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.
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 sugar free syrup (or maple syrup like my sausage breakfast muffins) 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
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
Best fall muffins! Meal prepping these constantly
I cannot get over how delicious these are!! They are so moist and delicious. My boyfriend even loved them 😋
I made these and left the streusel out because I don’t have swerve. I also don’t think I used the right kind of protein or I overcooked them because they came out super dry.
I made these and left the streusel out because I don’t have swerve. I also don’t think I used the right kind of protein or I overcooked them because they came out super dry.
Cannot get enough of these muffins!!! I was pleasantly surprised to find that they came out moist just like the recipe says!! So many times I make things and they are dry and difficult to eat. Not these, the whole house enjoyed them and were gone before I knew it! Will definately make again!!
Cannot get enough of these muffins!!! I was pleasantly surprised to find that they came out moist just like the recipe says!! So many times I make things and they are dry and difficult to eat. Not these, the whole house enjoyed them and were gone before I knew it! Will definately make again!!
Amazing! I make 4 batches on Sunday and everyone in the family programs 2 a day for themselves. Huge hit!!
Amazing! I make 4 batches on Sunday and everyone in the family programs 2 a day for themselves. Huge hit!!
Tastes great. I used Bowmar FC protein. They’re super dense. How do I get the “bread” consistency? Mine taste like pumpkin pie. Love them but next time I would like a bread/muffin-like consistency. Any suggestions? I followed the exact recipe. Thanks!
Tastes great. I used Bowmar FC protein. They’re super dense. How do I get the “bread” consistency? Mine taste like pumpkin pie. Love them but next time I would like a bread/muffin-like consistency. Any suggestions? I followed the exact recipe. Thanks!
Unfortunately, it seems there was a change with the newest batch of protein powder. It’s making everything a bit more dense/dry/tough than when I first developed the recipes. Reducing the amount of protein used or adding a bit of fat to the recipe should help a bit.