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
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
More Healthy Recipes with Banana You Might Like
- Banana Bread Cake with Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins with Candied Walnut Streusel
- Banana Nut Breakfast Protein Cookies
Tasted really unique, the applesauce for the base ingredient made it taste really good and almost tasted like real banana bread!
So sorry I forgot to give a star rating in my last comment! This was a five star recipe for me!
I make protein mug cakes regularly but I’d never thought to add banana to them. It was a total game changer! This turned out soo delicious and moist. This will be my new go-to nighttime snack when I need something sweet. Thanks for so many awesome and healthy recipes!
So sorry I forgot to give a star rating in my last comment! This was a five star recipe for me!
This is such a great and simple recipe!! I make it several times a week!
This is such a great and simple recipe!! I make it several times a week!
I made these this morning for breakfast, really hit my sweet tooth spot! I only had chocolate protein powder so it made it extra chocolatey, I also mixed pb2 chocolate with greek yogurt to top it, that made it a little odd but the bread itself was super delicious! Definitely making again.
I made these this morning for breakfast, really hit my sweet tooth spot! I only had chocolate protein powder so it made it extra chocolatey, I also mixed pb2 chocolate with greek yogurt to top it, that made it a little odd but the bread itself was super delicious! Definitely making again.
I absolutely love how decadent this recipe tastes, the applesauce & banana give the cake such a moist texture. I also have been using this protein powder in other recipes and it bakes so nicely.
I absolutely love how decadent this recipe tastes, the applesauce & banana give the cake such a moist texture. I also have been using this protein powder in other recipes and it bakes so nicely.