Banana Chocolate Chip Power Cakes {video}
These Banana Chocolate Chip Power Cakes are super moist protein-packed banana muffins with no oil or butter. These easy, healthy banana muffins will please even the pickiest of eaters!
This post was originally posted on 7/18/2014. It was republished on 2/5/19 with helpful recipe tips and photos.
THE BEST PROTEIN-PACKED BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
Do you like to prep food for the week over the weekend? Do you like to enjoy special breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays? Me too and these yummy muffins are perfect for both of those situations! These Banana Chocolate Chip Power Cakes are excellent for a grab-n-go pre/post workout snack. They also make for a delicious breakfast. And they’re protein-packed, so they’ll keep you satisfied right up until lunch, especially when paired with yogurt, a smoothie or some eggs.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS – SO EASY!
- First, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 350ºF. Then you’ll spray your muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray and set it aside. I don’t recommend using paper liners because these muffins have a tendency to stick to those, but they come out so easy without the paper liners.
- Next you’ll make the batter. The first step is to add the Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Mix (see the recipe notes for other flour suggestions) into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Now mash up the bananas. The riper the better! Add the mashed bananas to the bowl with the flour. Stir the milk, egg, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the flour. Stir everything together until just combined.
- Then fold in the mini chocolate chips. I like to save some back to sprinkle over the tops of the muffins before baking. It just makes them look so much prettier!
- Next, you’ll divide the batter evenly among the sprayed muffin cavities, filling each one almost all the way up (about 3/4 full). Sprinkle tops with reserved chocolate chips and bake for about 22 minutes, or until the tops have domed and a toothpick comes out dry when inserted in the middle of a muffin.
- And finally, be sure to cool the banana muffins in the muffin pan, placed on a wire cooling rack, for 5 minutes before removing.
KODIAK POWER CAKES MIX
To give the muffins the extra protein boost, they’re made with Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Mix. Hence, the name “power cakes”. 😊 So, not only can you make over-the-top, delicious pancakes with Kodiak Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix, but Kodiak Cakes Mix also makes some incredible muffins. This post is not sponsored, I just really love sharing awesome products with you guys!
Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes is a blend of whole grain wheat flour and oat flour that it is packed with protein (14 grams of protein per 1/2 cup). This mix is quite adaptable… a great choice for waffles, pancakes and muffins (power cakes). If you don’t have Kodiak Cakes Mix, all-purpose, spelt flour or whole wheat flour would work too.
As I mentioned above, you can use other types of flour to make these muffins, but you can’t beat the nutritional stats of using Kodiak Cakes Mix and, be aware, the nutritional info of the muffins will also change. If you’re looking to try out Kodiak Cakes, my links above take you to the Target website and you can ship Kodiak Cakes to your house for free. Also, Kodiak Cakes is available in most grocery stores. I often buy it at Kroger and Costco. Even Walmart carries the mix!
TRY SOME OTHER FAVORITE HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES
Blueberry Banana Power Muffins
Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
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Watch the video below to see how super easy these muffins are to whip up!
These banana chocolate chip power cakes are the BEST healthy protein-packed banana muffins. Perfect for snack time or breakfast! Picky eater approved!
- 2 cups Kodiak Power Cakes Mix - Buttermilk*
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed (the riper the banana, the sweeter the muffin)***
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (any milk will work)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup maple syrup**
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips**** (save a couple of tablespoons for topping the muffins)
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Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
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Add Kodiak Cakes Mix to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash banana in a separate mixing bowl or shallow bowl.
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Combine mashed banana with milk, egg, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Add liquid ingredients to Kodiak Cakes Mix and stir until just combined. Gently fold in mini chocolate chips. I like to save a couple of tablespoons to top the muffins before baking and make them look prettier. 🙂
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Use a large spoon to transfer batter to muffin pan and fill all 12 muffin cavities evenly; about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with extra mini chocolate chips.
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Bake at 350ºF. for about 22 minutes or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out slightly moist. Cool muffins for 5 minutes then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Muffins are best served warm and even better the next day.
BAKING RECOMMENDATIONS: These work best baking without muffin liners. Spray your muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and you won't have any problems with these muffins sticking.
CHANGE IT UP: You could really go crazy with add-ins. Fold in up to 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries or and/or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: These muffins are great on their own, with a pat of butter, or spread with peanut butter. They would also be fantastic with homemade maple cinnamon almond butter or double berry chia seed jam.
MAKE IT EGG FREE: I’m confident that these muffins will turn out well with flax eggs!
MAKE IT VEGAN: Substitute flax eggs for regular eggs, use a different type of flour, use dairy-free milk like almond milk and use maple syrup instead of honey.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend works well instead of the Kodiak Cakes Mix.
