Soft Protein-Packed Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
This cottage cheese banana bread gets boosts of protein from cottage cheese and hemp hearts and lots of amazing flavor from ripe bananas and chocolate chunks. It’s made all in one large bowl and is a simple fix for your banana bread craving!
FEATURED COMMENT
“This is my favorite banana bread recipe (I’ve tried a lot), and it will be the only one I ever use now. So good and there is enough goodness in there it’s a yummy breakfast option for the entire family.”
★★★★★
Cottage cheese is having its moment.
Social media is funny. One second something is wildly popular and the next second that same thing is dead in the water. I feel like cottage cheese is one of those foods that either gets a lot of love or a lot of hate. Right now, it’s getting a LOT of love. Every creator and their mother is on a mission to create a cottage cheese recipe. I happen to love cottage cheese so I’m here for it.
When I set out to develop a banana bread recipe with cottage cheese, I anticipated it would be good but I didn’t expect it to be THIS good. Seriously, this banana bread is soft, tender, full of flavor and the perfect sweet treat. I love a thick slice slathered in peanut butter.
It’s made in one bowl with a handful of simple ingredients, has a boost of protein in each slice thanks to cottage cheese, and doubles as both a nourishing snack and a yummy dessert. You also get a little fiber boost from the white whole wheat flour and hemp hearts, which makes it feel a bit more balanced.
I had to make this banana bread loaf three times (once for testing, once for filming the video, once for taking photos) so I got to eat a slice as my afternoon snack for nearly three weeks straight. #notcomplaining
What Ingredients You Need for Cottage Cheese Banana Bread:
Spotty brown bananas: I’m pretty sure this is stated on every banana bread recipe ever but you MUST use very ripe, spotty brown bananas for best results. Overripe mashed bananas give more flavor and sweetness and result in a tastier loaf.
Brown sugar or maple syrup: brown sugar provides the obvious sweetness but what most people don’t realize is that sugar is also crucial for the tenderness, moisture, browning, structure and texture of baked goods.
Avocado oil: avocado oil is a healthy fat that improves the overall flavor and moisture of many baked goods. It also has a high smoke point which is ideal for baking.
Eggs: eggs help provide the structure in quick breads.
Cottage cheese: the star of the show here! Cottage cheese provides high-quality protein but also provides moisture for a yummy loaf.
Hemp hearts: hemp hearts are such an underrated way to add a (seemingly tasteless) source of plant-based protein and heart-healthy fats.
Vanilla extract: vanilla extract adds lovely flavor to this cottage cheese banana bread.
White whole wheat flour: I like to incorporate as many whole grains into my diet for the nutrients and dietary fiber they provide. I opt for white whole wheat here as it is lighter and yields a more tender loaf compared to more hearty and dense whole grain flour.
Baking soda: NOT the same as baking powder my friends, be sure to use baking soda which provides the leavening factor in this recipe!
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is the main spice in this recipe. Feel free to add more spices like nutmeg, cardamom or ginger!
Salt: salt lifts all of the other flavors beautiful flavors in this bread.
Mix-ins: I of course opted for chocolate chunks here because banana bread + chocolate is a match made in heaven. BUT you can go wild and do you boo- walnuts, pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, dried fruit, you can’t go wrong.
How to Make Soft & Tender Cottage Cheese Banana Bread:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a standard-size loaf pan with a little butter or nonstick baking spray and a sprinkling of flour, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside the prepared pan. I prefer a metal loaf pan vs a glass loaf pan- keep in mind that if you use glass your bake time will be longer.
In a large bowl mash the bananas until “liquid-y”- there will be a few lumps and that’s okay. Whisk in the brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs, cottage cheese, hemp hearts and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl or simply add them to the same bowl. Use a silicone spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet- mix until JUST combined. Overmixing results in a more dense, tougher loaf. Fold in any mix-ins.
Pour batter in the greased loaf pan. To the top of the loaf you can add a handful of chocolate chunks or slice a banana lengthwise and gently press it in.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick entered into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then run a knife along the perimeter of the loaf to loosen it from the pan. Remove loaf and let it cool a few more minutes on a wire rack (impossible, I know).
Slice and serve! My favorite is slathered in peanut butter but you can enjoy with butter, almond butter, a drizzle of honey or just STRAIGHT UP.
Variation Ideas & Ingredient Swaps:
Unlike many baking recipes, banana bread is pretty forgiving. If you need to make a swap based on what you have on hand, here are some easy options.
