By This high protein banana bread is a recipe that once I nailed it, I legitimately said this is the best banana bread I've ever had! It's literally so tender and soft that it melts in your mouth (but not in an underbaked sort of way) and smells like you just walked into your favorite corner store bakery ♥️. It gets 10g of protein per slice entirely from cottage cheese, flaxseed, and eggs. No protein powder. No supplements!
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Every cottage cheese banana bread I tested before developing this one was fine. Moist, decent protein, inoffensive. But they all lacked something... that depth of flavor you get from a loaf that's actually been thought about.
Brown butter changed everything here! It takes five extra minutes, and it makes the whole thing taste as if it came from somewhere special. The cardamom and orange zest are subtle, but they make it fun and interesting, unlike normal banana bread with cinnamon... No shade, I just feel strongly that banana bread is fine, not great. Like, I'm not going to order that over a croissant at a bakery.
That is, until I got this recipe dialed in - it's the kind of protein dessert that I strongly suspect would win a blue ribbon at the state fair (should I submit it??) Anyways, your life will be better with this protein banana bread (and no protein powder).
Jump to:
the bananas MUST be too ripe
This is where a bulk of the flavor comes from, so it's imperative!! The bananas should be deeply brown, almost black. Yellow-with-spots won't cut it here; the sugar content is too low, and the bread will be bland. If your bananas aren't there yet, two options: roast them whole on a baking sheet at 350°F for about 10 minutes until the skins turn black, or microwave unpeeled bananas in 30-second intervals until soft and blackened. Both work well!
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- The fat: Brown butter is an unmatched flavor and a great way to make sure it tastes straight from a bakery, but with less butter than traditional banana bread. Want one without butter? Try our banana bread without butter recipe.
- The flours: All purpose and almond flour both help provide structure. A 1:1 gluten free flour works great, and quinoa or oat flour can be swapped for almond.
- The protein sources: Cottage cheese (any fat level), flaxseeds for fiber and protein, and eggs for structure. Try our cottage cheese bagels for another yummy baked good.
- The sweetener: Maple syrup and very ripe bananas work hand in hand for a perfectly sweet cottage cheese banana bread.
- The spices & flavor: A good helping of salt, cardamom, and ginger are my secret weapon for insanely good banana bread. Add a little orange zest and vanilla bean paste, and it just hits another level!
- Dark chocolate chips: My favorite for a little bittersweet moment with every bite.
- The topping: Turbinado sugar (coarser than granulated) + cardamom form a crackly caramelized crust. If skipping, tent the loaf with foil toward the end to prevent over-browning.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
step by step: tips to nail this recipe every time
- Blend the wet ingredients until completely smooth. I don't know about you but I don't want chunks of cottage cheese in my bread. Blend all the wet ingredients except the bananas - we want pockets of bananas!
- Whisk the dry ingredients separately, then fold - don't stir. Whisk the flours, flaxseed, salt, baking powder, and spices together in a separate bowl before adding the wet mixture. Once combined, fold gently. The batter should be thick and a bit heavy-looking. A few streaks of flour are fine - overmixing develops gluten and leads to a dense, rubbery loaf.
- Use a light-colored metal loaf pan and put the rack in the middle or lower position. Dark pans absorb more heat and consistently produce overdone edges before the center is cooked through. If that's what you have, tent the loaf with foil for the last 15-20 minutes. The rack position also matters - a too-high rack browns the top before the center sets.
- Bake longer than you think, then check. 65-70 minutes is the range for most ovens, but this is a dense, moisture-heavy loaf. The toothpick test can be misleading because of the chocolate - use the press test instead: gently press the center of the top with your finger. If it springs back firmly, it's done. If it leaves an indent, give it another 5 minutes.
quick recipe video
making muffins instead
These make solid cottage cheese banana muffins, too! Make two adjustments to the leavening: reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. The soda gives muffins a better rise than baking powder alone can achieve in smaller portions.
Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Bake at 350°F for 22-26 minutes. They're done when the tops spring back. You can also try our banana bread bites for an on the go option!
my top is too brown
If you aren't using the turbinado sugar, then the top tends to brown quickly. To avoid this, tent the top with foil as soon as the top is golden, but keep baking.
testing notes
The first version of this loaf was fine but under-spiced. Adding the orange zest and increasing the cardamom was what finally pushed the flavor into genuinely great territory - the zest in particular cuts through the dairy note completely!
The second issue I kept running into was over-brown bottoms when using a darker pan. Switching to a lighter aluminum pan solved it immediately. The turbinado topping isn't just aesthetic - the caramelized crust actually adds a structural crunch that makes every slice more satisfying.
Recipe
high protein banana bread (no protein powder)
Ingredients
brown butter
- ⅓ cup (74g) unsalted butter (or salted - omit added salt if using)
dry ingredients
- 1⅓ cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (44g) almond flour
- ⅓ cup (41g) ground flaxseed
- 1¼ teaspoon (6g) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (5g) salt (skip if using salted butter)
- ¼ teaspoon (3g) cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground ginger
wet ingredients
- 2 medium-large very ripe bananas ((279g) peeled)
- 1⅔ cups (421g) cottage cheese (any fat level)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (95g) pure maple syrup (increase to ⅓ cup if bananas aren't very over ripe)
- 1 tablespoon (5g) vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- Zest from 1 orange
fold-ins
- ½ cup (80g) dark chocolate chips
topping
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 8.5" x 4.5" light-colored metal loaf pan with parchment paper or butter and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking.
- Make the brown butter: add the ⅓ cup (74g) unsalted butter to a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the foam subsides and small golden-brown specks appear on the bottom, pour immediately into the mixing bowl mentioned below.While the brown butter cooks, mash the 2 medium-large very ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. It's ok if the butter is hot.Blend together the 1⅔ cups (421g) cottage cheese, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup (95g) pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon (5g) vanilla bean paste, and Zest from 1 orange. Combine this with your bananas and browned butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1⅓ cups (200g) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (44g) almond flour, ⅓ cup (41g) ground flaxseed, 1¼ teaspoon (6g) baking powder, ¾ teaspoon (5g) salt, ¼ teaspoon (3g) cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold gently until just combined. The batter will be thick. A few small streaks of flour are fine - stop mixing before the batter looks uniform. Then fold in the ½ cup (80g) dark chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using the turbinado topping (which you should!!), mix the ¼ cup turbinado sugar and ¼ teaspoon cardamom together and sprinkle evenly over the batter. If skipping the topping, have foil nearby to tent the loaf toward the end.
- Bake on the middle or lower rack for 65-70 minutes. Starting around 45 minutes, if the top is browning quickly (because you didn't top with the sugar), tent loosely with foil. The bread is done when the center springs back when gently pressed. If a toothpick comes out with wet batter (not just a melted chocolate streak), give it 5 more minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. The interior continues to set as it cools!
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Hi! This looks delicious! Any ideas what to use in place of flaxseed? We have an anaphylactic flaxseed allergy in our house. Thanks!
You can just leave them out and add a bit more almond flour!
Really good! Thank you!
Excited to try! I plan on making muffins. To omit the almond flour do you recommend adding more flax or AP flour?
I would use a bit more AP flour (not a total 1:1, probably more like 75%)!
This sounds divine! Any thoughts on what to use in place of cottage cheese? DF over here
I'd use blended silken tofu or a thick plant based yogurt - Siggis protein and Icelandic Oatmilk are my favorite ones!
I only have a glass loaf pan - should I adjust anything for that?
No, maybe reduce the time a bit but otherwise shouldn't be too different 🙂