Remember that time I ate fourteen protein muffins in one day? Probably not because it just happened yesterday as I made these pumpkin banana bread muffins. Half of my indulgence was related to general testing and the recipe development process, while the other half was pure indulgence as these muffins are to die for.
No muffin with over 10 grams of protein should be so moist and tender. And with chopped walnuts candied with brown sugar and butter on top, these protein muffins are seriously bananas.
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Ingredients for the Protein Muffins
While the ingredient list for these protein muffins might be a bit longer than my usual recipe, don’t mistake that for it being a difficult recipe. You can throw everything in a food processor and be in the oven in about five minutes if you’re quick.
There aren’t many ingredients you’ll want to modify, but I’ll mention I used PEScience Whey and Casein Protein Powder for the original muffins. Though I’ve since updated the recipe card’s notes to include a modified recipe for my Bowmar Nutrition protein users.
I’d give it my A+ rating, even though that’s not a real thing.
I’d also like to say I’ve finally converted to these silicone baking cups after my cupcakes and muffins stuck to one too many paper liners. They’re easily the best $6 purchase I’ve made in the past few months.
How to Ripen a Banana in 30-60 Seconds (Kinda)
I told my Instacart delivery person to grab the ripest bananas they could find but they must’ve read that wrong (or I haven’t been tipping enough) because I got neon green bananas. Alas, the show must go on. A few stabs of a fork, a minute in the microwave, a few minutes in the refrigerator, and I had semi ripe bananas.
This is obviously an extreme example and I wouldn’t recommend using bananas fresh off the vine (er tree? flower?) for your protein muffins. There’s no replacement, especially in terms of flavor, for an overripe banana. But if you have pretty ripe bananas and want to take it to the edge, try 30 seconds in the microwave.
And if you have overly ripe bananas you need to use in a hurry, check out my peanut butter protein banana bread recipe. You’ll probably want to make two batches of it to use for protein banana bread French toast while you’re at it.
What You’ll Need for the Candied Walnut Streusel
I went back and forth on adding anything to these protein muffins but eventually decided they’d be much prettier with a streusel or topping of some kind. Gotta do it for the ‘gram, ya know?
For the streusel, I used a few usual suspects like light butter, quick oats, and chopped walnuts. The new kid on the block is Swerve Brown Sugar which I’ve used in all kinds of recipes like my Chicken Breakfast Sausage, Snickerdoodle Muffins, Nashville Hot Chicken Burgers, Korean Ground Beef, and more.
If you’re familiar with my sweets recipes, you’re aware of my affinity for Swerve Confectioners Sugar. I’d like to report that their brown sugar substitute is a certified game changer as well.
Similar to my points on protein powder above, however, I’m not affiliated with Swerve and don’t have to sell you on it. (Though they did send me the brown sugar for free. Thx guys!) If you wanted to use something else, I think reducing the butter and using a bit of Walden Farms Pancake Syrup or a sugar free syrup with the quick oats and walnuts would work great.
Sugar Free Glaze
As for the sugar free glaze, I used more or less the same glaze from my air fryer apple fritter recipe. It’s a bit challenging to replicate this glaze without powdered sugar of some kind. So if you didn’t want to use Swerve Confectioners, you might just go with 1-2 tablespoons of real powdered sugar.
Or leave the glaze off entirely. They’re scrumptious without it.
That’s all the ingredient notes I have for you. I hope you enjoy your pumpkin banana bread protein muffins! If you do, take a snapshot and tag me on Instagram to receive 10,000 brownie points in my book.
Pumpkin Banana Bread Protein Muffins
A recipe for super moist protein muffins with a candied walnut streusel and sugar free glaze.
Ingredients
Protein Muffins
- 1 C (112g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 4 scoops (124g) PEScience Protein Powder, vanilla
- 15 oz can Pumpkin
- 3 (300g) Overripe Bananas
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Candied Walnut Streusel
- 2 Tbsp (28g) Light Butter, I used Land O'Lakes
- 2 Tbsp (24g) Swerve Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp (10g) Quick Oats
- 1/2 oz (14g) Chopped Walnuts
Optional Glaze
- 1/2 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tbsp (18g) Swerve Confectioners, or powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or place 12 silicone baking cups on a baking sheet.
- Add all the protein muffins ingredients to a food processor or blender. (You can also mash the bananas with a fork or masher and mix everything by hand. The food processor is just faster in my opinion.)
- Use a large spoon to transfer the muffin batter to the muffin tin or molds. Each one should be nearly full.
- Mix the streusel ingredients in a small bowl until uniform. (Image before mixing.)
- Spoon the streusel mixture over the top of the protein muffins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Each muffin has 3 Smart Points.
- For whey-only protein powder, use 5 scoops (140g) protein powder and only 2 bananas (200g).The bake time is closer to 30 minutes for this version. Macros per muffin for this version: 145 calories, 11g protein, 17g carbs, and 4g fat
- The recipe as-is makes super moist muffins. If you'd like more structure, use two bananas instead of three.
- Macros per muffin without streusel: 122 calories, 10.2 grams of protein, 16.1 grams of carbs, and 2.3 grams of fat
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 muffins Serving Size: 1 muffin with streuselAmount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 4.1gCarbohydrates: 18.8gProtein: 10.5g
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Angela
Monday 29th of November 2021
Can I leave out the graham cracker crumbs ?
Mason Woodruff
Wednesday 1st of December 2021
Definitely not.
Kate
Monday 12th of April 2021
These are so good! I had some over ripe bananas and was looking to make something somewhat healthy. I have picky eaters and these were a huge hit with them. I followed the recipe up until the end (left off the glaze).
Tiffany
Saturday 10th of October 2020
These muffins are everything! I make them as is, because they’re literally perfect. I make these every time I have a few bananas starting to get overripe, which sometimes I’ll leave some intentionally for this recipe. They’re amazing fresh, after being refrigerated, or even frozen. Although they don’t usually last long enough for me to need to freeze them! Don’t cut out the drizzle if you can help it. It really adds the perfect touch
Erin Crossley
Sunday 10th of May 2020
Loved these! I didn’t do the topping or the icing but we still have some of the Maple Butter from Trader Joe’s this fall and it made the perfect frosting!! My kids loved them!
Maria W
Wednesday 15th of April 2020
These are so good, and very forgiving even for whey proteins that have a tendency to dry out some baked goods. I froze half a batch and when I let them thaw on the counter overnight, I dare say they were even more delicious than before. I also tried making these with zucchini instead of pumpkin one time. Not as good as the original but definitely worth a shot!