Easy Banana Protein Muffins

These healthy and delicious gluten free vegan banana protein muffins are packed with plant-based protein, are subtly sweet, super moist, and perfect for nutritious snacking any day of the week, any time of day! 

Protein Banana Muffins for Everyday Snacking

 

Generally speaking, most muffins you’ll find at the grocery store, any fast-food establishment, or even a local bakery (with some exceptions) are about as nutritionally beneficial  as a donut. It’s a sad truth my friends. They are loaded with sugar, often contain refined flours, and usually have enough calories to feed a small army. 

Luckily, in our own kitchens we are able to transform the often deceitful muffin into a delicious and healthy version like these protein-packed gluten free banana muffins that are vegan, naturally sweetened, and incredibly moist. 

Making Muffins Gluten Free

 

When it comes to creating healthy gluten-free muffins at home, I like to consider several aspects. The flour, the allergen-friendly aspect, the sweetener, and adding a little fat and protein for blood sugar balancing and satiety . 

I love experimenting with gluten free flours whether it be a nut-based flour like almond or hazelnut, coconut flour, all-purpose blends like the one I used in this recipe, or even totally flour-free! I find if you want the most traditional texture, going with an all-purpose gluten free flour blend is best as you can essentially turn any muffin recipe you find into a gluten free version by simply substituting the flour (so long as it’s a 1-to-1 baking blend!). 

Using Natural Sweetener in Muffin Recipes

 

As I mentioned before, traditional muffins are often loaded with refined sugars, so it’s nice to use an unrefined alternative to prevent blood sugar spikes and prevent sugar cravings. My favourite alternatives are:

• raw honey
• coconut nectar
• pure maple syrup
• coconut palm sugar
• dates
• stevia
• brown rice syrup

There’s a lot of research that now shows how refined sugars can negatively affect health in many ways so I do my best to limit my own refined sugar intake to every now and then, rather than all the time. It’s also important to pay attention to how your own body reacts to refined sugar intake. For me I often get headaches, moody, and find it makes me crave even more sugar! 

Making The Banana Muffins Vegan & Adding Protein

To keep these gluten free banana muffins vegan friendly I didn’t add egg, as the banana works as a good binder in the recipe so the egg isn’t necessary. Alternatively if you are making muffins that don’t have banana and call for egg, you can make a flax egg using 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water to replace 1 egg in the recipe.

For the protein I went with a plant-based vanilla protein powder, Orgain brand which I prefer because of the fine texture and subtle flavour, but you can choose whichever protein powder you desire. It’s important to remember that all protein powders have a bit of a different taste and texture so the more subtle the taste and finer (less gritty) of a texture in the protein powder you choose, the better. 

It’s also a good idea to choose a plant-based protein powder that does not contain any added artificial sweeteners or flavours. The more natural, the better! Aside from the natural ingredients list in Orgain vanilla protein powder, I also like that the vanilla flavour is not overpowering. In these gluten free banana muffins, the banana flavour shines through just as it should.

Do I Need To Use Protein Powder?

You can always choose to omit the protein powder if you wish but I recommend it because adding protein is a great way to balance out the other macronutrients (carbohydrates and fats) in the muffins.

If you do omit the powder, simply add an extra 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour in it’s place! 

What is your favourite flavour of muffin? Do you often get the traditional ones from the store or bakeries, or do you prefer to bake your own homemade muffins? Tell me about it in the comments and be sure to pin the photo below the recipe to save these muffins for later and of course, are the love! 

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More of my Favourite Gluten Free Muffin Recipes:

• Healthy Gluten Free Cinnamon Churro Muffins
• The Best Ever Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins
• Easy Egg Muffins

P.S. If you love this recipe you have to try my Best-Ever High Protein Banana Bread recipe!