Chocolate Chip Protein Banana Bread (Printable)

Wholesome banana bread with dark chocolate chips and a protein boost, naturally sweetened and refined sugar free.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 2 large eggs
03 - 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
04 - 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or light olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

06 - 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
07 - 1/3 cup vanilla or unflavored protein powder
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Add-ins

12 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 70% cocoa, no added sugar
13 - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly. Whisk in eggs, maple syrup or honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together until evenly distributed.
04 - Pour dry ingredient mixture into wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; lumps are acceptable.
05 - Fold chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the batter with minimal stirring to preserve texture.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top if desired for presentation.
07 - Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Melted chocolate streaks are acceptable.
08 - Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's naturally sweet without the refined sugar hangover, so you actually feel better after eating a slice.
  • The protein powder transforms banana bread from a guilty treat into something you can confidently eat for breakfast without judgment.
  • Dark chocolate chips melt into pockets of richness that make it taste far more indulgent than it actually is.
02 -
  • Don't skip the parchment paper—I learned this the hard way when a beautiful loaf stuck to the pan and fell apart like a sad cake.
  • Folding the dry ingredients by hand instead of mixing with an electric mixer makes an enormous difference in how tender and moist the final bread turns out.
03 -
  • Room-temperature eggs and melted oil combine much more smoothly than cold ones, resulting in a better texture throughout.
  • If you love extra chocolate flavor, use 100g chips instead of 80g—the bread can definitely handle the richness, and it becomes almost fudgy.
Go Back