Satisfy your sweet tooth with this flavorful banana bread infused with chocolatey goodness and protein. Chocolate protein banana bread is a delicious and nutritious twist on traditional banana bread. Made with whole grains, naturally sweetened, gluten free, and an option for dairy free.
Move over banana bread and make room for this chocolate protein banana bread! All the flavorful goodness of classic banana bread with added chocolate and a protein boost. Each slice has nearly 10 grams of protein!
If you have some extra bananas lying around, this recipe is for you. I love that this bread is made with 100% whole grains and minimally sweetened with natural sugar. You can definitely feel good about feeding this to yourself and your family.
And for more healthy protein rich recipes, check out these chocolate protein bars, chocolate pancakes, protein powder overnight oats, roasted garbanzo beans, dairy-free frittata, and chia overnight oats.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Whole grains - This recipe is made using oat flour, so you're getting all whole grains in this gem.
- Refined sugar free - This bread is sweetened with a little bit of coconut sugar, which is a natural sugar and is lower in the GI index (so there's a lower chance of spiking your blood sugar).
- Gluten free and dairy free friendly - Made with all gluten free and dairy free friendly ingredients.
- Great for breakfast or a snack - Just like my banana muffins and gluten-free pumpkin bead, these are perfect for an easy breakfast on the go or as an afternoon or post-workout snack.
Ingredients
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 - If needing this bread to be gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour. I prefer making my own oat flour, but you can use store bought as well.
- Tapioca starch - Used as a binder and for texture. You can use tapioca or arrowroot starch/powder.
- Apple cider vinegar - This reacts with the baking powder to help the bread rise since there isn't any gluten. You can also use fresh lemon juice.
- Coconut oil - If not dairy free, you can use melted butter.
- Cacao - I like using cacao powder as it's less processed and contains more nutrients than cocoa powder. That said, cocoa powder can also be used.
How to Make Chocolate Protein Banana Bread
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients, including the mashed banana.
- Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Step 4: Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
- Step 5: Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the ends.
- Step 6: Bake at 350-degrees F for about 50 minutes, or until a knife entered in the center comes out clean.
Allow bread to cool slightly before removing from pan. Pull on the extra parchment paper to remove the bread loaf from the pan.
Allow to fully cool before slicing. Bread will continue to set as it cools.
What is the Best Protein Powder to Use?
There are so many protein powders out there, and in my opinion, a lot of them are chalky and just taste bad. However, all protein powders should work in this recipe. If you have one that you like, I would say go with that one.
If you don't have one that you like, I highly recommend Truvani Chocolate Protein. It's made with super simple ingredients and doesn't have a lot of added junk. It also is the best tasting protein I've had.
I've also heard good things about Sprout Living protein powder (though I have not tried it) and have always been a fan of Garden of Life chocolate protein. Both are vegan protein powders. If you are looking for a whey protein, I would again recommend Garden of Life whey protein. It is made from simple, organic ingredients and they also use pasture-raised/grass-fed cows.
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
Allow bread to cool to room temperature before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 48 hours to maintain freshness. You can also store it in the fridge to extend shelf life (and quickly warm in the microwave to bring back to room temp).
The bread will also freeze well. I recommend slicing and then freezing so you can thaw by the slice when needed. This bread will stay well in the freezer for 2 months.
Expert Tips and Notes
Make sure to use very ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter they will be and the more banana flavor you will get.
Make this a double chocolate banana bread by adding 1 cup chocolate chips into the batter before baking.
Allow bread to fully cool before slicing. Oat flour baked goods are very fragile when they are still warm. Also, slice into thicker slices and then slice in half if wanting a smaller piece.
You can use store bought oat flour or make your own oat flour. I highly recommend making your own as it's much cheaper and is so easy to do.
Oats can become contaminated with gluten during processing, so make sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour if needing this to be 100% gluten free.
Recipe FAQs
Each slice has roughly 9 grams of protein, so I consider it a decent source. This bread is a great option when looking for a quick bread recipe with added nutrients and protein.
I have not tested this recipe with anything other than oat flour, so I can't guarantee a different flour will work. In addition, I add starch and apple cider vinegar to help with the overall texture since oat flour doesn't have gluten, so I'm not sure a different flour would turn out the same.
I have not tried making this recipe into muffins, but I would imagine it would work just fine. To do so, line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups and bake at 350-degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.
Chocolate Protein Banana Bread
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Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 9x5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour (certified gluten free if needed)
- ¼ cup chocolate protein powder
- 2 tbsp. cacao powder
- 2 tbsp. tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- ½ cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs room temp
- ¼ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy will work)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment. Make sure there is extra parchment paper hanging over the ends. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oat flour, protein powder, cacao powder, starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, eggs, and milk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 48-53 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
- Pull on the excess parchment paper to remove. Allow to fully cool, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Using room temp eggs helps the bread to rise. If your eggs aren't room temp, you can run them under hot water for about a minute.
- Slice bread into thick slices and then cut in half if wanting smaller pieces. Oat flour bread is more fragile than regular wheat breads, so cutting it into thicker slices helps keep the bread together.
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