These Banana Nut Protein Muffins are naturally sweet and moist, and are topped with the BEST sweet and crunchy pecan crumble! They’re healthy, protein packed, great for meal prep or weekend breakfast, and will make your house smell delicious!
I absolutely insist you try these Banana Nut Protein Muffins with Pecan Crumble. Why? Because they’re melt in your mouth, drool worthy, absolutely amazingly good! They seriously taste like a muffin fresh from a bakery. And they’ll make your kitchen smell incredible. I am obsessed with them!
Both the banana muffins and the pecan crumble are packed with tons of flavor dimension—just the right amount of sweet banana, cinnamon spice, and hearty pecans—and they have the most moist texture. And the crumble. THE CRUMBLE. The crumble is the real star of the show here. Made with the good good stuff 😉 we’re talking REAL butter and sugar here. It really compliments the muffin and brings so much flavor and texture—and a little goes a LONG way.
I’m telling you guys, you gotta make these muffins. Even my brother went back for seconds (and thirds!) and he’s even harder to please than a 2 year old. I’m not joking here 😂
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
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. 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 all protein powders respond the same, but this kind bakes amazingly. For all PEScience products, you can use my affiliate code Laurenfitfoodie to save 15% off your purchase.
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with muffin liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash with a fork. Combine mashed bananas with egg, oil, pancake syrup, and vanilla. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Gently fold/stir the dry ingredients in until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each one completely. Top with chopped nuts and gently mix/press them around/down.
- Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F. Then, with muffins still in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F and bake muffins for another 13-15 minutes. The high heat will help the muffins rise. The low heat will cook the center of the muffin.
- Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
TIPS FOR BEST BANANA NUT MUFFINS
- 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.
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!
Yield: 12
Banana Nut Protein Muffins with Pecan Crumble
topped with the BEST sweet and crunchy pecan crumble! They're healthy, protein packed, great for meal prep or weekend breakfast, and will make your house smell delicious!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 cup oat flour - or other flour of your choice (120g)
- 1.5 scoops vanilla protein powder (46g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch (8g)
- 3 medium bananas, mashed (310g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp canola oil - or other oil of choice (10g)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (80g)
- 1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup (60g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp chopped peanuts or walnuts, optional
For the Pecan Crumble
- 1.5 Tbsp butter, cold (21g)
- 3 Tbsp Swerve brown sugar (36g)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour (30g)
- 2 Tbsp chopped pecans (16g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray, if needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the bananas and mash with a fork until smooth. Combine with egg, oil, applesauce, pancake syrup, and vanilla. Mix these ingredients well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients- flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cornstarch, and pecans (if desired).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients in just until they are incorporated. Do not over-mix!
- For the pecan crumble: Using your Kitchen-aid or hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the flour and pecans and mix until crumbly and combined, about 1 minute.
- Spoon the banana 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.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
MFP entry: LFF Banana Nut Protein Muffins with Pecan Crumble
Nutrition Information
Yield
1/2Serving Size
1 muffin (65g)Amount Per Serving Calories 132Total Fat 4.3gSaturated Fat 1.2gCarbohydrates 17.5gFiber 1.9gSugar 6gProtein 5.8g