MAKE IT NUT FREE: Use a nut-free milk.
STORAGE RECOMMENDATIONS: Store in a covered container for up to 2 days and up to 1 week in the fridge. Muffins are freezer friendly! Simply place in ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to eat, microwave for 30-45 seconds or thaw out.
*spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour will work
**honey will work and if you want a sweeter muffin, consider adding another 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
***I used a total of 209 grams mashed banana.
****I used Lily's Stevia Sweetened Baking Chips. Enjoy Life is another brand I frequently use.
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Yum!! These were scrumptious!
Love these so much! Easy to make and everyone in my family loves them!
Hope you’re having great weather and you’re having a fun weekend!
These are absolutely my favorite healthier muffin recipe! They turn out amazing every time!
I’ve never even thought of using pancake mix for muffins but it makes total sense! I just made them and they turned out amazing!!!
These turned out super yummy! Will definitely be making again!
Just made these and they are absolutely delish! I used kodiak cakes power mix (found your recipe on their website), semi sweet chocolate chips, and madhava coconut sugar. macro’s came to fat: 4g carbs:27g protein: 7g fiber: 2g. So easy to make. Thank you for this recipe! my husband is already calling it a breakfast staple! Haha.
Thank you so much for your comment, Darcy! I’m so glad you loved them as much as we do!
Could you use the protein Kodiak pancake mix?
Yes, I actually think that’s what I used. Enjoy!
I have made these delicious muffins several times and now the kids argue over “who ate all the muffins!”
I had difficulty finding a cupcake liner that the muffin doesn’t stick to. Now I just don’t use liners. I have read there are parchment paper cupcake liners but have not found those.
I’ve also substituted the plain kodiac pancake mix with the chocolate one and those cake out great as well. Just note that the chocolate mix has a higher sugar content.
Kim, these are a hit with the entire family and now I have shared the recipe with my co-workers.
Thank you!
I love it!! Thanks so much for your comment! I’ll definitely have to try the chocolate Kodiak Cake mix!!
Stumbled upon this recipe searching for healthy, tasty, protein dense breakfast/snacks/always options for my 2 HS swimmers. Disclosure: I can drop some heat in the kitchen: but I can.not. bake. It’s weird & upsetting. BUT, I had 2 ripe bananas & these looked so easy & fast! (and chocolate) I had to try again.
Oh SIR, it happened. Mashed my bananas right in the mixer, plopped in an egg for a turn, used the Kodiak buttermilk mix, cashew milk, honey, coconut sprayed my brownie pan (bc it’s newer & thus, not encrusted in failure) – must’ve missed the pig flying by my window bc 20mins later, HEAVEN. Sooooo good. Dense in a hearty “that’ll satisfy!” way, which is awesome. I’m so, so SO EXCITED for my girls to find these babies in their bags tomorrow morning, after 1st practice:)
THANK YOU. I’ll definitely be back for more!
I love it!! I’m so glad that they turned out great for you. I hope your daughters love them too!!
Can I omit the maple syrup?
Sure, they will just not be very sweet.
I’d love to add some peanut butter to these! Could I swap out 1/4 of the milk for peanut butter? Or could I just add the PB without any other modifications?
That’s a great idea, but I can’t say how they would turn out because I’ve never tried this before. But they would be great with a slathering of pb!
These are a staple in my house. My husband eats 2 every morning for his breakfast. I was wondering though, would these fair well being made into actual pancakes? Or to add protein how do you think adding in some plain Greek yogurt would work?
Love it! So glad your family enjoys these as much as mine does. You could totally do pancakes adding in banana and mixing in protein. This recipe may work as is with a scoop or two of protein powder mixed in. I’m not really sure of exact measurements, though, since I haven’t tried it.
These are so good! I use my silicone muffin pan and they pop right out. Love these!
So happy to hear you enjoyed! Yes, silicone muffin liners are the best!
Definitely making this!! Could I sub some of the Kodiak cakes for protein powder? Thanks!
I think it would work okay as long as you don’t sub too much protein powder. I honestly haven’t tried it, though, so I can’t say for sure. Hope you like them!
I just made these with Trader Joe’s Protein Pancake mix because I was out of Kodiak cakes and they came out great! Will definitely make again.
I also use Lanako sweetener (1/4 cup) instead of maple syrup to lower the WW points. Came out to 3 points per muffin or 2 for 5.
Thanks so much for your feedback! So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Hi Kil ! Do you think it would work with no egg at all ? Meaning just the Mix, Banana, Milk, Sweetener and chocolate or fruits (and maybe some baking powder ?)
Hi Caty! It really should work without the egg because banana can be a substitute for egg. I haven’t actually tried it, though, so I can’t say for sure. Would love your feedback if you end up giving it a try!
