Why You’ll Love These Banana Nut Protein Muffins

• Naturally sweet and moist thanks to ripe bananas.
• Seriously INSANELY delicious. Like out of this world good. Do not taste healthy for a second!
• Healthy ingredients and protein packed!
• SO easy to make and PERFECT for meal prep!
• THE SUGARY PECAN CRUMBLE!!!
• Great grab and go breakfast or snack option.
• They are amazing. Have I said it enough?!?! BEST MUFFINS EVER!

Ingredients & substitutions

For the Banana Nut Muffins:

• Oat flour – I used Anthony’s Oat Flour. I like the oat-ey flavor. But you could also use all-purpose, whole wheat, or 1:1 gluten free flour. If you don’t have oat flour, you can always blend normal quick oats in a blender or food processor until a flour consistency is achieved. I have not experimented with almond or coconut flour. If you try either, let me know how it went in the comments!
• Protein powder – I used PEScience Snickerdoodle (code laurenfitfoodie to save!) A vanilla or peanut butter flavor would also work here. If you want to use another brand, just make sure it is also a whey + casein blend (not JUST a whey blend) since not all protein powders respond the same.
• Baking essentials – Baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract.
• Cornstarch
• Bananas – The riper the banana, the sweeter these muffins will be!
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Egg
• Oil – I used canola oil, but you can use olive oil, coconut oil, or any other oil you have on hand.
• Sugar-free pancake syrup – Sugar-free pancake syrup keeps the carbs a little lower in these muffins, but feel free to use pure maple syrup or honey.
• Nuts! I used chopped pecans in these muffins as well as in the pecan crumble. Walnuts or almonds would be amazing, too!

For the Pecan Crumble:

• All-purpose flour – I recommend a white flour here. You can use a gluten-free flour as well.
• Unsalted butter – DO NOT use light spreadable butter as a replacement.
• Brown sugar – I used Swerve brown sugar. You can use regular light brown sugar, coconut sugar, or any brown sugar replacement brand like Splenda, Truvia, etc.
• Pecans – You can use another nut if you’d like.

how to make

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray or muffin liners.
2. Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork (I like leaving a few small clumps). Then add the egg, oil, applesauce, syrup, and vanilla and mix until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients- flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cornstarch, and pecans (if desired).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients in just until they are incorporated. Do not over-mix!
5. For the pecan crumble: Combine the butter and brown sugar with a fork or hand mixer. Add in the flour and pecans and mix until crumbly and mostly combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle the muffins evenly with the pecan crumble Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F….then with muffins staying in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake muffins here for 13-15 minutes more.The high heat will cause muffins to rise and then you will lower heat to cook the center of the muffin without burning the tops.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with cream cheese (if desired) and enjoy!

helpful tips

• Ripe bananas: As with any banana recipe, the key is to use very ripe bananas. The riper the banana, the more moist and flavorful it will be and the more natural sweetness it will have. The riper, the better!
• Cornstarch: Adding the cornstarch is not a deal breaker in this recipe. It is optional, but it will yield the best results. Cornstarch softens the harsh proteins of flour, making the final baked good more tender.
• Bake at a higher temperature FIRST to get your muffins to rise: Start the muffins baking at a high temperature of 425°F. That bit of high heat will help the tops of the muffin rise up. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cook the center of the muffin. Such a simple trick that makes such a difference in the appearance of these yummy muffins. Besides that, also make sure you are using fresh baking powder opened within the past 3 months.
• Protein powder: I say this frequently, but truly not every protein powder bakes the same. I love PEScience because it bakes SO well. But if you use another brand, just make sure that it is also a whey + casein blend and a protein powder you know bakes well.
• Don’t over-mix: over-mixing the batter can result in dense texture and prevent the muffins from rising. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Do not use light butter for the crumble: I repeat. Do not use light butter for the crumble. Light butter is actually margarine and does not produce the same crumble effect that butter does. Trust me, I have tried. Just stick to good ole fashioned butter for this one.

More awesome muffin recipes

• Light & Fluffy Skinny Blueberry Muffins (reader favorite!)
• Double Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
• Lemon poppy seed protein muffins

more banana recipes

• The Best Gooey Chunky Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
• Skinny Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (reader favorite!)
• 5-Minute Healthy Banana Mug Cake

Want To Make This Recipe?

If you try these banana nut protein muffins and love them, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!