These Banana Protein Muffins include 10 grams of protein per muffin and are made with whole grain oats instead of flour for a balanced treat! Perfectly sweet and lower in fat than standard muffins for a healthy breakfast or snack.
If you made and enjoyed my Protein Banana Bread, you’ll get a rise out of these banana protein muffins as well.
Packed with protein-rich ingredients like protein powder, egg whites, eggs, and Greek yogurt, we’re obtaining a boost of protein while enjoying our favorite muffin.
With 10 grams of protein per muffin, we’re getting more than 3x the protein than standard muffins with less fat and lower added sugar.
Whether you’re a gym enthusiast and enjoy macro-friendly treats or you’re just trying to meet a daily goal for protein intake, these muffins may just be your new jam.
For me, these muffins are the perfect level of sweetness, but you can easily add more sweetener or more chocolate chips for a sultrier treat.
In this sense, these muffins are not designed to be similar to cupcakes in decadence, but rather a mindful treat with the health benefits from complex carbohydrates, fruit, and protein.
Let’s discuss the healthy ingredients for protein muffins.
Banana Protein Muffin Ingredients:
Large Ripe Bananas: The star of the show here, ripe mashed bananas add moisture, volume, natural sweetness, and banana flavor to these healthier banana muffins.
Be sure to use bananas that have plenty of brown spots for the best results, as they will contain more moisture and more sweetness than unripe bananas.
Quick Oats: Rather than using all purpose flour, I like using oats for a good source of whole grains. Oats contain complex carbohydrates, which are slower burning than simple carbs.
This, in combination with the protein, makes the muffins a little more satiating than a higher sugar option.
For gluten-free banana muffins, use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Protein Powder: Pick your favorite kind of protein powder! Do note that you’ll be able to taste the protein powder, so select one that you love.
I use unflavored protein powders only that are also unsweetened. Goat whey protein and egg white protein powder are my favorites.
Vanilla protein powder or chocolate protein powder work great if you enjoy the flavor.
Plain Greek Yogurt: A little Greek yogurt adds moisture and protein content to the muffins. I use nonfat Greek yogurt, but you can mix this up if you’d like.
Whole Eggs and Egg Whites: Both whole eggs and egg whites serve important functions here. They leven the muffins to provide a fluffy texture and they also add protein. I select egg whites in addition to whole eggs to provide raw protein without any fat.
Granulated Sweetener of Choice: Pick your favorite granulated sweetener for these healthy muffins. I like using coconut sugar, but regular white sugar, brown sugar, or sugar-free sweetener work great too.
Avocado Oil: While we’re keeping the fat content of these muffins relatively low, we do need some for flavor. I like using avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and is a decent source of healthy fats (omega 3 fatty acids).
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla adds warm flavor to the muffins.
Baking Powder: Used as the leavening agent here, baking powder helps the muffins rise and ensures they hold together nicely when the muffin papers are peeled off.
Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Ground cinnamon gives us classic banana bread flavor due to its perfect mild spice and salt enhances flavors. Be sure to include both!
Chocolate Chips (optional): The chocolate chips are optional here, but they do make a delicious muffin! Bringing gooey texture and rich flavor, they enhance the whole experience. You can increase or decrease the amount, or omit them altogether.
Optional Customizations:
- Add ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for banana nut muffins.
- I use semisweet chocolate chips but you can also use dark chocolate chips or sugar-free chocolate chips for less sugar.
- Swap the egg whites out for 2 additional eggs if you don’t like buying cartons of egg whites.
- If you aren’t into bananas, make my Blueberry Protein Muffins.
- Swap out the oats for 1 2/3 cups of your own oat flour, whole wheat flour, or cassava flour.
- You can use vegan protein powder such as pea protein or hemp protein powder if you prefer them over animal sources.
- Replace the avocado oil with melted coconut oil or 1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds for some extra nutrition.
Now that we have the wholesome ingredients for these banana oat protein muffins covered, let’s bake a batch of muffins.
How to Make Protein Banana Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners.
Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for about 30-60 seconds, or until a flour forms.
Add in the protein powder, granulated sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt, and blend for a few more seconds to combine the rest of the dry ingredients.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl until creamy.
Add the Greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites, avocado oil, and pure vanilla extract and mix well until all of the wet ingredients are well-combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
Pour the muffin batter into the muffin pan and fill the holes ¾ of the way up. Note: this recipe makes 14 muffins, so if you have two oven-safe ramekins, use them for the extra batter and bake them at the same time as the muffins.
Bake muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown around the edges and have firmed up. A great way of testing if baked goods are fully cooked or not is to take their internal temperature.
To do so, insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the muffins and wait until the numbers stop moving. The ideal temperature range for muffins is 190 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit for the best texture.
Allow the muffins to cool completely before peeling off the muffin papers.
Store muffins in a large zip lock bag or an airtight container. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days. For longer term storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months in a large zip lock bag or freezer bag.
Turn it into a decadent treat by warming up a muffin and smearing it with peanut butter or almond butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
Nutrition Information:
When made into 14 muffins, each muffin contains 238 calories, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fat, and 10 grams of protein. For me, this is the ideal macronutrient breakdown for active individuals when fueling for (or coming out of) a training session.
For a little perspective, standard banana muffins typically contain 3 grams of protein, more sugar and more fat than this simple protein muffin recipe. That means, these tasty banana muffins contain more than 3 times more protein than regular muffins.
I calculated the macros based on using unsweetened goat whey protein powder, and coconut sugar. You can easily recalculate the macros based on the specific brands of ingredients you use.
For those who are looking for more protein, enjoy one or two muffins with some Greek yogurt for an easy breezy high-protein breakfast.
And that’s it! An easy go-to recipe for banana muffins that come with extra protein and less sugar.
The next time you have ripe bananas that need to be used up, bake up a batch of these banana protein muffins!
With simple ingredients and little fuss, these healthy protein muffins are an ideal grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
If you enjoy healthy muffin recipes like this one, also try out these reader favorites.
More Muffin Recipes:
- Peach Baked Oatmeal Muffins
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Healthy Oatmeal Carrot Cake Muffins
- Almond Flour Morning Glory Muffins
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
The perfect snack for those with a sweet tooth, these healthy banana protein muffins are a great use for overripe bananas!
Protein Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats
- 2/3 cup protein powder of choice*
- 5 Tbsp granulated sweetener of choice**
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 5 large ripe bananas mashed (about 2.5 cups)***
- 5 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners.
- Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for about 30-60 seconds, or until a flour forms. Add in the protein powder, granulated sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt, and blend for a few more seconds to combine the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl until creamy. Add the Greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites, avocado oil, and pure vanilla extract and mix well until all of the wet ingredients are well-combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour the muffin batter into the muffin pan and fill the holes ¾ of the way up. Note: this recipe makes 14 muffins, so if you have two oven-safe ramekins, use them for the extra batter and bake them at the same time as the muffins.
- Bake muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown around the edges and have firmed up. A great way of testing if baked goods are fully cooked or not is to take their internal temperature. To do so, insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the muffins and wait until the numbers stop moving. The ideal temperature range for muffins is 190 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit for the best texture.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before peeling off the muffin papers.
- Store muffins in a large zip lock bag or an airtight container. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days. For longer term storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months in a large zip lock bag or freezer bag.
Notes
Nutrition
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