Banana Protein Muffins
Fluffy Banana Protein Muffins are the perfect healthy breakfast or snack that tastes amazing and fills you up! They’re just as moist and flavorful as classic banana muffins, but they’re packed with protein, easy to make and naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and maple syrup. This will be your new favorite banana muffin recipe with options to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
I know there’s a jillion banana muffin recipes all over the internet, but I encourage you to give this one a try – it’s bound to be your new favorite! They’re the best, most moist, incredibly delicious banana muffins you will ever find.
We love to pair them with breakfast or enjoy them as a sweet fix for snack or dessert. With just a few ingredient swaps, these muffins are lightened up, but they’re still SO delicious you’d never guess they were healthier.
Everything to LOVE about BANANA protein MUFFINs
Of all my muffin recipes, this one has quickly become my go-to and my kids request them all the time. Here’s why they’re so great:
- Super easy! There’s no need to get out an electric mixer or blender to make these muffins. All you need is a couple of bowls and about 10 minutes to prepare them and less than 20 minutes to bake. So, in less than 30 minutes you can have freshly baked banana muffins. Winning!
- Healthier ingredients. These muffins are made with simple, wholesome ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Plus, I love that they’re a great way to make use of overripe bananas! Mashed bananas and pure maple syrup naturally sweeten these muffins and make them perfectly moist without the use of butter or loads of oil.
- Tender, moist, delicious. These muffins bake up nice and fluffy with tons of flavor, thanks to the bananas! Because these are made with simple ingredients, the banana flavor really shines through.
- Kid-approved! My kids inhale muffins and they REALLY love these banana protein muffins, especially when I load them up with chocolate chips! Whatever I can do to make mornings easier at my house!
- Make ahead and freezer friendly. Mix these up and bake them the night before, and wake up to wonderfully satisfying muffins. They last 1 to 2 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 5 days stored in the fridge. They also freeze really well. Sometimes I meal prep these on Sunday and enjoy them during the week. Makes for an easy grab-n-go breakfast or snack!
Ingredients needed
Some of my favorite recipes to experiment with and make healthier are muffins and quick breads. They are so adaptable and it’s easier than you might think to make them lower in calories and fat. This banana protein muffin recipe is made with plenty of pantry staples for ease and they’re seriously some of the fluffiest muffins I’ve ever made. Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:
- Bananas. Over-ripe bananas are key for this recipe. The more ripe they are, the sweeter the muffins will taste.
- Egg. You’ll need just one egg to help with binding, give the muffins structure and ensure they bake up properly. You can also try using a flax egg, but I have not tested it.
- Maple syrup. For an extra boost of natural sweetness. Feel free to swap the maple syrup with honey.
- Oil. A small amount of oil gives these healthy banana muffins the perfect soft and moist texture. You can use any oil you’d like. If you want to use coconut oil, melt it and let it cool. Feel free to sub melted butter.
- Vanilla. A must in most any baked good for delicious flavor!
- Flour. For best results, I recommend using all-purpose flour, however whole wheat pastry flour works great too and adds some nutrients. You can also use a mix of both whole wheat flour and white flour.
- Protein powder. Swapping 1/2 cup of flour for whey protein powder gives these muffins a little boost of protein. However, feel free to just use another 1/2 cup of all-purpose or whole wheat flour instead.
- Baking essentials. This recipe uses a combination of baking powder, baking soda and salt to ensure these muffins bake up with the perfect rise and texture.
- Ground cinnamon + nutmeg. Some warm spices to make these muffins extra flavorful! If you don’t have nutmeg, you can just use more cinnamon.
- Cornstarch. This is my “secret” ingredient to make these muffins soft and tender. Cake flour is essentially regular flour with cornstarch added in, so we’re making a quick imitation cake flour for these muffins by adding in cornstarch.
How to make Banana Protein Muffins
Like most muffin recipes, these protein banana muffins are very easy to whip up! Grab your muffin pan and spray it with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper liners and let’s bake! Here’s the simple process:
For full, printable instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together mashed bananas, egg, maple syrup (or honey), oil and vanilla extract.
- Dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour, protein powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. If adding mix-ins, like chocolate chips, toss them in the flour mixture. Tossing the chocolate chips in the flour ensures they don’t sink to the bottom of the muffin.
- Combine wet mixture and dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Do NOT over-mix – a few streaks of flour are fine.
- Bake. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each one completely full and top with a few additional chocolate chips, if desired. Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, and then with muffins staying in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake muffins for 12-15 minutes more. The high heat will cause muffins to rise and then you will lower heat to cook the center of the muffin. I recommend checking muffins with a toothpick inserted in the center after about 12 minutes because mine were completely baked by 13 minutes.
- Cool + serve. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm or at room temperature — they’re even more delicious the next day!
Pro tip: If your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by wrapping them in foil and popping them in a 350°F oven for 10-15 mins!
Tips for recipe success
These banana protein muffins are super simple to make, but here are a few tips to make sure they are perfect every time!
- Measure flour correctly. Too much flour can cause muffins to be dry and crumbly. The most precise way to measure ingredients is with a food scale and I’ve listed the ingredients in grams for your convenience. If you don’t have a food scale, whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top (without shaking the measuring cup).
- Cornstarch. It is not a must to add cornstarch in this recipe, but it will yield the best results. Cornstarch softens the harsh proteins of flour, making a more tender baked good. If you don’t have cornstarch, feel free to omit.
- Do NOT over-mix batter. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together by gently folding them with a large spoon or spatula. Do not use a whisk. Over-mixing the batter can produce tough muffins.
- Big muffin tops. I learned this simple muffin trick from Sally and it’s my favorite for getting those beautiful tall muffin tops. Start the muffins baking at a high temperature of 425 degrees F. That bit of high heat will help the tops of the muffin rise up. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook the center of the muffin. Such a simple baking hack that makes such a difference to the appearance of these or any muffins.
Customize your MUFFINs
There are so many different ways to add new flavors to these muffins! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
- Chocolate. Feel free to add different types of chocolate to these muffins from white chocolate to dark chocolate. You can even use different flavored baking chips – butterscotch or peanut butter would be tasty options.
- Fruit. You can add about 1/2 cup diced strawberries or blueberries into the batter for incredible fruity flavor.
- Add-ins. Customize these muffins by stirring in other ingredients such as chopped nuts, toasted coconut, dried fruit, coconut extract or almond extract.
- Streusel topping. Try a delicious streusel topping for your muffins by mixing together 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of your muffins, then bake as directed.
Serving options
These easy banana muffins are great as a portable snack and I love them for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of nut butter. However, we most often enjoy these for breakfast and they pair well with a variety of breakfast sides. Below are some favs:
- Fresh fruit or fruit salad. To keep this breakfast on the lighter side, fruit is such a great option.
- Greek yogurt. Serve on the side or crumble your muffin over the yogurt.
- Bacon, sausage, or ham. Adds some extra protein and staying power to your meal.
- Eggs. Gives you a bit of savory to balance out the sweet muffins.
STORAGE TIPS
These banana protein muffins taste excellent straight out of the oven, but we love them even more the next day!
- To store. Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack before placing them in a storage container. Next, line the bottom of an airtight storage container with a paper towel and place the muffins in a single layer on the paper towel. Finally, top your muffins with another paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Store at room temperature for up one day and then in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat. If you’d like to enjoy your muffins warm, simply pop a muffin in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds and they will taste like they were freshly baked.
- To freeze. These muffins, like most, freeze beautifully! Individually wrap them in plastic, then place them in a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the microwave.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS FOR BAKING MUFFINS
Here’s a few of my muffin-baking essentials:
Mixing bowls – Any mixing bowls will do the trick. I love this stainless steel, nonslip mixing bowl set from Target.
Nonstick muffin pan – This is where quality matters! I was given this muffin pan from Williams Sonoma and LOVE it. I don’t have to use muffin liners and my muffins always come out so easily. As an added plus, there’s never cooked muffin left stuck to the pan, so it’s super easy to clean.
