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My chocolate banana protein muffins will help you increase your protein intake without protein powder! Learn how to make muffins more protein dense with the tips in this recipe. The base recipe tastes just like regular cakey chocolate muffins, and I’ll teach you how to transform them into high protein muffins without protein powder if you’d prefer. Add them as part of a fast, easy, and healthy meal prep!
Hello, hello! Are you looking to start the morning off with a bit more protein? If so, this banana chocolate protein muffins recipe can help.
Many of us choose items like sugary cereals and pastries in the morning. These items might be tasty and convenient, but they are typically low in protein.
As a result, you may notice that breakfast tends not to be as filling as other meals. I know that when I don’t eat enough protein in the morning, I’m more likely to be reaching for mid-morning snacks.
Eggs are a super way to get more protein in, but sometimes I need to eat something that is grab-and-go. That is where these chocolate protein banana muffins come in. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!
🍌 Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make these delicious protein muffins:
- 90 grams all-purpose flour (about ¾ cup)
- 63 grams Kodiak Cakes pancake mix (about ½ cup)
- 40 grams cocoa powder (about ½ cup; I used dark cocoa powder but regular cocoa powder works well too)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup cinnamon applesauce
- 1 cup mashed banana (ripe)
- ¼ cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips (divided)
- Cooking oil spray
Get a printable recipe card below!
I highly recommend weighing the dry ingredients for the best and most consistent results with this recipe. That said, I know we love our volume measurements in the US, so I am providing them too. If the recipe consistency isn’t quite right using your measuring cups, I recommend breaking out the food scale next time.
The banana you use will have an impact on both the moistness of the muffin and the cooking time. If your mashed banana is very watery, you may need to bake your muffin a little longer. Frozen and thawed overripe bananas tend to be more watery than fresh mashed bananas.
If your peeled bananas are a little underripe and difficult to mash, try microwaving them for about 30 seconds. Ripe bananas that are frozen and thawed mash very easily.
You’ll also need muffin tins and muffin papers to make these. This recipe yields a big batch of 15 muffins.
Note: Kodiak mix is a pancake mix made of whole grain flour with protein isolates and concentrates. I’m calling these muffins “no protein powder” but technically the pancake mix has added powdered protein.
How to Make Higher Protein Muffins
I recommend trying the recipe below as written, then playing around with it to achieve your desired macros. There are several ways to make muffins more protein dense (i.e., more protein per calorie):
- Add more protein to each muffin: To do this, experiment with replacing all of the all purpose flour with more Kodiak mix. Use a high protein milk (such as skim milk or soy milk) instead of the almond milk I used. Egg whites are more protein dense than eggs; you can use ¼ cup egg white per large egg in recipes.
- Replace the fat with protein OR carbs: Fat is more calorie dense than protein or carbs. Thus, by making a recipe lower fat, you may also be making it more protein dense. An easy way to do that in this recipe is to swap the oil for an equal volume of applesauce.
- Lower the calories from carbs or fat: By lowering the calories from carbs or fat, the muffins end up with a higher % of calories from protein. One way to do this is to replace the brown sugar in this recipe with a 1:1 low calorie brown sugar substitute, such as brown sugar Swerve. Another option is to cut back on the amount of chocolate chips in the recipe.
🍫 How to Make Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make banana protein muffins:
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (flour, Kodiak mix, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
In a medium-size bowl, mix the wet ingredients together (oil, applesauce, banana, milk, egg, and vanilla).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine.
Gently stir in the chocolate chips, reserving a few to top the muffins.
Put muffin papers in 15 muffin tin compartments. Spray the muffin papers with cooking spray.
Divide the muffin batter evenly between the prepared muffin tin liners. The batter should not fill the papers all the way to the top, since the muffins will rise a bit. (I filled them around ¾ full.)
Top the muffins with the reserved chocolate chips. I ended up adding even more chips for the photos, but if you add too many, your muffins won’t rise properly from under all that chocolatey goodness.
Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes at 350F (177C) on a rack about one-third down from the top of the oven. Check to see if your muffin is done by sticking a toothpick into the center of it. If the toothpick comes out clean or with some crumbs stuck to it, it is done. If the toothpick comes out with wet batter on it, you’re not done baking!
After removing them from the oven, let your muffins sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. I like to let my muffins come to room temperature on a cooling rack before putting them in the fridge to chill.
Chef’s Tip
For the best taste, I highly recommend letting your muffins chill completely before eating. They’re like a delicious chocolate cupcake out of the fridge, but not nearly as good while still warm. 
Storage
These protein banana muffins are best eaten the same day. However, if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap, leftover protein muffins will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can freeze muffins in a freezer container that you’d like to keep for longer. Thaw frozen muffins in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before enjoying.
Watch How to Make It!
Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 90 grams all-purpose flour (about ¾ cup)
- 63 grams Kodiak Cakes pancake mix (about ½ cup)
- 40 grams cocoa powder (about ½ cup; I used dark cocoa powder but regular cocoa powder works well too)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup cinnamon applesauce
- 1 cup mashed banana, very ripe
- ¼ cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips (divided)
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (flour, Kodiak mix, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
- In a medium-size bowl, mix the wet ingredients together (oil, applesauce, banana, milk, egg, and vanilla).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips, reserving a few to top the muffins.
- Put muffin papers in 15 muffin tin compartments. Spray the muffin papers with cooking spray.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly between the prepared muffin tin liners. The batter should not fill the papers all the way to the top, since the muffins will rise a bit. (I filled them around ¾ full.)
- Top the muffins with the reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes at 350°F (177°C) on a rack about one-third down from the top of the oven. Check to see if your muffin is done by sticking a toothpick into the center of it. If the toothpick comes out clean or with some crumbs stuck to it, it is done.
- After taking them out of the oven, let your muffins sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. I like to let my muffins come to room temperature on a cooling rack before putting them in the fridge to chill. These are best enjoyed chilled.
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). A muffin may contain Kodiak mix, but that doesn’t mean it’s a protein-dense muffin. If you want to make sure you’re hitting your desired macros, be sure to check the nutrition information. Muffins are convenient, cheap, and tasty. However, nutritionally, most muffins are not much better than having cake for breakfast. Many muffins that you can get from the bakery section of the grocery store are 400-500 calories each (or more). They are huge and filled with ingredients like white flour and white sugar. Though they provide a lot of calories, they are lacking things like protein and fiber that will help fill you up. These are a “better for you” muffin made with some whole grains and added protein. Additionally, I used some applesauce in place of the oil to bring the added fat and calories down. If you need more fat and calories, add a spread such as peanut butter or almond butter. Here are a few more foods I like to serve with muffins:- Fresh fruit (Strawberries, blueberries, or cherries are nice)
- Cottage cheese (Store-bought or try my Low Sodium Cottage Cheese)
- Yogurt (Store-bought or try Oat Milk Yogurt or this Instant Pot Almond Milk Yogurt Recipe)
- Fruits that Start with B Bowls
Vegan Banana Protein Muffins
To make these muffins vegan, use Kodiak Cake’s plant based mix, vegan chocolate chips, and replace the egg. If you use a plant-based egg substitute (such as a flax gel “egg”), you may need to add a small amount of additional baking powder. Nutrition information is for one serving.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
👩🏻🍳 More Healthy Muffin Recipes
Want more healthy recipes for muffins? Check these out:
🍳 Other Protein Recipes
If you want more high protein breakfast recipes, don’t miss these:
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂
I admire your work, regards for all the great blog posts.
Thank you, Sheldon! I appreciate it!
This is a perfect snack for my family!
Thank you, Dennis! I hope they enjoy it.
Fantastic and simple recipe and looks delicious as well! I didn’t know you can freeze overripe bananas so that’s also a great tip! And, the video was awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! I peel and freeze the overripe bananas in snack baggies. They break down really easily when they are thawed and are easy to incorporate into recipes 🙂