A dear friend of mine has been in the hospital recently, and while I would do anything to take away her situation, there are only two things I can really do: pray and cook. She has a toddler at home and since their dinner meal train was already filled by their amazing community until the end of this month, I reached out to her husband to see what he and their daughter needed.
If you have ever been there, laying in the hospital trying to heal, but constantly concerned about your family at home, you know that you’d rather see them well cared for, fed, and surrounded by loved ones, than have visitors, flowers, or anything else that comes to your room. When you’re unable to do the thing you most love, you pray and hope others in your community will stand in your gap until you can return.
Protein banana muffins
Their toddler needed high-protein breakfasts. Without cheese. Because toddlers love cheese and that’s all she wanted to eat. So I created a few new recipes for her and made sure they were all freezer-friendly (these will last 6 months) so they didn’t need to worry about wasting anything. Because, while a blessing, the abundance of food delivered can be overwhelming for those at home too, and I wanted to make something that could be donated to a friend if she didn’t like it. Because…toddlers.
Breakfast protein foods
We went through a phase of only eating meat sticks, protein muffins, or protein-filled smoothies with my kids at various stages. When kids eat high sugar breakfasts – processed cereals, sugary juices, high sugar yogurt, they have a quick rise in energy but it’s often not sustained once at school, which can cause their learning to be affected. Our teachers have routinely written to the parents over the years pleading for the kids to have a balanced, high protein breakfast so they can be more alert, ready to learn, and sustained until their lunchtime. Having a few options in the freezer can be a lifesaver on a busy morning. But these muffins are certainly not only for kids!
I amped up the protein in these tasty banana protein muffins without using protein powder. Instead, I chose a combination of a few key ingredients: Greek yogurt, gluten-free rolled oats, almond flour, collagen peptides, and hemp hearts. Here is some info on each of these ingredients.
Greek yogurt protein
1 cup of Greek yogurt boasts 17 grams of protein as well as calcium and healthy fat.
High protein oats
Oats boost your fiber intake and iron levels in addition to having 26 grams of protein per cup.
Almond flour nutrition
Rich in Vitamin E (an antioxidant that helps prevent free radicals), almond flour contains 7 grams of protein per cup.
Collagen peptides protein
Low in calories, but high in protein, collagen peptides are made from animal collagen and are beneficial for joints and skin.
Protein in hemp hearts
A great source of zinc (what our cells use to multiply and grow), hemp seeds (or hemp hearts as they’re sometimes called) also contain healthy fats and just 3 tablespoons contains nearly 10 grams of protein.
Tasty breakfast ideas
Blueberry breakfast sausage patties
Smashed potatoes with bacon, eggs, and spicy aioli
Baked steel-cut oatmeal
Watch me make these muffins on Instagram!
View this post on Instagram
Shop the recipe
PrintGluten-Free Banana Protein Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain grass-fed Greek yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt – Cocojune is my favorite)
- 2 medium ripe bananas (200 g or 1 cup mashed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) certified gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (80g) finely ground almond flour
- 1/2 cup (76g) hemp hearts (hulled hemp seeds)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup (100-120g) pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 scoops (22g) collagen peptides (optional)
- 1/2 cup (90g) chocolate chips, mini or regular
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 12 cavity muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- Add all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a blender and blend on high until the oats are broken down and batter is smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips by hand, saving a few. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips, hemp seeds, and oats over the top of each muffin.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack..
Notes
Store in an air-tight container for up to a week at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. Freeze and reheat for up to 6 months.
5/24/23
Hi Danielle, thank you for the recipe! So excited to make these!! Just wondering if you had other easy high protein freezer friendly breakfast/snacks ideas for toddlers? Currently 26 weeks pregnant and I’m brainstorming what to stock up our freezer on for when the new baby comes so my two littles will have healthy snacks/breakfast for when I’m in a pinch! Thanks so much
Hi Charmae! Congrats on the pending addition to your family! I have a variety of muffins across my cookbooks and blog that you can make in batches and freeze to have ready to go. I recommend my chocolate zucchini muffins from the blog – it’s a reader favorite!
Hi! Is there an alternative to hemp hearts??
Or could I omit entirely?
Thanks!
Hi! A reader commented that they were able to sub the hemp hearts with flax successfully. Enjoy!
These are so good! I had chia seeds so I used those instead of hemp. It worked very well.
Love hearing subs that turn out! Thanks for sharing
Hi,
If I already have oat flour, could I substitute that for the oats and would the amount be about the same?
Hi Christine! 1 cup of rolled oats = 3/4 cup of oat flour, you can use this conversion to sub accordingly. Enjoy!!
I have everything, but hemp seeds. Could I increase the amount of another ingredient or substitute something else? Thank you!
Hi Linda! A reader commented that they subbed the hemp with flax successfully. Enjoy and let me know what you think when you’ve had the chance to try them!