Could one use greek yogurt instead of almond milk, and if so any guess how much?? lol trying to use what I have on hand. Thanks!
Hi Kendra, I’m really not sure how this would work because the almond milk is so much more liquidy. Do you have any other milk product on-hand? You could try 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup water. Let us know if you try it and how it works. Good luck!
Just made these tonight as a healthy alternative to breakfasts on the go !!! They are absolutely delicious, thanks so much for sharing the recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
These were incredible! Made them this morning for my toddler and they were a hit. I used Ripple milk, added spinach which I blended with the banana milk mixture, pinch of cloves and semi sweet chocolate chunks. Thank you for sharing!
LOVE that you added spinach! So glad you guys enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to comment! 🙂
Just made these! And they look JUST like the picture! I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder to add more protein in it and they came out AMAZING!! These are delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!
So glad these came out great for you!
Hi Kim-
I adjusted this recipe a bit for high altitude. I added a little more milk, an additional egg and a little more maple syrup. They came out moist and delicious! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed and thanks for taking time to leave feedback!
Love this! By far the best muffins I’ve made! I blended some baby spinach right into the milk to add some greens. Not too sweet and the flavor is ahhhmazing! What nutrition calculator do you use? I’m having a hard time finding one that includes the Kodiac mix
SO glad you enjoyed and I love the spinach idea! I use myfitnesspal.com to calculate all nutritional info on my site.
I was wondering what you would suggest as a substitute for bananas. Maybe applesauce?
I would try applesauce or yogurt. Let us know how it works.
These were so delicious! I added plain yogurt instead of bananas. I also added Matcha powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and white chocolate chips instead of the cinnamon and milk chocolate chips.
Yay! So great to know that yogurt worked well and I love your other additions! Thanks so much for taking time to come back and comment!
Hello!
I’m not a fan of bananas and was hoping someone asked about substitutions. What kind and how much yogurt did you put in the mixture ?
Hi Krystal!
I am also not a fan of bananas I only like them in smoothies. So I just made these muffins tonight with plain Greek yogurt. There was a note above in the recipe that said 209 grams of mashed bananas were used, so I turned that into ounces (well, google did) and it’s around 7.4 so basically I just bought (2) 5.3 ounces of wegmans Greek yogurt & I used one whole container and a little less than half of the other one! I think they turned out great! I really loved these muffins! I ate 3 omg! :))
Love it!! Thanks so much for your comment and all of the feedback!
These are cooling on the counter! I subbed Sukrin gold fiber syrup and some sukrin brown sugar for sweetner, and used lily’s choc chips, a bit more, and made full size (1/4 cup measure) cupcake size. result 2 grams fat, 8 carbs, 2 weight watchers freestyle points for those who wonder. did not figure calories. Thanks for delicious recipe.
P.S. Just had one. They are so good. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you for this recipe! So delicious and easier than making numerous pancakes! They taste really good with some maple syrup poured over top!
Oh that does sound good! So glad you enjoyed!
I made these muffins and they are absolutely delicious and no too sweet, I added a bit more almond milk and they came out super moist. This will be my go to recipe to make muffins. I am assuming banana could be substituted with shredded carrots or zucchini as well.
So glad you enjoyed! Not sure about the carrots or zucchini, but please let us know if you give it a try.
Made these over the weekend and they were soo good
I did notice the muffins didn’t rise all the way to the top of the muffin pan and I filled 3/4
Maybe I did something wrong
I am thinking of trying this as a loaf. Think I should double or triple the recipe??
Hi Lauren, I’m so glad that you enjoyed the muffins. I don’t know why your muffins wouldn’t have risen. Did you use the Kodiak Cakes Mix? Was it a fairly new box? You might try adding 1 teaspoon of baking powder into the dry ingredients next time and see if that helps. I haven’t made this as a loaf, but typically a recipe that makes 12 normal-sized muffins will make 1 loaf. I don’t think you would need to double or triple the recipe. Let me know if you end up trying the loaf and how it works out.
Hi! I’d love to try these. Not a big chocolate fan. Can I use blueberries instead?
That should work great!
Hi!
so we don’t eat bananas and I need to use this mix, any suggestions for the muffin recipe without bananas?
It might work to replace the banana with applesauce or pumpkin purée. Here are two other recipes that I came across, using Kodiak Cake mix but not bananas. https://champagneistablog.com/2016/04/blueberry-protein-muffins.html and https://happilythehicks.com/cinnamon-sugar-kodiak-cakes-muffins/
So good! Tastes like dessert!! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!
This looks so good! What a great breakfast meal prep for the whole family for the week!
Love these muffins! They are absolutely delicious and I love that they are healthier! Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
They’ll keep just fine in the fridge for a week. Enjoy!
These turned out great. Thank you!
