Easy & delicious banana protein muffins with 9 grams of protein per muffin and ready in under 30 minutes! Made with oat flour and naturally sweetened. Great for breakfast, a post-workout treat, or mid-afternoon snack.

Stacked banana protein muffins with chocolate chips on a small rectangular wire colling rack.

I've said it before, but muffins are one of my favorite things to food prep! They are great for breakfast and I just love putting them in my girls' lunches instead of a sandwich. It's much easier to control the ingredients that way, and I love that these banana protein muffins have way more protein than a typical sandwich.

Adding in extra protein in your diet is always a good idea. And if you're in need of some more delicious protein recipes, you should try my chocolate protein pancakes, protein overnight oats, no-bake protein bars, or chocolate protein bread.

Why You'll Love These Protein Muffins

9 grams of protein - Yep, you read that right... these muffins have 9 grams of protein per muffin!
Whole grains - You won't find any refined flours here - these are made with just whole grain oat flour.
Naturally sweetened - Just a little bit of pure maple syrup is all you need to sweeten these banana protein muffins.
Gluten free, dairy free, oil free - These muffins are full of healthy, real food ingredients, and are free from gluten, dairy, and oil.
One bowl - Everything is mixed together in one bowl - less mess, less clean-up!

Ingredient Notes

Labeled ingredients for banana protein muffins.

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific notes to help with selecting ingredients.

Oat flour - I prefer to make my own oat flour, but you can use store bought as well. If you need these muffins to be gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour. While oats are naturally gluten free, they can become contaminated with gluten during processing, so if gluten sensitive, or celiac, make sure you use certified gluten free oat flour. I also recommend organic due to the high amount of glyphosate used on oats.
Vanilla protein powder - I really like Truvani vanilla protein, as it's a truly clean protein and doesn't have a weird texture or after taste. That said, you can use any vanilla, or even unflavored, protein powder. Plant-based protein powder is recommended.
Peanut butter - Be sure to use natural peanut butter (ingredients should be just peanuts, or peanuts and salt) and make sure it's drippy and not the compact peanut butter from the bottom of the jar.
Chocolate chips - If needing these muffins to be dairy free, be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips. I recommend chocolate chips that have no more than chocolate liquor/chocolate/cocoa powder, cane sugar, and cocoa butter. Brands that are Fair Trade certified and/or organic are even better! Equal Exchange and 365 Brand are great options.

Substitutions & Additions

Oat flour. If you don't have oat flour on hand, you can use white whole wheat flour (if you don't need these to be gluten free) or a 1:1 gluten free flour.

Chocolate chips. I love the added sweetness and flavor from the chocolate chips (and so do my girls), but these can easily be omitted if you don't want the added sugar.

Add in some nuts. Walnuts or pecans would be a great choice.

Nut free. This recipe does call for peanut butter, so if you're needing this recipe to be nut free, you can replace the peanut butter with a no-added sugar sun butter or melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil. Just know if you replace with oil, there will be less protein in these muffins.

Vegan. I have not tested this, but you should easily be able to use flax eggs in place of the eggs (just know the protein content will be slightly less) and be sure to use a vegan protein powder.

How to Make

Wet ingredients for muffins mixed together in a glass mixing bowl with a wire whisk.

Step 1: Whisk the mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl.

Banana protein muffin batter in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon in the bowl.

Step 2: Add the oat flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Banana protein muffin batter in a glass mixing bowl with chocolate chips mixed in the batter.

Step 3: Fold the chocolate chips into the muffin batter.

Baked banana protein muffins in a muffin tin.

Step 4: Evenly divide batter between 9 prepared muffin cavities and bake at 350-degrees F for 14-16 minutes.

Tips for the Best Muffins

Use previously frozen bananas. Previously frozen bananas provide more natural sweetness as well as moisture to these muffins. I always throw my brown bananas from the counter straight into the freezer so I have lots when it comes time for baking. You can thaw at room temp, or put on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes to thaw.
Use a quality, clean, plant-based protein powder. I have only made these with a plant-based protein. Truvani is my favorite, but I have heard good things about Sprout Living. A whey protein powder may make these too dense and dry and I have not tested these with a whey protein, so I recommend a plant-based protein powder.
Use room temperature eggs. For the best texture, eggs should be room temperature.
For a pretty bakery style muffin, sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top before baking.

Banana muffins with chocolate chips on a rectangular cooling rack with paper liner pulled from corner muffin.

What Type of Protein Powder Should I Use?

I have only tested this recipe with a plant-based protein powder. A whey protein powder may make these muffins too dense and dry, so I recommend you stick with a plant-based one.

Truvani is my favorite, but I have heard good things about Sprout Living (although I haven't tried this one). I also think Garden of Life is a good choice (plus this one has added nutrients, which is nice). I use vanilla protein, but an unflavored protein powder would definitely also work.

Clean food tip: Whichever protein powder you use, look for one that is organic (to ensure there are no synthetic pesticides or GMO ingredients), is low in added sugars, doesn't have artificial flavors (or "natural flavors" if you can avoid it), and is free of soy protein concentrate or isolate. Most protein powders will have stevia leaf (okay if actually stevia "leaf") and/or artificial sweeteners such as erythritol (in minimal doses it's okay and make sure it's organic.)

Banana muffins with chocolate chips with the paper peeled and a bite taken from it with additional muffins in the background.

How to Store

To store: Allow muffins to completely cool and then transfer to an air-tight storage container. They will stay fresh on the counter for 2-3 days, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days (and quickly heat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to warm them back up).

To freeze: Place cooled muffins in a freezer safe container (Stasher bags are my favorite) and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours, or place in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed to your liking.

More Muffin Recipes to Try!

If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!

Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara

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Banana Protein Muffins (9g of protein!)