Our easy protein banana bread cottage cheese loaf is the best overripe bananas recipe for breakfast or dessert! Not only does this loaf have high protein but also it comes out super moist and your kids probably won’t even know the difference. 😉
Yes we make our 4 ingredient banana bread pretty often but when I want to make this from scratch this is my go to recipe! Yes I love that it adds more protein but more than that I think the texture is so much better and almost melts in your mouth with the added moisture.
There are a few options I will share with you whether you want it super high protein or just want to add a bit more nutrition to this Old Fashioned dish. I love baking with ripe bananas because I hate to waste them and they add a natural sweet flavor to any dish.
I am not just talking about adding protein powder either, that isn’t my favorite way to make this. Rather I prefer using ingredients that add moisture like Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (and my kids don’t even know it’s in there).
Ingredients in Protein Banana Bread
Ok so we are going to start with the dry ingredients, you will need all purpose flour, some baking powder and baking soda to allow it to rise to fluffy and light. Remember to measure flour properly or it will be heavy and dense.
Then in another bowl you would want to mash your ripe bananas and combine with your eggs, melted (and cooled) butter and white granulated sugar to make sweeter. If you needed a sugar-free version Splenda makes a great baking alternative that you use 1:1 instead.
In this case to add protein, a bit more moisture (and a bit of fat) we are going to add cottage cheese. It is best to blend in a food processor or blender to smooth so the texture is better and not chunky.
High Protein Banana Bread (option)
If you wanted to add even more protein there are 2 options for that. You can do both or one of the two. You could add 1/2 scoop of your favorite protein powder and/or use a high protein Greek yogurt for half of the cottage cheese and blend together.
Variations
If you needed to make this dairy free you could. The only difference would be to use a vegan plant based butter product. I have done this in the past and it works as a great substitute however it isn’t salted so I add another pinch in the batter in that case.
Another win is you could add 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chops and/or chopped nuts (walnuts are best). We do this with our banana bread with mayonnaise and it is killer.
How Long to Bake Protein Banana Bread
In a regular 9×5″ loaf pan at 350F. you will need 50-55 minutes in my oven on the middle rack. There is a bit of variation and some need up to 1 hour but I realllllly try to make sure it doesn’t dry out (and you should be careful of that too).
How do you know when it’s done?
Wait until minute 50 and then pay close attention. Don’t open the oven and check until the top is a deep golden brown like you see below first off. The top should be cracking and do NOT wait until the toothpick comes out dry, that is too long. Instead there should be moist crumbs attached when removed, that means it is still super moist.
Protein Banana Bread Muffins
If you would rather make these faster you can. Use the same batter in a muffin pan lined with paper liners or sprayed with non stick spray. Fill 3/4 of the way full and they will bake to fluffy in 16-18 minutes. When touched gently in the center they should spring back letting you know they are done, remove and set on a wire rack to cool.
Protein Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
- 2 bowls
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Parchment paper
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×5" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a blender or food processor pulse the cottage cheese until it is smooth. In a bowl mash the ripe bananas, then add your smooth cottage cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs and melted (cooled) butter. Combine.
- In another bowl combine dry ingredients and then slowly combine into your wet ingredients until combined. If you wanted to add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and/or crushed nuts you could do so now.
- Pour batter into lined loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, lift out with sides of the paper and cool rest of the way on a cooling rack.
Notes
How to Add More Protein
You can use half cottage cheese listed with half high protein Greek yogurt to add more protein and/or add 1/2 scoop of protein powder into the dry ingredient bowl.Best way to line a loaf pan with parchment paper
In order to get it to sit inside the pan and not want to pop out, crumple your piece up in a wad. Then undo the wad and press inside the pan, it will sit still better than if you leave it flat. This will make it easier to pour the batter in!Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
