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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
Can you pack this to travel for a 3-4 hour ride?
Yeah for sure!! I always pack some when we go to our studio house (2 1/2 hours away) and usually forget its there until snack time : )
Thank you!! I made a triple batch, it is SO delicious and addictive! And healthy:)
Hi! Can I swap out some of the flour for more protein powder?
I haven’t tried but feel free to experiment and see!
I only have whey protein. Is there any way I can adjust the recipe to work with whey?
I never had success with whey, but it could also be the brands I used. Feel free to experiment and see.
Can I swap out some of the flour for more protein powder?
I made some minor changes to the recipe based on what I had and what I thought would make it still work for me.
It was really tasty!
Differences= 3 bananas; 2% milk, no almond flour; hearty 1/4 cup protein powder; regular brown sugar & mixed in the chocolate chips.
Yummy with a bit more protein.
best protein banana bread recipe ever!
Omg…moist, filling, flavorful! Not to mention 25gms of protein per slice! Loving this recipe and zero wasted over ripe bananas!!!!SOLD.
I have made this twice, and it is delicious. I put peanut butter between two slices and call it lunch!
This is absolutely out of this world! Made a loaf and ate it all myself! Ate it for breakfast and it kept me full a satisfied all morning. Was wonder why you always Linda pan with parchment paper instead of greasing and flouring the pan? I have a difficult time lining the pan neatly with parchment paper.
I made half a batch which gives me 6 muffins. I used spelt flour instead of APF coz that’s what I have & it turns out really moist and nice (1 cup Spelt flour minus 2 tbsp to be replaced by protein powder). I used the vanilla flavoured protein powder from PlantFusion. Used only 1 tbsp of sweetener. If batter seems dry, add in 1–2 tbsp of Greek Yogurt.
One of the best protein muffins! Thanks for e awesome recipe!
If you grease the pan and cut the corners of the parchment paper at a diagonal toward the middle of the paper it makes it easier
This recipe turned out perfect as muffins in 17 minutes! I made my own self rising flour with King Arthur GF flour + baking powder + salt, and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. They were not the moist texture that banana bread usually is, but nonetheless soft and delicious!
Love that!!!
The bread tastes amazing. I would like to have a lighter bread like your picture.
C An coconut flour substitute almond flour?
Not for this recipe, sorry!
It’s rare that I take the time to review a recipe I found on the internet but this is hands down amazing! Moist, no protein flavor, cakey, no added sugar, and no eggs, for my LO who has an egg allergy. Thank you so much for putting this delicious recipe out!!!
You are so welcome, K!
BEST protein banana bread recipe!!!!! I saw this on Instagram and knew I had to make it!
Race reviews Arman, nice work! I’d love to try it but was wondering if there’s a sub for the almond flour for an allergy friendly version? Thank you so much ☺️🫶🏻🩷
You could try sunflower seed flour!
*rave! Autocorrect is crazy 🤪
Thank you so much Arman 🙏🏻🩷 I have some pumpkin seed flour so figure it’s probably similar to sunflower seed flour so will give it a whirl!! Have a great conference 🤗💕🩷💕
Thanks, Cerys! Yes, pumpkin seed flour and sunflower seed flour is a great alternative to almond flour.
Where do the 10g of fat come from?
The almond flour 🙂
This is such a good protein banana bread. Tastes like real banana bread.
Thanks, Holly. We love it too!
Best protein banana bread recipe I’ve ever made!!! It’s just too good.
Is there a good substitute I could use instead of the vinegar? It’s the only ingredient I don’t have right now
Lemon juice or lime juice 🙂