One of my favorite things in the world is seeing one of my recipes in the wild. When someone takes the time to share a recipe re-creation, it always puts a smile on my face. Not only do I get valuable feedback and ideas for potential tweaks or substitutions, it lets me know that my recipes are actually helping people make better dietary choices. If I had to pinpoint one recipe that’s been recreated the most, it would easily be the one-minute, 100-calorie protein brownie.
Folks love those things! And it makes sense. Even if you double the recipe, you have a delicious, high protein snack that’s ready in a few minutes. Ya can’t beat it. Just take a look at the video below to see how easy it is to make this protein banana bread.
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long, but I’ve recently jumped back in to make even more microwaveable protein brownies and desserts like this double chocolate high protein banana bread. I’ve taken the liberty to double the recipe from the get go, so the calories are a bit higher than the perfectly titled 100-calorie protein brownie. Nonetheless, I was sure to leave notes on how you can make the recipe even lower calorie.
Ingredients for Double Chocolate High Protein Banana Bread
You’ll find this recipe has a very short ingredient list, just how I like it. The only ingredient notes I have for you here are on the fat source and the optional sweetener.
If you’re familiar with my recipes, you know I typically recommend stevia as a zero-calorie sweetener option. I still love stevia and use it regularly, but I understand that some don’t enjoy the taste. So, I’ve been experimenting with other low-calorie sweeteners and have fallen in love with Swerve’s confectioners blend.
Swerve is a sweetener that subs 1:1 for sugar and is made from erythritol and oligosaccharides (similar to the IMO syrup I used for the homemade quest bars). If you don’t have an issue with artificial sweeteners, I would highly suggest picking some of this up. So far, I’ve found it works a bit better in baked recipes than stevia. I got mine on Amazon here.
And yes, I’m using the confectioners blend. Since I rarely use large amounts of a sugar replacement, I wanted to kill two birds with one stone and be able to use Swerve for both baking and icings/frostings. If you’re going to be using larger amounts of Swerve, like in full-sized cakes, you’ll probably want to get the granular version.
What if I don’t have Swerve on hand?
You could use a bit more protein powder, a granular sweetener mixed with a bit of protein powder or a thickener like cornstarch, or you could make a recipe like my original protein banana bread in a mug that doesn’t call for Swerve.
The Best Protein Powder for Recipes
You can use any protein you’d like, but I usually go with Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, PEScience Select Whey and Casein, or Dymatize 100% Whey. They’re reputable brands that have been around forever.
The macros in both recipes are with Gold Standard Whey.
If you’d like to learn more about the different types of whey protein and how to find the best value for protein, read this article.
How to Make Moist Desserts with Protein Powder Every Time
Since there are a lot of moving parts in recipes with protein powder (different types of protein, volume differences in scoops, scooping vs weighing accuracy, etc.), there’s always a chance you’ll end up with a tough or dry finished product. I’ll include a few ideas to combat this below:
- Use whey concentrate or a blend of proteins that’s not super lean like whey isolate (the extra carbs/fat goes a long way)
- Slightly reduce the amount of protein powder used
- Increase fat sources or faux fat sources (i.e. pumpkin, mashed bananas, sweet potato, avocado, unsweetened apple sauce, coconut oil or processed coconut flakes, etc.)
- 14 grams of light butter only has 50 calories and changes lives
- Slightly increase liquid ingredients
- Reduce cook time
- Add moisture after cooking via whipped topping, ice cream, or fruit reductions
In the case of this high protein banana bread, you’re already using two faux fat sources in mashed banana and apple sauce. Unless you’re using a terribly unfriendly protein powder or stray from the recipe, this banana bread should be moist. That said, you can always make adjustments as needed. Ain’t nobody got time for dry or tough protein treats.
Final Chocolate Protein Banana Bread Notes
Overripe work best for all things banana bread. If you’re bananas aren’t quite ripe yet, check out my pumpkin banana bread protein muffins recipe where I give tips on microwaving bananas to quickly ripen them.
And if you make this chocolate protein banana bread, I’d appreciate you sharing it with your frands. Or you can take a photo and tag me on Instagram @mason_woodruff, join my free Facebook group and share it with the Proton Party, or pin this recipe to Pinterest.
Chocolate Protein Banana Bread in a Mug
A quick and easy recipe for high protein banana bread that's ready in under 5 minutes and tastes amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 medium (90g) Overripe Banana, mashed
- 3/8 C (90g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- 1 scoop (32g) Protein Powder, vanilla
- 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa
- 1 tsp Swerve Confectioners, or sweetener of choice (optional)
- 1 Tbsp (14g) Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Add the banana and apple sauce to a mug or bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly mixed.
- Top the banana bread batter with chocolate chips. (You can transfer the batter to a separate bowl for a cleaner looking finished product.)
- Microwave for 90-120 seconds. Avoid overcooking. I like cooking until the center looks almost done but is still slightly gooey. Depending on the size of your bowl, you may have to finish the last 30-60 seconds in 10-15 second intervals to avoid overflow.
Notes
- Entire recipe has 6 Smart Points.
- Without chocolate chips: 265 Calories | 25P | 36C | 2F
- Find Swerve here.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 bowlAmount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 26g
Tim Conrad
Thursday 16th of April 2020
I make this every, single, night for my late night snack :) I've done this for roughly a year or more. It's usually still my favorite thing I eat all day. The only thing I've added is a table spoon of whatever kind of cake mix I have. Normally sugar free cake mix but have also used things like pancake mix. I've found that this helps the consistency to be a bit more like a "normal" cake. Also, if the banana is very ripe, I've had the mix boil over the edges of the bowel or mug in the microwave. The table spoon of cake mix stopped that. I also whip up different kinds of icing using Greek yogurt and maybe peanut butter powder or anything creative I can think of. I absolutely love this recipe. Thank you!
Jen
Tuesday 28th of January 2020
I’m slightly embarrassed at the number of times I’ve made this for dinner after a 12 hour shift and when I didn’t feel like cooking... it hits the spot for breakfast, a snack or even dinner!!
Anna
Sunday 24th of November 2019
Great treat! I under cook it and eat it gooey!! Sometimes I add peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips!
Sammi Seger
Sunday 17th of February 2019
I tried this but didn’t have Vanilla protien. I used Bowmar’s PHC & no cocoa powder. Came out PERFECT. Highly recommend. Thank you!
Noah
Friday 15th of February 2019
Made this the other day and ate it with some almond butter on top. Absolutely fantastic!