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This protein banana bread is moist and fluffy, and it’s made in just one bowl. Each slice packs over 25 grams of protein!
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Adding protein powder to desserts and baked goods is one of my favorite things, and my high-protein banana bread recipe is a winner! I tested it thousands of times to make sure it looked and tasted like banana bread, but it had protein powder added (trust me on this… my family members are SO picky).
It’s moist, fluffy, and has a gorgeous, tender crumb. Thanks to the whey protein powder and almond flour, each slice packs 25 grams of protein. It makes a fabulous post-workout snack or wholesome dessert you can feel good about eating.
If you love high-protein baked goods, try my protein cookies, protein muffins, and protein donuts next.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“SO MOIST LOVE IT. Did the tip of adding more protein powder and less flour work perfectly. I love that I can change the protein powder flavor! I also added semi-sweet chocolate chips cause … yum! Love this recipe.” – Gina
Key Ingredients
- Ripe bananas. Overripe bananas are a must, as they make the bread extra moist and sweet.
- Milk of choice. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will work.
- Vinegar. White or apple cider. This reacts with the self-rising flour to give the bread some rise and fluffiness.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good banana bread.
- Self-rising flour. Skip the expensive pre-made blends and make your own (it’s just all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder). I tested this recipe with oat flour and found the loaf to be a little too dry for my liking.
- Almond flour. Blanched almond flour, not almond meal. The latter will yield a dense and doughy loaf instead of a fluffy one.
- Protein powder. I like using a vanilla-flavored protein powder, but unflavored works. Brown rice protein powder or casein protein powder is the best protein blend for baking.
- Sugar or alternative. White, brown, coconut sugar, or sugar-free options, like a brown sugar substitute. You can use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, but reduce the amount by half.
How to make protein banana bread
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Next, add the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter remains.
Step 2- Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean from the middle.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not overbake the banana bread, as it will continue to bake as it cools down. Once a toothpick comes out mostly clean, it’s ready to be removed from the oven.
- If your banana bread browns too quickly, cover the top with tin foil after 15-20 minutes. This might not happen to you; it all depends on the brand of protein powder and how your oven bakes things.
- Make banana protein muffins. Simply bake it in muffin liners and reduce the cooking time to 18 minutes.
- Feel free to fold through fun mix-ins to change up the texture. Try walnuts, pecans, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter, nut butter, white chocolate chips, or even dried fruit.
If you tried this Protein Banana Bread recipe or any other recipe on The Big Man’s World, please rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below. It really helps others thinking of making the recipe.
Protein Banana Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas mashed
- 1 cup milk I used unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon vinegar apple cider or white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups self rising flour * See notes
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup protein powder ** See notes
- 1/2 cup brown sugar substitute or any sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed bananas, milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gently add the self rising flour, almond flour, protein powder, sugar of choice, and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the batter to the lined pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool completely, before removing from the pan and slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
While a classic loaf of banana bread contains some protein, it is not enough to be classified as a high-protein food.
My protein banana bread has at least 18 grams of protein per slice. Adding walnuts or almonds on top will add even more protein.
This banana bread is gluten-free if you use gluten-free self-rising flour (as Dove Farms).
More protein powder recipes
- Protein brownies
- Protein mug cake
- Protein granola
- Protein granola bars
- Protein cupcakes
- Or any of my recipes with protein powder
Originally published February 2022, updated May 2025
The best protein banana bread recipe ever.
What flavor protein powder I use?
Plain or vanilla is best, but feel free to use other flavors too- your banana bread will just taste a little like that 🙂
Just curious did you include the chocolate in your calorie math? Thanks!
We didn’t, as they are optional 🙂
This protein banana bread is really delicious and super easy to make. Moist and fluffy is definitely an accurate description! Just recently discovered your website and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
This protein banana bread is really delicious and super easy to make. Moist and fluffy is definitely an accurate description! Just recently discovered your website and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
What if I want to add an egg or two? What will happen / what should I substitute out to fit them in?
I think adding eggs won’t affect the texture too much, you just risk the batter being a little more gummy (but not in a bad way!).
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!!!
Question, is cake flour or pastry flour the same as self rising flour?
Can I substitute the protein powder for the collagen peptide powder?
You could try!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! It came out super moist and very tasty. I used vanilla whey protein powder and for the flour – 1 c white and 1 c whole wheat, using your recipe for self rising flour (thanks for including the link to that in this recipe!). Will be making this again soon.
I’m not a seasoned baker so I wish you could’ve explained the self-rising flour part. Made my whole thing without baking powder and it ruined my day 🙁
The BEST banana bread we’ve ever tasted! I even used Whey Protein! I simply added an extra very ripe, I mean mushy brown, banana and it came out perfectly moist. We’ve made this twice in two weeks.
Can I add regular milk instead of almond milk?
absolutely!
Amazing banana bread! We replaced the almond flour with half coconut flour and extra milk and it still tasted delicious! Great recipe 🙂
Can you eliminate the almond flour??
You can replace it with wheat or white flour.
You can but you can’t even taste the almond flour and it doesn’t make it gritty.
For normal poeple
240ml Milk
1 tablespoon Vinegar
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
240g Flour
1 tablespoon Baking powder
50g Almond flour
30g Protein Powder
100g Surag substitute
85g Chocolate chips
Love it! Thank you so much, it’s all about the grams for baking 😀
Haha normal! At least he doesn’t use ounces 😀 Thanks though, I don’t mind cups but grams is even better, and uses less dishes!
Can I swap out the rice protein for whey protein isolate?
You can try and see