High Protein Banana Bread (12g per slice)
I am a fan of banana bread and a fan of protein and this protein-packed banana bread checks all the boxes. This bread is fluffy, moist and perfectly sweet despite being made with no added sugar, whole wheat flour, and the addition of protein powder. It tastes just like banana bread but has a whopping 13 grams of protein per slice.
This moist banana bread has a traditional banana bread taste but with the addition of whole wheat flour for a little extra protein, non-fat Greek yogurt, and vanilla whey protein powder to making a perfect way to up your protein intake.
If you’re looking for protein powder free, try my Greek Yogurt Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips. This recipe has been revised and multi kitchen tested in 2025 to reflect feedback of varying baking issues.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Less than 150 calories and 13 grams of protein per slice with no added sugar.
- Perfect use of those overripe bananas.
- Can add chocolate chips, walnuts or blueberries for flavor.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for this protein banana bread.
Bananas: the most important ingredient! For best results, make sure to use overripe bananas. It sweetens the bread and mashes well. I like mashing the banana on a cutting board prior to adding to the bowl vs. trying to mash along the side of the bowl.
Greek yogurt: I used plain non-fat Fage but any plain yogurt will work. Use dairy-free alternatives if desired. This may result in a different texture.
Maple Syrup: can also use honey but this will change the taste and texture.
Flour: a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
Coconut Oil: melted.
Protein Powder: this recipe is best with PEScience Gourmet Vanilla, use code OHSNAP to save. You can substitute a whey-casein based protein powder for a similar texture.
Variations
- For a salty nutty crunch add in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.
- Add dark chocolate chips or blueberries.
- To make this a little more decadent and rich, add in dark chocolate chips and top with maple syrup.
- Drizzle nut butter on top like peanut butter or almond butter.
How to make Protein Banana Bread (a step-by-step guide):
Step 1: preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bread pan and place a piece of parchment inside with flaps hanging on the long sides of the pan to create “handles.” This will be easier to pull the bread out once it’s baked.
Step 2: mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, vanilla whey protein powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (image 1). Whisk to fully combine (image 2).
Step 3: mix wet ingredients
In another medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: mashed overripe bananas, nonfat Greek yogurt, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and eggs (image 3). Mix to fully combine (image 4).
Step 4: combine ingredients
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (image 5) and mix until just combined (image 6). Do not over mix!
Step 5: pour batter & bake
Pour the batter into the bread pan and let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles (image 7), then bake for 50-60 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 6: cool and serve
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and letting it cool for another 30 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Expert Tip!
Room temperature ingredients work best for this recipe to ensure the bread cooks evenly!
Recipe FAQs
I have used half frozen and half fresh and it took my bread close to 80 minutes to bake due to the added moisture from the frozen bananas. I would highly suggest using all fresh bananas so you do not risk burning the tops to make up for the moisture.
I’d instead make my greek yogurt banana bread. It’s very similar to this recipe without protein powder.
Nuts: You can easily add ½ cup of nuts of choice into your bread! Almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans!
Spiced: Nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and all-spice are great spices you can add to your bread!
The bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days and does not need to be in a container. You can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
To freeze, tightly wrap in plastic, then in foil. It will last up to 3 months. To defrost, leave on the counter for 1 day. Slice and enjoy or heat in the microwave or toaster oven to your liking.
Check out some of our other easy recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Protein Banana Bread
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 76g
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 76g
- 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (PEScience) 93g
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 overripe bananas, mashed 500g
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt 112g, room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 50 ml
- 1/4 cup maple syrup 80 ml
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bread pan and place a piece of parchment inside with flaps hanging on the long sides of the pan to create “handles.” This will be easier to pull the bread out once it’s baked.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, vanilla whey protein powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: mashed overripe bananas, nonfat Greek yogurt, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix!
- Pour the batter into the bread pan and let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles, then bake for 50-60 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. *Additional baking notes below*
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and letting it cool for another 30 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts are an estimate and will change with any substitutions.
- The recommended protein powder is PEScience gourmet vanilla (code OHSNAP to save) for the best taste and texture. Using others will result in varying results.
- * Fresh ripe bananas are preferred. Frozen will lengthen your bake time and you will risk the top cooking faster than the inside. When I use half frozen, half fresh it takes around 80 minutes to fully bake.
I followed this recipe exactly except I subbed gluten free flour. I’ve never had a problem with other recipes doing this. I could tell after mixing the batter that it was way too liquidy. My chocolate chips all sank to the bottom and my edges are way too crisp:/ still tastes okay but not sure what happened with the liquids. Any recommendations for making this gluten free if the whole wheat flour really matters that much?