Cooling rack – I wouldn’t say a cooling rack is completely necessary, but it’s definitely nice to have one available. These allow for airflow and even cooling of your baked goods.
MORE Banana RECIPES
Looking for more ways to use up ripe bananas? Enjoy these other delicious recipes:
If you try this banana protein muffin recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Banana Protein Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 large (about 300g or 1 cup) extra ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon oil*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup protein powder, or use additional 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg , optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch , optional
- 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray or paper muffin cups and get out of all the necessary ingredients.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas with egg, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. For best results, spoon flour into cup (rather than scooping with cup) and then level using a butter knife. If adding in additional mix-in, such as chocolate chips, toss in the flour mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Don't overmix – some small streaks of flour are fine.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins filling each one completely full and top with a few additional chocolate chips, if desired. Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F. and then with muffins staying in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake muffins for 12-15 minutes more. The high heat will cause muffins to rise and then you will lower heat to cook the center of the muffin. I recommend checking muffins after about 12 minutes because mine were completely baked by 13 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Subs: Half gluten free (ancient grains) flour and half whole wheat flour, Aquafaba in place of eggs (had it in the fridge).
Conclusion: deliciously and perfectly “just sweet enough”, could use more if you prefer that, and so fluffy!!! Might eat more than 1 before my kids get home!!
Thank you!!
Thanks for your feedback! So happy you enjoyed!
This recipe is AWESOME! I had to make some changes because of what I had available so I ended up going the chocolate banana route since I only had chocolate cake flavoured protein powder available. On a whim I added some extra cocoa and a tbsp of natural peanut butter I needed to get out of my fridge. I wanted bigger domes so I put it in 10 cups instead of 12. Needless to say, any negative thing I’d have to say would be my fault, but this recipe is so fantastic even with my changes they came out DELICIOUS! Moist and sweet, these are an absolute treat and I will have to restrain myself from eating more than one at a time. I think the cornstarch thing really made a difference so if you can add cornstarch, definitely do! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!
Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so happy that they turned out great for you!
This is the best recipe! My kids and I love them so much. I also add a healthy scoop of peanut powder. Delicious 😋
So happy to hear! Thanks for your feedback!
We love these! So moist and delicious!
Where does the 1 gram of Trans Fat come from? Thanks.
I think my nutrition calculator is using vegetable oil as the “oil” listed. If you use avocado oil or olive oil, you’ll avoid trans fat.
Do you know what the cooking time might be for mini muffins? That’s all I have in terms of muffin tins
I typically bake mini muffins for 12-14 minutes at 350°F. Enjoy!
Yum! These were so delicious!
These muffins are THE BEST!! I could not stop eating them warm out of the oven!
So happy you enjoyed! I have the same problem! 🙂
Hi Kim!
I’m so excited to make these because I’m looking for ways to incorporate more protein that doesn’t require cook time or refrigeration for on the go! These seem perfect! Just wondering if you can share which protein powder you used so I don’t sacrifice the flavor? Also, is your nutritional info for mini muffins or regular size?
I like PEScience protein powder best for baking. The snickerdoodle flavor is my favorite. https://bit.ly/3oE1GkE The nutritional info is for a regular size muffin. Enjoy!
I made these, completely forgot the egg, and they were still absolutely incredible!!!
Yay! That’s good to know!
These are so good! Curious how much protein your protein powder has in 1/2 a cup so I can know if mine matches!
Glad you enjoyed! I don’t remember exactly which one I used, but if it’s the one I think, it has 50g.
Delicious. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed!
Thank you for this recipe, these muffins are delicious! What protein powder did you use? I have two different protein powders. For 1/2 cup one has 15 grams of protein and the other has 30 grams of protein. How much protein does yours have in 1/2 cup?
Hi! These look delicious, but I’m wondering how you calculated the macros? My husband and I both did our own calculations and came up with wildly different macros (much higher calories, much lower protein). Are there specific brands you used that made the difference?
