Protein Banana Nut Muffins

Soy-free Option

• Use Textured Pea Protein (affiliate link) instead of TVP.
• Use a different non-dairy milk other than soy milk – this is mostly to add moisture so it doesn’t really matter which you use in this recipe.
• Use a soy-free non-dairy yogurt instead of the vegan Greek yogurt (unless you can find a Greek yogurt that is soy-free) – this will slightly alter the protein macros but is mostly used for moisture in this recipe so it won’t affect the texture/flavor!

Gluten-free Option

• Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute (affiliate link); this is the one I’ve used and had success with.

Reduced Sugar Option

• Swap the light brown sugar with a 1:1 brown sugar replacement (affiliate link); I’ve had good luck with this monk fruit option!

These protein banana nut muffins are an absolute game changer when it comes to meal prepping your breakfast! If you have not been baking with TVP, now is your chance! TVP is a shelf stable protein source that is used in a lot of vegan cooking. You can find it in most stores near the gluten-free flour options, and also online. It’s one of the cheapest protein sources on a gram of protein per calorie basis, and since it’s made from de-fatted soy flour, it doesn’t have its own flavor, so we can make it taste like anything (mwahahaha)! Most people use TVP for savory cooking, but I’ve been using it in baked goods for a while now, and it works really well! Unlike a lot of protein muffin recipes you might see that use protein powder as a protein source, these don’t have that gritty texture or artificial sweetness that you might get from protein powder.

Another great thing about TVP muffins is that they’re super easy and fast to make; these only take 20 minutes to make from start to finish. I think they’re perfect for meal prepping and we make them a lot in my house for this very reason. Sometimes, I will make a batch or two during the weekend, and then have a couple to take for breakfast every morning! They have a surprising amount of protein for a muffin and they also pack in quite a bit of fiber. If you happen to meal prep these, you can also freeze them. I think these would be a great breakfast to make for picky eaters that have trouble eating protein, like children!

I haven’t seen that many people baking with TVP, but they’re missing out! It’s a really easy way to add protein to any baked goods and it ends up with a baked oats kind of texture. The question I am asked most about baking with TVP is if you need to re-hydrate it when baking these protein banana nut muffins. We will not be re-hydrating the TVP, because we add in other ingredients such as vegan yogurt and milk that will add moisture back to the batter and soften the TVP while it cooks.

If banana chocolate nut muffins don’t sound good to you, (first off – who hurt you?) we have a bunch of other TVP Muffins recipes on this blog like these Protein Orange Chocolate Muffins or these High Protein Blueberry Muffins!

Ingredients

• Soy Milk – this is my favorite kind of non-dairy milk, mostly because it has the most protein per calorie. If you have another non-dairy milk that you prefer more, please use that instead. We are just using the milk in this recipe to add moisture to the batter and soften the TVP while it cooks.
• Ground flax – this is my favorite vegan egg replacement when I’m baking. If you have another egg replacement that you prefer to use, feel free to use that instead. I like ground flax because it’s a shelf-stable ingredient that’s relatively cheap and it’s very easy to use. We just add water, let it sit for five minutes and – Bam! Flax goo!
• Bananas – I would recommend using very ripe bananas, because they mash easier and have a sweeter taste.
• Brown Sugar – I used brown sugar for this recipe. The bananas do add quite a bit of sweetness but you’re still going to want some thing else to make them taste like muffins! I know a lot of people are trying to reduce their sugar intake for various reasons, so I think you could probably substitute some kind of sugar alternative like syrup or date sugar, but, I’ve only made these with brown sugar so I don’t have any advice on this front. If you make a reduced sugar option, please comment with the modifications you made so everyone can benefit from your wizardry!
• Vanilla extract and cinnamon – what are muffins without vanilla and cinnamon?

• Texture Vegetable – TVP – this is a really great vegan protein source. TVP is shelf-stable and can be found in most grocery stores near the gluten-free flour options and also online. Amazon even sells a 25 pound bag; it’s a great deal (or at least that’s what I tell myself lol)! My favorite thing about TVP is how versatile it is – you can use it in savory and sweet recipes! It’s also one of the cheapest protein sources out there! Most recipes will reh-ydrate TVP during the cooking process, but we don’t do that when we bake with it; we just add in other ingredients that give the batter moisture and soften the TVP while it cooks.
• Flour – I used all purpose flour for this recipe, but you could probably use a gluten-free flour option. I don’t do much gluten-free baking, so I can’t give you any recommendations here. If you happen to make this recipe gluten-free, please share your advice in the comment section so everyone can learn from your awesomeness!
• Chopped walnuts – I like chopped walnuts for this. I think they go well with the banana flavor. But if you have a different nut preference or if you have nut allergies, you can substitute or omit this. I would chop these up pretty small so that you’re more likely to get a bite of walnut in every bite.
• Vegan Chocolate Chips – I like Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips, the mini variety. Not just because they’re tiny and cute but also because using the minis means that you’re more likely to get chocolate in every bite. Feel free to use whatever your favorite vegan chocolate is though!
• Baking soda and baking powder – we need these for them to reach their full muffin-y potential!
• Salt – adjust to taste.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177 C).
• In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let this sit for at least five minutes; this will make our flax goo that we use as the egg substitute.

• While you’re waiting on the flax goo to goo, either mash the bananas by hand, or get them all mashed up in the food processor.

• In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, and flax goo.

• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. This includes the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Once all of these are well mixed, stir in the dry TVP. Please do not re-hydrate your TVP; you will be very sad you did!

• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly and combine well.

• Mix in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
• Evenly distribute the batter across the 12 lined muffin cup things on your muffin tray. I f you don’t like using paper liners, you could also use a silicone muffin molds. I really like those, especially the heart shaped ones!

• Bake the muffins for 12 to 16 minutes. They should come out a little bit gooey; that’s OK, this is how we want them. If you cook them for long enough that they can pass the tooth pick test, they will probably be too dry and the texture will not be as pleasant.
• Let the muffins sit for about 15 to 30 minutes; they will start to set up and become less gooey. Or you can do what I usually end up doing, which is eating them immediately and burning my mouth.

Silly Little Haiku

Mushy Bananas

They are perfect for baking

I love bananas