You have to try this High Protein Vegan Banana Bread, it is SO GOOD. I wanted to make a banana bread that was actually high in protein without making another protein powder recipe, and vital wheat gluten ended up being the ingredient that made it work.
The rest of the recipe is pretty simple: rolled oats, ripe bananas, soy milk, chia seeds, a little stevia, and chocolate chips. The bananas keep it moist and naturally sweet, while the vital wheat gluten gives the loaf more structure and bumps up the protein quite a bit.
Texture-wise, this isn’t the super light, cakey banana bread you might be used to. It’s a little chewier, and really satisfying. I actually like it even more once it has cooled properly because the texture settles and the banana flavor comes through beautifully.
And of course, there are chocolate chunks. Obviously!
It works really well as an actual breakfast or snack, and keeps you fuller for longer.
A regular slice has roughly 16 g of protein, depending on the vital wheat gluten and soy milk you use, and it freezes really well too. So you can make one loaf, slice it up, and have breakfast or snacks ready for the weeks or months (if you freeze it).
It’s also easy to make variations depending on what you have around. You can add walnuts, use blueberries instead of chocolate chips, make it more cinnamon-y, or keep it plain and add peanut butter when serving!
Vital wheat gluten is essentially the protein-rich part of wheat flour. When wheat flour is hydrated, gluten proteins form an elastic network. Vital wheat gluten is made by separating out much of the starch so you’re left with a very protein-dense wheat product.
It’s commonly used to make seitan, but it can also be added to baking recipes to increase protein and give dough more structure.
And just to make this very clear: Vital wheat gluten is NOT gluten-free as it is basically concentrated gluten. So this recipe is not suitable for someone with Celiac disease or anyone who needs to avoid gluten.
Vital wheat gluten typically contains around 70 to 80 g of protein per 100 g, depending on the brand. That means the 100 g used in this loaf contributes a substantial amount of protein before we even count the oats, soy milk, chia seeds, or other ingredients.
This loaf is a little more structured and slightly chewier than traditional banana bread.
You want enough gluten development to hold the loaf together, but we want the texture more banana bread-y, and not like a dense seitan recipe. The amount you add and the way you mix the batter makes huge difference here.
You can blend the oats into oat flour here. If you leave them whole, the loaf will feel more like banana bread baked oats. I personally prefer blending them fairly finely for this recipe.
This is what really increases the protein content. Because vital wheat gluten absorbs liquid and develops structure very differently from regular flour, I would not substitute it one-for-one with another flour and expect the same result!
In this recipe we are using approximately 3 large or 4 medium bananas, but bananas vary so much in size that weighing them is the easiest option. Also make sure to use very ripe bananas.
They provide most of the sweetness and moisture in this loaf, so this is a good place for those heavily spotted bananas sitting on your counter!
I use soy milk because it adds more protein than most other plant milks. My soy milk contains 40 calories and 3.9 g protein per 100 ml, so the milk alone adds almost 12 g of protein to the whole loaf.
Another plant milk should work, but the protein content of the recipe will be lower.
Ground chia helps bind the loaf and adds fiber and healthy fats. Ground flaxseed should also work if that’s what you have.
This helps lighten what would otherwise be a very dense batter! Do not skip it.
You can add more or skip this depending on your taste palette and preference.
The amount you need may vary depending on the type of zero-cal sweetener you use.
My recommendation is to taste the banana mixture before adding it to the dry ingredients and adjust the sweetness there.
You can also use regular granulated sweetener. or maple syrup.
You can mix some into the batter and save the rest for the top.
Dark chocolate works especially well because the bananas are already quite sweet.
With regular banana bread, over-mixing is already something you generally want to avoid.
With vital wheat gluten, it’s even more important to avoid.
Vital wheat gluten becomes elastic when hydrated and over-worked. That’s incredibly useful when you’re making seitan or bread, but we don’t need maximum gluten development here.
Once your wet and dry ingredients are well-combined, you can stop mixing. This helps keep the finished loaf softer rather than overly chewy.
It still tastes like banana bread 😛
The vital wheat gluten itself has a fairly neutral wheat flavor, while the ripe banana, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate do most of the flavor work. The bigger difference is the texture!
Compared with classic banana bread, expect this loaf to be:
Letting it cool completely improves the texture considerably.
The exact amount depends on your vital wheat gluten and soy milk brands!
Using a typical vital wheat gluten containing roughly 75 g protein per 100 g, plus oats and a higher-protein soy milk, the whole loaf contains approximately 130 g protein.
If you make 8 regular slices, that works out to roughly: 14 g protein per slice
If you cut the loaf into 7 thick slices, you’re closer to: 18 g protein per slice
And that’s without adding protein powder! Isn’t that amazing?
It is already quite high in protein, so you really don’t need protein powder here.
But if you want to push it further, you have a few options:
A few tablespoons can add more protein and healthy fats without changing the texture too dramatically.
Chocolate, banana, and peanut butter obviously work REALLY well together.
Try adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter. You may need a little extra soy milk to make up for the extra powder.
This is probably the easiest option (and my personal favorite)!
Warm a slice and serve it with thick soy yogurt and berries for a more complete breakfast.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cacao powder to the batter.
You may need an extra splash of soy milk because cacao absorbs moisture.
Swirl a few tablespoons of peanut butter over the surface before baking.
Replace some of the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts.
Fold fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter.
If using frozen berries, add them straight from the freezer instead of thawing them first.
You can technically leave out the chocolate chips. The loaf will be lower in calories but also less tasty. I would personally add walnuts or another mix-in because I like having a mix of textures and tastes.
You can eat it warm, room temperature, or cold.
For breakfast, try it with:
For a snack, I usually think one slice works perfectly on its own.
If you refrigerate the loaf, warming a slice for a few seconds before eating brings back some of the softness.
Allow the loaf to cool completely before storing it. Because this bread contains a lot of banana and is quite moist, you must store it in the refrigerator.
Place the loaf or individual slices in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
You can reheat individual slices in the microwave or toaster oven.
Yes, and it freezes really well!!! Let the loaf cool completely and slice it first.
Place parchment paper between the slices and transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months.
You can then remove individual slices whenever you need them.
Let a slice thaw overnight in the refrigerator, leave it at room temperature, or microwave it on defrost mode.
No! Quite the opposite, in fact. Vital wheat gluten is the main high-protein ingredient in this recipe, so this loaf contains a significant amount of gluten.
Vital wheat gluten is the protein-rich component of wheat flour. It is commonly used in bread baking and to make seitan.
Not directly if you want the same protein content and texture. Regular flour contains much less protein and behaves differently. If you replace the vital wheat gluten, you would essentially be creating a different banana bread recipe.
Yes! Oat, almond, or another plant milk should work for the recipe itself, but soy milk contributes considerably more protein.
Yup. Use whichever sweetener you prefer and adjust to taste.
Keep in mind that regular sugar, maple syrup, or another caloric sweetener will change the nutrition information.
Some chewiness is normal because this recipe contains a substantial amount of vital wheat gluten. If it is excessively chewy, you may have mixed the batter for too long or overbaked the loaf.
Yes. If using whole oats, the finished loaf will have more of a baked-oatmeal texture.
For something closer to traditional banana bread, blend the oats into oat flour first.
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