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Peanut Butter Swirl Protein Banana Bread

This protein banana bread has 10 grams of protein per slice with only 14 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fat. The peanut butter swirl on top makes for a beautiful loaf and an ever better surprise inside. And if you’re a fan of easy recipes, you can have this bread prepped and in the oven in about 10 minutes.

You’ll also find a recipe for turning leftovers into banana bread French toast. There’s a lot packed in this post so let’s get going!

Protein Banana Bread Ingredients

I’ll walk you through everything you’ll need to make this protein banana bread below and cover substitution notes as we go. This is a super simple recipe that’s essentially combining dry and wet ingredients in two bowls then mixing together and pouring in a loaf pan. So let’s start with the dry ingredients.

Dry Ingredients

  • protein powder
  • all purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • kosher salt
all purpose flour, protein powder, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl

Protein Powder for Baking

The protein powder will be the most important ingredient in protein powder banana bread, obviously. I use PEScience Select for all my protein powder recipes. It’s a blend of whey and casein protein, making it perfect for baking with.

I highly encourage you to use the same protein powder for best results. Using a whey-only protein powder, for example, will require some recipe tweaks like increasing the amount of flour to compensate for its lack of absorbency.

If you’re new to protein powder baking or PEScience, I always like to mention you can buy 5-serving samples of their Select protein powder. That’s enough to try this recipe and my chocolate chip banana protein powder cake while you’re at it. You can also use my affiliate code mason to save 15% on PEScience products.

Wet Ingredients

vanilla extract, fat free Greek yogurt, mashed banana, eggs, crunchy peanut butter, and granulated swerve in a mixing bowl
  • mashed bananas
  • peanut butter
  • fat free Greek yogurt
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • granulated sugar (or sugar free Swerve, in this case)
mixing the protein powder banana bread wet and dry ingredients together and adding to a parchment lined loaf pan

What is Granulated Swerve?

If you’re unfamiliar with Swerve sweeteners, they’re a calorie-free, non-glycemic sugar substitute that cooks and tastes just like sugar. You can use other sugar substitutes as long as they substitute 1:1 for sugar.

Swerve also makes powdered sugar and brown sugar substitutes, which you can use for savory recipes like my firecracker ground chicken or healthy sausage gravy.

adding a peanut butter swirl to banana bread in the loaf pan before baking

Peanut Butter and Add-Ins

This recipe was adapted from Claire Saffitz’s almond butter banana bread. Suffice to say, you can use other nut butters. I used natural crunchy peanut butter and skipped out on adding things like roasted peanuts or chocolate chips, but you can add them if you’d like more texture in your bread. Claire’s original recipe calls for 1/2 cup or 2 ounces of roasted and chopped almonds.

In addition to the peanut butter inside the protein banana bread, I added a swirl of peanut butter on top of the loaf. It creates an eye-catching effect and some of the peanut butter will slightly sink into the loaf as it bakes. Those bites are extra special.

Can I use powdered peanut butter like PB2 to reduce the fat?

I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a relatively low fat recipe as-is. Reducing further will almost guarantee a dry and tough finished loaf.

How to Make Protein Banana Bread French Toast

This banana bread should last for around 4 days at room temperature if it’s tightly wrapped. For a fun way to use about half the loaf towards the end of its shelf life, make some protein French toast!

slice of protein French toast with banana slices, peanut butter, and syrup on top

Here’s how I do it:

  1. Cut the protein banana bread into 1″ slices. Set aside.
  2. Mix 2 large eggs with 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon of granulated Swerve or sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix well.
  3. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat before adding cooking spray or a tiny bit of butter. Once hot, dip the slices of banana bread into the egg mixture and cook for 90-120 seconds per side until golden brown. If the bread is browning too fast, reduce the heat to medium-low.
dipping sliced protein banana bread in an egg and milk mixture before pan frying

Top your protein French toast with freshly sliced banana, peanut butter, your choice of syrup, and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Final Notes

The two biggest takeaways for a successful attempt at this protein banana bread are to use PEScience Select (or a whey and casein blend) and use a sugar substitute that’s a 1:1 swap for granulated sugar.

Aside from those two points, you should be ready to rock. If you have a question about this recipe I forgot to cover, drop a comment at the bottom of the post. And if you love this protein banana bread, I always appreciate recipe reviews!

Protein Banana Bread

Protein Banana Bread

Yield: 10 Slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Peanut butter banana bread with 10 grams of protein and 14 grams of carbs per slice.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (79g) All Purpose Flour
  • 2 scoops (62g) PEScience Protein Powder, vanilla*
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 large Eggs
  • 2/3 cup (123g) Granulated Swerve (or a 1:1 granulated sugar substitute)
  • 1 cup (220g) Mashed Banana (2 ripe medium bananas)
  • 1/3 cup (80g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 cup (85g) Crunchy Peanut Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Peanut Butter Swirl (optional)

  • 2 Tablespoons (32g) Crunchy Peanut Butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 350ºF and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray before adding a sling of parchment paper across the length of the pan.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Once mixed, combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring everything together until evenly combined.
  3. Add to the loaf pan and add small dollops of the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter on top, using a toothpick to create a swirl. (I used natural peanut butter at room temperature. For thicker peanut butter, you may want to slightly heat or add a little oil to thin it out.)
  4. Bake for 55-65 minutes until the banana bread has risen and slightly cracked in the center. A toothpick should come out clean from the center and toward the top of the loaf.
  5. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.

Notes

*PEScience is a whey and casein blend. Use other protein powders at your own risk. You can order as little as 5-serving samples to try this recipe. My affiliate code mason will knock 15% off PEScience products.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 Slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 10g

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Flaoua

Thursday 10th of August 2023

Thinking of baking this in a mini muffin tin instead of loaf pan. Would you have any recommendation for the baking time?

Mason Woodruff

Saturday 12th of August 2023

I'd be taking a shot in the dark, but I'd start with maybe 12-15 minutes at 350ºF. Let me know if you try it out and find the precise cook time.

Vern

Friday 24th of March 2023

Has anyone tried to freeze this bread recipe yet? I'd love to slice it up and put it in ziplock bags for later breakfast meal prep.

Mason Woodruff

Tuesday 28th of March 2023

I've not heard from anyone that's frozen slices. I'd be curious to hear your feedback if you give it a go. Thanks, Vern.

Jenna

Thursday 17th of November 2022

Excellent recipe, I did use a whey protein and added dash of cinnamon :) It turned out amazing with the whey protein. The peanut butter is such a unique twist to the flavour profile!

Angelica

Monday 12th of September 2022

Not a fan of peanut butter, does this taste a lot like peanut butter? Trying to use all my expensive natural PB from another recipe I made.

Mason Woodruff

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

It doesn't have that much peanut butter in it. Especially if you omit the swirl. Banana is a pretty strong flavor, but peanut butter packs a punch as well. I'd hate to steer you wrong. Maybe skip this one?

Jin

Friday 15th of April 2022

I just made these today and they are excellent!!!! Thank you for a great recipe!

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