- Cottage cheese → plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (coconut yogurt if dairy-free)
- White whole wheat flour → all-purpose flour, spelt flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- Hemp hearts → ground flaxseed or chia seeds
- Brown sugar → maple syrup or honey
- Eggs → flax eggs (use two tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with five warm tablespoons water)
- Avocado oil → melted coconut oil, melted butter, or olive oil
FAQs About Making Banana Bread with Cottage Cheese:
I haven’t personally tried that but I’m quite sure it would still turn out great and make this bread even higher in protein! I’d recommend 2-3 scoops for an extra protein boost. I’m partial to the brand Orgain for protein powder!
Hemp hearts act as sort of a ‘nutrition booster’ for this recipe. They can easily be left out without affecting the integrity of the recipe.
At your own risk. I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour. The final product will be more dense but I feel confident it would still be yummy. If you use almond flour, increase the flour measurement to 2½ cups.
Yes! Bake in a muffin tin at 325 degrees for 20-22 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
My top suggestion would be to use an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour blend but you can also follow the above instructions on how to use almond flour.
The purpose of fat in baking is for moisture and flavor. I would argue that this recipe has a modest amount of fat appropriate for one loaf of bread. If you do reduce the amount of oil or replace it with something like applesauce or pumpkin, it will affect the moisture and flavor of the loaf, so do so at your discretion.
Instead of trying to “vegan-ize” this recipe I’d recommend this yummy vegan banana bread!
I store the loaf whole (don’t pre-slice it!) in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to enjoy a slice (hello easy breakfast or afternoon snack) use a bread knife to cut a slice and warm it in the microwave or toaster oven for 15-30 seconds.
Fluffy texture, tender crumb and melty chocolate, first bite and you will be SOLD. Grab a cup of coffee or glass of milk and enjoy this cottage cheese banana bread as a great breakfast or snack! yummmmmm.
Watch How to Make Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
If you try and like this recipe, please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! For more lifestyle, behind-the-scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content, come find me over on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, or Youtube – I love connecting with you all there!
Print
Soft Cottage Cheese Banana Bread (or Muffins!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This banana bread is tender, moist, sweet and simply drool-worthy. It has an extra boost of protein from cottage cheese and hemp hearts and hope it makes it on your list for the next time you’re in a baking mood!
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 small to medium bananas)
- 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar or pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts (completely optional, these are just for a boost of protein and nutrition!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mix-ins of choice like walnuts, chocolate chunks, pecans, pumpkin seeds, coconut or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Pan prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan (standard size) with butter or nonstick baking spray and a sprinkling of flour, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside the prepared pan. I prefer a metal loaf pan vs a glass loaf pan- keep in mind that if you use glass your bake time will be longer.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl mash the bananas until “liquid-y”- there will be a few lumps and that’s okay. Whisk in the brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs, cottage cheese, hemp hearts and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
- Dry ingredients: To that same bowl add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Use a silicone spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet- mix until JUST combined. Over-mixing results in a more dense, tougher loaf. Fold in any mix-ins.
- Bake: Pour the batter in the prepared pan. To the top of the loaf you can add a handful of chocolate chunks or slice a banana lengthwise and gently press it in. Bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick entered into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool: Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then run a knife along the perimeter of the loaf to loosen it from the pan. Remove loaf and let it cool a few more minutes on a cooling rack (impossible, I know).
- Enjoy: Slice and serve! My favorite is slathered in peanut butter but butter, almond butter, a drizzle of honey or just STRAIGHT UP are all amazing.
Notes
Muffins: pour batter into greased muffin tin and bake for 20-22 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. You can also use muffin liners but I would still give them a spray with nonstick spray.
There is a LOT of information on substitution suggestions and ingredient variations in the above blog post so make sure to read through the post for frequently asked questions!
Update 4/20/26: I’ve gone back and forth on a baking temp of 325 or 350. Ovens can be really finicky and yield really different results! At my old house, this bread was absolutely perfect at 325°F for 60 minutes. At my new house, it takes longer and/or hotter temp. Start with 60 minutes at 325°F and keep a close eye out, testing with a toothpick for doneness!
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary slightly.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 248
- Sugar: 13.3 g
- Sodium: 305.6 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.5 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 7.1 g
- Cholesterol: 39 mg
Here are more easy breakfasts you’ll love:
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click and make a purchase, I receive a small commission. Thank you so much for your support and helping me continue to do what I do!!
I previously commented on this and the only thing I’d do different is not split a banana on top because for me personally was just too mushy but that’s just personal preference, still a 10/10 recipe!
