Kodiak Banana Muffins

Our version of high protein Kodiak banana muffins with chocolate chips (no butter) is our favorite grab and go breakfast. Baking up fluffy in just 16 minutes it is one of our favorite overripe banana recipes we make all the time.

Ok so I have used this concept in the past when tinkering with our Bisquick Muffins where you use a boxed pancake mix instead of flour and that was great. This time I wanted a similar outcome but with a lot more protein (but still taste delicious) and we figured out the perfect timing and tweaks to share with you!

Kodiak Cakes Muffins with Greek Yogurt

I do like to substitute things when I am baking to make our baked goods as fluffy and moist as humanly possible. One easy swap is to eliminate butter and use other ingredients instead. I do this all the time with our Libbys Pumpkin Muffins and using Greek yogurt in this case achieved the same delicious result!

This boxed mix and thick dairy product is a great way to tweak the traditional breakfast to add a lot more protein but still come out super moist and fluffy.

Kodiak Banana Muffins Ingredients

The best way to start this is to use an alternative to flour like we did here with Kodiak pancake mix which offers very little to no protein or nutrition you will use Kodiak power cakes dry mix.

To take things further I used 20g Greek yogurt (vanilla) instead of the melted butter which means lower fat, higher protein, and makes them moister too!! Want another option other than yogurt? Use pumpkin puree like we did with our Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe.

Milk, whole or 2% is best for moisture. I like to use Fairlife because it is lower in sugar but higher in protein.

Egg will help to thicken the moisture and allow them to become fluffy. I like to whisk it before combining with other ingredients ideally.

A bit of brown sugar will sweeten things up a bit with vanilla. You could certainly use a Splenda 1:1 sugar-free alternative if need be.

1 WW Point Muffins (Option)

For this you are going to use simpler ingredients. You will want to mash 3 bananas, whisk with 3 large eggs and 1 cup of Kodiak Power Cakes mix to make the batter. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full and bake at 350 for 17 minutes.

Crumb Topping (Option)

In this case I was focusing on high protein and as nutritious as possible but if you wanted to add a bit of wow you could certainly go a step further with a sprinkle of Crumb Topping for Muffins too.

Made with Chocolate Chips

You can see here we opted for about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you were watching your sugars or calories you might want to leave those out. If you like a bit of texture some like to add crushed walnuts (same amount) or dried fruit like raisins or Craisins would add some nutrition and texture too.

If you wanted a version of our Cake Mix Blueberry Muffins with fruit I would opt for fresh berries as frozen will release water when they defrost and will weigh it down so they will become more dense.

Can you add protein powder?

The two alterations I did already added about 10 grams of protein with the Greek yogurt vs. butter (plus eliminating most of that fat) and using Fairlife milk vs. “regular” adds another 5 grams or so to the batter. If you wanted to continue on with this trend you could add 1/2 scoop of plain protein powder too. I feel like this gives them a bit of an aftertaste so I prefer not to go that route but is an option.

How Long to Bake Kodiak Banana Muffins

Regular sized (at 375) like you see here is ideal at 16-18 minutes. I opt for the lesser amount because they will continue to firm up as they sit but timing will vary depending on where your rack is (should be in the middle) and some ovens vary a bit.

Jumbo Muffins takes the longest obviously at close to 23 minutes or so. You can only make half the amount because of their increased size but I would still use the same temperature.

If you want to make Muffin Tops it will take about 20 minutes but you need a different pan for these. It basically looks like a sheet pan with round divots on it. A fun way for sure, especially for kids.

How Long to Bake Mini Muffins is the fastest at about 10 minutes and super fun for little hands for sure.

What is the best temperature to bake muffins?

If you looked at the back of the box they do have a recipe you can follow. It is okay, but we made it better!! The best temperature for baking muffins so they rise as much as possible is 375F. 350 will produce more of a flat top and takes longer. I prefer a bit hotter, for less time to reach the ideal texture and look.

How do you know when muffins are done?

I do not recommend the toothpick test personally. I think a lot of times they are baked too long and come out dry. Instead use your fingertip. Open the oven once they are golden brown on the top and gently touch the center of one of them. If it sinks, it needs another 2 minutes (check again). If it springs back they are done and should be removed immediately.

Should you cool muffins in the pan?

NO, don’t do that, they will dry out!! The pan is still really hot and if you checked accurately you already know they are done. Instead once you take them out scoop each one out and transfer on to a metal cooling rack. I mean you can enjoy immediately too but they will be hot. Cooling out of the pan will keep them as tender and moist as possible.