Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins are soft, fluffy, and naturally sweetened with ripe bananas. Made with simple ingredients and a sneaky boost of protein from cottage cheese, this healthy banana muffin recipe is perfect for breakfast or snack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Banana muffins are a staple for using up overripe bananas, and after the success of my cottage cheese banana bread and cottage cheese muffins, making cottage cheese banana muffins was a no‑brainer.
On iFoodReal, I have plenty of banana muffin recipes, from almond flour banana muffins to Kodiak banana muffins, they all have a healthier focus and so do these banana muffins with cottage cheese and 7 grams of protein.
Like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese adds extra protein and makes them incredibly soft, fluffy, and satisfying. And don’t worry, you can’t taste the cottage cheese at all. No one will know it’s there unless you tell them, perfect for kids and toddlers!
Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins
- Overripe bananas: They’re sweeter and softer, which makes the muffins extra moist and naturally flavorful without needing much added sugar.
- Cottage cheese: Any fat percentage works, I use either 2% or 4%. Small curd cottage cheese will mix in more smoothly, large curd melts into the batter but will leave a few soft bits.
- All-purpose flour: I prefer to use white flour with cottage cheese muffins because it gives them their classic soft, fluffy texture. You may substitute with
1/2 cups whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour or spelt flour. - Eggs: I like to use 1 large egg to help bind the batter and give banana muffins that soft, fluffy rise.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup is my go-to natural sweetener. Honey or agave are easy swaps, just be sure to stick with a liquid sweetener.
- Oil: I like to use a mild tasting option like avocado oil. But any oil, melted butter or coconut oil will work.
- Milk: You can use any dairy milk or dairy-free milk, I used unsweetened almond milk to save on calories.
- Flavor enhancers: Vanilla extract and cinnamon add warmth and a cozy sweetness that complements the banana perfectly.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These two work together to help the muffins rise.
- Mini chocolate chips: Add little pops of sweetness in every bite. Feel free to skip them if you prefer a simpler muffin.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with parchment paper liners, give them a quick spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
- Mash bananas: Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash them with a fork.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the cottage cheese, egg, maple syrup, oil, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk it well until smooth and you don’t see any white lumps. If you want to hide the cottage cheese completely, you can blend it instead.
- Add the flour and chocolate chips: Add the flour and gently stir with rubber spatula just until combined. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, saving a few for the tops.
- Fill the muffin tin: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and lightly press them in.
- Bake: Bake for 22–23 minutes, make sure a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and enjoy: Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Tips for Best Results
My easy tips for this cottage cheese banana muffin recipe.
- Use overripe bananas: Ripe bananas will work, but overripe are better. They add more sweetness and moisture, which makes the muffins extra soft.
- To avoid dry muffins: Don’t overbake. Pull them out as soon as the tops are set and lightly golden, and a toothpick comes out clean.
- To prevent tough muffins: Don’t overmix, just mix the batter just until everything comes together.
- Blend batter: If you wish, especially when using large curd cottage cheese like we get in Canada, give the wet ingredients a quick blend with an immersion blender.
- To avoid sticking: Make sure to use parchment paper muffin liners that are truly non-stick. Or silicone muffin pan works well too.
Variations
- Walnuts or pecans: Swap the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans to make banana nut muffins and eliminate refined sugar completely.
- Blueberry: Replace the chocolate chips with fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Peanut butter: Stir in a few tablespoons of peanut butter or swirl some on top before baking.
- No chocolate chips: Leave them out for a simple, lightly sweet high protein banana muffin.
- Extra nutrition: Add 2-3 tablespoons of ground flax seed, hemp seeds or chia seeds to the batter for extra fiber and healthy fats.
- Mini muffins: Make mini muffins instead, just reduce the baking time to about 10–12 minutes.
How to Store
Store: Keep your banana cottage cheese muffins in a resealable bag or airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days so they don’t dry out.
Freeze: Pop them in an airtight container and they’ll keep well for up to 3 months in a freezer. Thaw on the counter for 2-3 hours when you’re ready for a quick breakfast or snack.
You can also reheat them in a microwave for 20-30 seconds or toaster oven for 2-3 minutes for that freshly baked taste.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins
Cottage Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
Kodiak Banana Muffins
Banana Protein Muffins
Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large overripe bananas, 1 cup mashed
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons any mild oil, I used avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons any milk, I used almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tin with muffin liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash with a fork. Add cottage cheese, egg, maple syrup, oil, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk well until no white lumps of baking powder are visible. You could also blend this to hide the cottage cheese.
- Add flour and gently mix just until combined. Add almost all of chocolate chips and give a few stirs to incorporate.
- Divide batter evenly between 12 openings of previously prepared muffin tin and decorate with remaining chocolate chips, pressing on them lightly.
- Bake muffins for 22-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let cool in a pan for 5 minutes and then on a wire rack a bit more. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store: To prevent muffins from drying out, place in a resealable bag or airtight container and store on a counter for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
