Flourless Banana Protein Muffins

These flourless Banana Protein Muffins are the easiest healthy dessert ever. Made with protein powder and no flour, they satisfy your sweet tooth without guilt. Moist and delicious!

Can I add protein powder to muffins?

Wait, wait, wait…let me be the one asking “why aren’t you adding protein powder to muffins?!”

Protein powder is a fantastic ingredient for baking. From protein brownies to oatmeal protein cookies, I love adding it to my recipes and make my desserts more macro-friendly.

Since I started making my own, I haven’t bought any protein snack anymore. First, it’s much more affordable and second, it much healthier. If you’ve ever got any protein dessert from the grocery store, you probably already know what I’m referring to. Most of those products are a real scam. They are ridiculously expensive, full of nasty ingredients and – let’s face it – not that high in protein.

But this is a thing of the past, because now you are about to learn how to make protein muffins at home. Not with flour, but with protein powder instead!

The ingredients

Here is all you need to make high protein muffins with no flour. You can find all the replacement options in the next section.

• Egg: a large fresh egg is what you should be looking for – I do not recommend replacing the egg with egg whites.
• Bananas: for the best result use large ripe bananas.
• Protein powder: although any type works, I suggest vegan protein powders or casein. With whey, your banana protein muffins will come out slightly dry.
• Peanut butter: opt for creamy peanut butter, without added sugar or oil if possible (keep on reading for the replacements).
• Milk of choice: only if it is necessary, you can use either dairy or dairy-free milk.
• Baking powder: this makes the flourless muffins rise.
• Chocolate chips: (sugar-free) dark chocolate chips are better because they contain less (or no) sugar.

Best bananas for protein muffin recipe

One of the secret for making the best protein muffins is to use the right bananas. For sweeter and moister muffins, they should be nicely ripe (not yellow). Here’s a quick trick to see if your bananas are ripe enough: check their peel and texture. First, they should be brownish or at least have brown spots all over their skin. Second, they must be soft to the touch.

Substitutions

• Egg: if you want to make vegan banana protein muffins, substitute the egg with one flaxseed egg or chia egg. Do not replace with egg whites alone.
• Bananas: well, as this is a banana muffin recipe, replacing the banana is quite pointless. But still, as an alternative you are free to use about 1 cup of applesauce.
• Protein powder: if you don’t have it, replace with almond flour or oat flour. However, keep in mind that your muffins won’t be high protein anymore.
• Peanut butter: substitute with any nut butter of your choice (such as almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter). Use sunflower seed butter or tahini if you are allergic to nuts.
• Chocolate chips: use chocolate chunks or omit if you wish.

Protein muffin variations

These are chocolate chip protein muffins, an unbeatable classic. But still, if you want something fancier here are a couple of recipe variations to try.

• Banana bread – Simply add ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and some chopped walnuts, if you desire.
• Blueberry – Fold through a generous amount of juicy blueberries.
• Coconut – Add a couple tablespoons of shredded coconut, the perfect match with bananas and chocolate chips.
• Apple cinnamon – Replace the bananas with about 1 cup of applesauce, add ground cinnamon and fold though some apple chunks.
• Walnuts or almonds – Add a handful of chopped nuts for some crunchiness.

Best protein powder for baking

From whey to soy, these flourless protein muffins can be prepared with any type of protein powder. However, for a soft and moist dessert I suggest vegan protein powder or casein. Differently from whey, those options do not dry when exposed to the heat and give your baked goods a good texture. If you use whey protein, instead, your muffins will come out pretty dry.

For this recipe I recommend picking a simple protein powder flavor – vanilla and chocolate are my favorite. Other more elaborate flavors instead may taste fake and artificial.

How to make banana protein muffins?

Step 1: Combine the moist ingredients. In a large bowl, start by mashing the ripe bananas. When mashed, add in the egg, the peanut butter and whisk well until everything is well combined.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Sift into the banana mixture your protein powder and the baking powder, then whisk until you get a smooth muffin batter. But make sure you do not over-mix. Based on the type of protein powder used, you may need to adjust with up to 2 tablespoons of milk if the batter is too dry – this is usually the case for casein or vegan protein powder. Finally, fold through the chocolate chips.

Step 3: Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and top with more chocolate chips, if you desire. Bake in hot oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool over a baking rack before serving.

How to store flourless protein muffins?

After baking, allow the muffins to cool and place any leftover in an airtight food container or ziplock bag. Refrigerate for a maximum of 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. When you want to serve them, reheat the banana protein muffins for a couple of minutes in hot oven.

Serving ideas

What if you could eat dessert whenever you want? In the literal sense.

Well, it is now possible with these flourless protein brownies. As they are so healthy and nutritious, you can eat muffins everyday. As a snack, dessert or even for breakfast. And if you still need ideas, here are a couple of ways how to serve these muffins.

• With Greek yogurt and some fruit.
• Sides with a protein shake, maybe after a workout.
• With a generous spread of peanut butter.
• Dipped in your coffee or tea.
• With a drizzle of maple syrup or honey on top.
• Sided with a scoop – or two – of ice cream, vanilla is my favorite.

Recipe tips

• Use ripe bananas, overripe if you can. As they sweeter, they are perfect for a recipe without other sweeteners like this.
• For the best taste, use vanilla flavored protein powder. Also chocolate is okay, but it doesn’t truly match the recipe. If you only have unflavored protein powder, make sure to add some additional sweetener to your muffins.
• These flourless protein brownies are sweetened with bananas and flavored protein powder only. If you prefer a stronger taste, I recommend adding a couple tablespoons of maple syrup or honey.
• Do not over-mix the batter or you will spoil the texture of the protein muffins.
• Do not overbake the muffins or they will get dry and rubbery (especially if they are made with whey).

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

More protein desserts

• Low calorie protein brownies
• Moist protein banana bread
• Chocolate protein cake
• Greek yogurt protein brownies
• Greek yogurt protein cheesecake
• Fudgy flourless protein brownies
• Protein chocolate ice cream

Watch the recipe video