Easy Healthy Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins Recipe

Name: Easy Healthy Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 26 min
Cuisine: Baked Goods
Ingredients: 1 Cup Mashed Bananas (about 2 large or 3 small) (see Note 2); 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseeds + 4 Tablespoons Water (see Notes 3 and 4); 0.25 Cup Soy Milk (or any non-dairy milk); 6 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup (or use agave); 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 160 Grams All-Purpose Flour (About 1 Cup) (see Note 5); 65 Grams Plant-Based Vanilla Protein Powder (About 1/2 Cup); 0.25 Teaspoon Salt; 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder; 0.5 Teaspoon Cinnamon; 0.5 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (see Note 6); 0.5 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

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These Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins are the perfect snack or breakfast for a protein boost! They're a great way to take spotty bananas and turn them an easy bake. Mix everything up in a bowl and then plop it into your muffin tin and you'll soon have some fluffy muffins! These freeze great for meal prep too so you can have a sweet treat any time.

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Drop that loaf pan, Internet, we've got a recipe to use up those overripe bananas that's better than banana bread. Instead, why not get get both a sweet, fluffy treat and your protein at the same time? We've been looking for more ways to make a protein-packed treat and we've developed the perfect recipes.

We've got other protein bakes that we've been using for some post-workout protein. Recipes like our Microwavable Protein Mug Cake and our Vegan Protein Cookies have been awesome treats for us. But there's something magical about these muffins.

A lot of high protein recipes tend to be chalky and unpleasant and, with baked goods, quite dense. After a few trials, though, we managed to create a muffin with a fluffy texture that is also filled with gooey chocolate chips.

We think the special ingredient is the soy milk we used. Its high protein ratio produced the best results for the crumb and adds yet more grams of protein to the muffins. Of course, any non-dairy milk should work. We also think the ratio of all purpose flour to protein powder works quite well in giving the muffin an excellent crumb.

If you have a sweet tooth in the morning like I do, these make for a delicious and quick breakfast with a little extra protein than your average muffin recipes!

This muffin recipe makes for a great meal prep too. Just pop them into a freezer bag or container and then freeze them. You can then warm them up gently on a low heat in an air fryer or oven (more on that below).

So forget the protein bars, these chocolate chip banana protein muffins are the perfect mid-morning snack!

Alright, let's get baking!

Why You'll These Healthy Banana Protein Muffins

Boost of Protein: Each muffin has about 10 grams of protein and a little over 200 calories. You can have them as snacks through the day or have 2 for breakfast!
Chocolate and Banana: With lots of chocolate chips and mashed bananas forming the base, what's not to like about this classic combo?
Healthy Ingredients: These muffins offer plenty of protein, a little over 3 grams of fiber each, a good boost of carbohydrates, and some healthy fats!
Plant-Based Protein: No whey protein powder here! You'll get all that amazing protein without the cholesterol in these vegan-friendly high protein muffins.

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients for these delicious muffins the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

1 Cup Mashed Bananas (About Two Large Ones): For the best bananas, use spotty ones! You can also use about three small bananas.
2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed and 4 Tablespoons Water: We will make a flax egg out of this. If you've never made a flax egg before, mix the two ingredients together and let them chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. It should become a gelatinous texture when ready.
0.25 Cup Soy Milk
6 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup: Nice for its natural sweetness and it is unrefined as well.
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
160 Grams All-Purpose Flour (About 1 Cup)
65 Grams Plant-Based Vanilla Protein Powder (About ½ Cup of Protein Powder)
0.25 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
0.5 Teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon: Technically any cinnamon is fine! We like this one the best and find it makes a big difference in how our recipes come out.
0.5 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips, Optional: You can also use these dairy-free white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips if you'd like!
.25 to 0.5 Cup Chopped Walnuts, Optional: We sprinkled a few pieces on each muffin before baking. It adds a lovely texture and flavor to the finished muffin, however you can use other nuts or skip it!