These look delicious. I love all your recipes and look forward to the new book. I try not to ask for substitutions in recipes, but unfortunately, I now have a food sensitivity to almonds. I am trying to learn what other flours I can use in recipes calling for almond flour and still be gluten free. Happy eating!🤗
Hi Kim! You can sub almond flour with cashew flour, 1:1. Enjoy!
What oats do you use?
Hi Arlene! You can find my go-to oats linked in the ingredient list. Enjoy and let me know what you think when you’ve had the chance to try them!
These turned out DELICIOUS!! The whole family loved them! But mine weren’t fluffy like yours were. Do yours always turn out like that or do they sometimes turn out a little less so? Just wondering what I might have done wrong. I followed the recipe and didn’t substitute any ingredients. Any advice? Thanks!
I do not eat eggs, or oats. Can a flax egg be substituted and what can I substitute for oats. Also, can I use silken tofu instead of yogurt. In addition to being gluten sensitive I am a vegan who excludes dairy and eggs from my diet. Any suggestions as to how I can adapt this recipe to my particular needs will be appreciated
Hi! You can sub with flax eggs here. I haven’t tested this recipe without oats or yogurt but I have a variety of grain-free muffins across my cookbooks and blog that don’t call for those specific ingredients. Enjoy and thank you so much for your support!
Thank you Danielle! Just made these and used flax instead of hemp and they’re sooooo good!
Did you use 1/2 cup of ground flax seed?
I just used whole flax right out of the bag. If it’s already ground up, I probably would use a little less amount.
Did you do a 1:1 sub?
Oh, I was so excited when I seen this recipe until I saw the ingredients,,,,I have to be egg free. Any way to sub for the eggs?
You can sub with flax eggs here. Enjoy!
Hi Danielle! I was wondering if I could replace Almond flour with Cassava flour and if so the same amount as the almond flour? I am looking forward to trying this recipe Thanks 💜
Hi! You can modify this recipe with cassava flour, it would be 1:1. However, I haven’t tested this recipe with that ingredient so results could potentially vary. Let us know how it turns out with your modifications – another reader might have the same question!
These are fantastic! I subbed some vanilla protein powder I had at home for the peptides (my tub was empty) and wow, they pack a perfect punch of protein! I had one along side 2 slices of bacon, a few strawberries and my coffee for a complete breakfast! I used Hu gems and soooo delicious!! Another win in my house!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are fantastic! I made them this morning and my kids devoured them. They’re super fast and easy to make (yay for the blender!). I barely used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and they were sweet enough. We will make them again for sure!
Yay!! It’s always such a win when a recipe is kid-approved! Ha ha. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and for your support!
Do you need to use a blender or can you hand mix?
Hi! This recipe calls for a blender in order to break down the oats and have a smooth & creamy batter. You can potentially hand mix, but your batter will contain oat pieces / have texture.
These were great! We devoured them within 2 days! I subbed with coconut yogurt and didn’t have any collagen peptides on hand, but everything else was the same. I love the speed in which I can whip these up and only using my blender!
So glad you found them easy to make (and delicious!). Thank you for this kind review!
Thank you for the yummy recipe! I ordered the hemp hearts from Amazon, and then discovered them at Trader Joe’s, so I’m set for a bit. I used raisins instead of choc. chips, and my batch made 16, so bananas may have been larger. Thank you for all the work you do in creating all these wonderful recipes! This is a keeper!! Jane in WC 🙂
I’m excited to make these! Do you have a yogurt recipe that I could make to sub for store purchased?
Hi Kathryn! I have a recipe for coconut yogurt in my very first cookbook, Against All Grain, on p. 46; enjoy!!
These look so yummy. I cannot eat oats, do you have a suggestion for a replacement?
Hi! I have a variety of muffin recipes across my blog and cookbooks that are completely grain-free, like these Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chip Streusel – https://againstallgrain.com/2012/03/28/banana-muffins-with-chocolate-chip-streusel-topping/
Enjoy!!
Do you know the macros for this?
Hi Jennifer! I do not. However, I’ve had readers comment that they use an app like MyFitnessPal to help them calculate the nutritional information they need. I hope you give this recipe a try – happy cooking!
Is it possible to grind my own almonds for the almond flour or sub a gluten-free 1:1 in its place?
Hi Kate! Those are both good options! You can grind your own almonds to create almond flour, or you can use another nut flour of your choice for this recipe. Enjoy!!
I made my own quinoa flour and used it 1-1 in place of oat flour and they came out amazing still! These have been great for my husband to grab in the morning and to feed my toddler. LOVE!!
Love that sub, Danielle! So glad they’re so popular in your house!
I made a batch of these yesterday and my 11 year old said, “Mommy, these are heavenly!” Thank you so much for the delicious recipe.
Love that they were such a hit! Thanks for sharing!
Do you think nuts would work in place of the chocolate chips?
Hi! They’re really just a sprinkling on top, so yes, nuts should work!
Delicious! I have a picky eater in my house and these are a hit with all of us.