Yay! So glad to hear that!
These turned out amazing but I ended up with more than 12 muffins. I think I followed it exactly. Did you really just get 12?
Thanks,
Shelley
I filled the muffin cups pretty full, but I definitely got 12. How did they turn out?
Do you know the point value of these?
I’m sorry I’m not sure. I don’t have the ww app, but I’m sure if you do, it would be easy to figure out using the recipe builder option.
Delicious muffins! Great texture, moist and flavorful.
I followed the recipe exactly as is, using 2 very large and very ripe bananas and raw honey for the sweetener.
I divided my mix and added cranberries and walnuts to one half, and chocolate chips and walnuts to the other so I ended up with 6 of each muffin.
Will absolutely make again!
So glad you enjoyed! Love your additions! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Please show the weight watacher points for your muffin recipes, thank you
I don’t have the WW calculator, but I know that if you have the ww app it is very easy to figure out the points for recipes. Good luck!
WOW!!! Nothing better on a dreary day during quarantine than some absolutely delicious muffins. I added walnuts and they came out perfect. I already have bananas on my shopping list for the next time I venture out. Will make again and again! Stay safe everyone!
Yum! Love the addition of walnuts! So glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
This recipe is great, thanks for sharing!! I added some cacao nibs to mine. Also, I noticed that the kodiak cakes website uses your recipe but I didn’t see them credit you anywhere.
Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed, Jojo!
I made these and they are AWESOME! I’ve also made these and substituted the banana for Pure Pumpkin filling (not the type with sugar in it ) and added all spice and nuts to make pumpkin muffins, or apple sauce, chopped up apples and cinnamon to make apple cinnamon muffins. This recipe is such a good base recipe! Thank you! I
Love hearing that! I can’t wait to try the pumpkin version!
I made these today and I am new to baking and they turned out great. My 3 boys (12, 15 and 19) loved them. I used a touch of olive oil on the pan to keep the muffins from sticking. I like the suggestions of using cranberries (as a sub to chocolate chips) and applesauce (as a sub to bananas). I will try these sub next time. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! So glad your family enjoyed!
I think I am going to try this in a loaf today. Is it possible to freeze the leftovers? I’m not sure the two of us can eat all of this in a week.
Thanks! 😊
Sorry about that – I see it in your description above. Thoughts on the cook time for making a loaf.. should it be the same?
Hi Amanda,
You’ll definitely need to increase the bake time. I would follow baking instructions for this bread https://www.kimscravings.com/chocolate-chip-banana-bread/
Has anyone tried to make this as a thicker cake? I am looking for a healthier birthday smash cake for my toddler and want to make it in a 6 inch x 2 inch cake pan. Would I just extend the cook time?
Always have a batch in my freezer to pull out for a quick mid morning snack. Ran out of ripe bananas so substituted 1 cup of pumpkin purée last night- equally delicious.
Oh yum! That’s so good to know!
These turned out great! Used chocolate chunks and added a handful of walnuts to the batter when mixing in the chocolate. Also subbed about 1/4 cup whole wheat flower for the equal amount of Kodiak powder. Since my bananas were frozen, I also used slightly less almond milk. Easy and delicious!
We make these probably monthly, if not more frequently. My toddler and preschooler love them. When I’m low on banana I use applesauce. Today we used Christmas mini m&ms because my 3 yo wanted “Christmas” muffins.
Thanks for this easy and yummy recipe. The kids usually help me too and it a being simple recipe means I have fun with them instead of feeling stressed about their “help.”
So awesome! I love hearing that your family enjoys this recipe so much. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
I have made these twice in one week! My father and stepmom ended up eating half of them so I made another batch. I used sugar free maple syrup and Lilys stevia semisweet baking chips. This time I added 1 scoop of oatmeal cookie protein powder and they came out sweeter, whereas before they tasted more like banana bread to me. Both are delicious!! I am doing Weight Watchers and it came out to 3 points a muffin or 2 for 5 points. These will absolutely be a staple in my kitchen and nobody can tell they are healthy. Im very happy to find this recipe and thank you! I have shared a few times over the Weight Watchers app as well.
Thank you so much for all of your feedback and sharing the recipe! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy them as much as I do!
Recipe is solid and easy canvas for your own mix-ins
So happy you liked the muffins! Thanks for leaving feedback!
These are a staple in our house! I just made a quadruple batch, using Nestlé dark chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts. I got 12 mini muffins, plus 42 regular ones out of it. So easy and so yummy 😋!
That makes me so happy to hear! I love all of your additions. Sounds delicious!
This is my favourite muffin recipe. They are so quick and easy and my kids love them. I usually double the recipe so I have extra for school lunches. Thank you for this gem!
Awesome! So happy to hear and thanks so much for taking time to comment.