Banana Protein Muffins (9g of protein!)

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 protein granola bars, 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! Love protein? Check out my dairy-free & gluten-free waffles, which have 12 grams of protein per waffle.
• Whole grains - You won't find any refined flours here - these are made with just whole grain oat flour (try my easy oat flour chocolate chip cookies if you have extra oat flour to use).
• 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 - Like my almond flour blackberry muffins, everything is mixed together in one bowl - less mess, less clean-up!

Ingredient Notes

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 Just Ingredients 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.
• 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.

How to Make

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

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

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

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

What Type of Protein Powder Should I Use?

First off, I recommend you use a quality, clean protein powder. Just Ingredients is one of my favorites, but I have heard good things about Sprout Living. A protein powder with a long ingredient list may make these too dense and dry.

I use vanilla protein powder, but an unflavored protein powder would definitely work. Or even something flavored that would compliment these, such as peanut butter protein powder. I think both plant-based and whey protein powders work great.

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.) 

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 (my healthy carrot flaxseed muffins also freeze great). 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.