Great recipe. I made with unflavored whey isolate protein powder and added a few drops of liquid stevia to make up for the lack of added sweetness from vanilla protein powder. Also made into muffins because I halved the recipe based on the amount of bananas I had (so I knew it wouldn’t fill a loaf pan well). Less cook time was required, as you’d expect. The end result was not overly sweet (I like this!). They were also surprisingly light/fluffy – they don’t look dense like the photos from the original recipe but I’m guessing that’s due to the protein powder I used. Especially delicious when served warm. Will be making this again!
I used reg self rising flour, didn’t add baking soda or powder, and used plant based protein powder. Came out great!! Also baked in muffin tins and only had to bake for 20 mins! Made 12 muffins and had batter left for probably 10 more. Not as sweet as I am used to for banana bread but that’s expected because it’s healthy! Still yummy!
The banana bread turned out great. It was fluffy but still moist and had a very good taste, thank you Danielle!
I had some frozen bananas laying around in the freezer. Fortunately after thawed it’s 400 g. Two substitutions were made; coconut milk in place of applesauce, and chocolate mint whey protein in place of vanilla protein. The batter was in the sweet spot between being dense and fluffy. I made two mistakes, not using parchment paper nor a silicone loaf pan. It got stuck in the pan. It came out perfect for pre-workout or late night cravings. Thanks God all these flavours merged into something delicious.
Thank you 😊 🙏🏼
Followed the instructions to a T and the inside never cooked! I left it in there for 90 mins and the outside just got more and more brown and the inside stayed raw. Had to throw it out 🙁
Oh no, what a bummer!! Covering with foil helps to keep it from browning faster than baking but I’ve had people in the comments have to reduce the recommended bake time for their oven so it sounds to me like our ovens vary quite a bit because mine would be way overcooked after 90 minutes.
Followed the instructions to a T, using ON vanilla ice cream protein powder and a bit of chocolate.
Only difference I made was length of baking – 45min instead of 60, and I’m glad I did because it would have been way overcooked otherwise.
Taste and texture are very nice, thank you for this recipe !
Different protein powders can definitely change the bake time. So glad you knew to bake a little less and that it turned out great.
Hi! Can I use regular unflavored protein powder? If so what changes would need to be made to the recipe? It looks delicious honestly!!!
Vanilla adds a TON of flavor and sweetness so it would change it a lot using unflavored.
Made this yesterday (used PE Science’s Cake Pop protein powder). Added chocolate chips to the top before baking. It was SO good. Even my 11 year old, who had a friend over, wanted to try it. When I told him it was “protein banana bread” he rolled his eyes at me 😂 and said “I probably won’t like it”. Yeah. He and his friend each ended up eating a full slice LOL. I’ll be making this regularly, I’m sure!!
I just made this. It turned out perfect. The top did brown a little, but didn’t taste burnt. I didn’t use the tinfoil method either.
The banana bread came out juicy and not dry.
Ps: I love how the grams are shown.
This recipe was ok but not great. I made exactly as instructed in the recipe – the outside was burned (I used foil), the inside was kind of dry, and all the chocolate chips and nuts sank to the bottom. It barely tasted like bananas. It was edible but not enjoyable to eat.
I have attempted this recipe twice using gluten free flour and collagen protein powder and both times it is pure mush in the center. I baked it 30 mins longer than suggested and the center is still not done. The second time I even increased the protein powder to absorb more of the liquid/moisture but the result was still mush. It does not hold shape. It collapses once taken out of the oven.
Lots of wasted time and expensive ingredients.
You are using two ingredients the recipe doesn’t call for. This bread is made with whole wheat flour and whey protein powder. Collagen protein powder will bake completely different than a whey protein powder. Changing the ingredients that drastically is bound to have a completely different outcome than the written recipe.
My thoughts exactly. If you don’t follow the recipe and it doesn’t turn out, that’s not because there’s a problem with the recipe.
Gluten free flour also does not cook the same as regular flour in most recipes. I did gluten free for a year and I had to look up different recipes because it’s not equal.
Love this higher protein alternative! Grandmas recipe isn’t the healthiest 😂 so for times I want lower calorie, higher protein option this is perfect. Husband and toddler approved too!
Incredible! I have made it multiple times and it is great! All of her recipes are amazing!
Does it matter if I use a plant based protein powder instead of a whey based one?
It may change the taste and texture.
Turned out delicious! Thank you! Hubby loved it! I use vanilla premier protein powder, regular flour and butter in place of the applesauce with Greek God Honey and Vanilla Greek yogurt.
This was incredible! So delicious and moist. I will definitely be making this again.