Substitutions

Bananas: You can swap out the banana for canned pumpkin puree to make pumpkin protein muffins! Just keep in mind that bananas are sweet and pumpkin is not, so you may need to add more sugar. Additionally, pumpkin can be more watery so just make sure your batter is nice and thick.
Soy Milk: While soy milk is the best choice, you can easily use almond milk in place of it.
Maple Syrup: Agave can be used as a 1-to-1 replacement. If you prefer, you can swap in a different sugar such as brown sugar or coconut sugar, just keep in mind that these may affect the batter. Make sure the batter is thick before transferring to the muffin tins.
All Purpose Flour: If you'd like to make this recipe gluten-free, you should be able to use a gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour or King Arthur Baking Company Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. Oat flour should work as well, though the texture might not be as fluffy. Almond flour tends to need different liquid ratios, so be careful if you choose to swap this in.
Vanilla Protein Powder: Most other flavors of protein powders should work so long as they are pure powder. Any other bits will mess with the ratios of the bake. But if you want to try this with chocolate protein powder, it should be great!
Vegan Egg Replacer: As an alternative, you could try using 3 tablespoons of aquafaba. You may need to experiment and make adjustments to the recipe. Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer is also an excellent swap for the flaxseed; simply follow the instructions on the package to make TWO servings of this egg replacer.
Vegan Chocolate Chips: Feel free to omit the chocolate chips altogether if you'd like less sugar in these protein muffins. You can also use nuts in place of the chocolate chips if you'd like them mixed throughout.

How Make Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
Make the Flax Egg: If you have flaxseeds, grind in up in a spice grinder. Mix the water and ground flaxseeds in a small bowl and then let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes until it has a gelatin texture.
Peel the bananas and then add them to your large bowl. Using a fork, begin mashing them until they are liquid and have a shine to them.
Add the Wet Ingredients: Add the soy milk, flax egg, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix will with a spatula until combined.
Add the Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, protein powder, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon to the mixing bowl. Combine with a whisk, making sure to scrap the sides of the bowl at the same time as mixing to prevent over-mixing.
Fold in the Chocolate Chips: Pour in the vegan mini chocolate chips to the bowl. Using a spatula, gently mix in the chocolate.
Add Batter to Muffin Tin: If you are using a metal tin, use muffin liners to keep the muffins from getting stuck. If you use a silicon tray, Using a cookie scoop, add the muffin batter evenly to each muffin cup. It makes about 10 muffins (they're nice and tall though!) so keep that in mind when filling.
Garnish with Nuts (Optional): Take the walnut pieces and lightly press a few into the tops of the muffin batter of each muffin cup.
Bake: Add your tin to your preheated oven on the lowest rack and bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffins. The tops should be getting a nice light golden brown in some areas. Be sure to check multiple muffins and re-stick a muffin if you hit a chocolate chip as those are supposed to be liquid. Let cool for at least 30 minutes and enjoy!
Serving Suggestion: To make these more filling for a meal, serve with a drizzle of natural peanut butter or natural almond butter! The healthy fats make it more satisfying. :)

Storage Instructions

Let the muffins cool completely to room temperature and then remove them from the muffin pan. If you're refrigerating them, add them to an airtight container and keep them for up to 5 days. If you're freezing them, add them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container before adding them to the freezer. You can either thaw them or add them to an air fryer at 250 F (120 C) for about 10 minutes to make them oven hot again!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to be careful with mixing my batter?

The more you mix, the more you will develop the gluten in your batter. You want some development, but too much mixing will result in a denser, gummy texture to your bake. You also never want to over mix a batter with baking powder in it.

Can I do these without chocolate chips?

Yep! Just don't mix them in.

Could I top these with something other than walnuts?

Yes! Sliced almonds or pecans might be a good choice. You could also try some coconut shreds, too.

Is there any way to add additional protein?

You can swap a bit more protein powder for some of the flour (I'd try a quarter cup more protein powder and a quarter cup less flour) for a higher protein content. Keep in mind that this will affect the crumb of the muffins but they should still turn out fine.

Can I use whole-wheat flour?

Sure! These healthy banana muffins should work fine with whole wheat flour. You may need a touch more soy milk; just pay attention to the batter. It should be quite thick but if it looks like bread dough, you need a bit more liquid.

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