This muffin recipe has recently changed a bit due to some tweaking that I did to make them tastier. Your note made me realize that the nutritional stats were never updated. They are updated now and do not include the optional chocolate chips or nuts. Hope you get a chance to give them a try!
I made these last night & they turned out delicious! I didn’t have protein powder, so I used the extra 1/2 cup of flour. Next time I’ll use the protein. I also didn’t have baking soda, so I did two teaspoons of baking powder (on a whim) and they came out just fine. I added 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips 😋 Just had one with my coffee, so tasty!!
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear. Thanks so much for your feedback too!
I had 4 bananas that I needed to use up, and just went for it. No problem at all with the baking! I also used Complement protein powder, and agave nectar instead of maple because that’s what I had on hand. I went a little scant on the nectar just because I didn’t want it to be too sweet with the extra banana. But these are super delicious! A perfect snack with coffee to get me through the afternoon slump.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
AWESOME!!!! I was looking for a banana protein muffin. Kid approved 😁EXCELLENT 😍THANK YOU
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
How many muffins does this batch make ?
12 muffins
Loved!!!
Made this today and they were delicious! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!
Can I use vanilla flavored protein?
Yes! That will work!
Can I just use protein powder instead of flour?
It would probably work, but may have a bit of a different texture. I can’t say for sure how they would turn out because I haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!
The first “protein powder” recipe I’ve done that actually works and tastes great. Please keep doing more of this type of recipe.
Yay! So glad they worked out great for you! Thanks for taking time to leave feedback!
These are yummy! I made a few changes with ingredients I had on hand: vanilla essence instead of extract (sub 2 for 1), omitted the cornstarch, added in blueberries, used walnuts on the top, used vegetable oil, a bit of extra cinnamon and GF plain flour. I also used a natural non flavoured protein by True protein. Turned out great! Highly recommend putting blueberries in.
Love the idea of adding in blueberries! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for leaving your feedback!
These muffins are wonderful. Honestly so very much better than I was expecting from a healthy muffin! They baked up with a beautiful crown, and they are moist and delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks so much for taking time to comment!! I’m so happy that you enjoyed!
This is a perfect recipe for banana muffins— I don’t think I’ll ever use another!! I had 7 very ripe bananas so I doubled the recipe. I also used lite maple syrup and Bowmar Nutrition’s Protein Frosted Cookie protein powder (using your flour/protein ratio) which added the perfect amount of sweetness in addition to the bananas. Love the oven-temp trick… these muffins turned out looking beautifully golden on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside. It’s impossible to just eat one. Thank you Kim!!
Thanks so much for your feedback!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe and it worked perfectly for you!
These were very delicious! I mixed for two batched and was able to yield 23 muffins! You are right, they rose very well with the 425 5-minute start and cooked through with the 12-minute cook on 350. I used all purpose flour and the honey for my batch (Everything else as instructed). The kids gobbled them up! They are sweet enough to entice them to eat them, yet not overly sweet to cause a bellyache if you eat two or three, LOL! I used cupcake paper for the kids and didn’t spray with oil. You lose some of the muffin when pealing so I may try spraying with oil or just skip the paper next time. I have been buying protein bars for my kids and growing tired of spending so much money and really they sometimes cause stomach upset. So, I am trying to find a snack to send to school with them that is homebaked and healthy.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. All the tips really helped too!
I’m thrilled that you (and the kiddos) enjoyed these muffins! Thanks so much for your suggestions and taking time to comment!
Kim
I’m just wondering about the nutritional macros on these. Can’t wait to make them!
Look near the recipe ingredients and you should see the nutritional breakdown. Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Wow, these were so YUMMY! I’ll definitely be making these again and again!
Banana Nut muffins were delicious! Just made a batch and wish I made 2! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks so much for your comment!
These muffins are awesome! I like my Sun Warrior vanilla protein. In a smoothie it is a little gritty but the flavor was great in these.
Just made these and yum!! They were the perfect snow day project 🙂
Thanks! Perfect for a snow day! 🙂