Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins Recipe

Portable and protein-packed, this banana protein muffin recipe will soon be a regular in your breakfast rotation! It’s flourless and can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free. If you want your protein muffins to be GF and DF, make sure to double check the ingredients in your protein and chocolate chips.

This recipe is similar to our flourless banana bread, but has a chocolatey touch. While I typically wake up extra early to make a fresh, warm breakfast, these banana protein muffins are a lifesaver on those busy mornings and get me out the door at least 15 minutes faster! Usually I’ll eat two for breakfast before walking my dog and heading to the gym.

How to Make Protein Muffins

First, you want to prep your ingredients. A few notes:

• Oat flour: You can easily make our own oat flour by blending rolled oats until they have a flour-like texture. Typically this take about 20 seconds.
• Sweetener: Are bananas sweet enough for you already? Then you can leave out the honey or swap it with your sweetener of choice.
• Bananas: The best bananas to bake with are overripe bananas. Ideally the peel is brown and the bananas are mushy. If you do not add enough banana, the muffins will be dry, so if in doubt add more banana.
• Protein powder: Feel free to use your protein powder of choice. I prefer whey. The protein powder will impact the texture of your muffins, so if it’s “chalky,” your muffins may end up chalky or dense.

Now that you’ve modified your ingredients to your liking, it’s time to get cooking! Preheat your oven to 350℉.

You can mix up the ingredients two ways.

Method 1: Use a blender.

I like to toss all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It’s best to mash the bananas before adding them to the blender. This will assure that everything is mixed well, and you’ll have a nice runny batter.

Method 2: Mix wet ingredients, then dry ingredients.

If you’d rather not use a blender, don’t worry! You can also mix the ingredients by hand. Mash the bananas, and then stir in the rest of the wet ingredients (eggs, applesauce, honey, vanilla). In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (oat flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder). Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth batter is formed.

Grease your muffin tin and fill the cups equally. The mixture should make 12 muffins. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

How to Store Protein Muffins

It may be hard to resist eating all the protein muffins in one sitting. But if you can, wait for them to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The muffins should keep for about 5 days.

You can also freeze them! Having muffins on hand is great for those mornings when you’re in a rush. Place the muffins in a freezer safe bag. When you want to eat one, pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and you’re good to go.

Protein Muffins FAQs

Can you add protein powder to muffins?

Yes! You can add protein powder to muffins. Typically it’ll make the muffins more dense, so make sure you have a flour to protein powder ratio of at least 3:1. You can also add protein powder to other breakfast favorites like banana pancakes.

Is whey protein good for baking?

Yes! Whey protein powder is good for baking, though other protein powders (including pea protein powder and soy protein powder) can also be used. Protein powder will absorb extra moisture, so it’s important to add enough wet ingredients so that your baked goods don’t end up dry. I’ve found that the muffin  batter should be thin, almost watery, to create moist muffins.

Can I use yellow bananas?

While overripe (brown or black) bananas are best for baking, yellow bananas can be used if that’s all you have. However, they won’t be as sweet. Take this into account when considering the flavor of your muffins and if you want to add more sweetener. If you’re baking with yellow bananas, you may want to put them in the microwave for 30 seconds before mashing them to help soften.

Does heating protein powder destroy it?

Heating or cooking with protein powder does not destroy its nutrients! Heating protein powder does denature it, meaning that the amino acids are broken down, but the amount of protein that’s ultimately digested is the same.

More Protein Packed Recipes

If you’re trying to hit a protein goal or simply want to feel fuller for longer, high-protein recipes are worth trying. Here are a few more of our favorites:

• Protein banana pancakes
• Protein overnight oats
• Egg white oatmeal
• Chocolate protein mug cake

Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins

These flourless, gluten-free muffins are an easy breakfast (or snack) that will become a favorite in your rotation!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Keyword banana muffins, chocolate muffins, protein muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 large bananas mashed
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 scoops protein powder (about 1/2 cup)
• 1½ cups oat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 dash salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350℉ and grease your muffin tin.
• Mash your bananas. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour batter evenly into the tin, filling 12 cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Notes

The muffins will turn out dry if you don’t add enough moisture. If your bananas are on the smaller side, use 3 medium-sized bananas or add more applesauce. The batter should be thin. 

The number of muffins this recipe makes can vary depending on the size of your bananas.

If you’d prefer not to use a blender, mix all wet ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and combine.