Yes definitely not required for the recipe haha, my husband was like why did you do that. For the pictures duhhhh😂
I’ve been a fan of Erica since day one, and I can’t express enough how much I adore her recipes. They’ve transformed our meals, and this bread is the latest star in our rotation! 🌟 Even though I’m not a fan of cottage cheese (and even less is my husband), Erica’s magic makes it all work with this recipe we get all the benefits of cottage cheese. I’ve even tried it with Greek yogurt, which he usually also hates, but this recipe is a winner. A great way to incorporate cottage cheese (and Greek yogurt) into our diets. Erica deserves all the praise for this amazing breakfast bread! 😊
Aw Jazmine thank youuuuu!! This made my day today! So happy I could convert you with this banana bread hehe
I just made this recipe tonight and it was the best evening snack before starting my schoolwork after putting my gremlins to bed. It was tasty, and filling, and I don’t feel fully guilty about eating it because I know I got some extra protein in before the day was over. For my fillings, I used dark chocolate and walnuts and then I topped my slice with butter and it was perfect! I will fosho be making this again for my mom because she’s a banana bread fiend!
Angelique SO happy to hear this! Thank you so much for making this recipe, chocolate and walnuts are the perfect fillings IMO.
Best banana bread I’ve ever made! I added dark chocolate chips, subbed the cottage cheese for Greek yogurt and the cinnamon for cardamom. Soooo delicious!
Oooh love the idea of cardamom! THanks for sharing Lizbeth!
Woww we made it twice in a week. Second time hubby was making it – he must just have it! Amazingly delicious and so wholesome! Thank you!!!
Haha absolutely amazing! Have your husband come teach my husband how to bake LOL.
Made these today as muffins and they are outstanding! My new favorite go-to banana bread recipe!
*left out hemp hearts because I didn’t have any and they were still amazing*
Amazing!! So so happy you liked it! Thanks for sharing that they turn out well as muffins 🙂
I made this last night and ran upstairs while it was sitting out to cool. When I came back down, everyone in the family had already had a slice. Their loss, they didn’t know about the peanut butter!
Hahaha too funny. More peanut butter banana bread for youuuu 😉 Thanks so much for trying and for your review!
Oh my gosh, this is amazing and even though I had a slice for dessert tonight, it’s definitely going to be a quick go-to breakfast this week! I didn’t tell my husband about the ingredients (I subbed Greek yogurt and chia seeds and he typically turns up his nose at those 🤪) and even he was sold! Thank you so much!
I definitely eat this for breakfast, snack and dessert as well hahaha! Thanks for trying Andrea, so happy you like it!
Hi, I made this recipe and subbed in a 1 to 1 bobs red mill gluten free flour. They turned out great. I also mistakenly bought hemp seeds and not hemp hearts. I used them and ended up with a bit of crunch in them. I also made them as muffins.
Hi Krista, thank you for sharing that this works with gluten free flour, I’m sure others will appreciate this review!
Easy to follow recipe and delicious banana bread 😊👌
Thank you Jenny! So happy you liked the recipe, thanks for your review 🙂
Dang, no wonder you made this 4 times! Definitely keeping this on repeat! I doubled the vanilla, used flax and hemp hearts, walnuts and chocolate chips, then made my own streusel on top! Talk about YUM!! Thanks for sharing!
oh man, i am SO doing a streusel next time, good call!
I’m trying to get my nine-year-old daughter to eat enough protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. Most of my healthier swap baking items are mess with suspicion and refusal. When I took this loaf out of the oven and saw some white specks on the top, I thought there was no way she was going to eat the banana bread. I sliced into it and offered it to her chocolate chip side up, and she demolished two pieces. Total win. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Weeeee! That is a TOTAL win. Way to go mom! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
This bread is easy to make and delicious. I subbed flax for the hemp hearts. It makes 12 good size muffins! My kids love to grab one for breakfast or an after school snack.
Great sub option! Thanks for trying Meryl and thank you for your review and comment!
Made this for breakfast today- so moist and yummy!! Love the idea of cottage cheese to add the protein! Thanks Erica you genius you❤️
Yaaaay so happy you like it Sarah! I love that protein boost 😉
Best banana bread I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a LOT. My daughter hates cottage cheese but I didn’t tell her it was in this and she loved it! Excellent recipe. Thank you!
Oh my goodness LOVE this!! I also did not tell my children, they love it! lol
Erica
This is so delicious! Cottage cheese does it again. And you don’t have to blend it prior. It creates a depth of flavor and moistness all banana breads need. I used ground flaxseed instead of hemp hearts since that’s all I had, still amazing. Sweet, nutritious and muscle building. 😉
Yaaaay! I’m so glad you tried it and loved it! I TOTALLY agree about the cottage cheese!