaf. Accidentally forgot to add the maple syrup and only ended up with 1 cup of banana and had to replace the rest with vanilla Greek yogurt. Still came out delicious! Sweet but not too sweet and the texture is spot on. I did add in chopped pecans, ground chia/flax mix, and Lily’s dark chocolate chips. Definitely adding this to the rotation!
Looks delicious! Do you think I could use Chia eggs instead of chicken ones? 🙂
This looks really good cannot wait to try.
For those of us that cannot do eggs do you think flax or chia eggs will work okay with this recipe? Thank you
I made this into muffins and they were a hit with my family! I made 15 muffins, using muffin papers, and baked them for 20+ minutes. I just stirred the chocolate chips into the batter and also added some ground flaxseed for even more nutrition. The recipe was super easy to put together.
Really good! My 7 years old ate it all! The bread is moist and the almond flour gives it a nice flavor. Thanks for this recipe.
Can’t wait to try this. Have you tried this with whey protein powder, will the results be the same?