Banana cottage cheese muffins are tender, moist, and naturally sweetened with banana, coconut sugar, and a touch of maple syrup or honey. Packed with protein from cottage cheese, they make a wholesome breakfast or on-the-go snack! {Gluten-Free & Vegetarian}
We absolutely always have muffins on hand, and these banana cottage cheese muffins are a healthy, protein-packed twist on a classic! They’re soft, naturally sweetened, and loaded with flavor from the ripe bananas, maple syrup, and cozy cinnamon.
We love them as a healthier low-sugar snack that doesn’t taste low sugar (if you know what I mean) and they last for months in the freezer, so you can keep them on hand at all times!
Love this flavor combo? These high protein Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes or Cottage Cheese Banana Bread make a great breakfast for busy mornings.
Elysia’s Recipe Recap
Texture: Soft and tender thanks to the banana and cottage cheese
Taste: Just sweet enough with a cozy banana flavor and nutty mix of almonds and pecans
Ease: Super simple. Blend the wet ingredients together, mix with the dry, and bake!
Recommended: Make a double batch to freeze the extras for later. So handy for meal prep during those busy times of year!
Would I make these again? Yes, we make this recipe often! Higher protein, higher fiber, and lower in sugar than your average muffins. We all love them!
Why We Love These Cottage Cheese Banana Blender Muffins
- Naturally high-protein muffins made with simple ingredients
- Formulated by a Registered Dietitian to be better-for-you
- Sweetened with bananas, coconut sugar, and maple syrup instead of refined sugar
- Made with oat flour and almond flour for extra protein, fiber, and healthy fats
- Tender, moist, and full of flavor but without any butter or oil
- Cottage cheese adds a nice boost of protein
- Family-friendly, timeless flavor everyone loves
Ingredient Notes
- Overripe bananas: The best bananas for banana bread are fully brown and covered with lots of brown spots. The sugars concentrate as the banana begins to ripen, intensifying the banana flavor. The uglier the banana, the better it is for muffins!
- Cottage cheese: Low fat cottage cheese is the highest in protein, but any type can work.
- Milk: Or your favorite milk alternative.
- Coconut sugar: This is a natural sweetener that looks and acts similar to brown sugar. It is often lower on the glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar quite as much.
- Oat flour: Oat flour is easy to make at home! To make a batch of oat flour: Add 4 (or more) cups of traditional rolled oats to the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse and process until the oats are finely ground into a powder. This takes about 3 minutes. Sift through a fine mesh strainer. Anything left in the strainer can be re-processed in the next batch of oat flour that you make. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Blanched almond flour: This is not the same thing as almond meal. You can usually find this in the baking section at your local grocery store.
- Leavening agents: We’ll use a mix of baking soda and powder to help the muffins rise nicely in the oven.
- Pecans or walnuts (optional): These add extra crunch, healthy fats, and the perfect nutty flavor.
How to Make Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins (Step-by-Step)
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray or line muffin pan with paper liners sprayed with cooking spray to prevent muffins from sticking to the liners.
- In a high powered blender, blend together the banana, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl combine oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in pecans or walnuts if using.
- Fill each liner ¾ full of batter, about ¼ cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. You may need to run a knife around the edges of the muffins to loosen them from the pan if liners weren’t used. Enjoy!
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- The wet ingredients were combined in a Vitamix blender at about 50% power for 15 seconds.
- A food processor can be used to blend the wet ingredients if you don’t have a high powered blender.
- For consistent baking, use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to add the same amount of muffin batter to each cup.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! Almond flour, oat flour, and baking powder are naturally gluten-free. If you have celiac disease, you may wish to purchase ingredients packaged in a certified gluten-free facility.
The oat and almond flour can be substituted for 1 ½ cups wheat flour. All purpose or white wheat will give the best flavor, although you can use whole wheat flour in a pinch.
Storage Guidelines
These muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 1-2 days, and in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be stored in the freezer tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Since these muffins are so high in fiber and protein without all the added sugar, they can really be enjoyed any time of the day!
Serve them for breakfast with some scrambled eggs or a strawberry banana smoothie with yogurt, pop them into lunch boxes, or keep them on hand for a healthy snack after school.
Recipe Variations
- Add chocolate chips: Try adding in ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips to the batter before baking for an indulgent twist.
- Add protein powder: For even more protein, add a scoop of protein powder. You may need to increase the wet ingredients if you choose to add protein powder.
- Use Greek yogurt: If you run out of cottage cheese or aren’t a fan, try plain Greek yogurt or low fat ricotta cheese instead.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Healthy Banana Protein Muffins
- Healthy Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Protein Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Protein Muffins
- Banana Muffins with Applesauce
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Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup very ripe banana, mashed (about 2 large bananas)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (I used 2%)
- 1/3 cup milk, or milk alternative
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a regular-sized muffin pan with cooking spray or line muffin pan with paper liners sprayed with cooking spray to prevent muffins from sticking to the liners.
- In a high powered blender, blend together the banana, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl combine oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in pecans or walnuts if using.
- Fill each liner ¾ full of batter, about ¼ cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. You may need to run a knife around the edges of the muffins to loosen them from the pan if liners weren’t used. Enjoy!
Notes
- The wet ingredients were combined in a Vitamix blender at about 50% power for 15 seconds.
- A food processor can be used to blend the wet ingredients if you don’t have a high powered blender.
- For consistent baking, use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to add the same amount of muffin batter to each cup.
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