If you always loved grandma’s banana bread, you’ll love this homemade granola recipe that tastes like a hug from her oven. My Banana Bread Protein Granola is a great way to start the day or kick back with as a wholesome snack – or to use as an topping for yogurt parfaits, baked fruit desserts or smoothie bowls.
Banana Bread Granola with Protein Powder is is easy to make, economical, and features lots of wholesome ingredients including oats, protein powder + nuts, seeds and oats. Offering almost 14g protein per serving, lots of whole grain energy, and dietary fiber – it’s definitely a winner!
Whip up the batter that starts with a mixture of protein powder whisked into water, egg white and melted butter. That’s used to coat the oats, nuts and seeds before baking in the oven. While baking, this homemade banana granola recipe fills the house with a delicious, comforting aroma that tastes as yummy as it smells. After cooling and breaking into clusters, this banana protein granola has a crunchy texture with the larger pieces remaining slightly soft int the center – it’s delightful!
Note: I like to Protein Oats (thick cut rolled oats) from Oatsome– the only ingredient is oats, but thanks to the way they are cut thicker, you get 40% more protein than traditional oats — plus14% DV for dietary fiber.
Tips for Making Banana Bread Protein Granola
Oats: While I used thicker-cut rolled oats, traditional rolled oats (aka: old-fashioned oats) will work just the same. Just do NOT substitute instant oats or steel-cut oats, the texture will be off with both those.
Protein Powder: I use a cake batter whey protein for this recipe. I like the cake batter flavor because it lends a buttery vanilla vibe that reminds me of all sorts of nostalgic homemade baked goods. A vanilla protein powder would work well also – and you can even add a ½ teaspoon of cake batter extract (optional).
Nuts: I’ve used chopped pecans in this banana bread granola, because traditionally that’s an ingredient that my grandmother used in her banana bread loaves (and, as a kid living in the South, I was often assigned to gather the pecans falling of the trees). But, you can swap for almond slivers or another nut – or a combination of nuts — if you prefer.
Extra Mix-Ins: I’ve left this banana pecan granola recipe pretty simple, but if you’d like to add some extra mix-ins (up to 1/4 to ½ cup total), please do! Extra seeds, nuts and shredded coconut can be added to the mixture before baking, BUT mix in items like dried fruit, chocolate chips and such AFTER the granola has baked and cooled to room temperature.
Baking Gear: I suggest baking the banana granola on a rimmed baking sheet (so nothing slides off!) that has been lined with a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper to prevent sticking (I personally love the convenience of the this pre-cut sheet pan parchment paper).
Storage: Store prepared and cooled granola at room temperature in an air-tight container (like a large, hinged canning glass jar) or zip-top plastic bag. Because this granola has a crunch outside but slightly soft center in cluster pieces, it won’t last as long as those super dry granolas from the store. Use up within the week (that’s not hard to do!) or transfer to the freezer for use later.
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Banana Bread Protein Granola is an easy homemade breakfastor snack you can make in about 30 minutes. It's much more economical than storebought and you have control over the ingredients — I've used a protein powderto give this healthy treat 13g protein per serving.
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup birthday cake cake batter or vanilla flavored protein powder
- 1 egg white or 2 tbsp from a carton
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ large ripe banana mashed
- ¼ cup stevia baking blend or similar 1:1 measure equivalent sweetener
- 2 tbs chia seeds
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats like Oatsome thick-cut rolled protein oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Optional Mix ins See Note
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Preheat oven to 325F.
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Whisk together water and protein powder in mixing bowl.
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Whisk in egg white, then melted butter.
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Add ripe banana and mash in well to mixture with fork or spatula.
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Stir in sweetener, chia seeds, ground cinnamon and salt until well combined. Finally, stir in oats and pecans and stir until evenly coated.
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Pour out onto rimmed baking sheet (lined with silicone baking sheet or parchment paper) and pat down into an even layer, about 1/3 to ½” thick.
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Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, using spatula to gently flip hallway through – keeping large clumps intact.
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Remove from oven when turning deep golden brown, let cook on sheet for at least 10 minutes before breaking up into desired-size clusters.
Optional Mix Ins: May mix in another ¼ to ½ cup nuts, seeds or shredded coconut into wet batter before baking. Or you can add a similar amount of dried fruit or chocolate chips after the granola has baked and cooled to room temperature.
