5 Banana Protein Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts
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Bananas are a tasty and convenient snack that can help support healthy weight management. They are easy to add to a smoothie, meal, or on-the-go lunch, and pairing a carb-heavy banana with a protein-rich food is a great way to recover and repair your muscles.
Having healthy banana protein recipes means enjoying sweet treats without hurting your waistline. Keep reading for a few delicious banana recipes to try!
Is Banana a Protein or Carbohydrate?
Bananas are a carb-heavy fruit that can help provide energy, maintain blood sugar levels, prevent hunger, and fight off cramps. One medium banana contains 26.9 grams of carbohydrates and only 1.29 grams of protein.
What Nutrients Are in Bananas?
A medium banana contains 105 calories, 1.29 grams of protein, 26.9 grams of carbohydrates, 3.07 grams of fiber, 14.4 grams of sugar, and ample vitamins. The fruit also contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, folate, choline, carotene, vitamin A, and lutein.
Should You Eat a Banana With Protein?
Eating a carb-heavy snack or food with protein can facilitate muscle recovery and lead to greater protein synthesis. Combining carb-rich foods with protein after working out will help your muscles recover faster, as it helps the protein travel throughout the body and makes it easier to replenish your glycogen stores.
5 Banana Protein Recipes to Try
Protein Banana Bread
Ingredients:
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup milk (ex. almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk)
1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple cider)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups self-rising flour
½ cup almond flour
¼ cup vanilla protein powder
½ cup brown sugar substitute or sweetener
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with olive oil.
Add bananas, milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl (the wet ingredients). Mix until the ingredients are combined together.
Add in the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth and there are no chunks.
Move the batter into the lined loaf pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center of the pan, ensuring it comes out clean.
Remove the bread from the oven.
Let the bread cool completely before removing it from the loaf plan.
Slice and enjoy!
Flourless Banana Protein Muffins
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
60g peanut butter
60g protein powder (ex. vegan protein powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
50 ml of milk
3 tablespoons of chocolate chips (milk or dark)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with olive oil.
Mash the ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Add in the wet ingredients (egg and peanut butter).
Mix until the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Add protein powder and baking powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. If the batter is too dry, add two tablespoons of milk.
Spread the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
Top the muffins with your choice of chocolate chips.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test using a toothpick in the middle of the muffins, ensuring it comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool on a baking rack.
Serve and enjoy!
Flourless Banana Protein Powder Pancakes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons pea or whey protein powder
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
Instructions:
Heat a frying pan over medium or low heat.
Grease the frying pan with oil or butter.
Blend the banana, eggs, and protein powder into a thick batter.
Pour the batter into a jug.
Pour the pancake mixture onto a pan.
Leave the mixture on the pan until golden and flip as needed.
Banana Protein Balls
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup walnuts
2 tablespoons flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ cup protein powder
½ cup mashed banana
½ cup peanut or almond butter
⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
Add all ingredients into a food processor (except the chocolate chips).
Process on high speed until the batter is combined.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of oats if the batter is too sticky. If the batter is too dry, add 1 tbsp of water.
Fold in the chocolate chips and pulse a few times.
Roll 1 ½ tablespoons of batter into a ball and place on a plate.
Place the balls in a fridge for at least one hour.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake Recipe
Ingredients:
6 ice cubes
1 cup milk of your choice
1 frozen banana
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
2 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Enjoy!
Benefits of Eating Bananas Regularly
Improves Blood Sugar Levels
One of the main benefits of eating bananas regularly is that the nutrients help improve blood sugar levels by adding soluble fiber. Soluble fiber and resistant starch in bananas help alleviate high blood sugar spikes after eating, allowing you to better regulate your appetite throughout the day.
Despite having a higher carbohydrate concentration than other fruits, bananas prevent blood sugar spikes and energy crashes.
Improved Digestion
Since bananas contain ample dietary fiber, they can help regulate digestion and avoid constipation, digestion issues, and unhealthy gut bacteria. The resistant starch in bananas has also been shown to help increase the probiotics within the gut, which helps with a healthy microbiome.
Facilitates Weight Loss
Another benefit of regularly eating bananas is that it can lead to long-term weight loss. Since bananas have only around 100 calories depending on size and contain ample fiber, they can help keep you full longer.
Final Thoughts
Although you shouldn’t necessarily have banana cream pie every day of the week, incorporating bananas into your daily diet is a great way to maintain energy levels, resist hunger, increase recovery, and facilitate muscle growth. Combining bananas with protein foods is essential to athlete recovery, losing weight, boosting metabolism, and enjoying tasty, sweet snacks that won't derail your diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why banana in a protein shake?
Adding a banana to a protein shake or smoothie can help with muscle recovery, replenish glycogen stores, add more potassium to maintain energy levels, and prevent hunger later in the day. You can even use frozen bananas to add more creaminess to your morning protein smoothie.
Is a banana and a protein shake enough for breakfast?
Drinking protein shakes with a banana to start your day is a great way to have a quick and convenient meal that keeps you full, adds extra nutrients, and increases your metabolism.
Are bananas high in protein?
No, bananas are high in carbohydrates, making them a great pairing with a protein-rich food, such as protein powder, Greek yogurt, or almonds. You can increase your protein intake by including more eggs, lean meats, fish, dairy, and grains.
Main image credit: Lisa from Pexels / Pexels
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.
