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This Kodiak banana bread has all of the warm and cozy flavors of traditional banana bread, but also packs 11 grams of protein per slice because it uses Kodiak protein pancake mix instead of flour. It’s perfectly moist and so good!
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Why you’ll love this
There is just nothing like a freshly baked loaf of banana bread with warm and sweet banana flavors, and this banana bread has a secret ingredient: Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes mix.
The Kodiak pancake mix is made with wholesome ingredients like whole grain wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, and added protein.
I love it for pancakes of course, but when you use it as a regular flour swap in this banana bread, you end up with a delicious banana bread that has 11 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per slice!
A higher fiber, higher protein banana bread means that you’re less likely to get a big sugar crash from it and more likely to keep you full, satisfied and fueled!
This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes because it’s easy, so good, and a little bit more nutritious than your standard banana bread recipe.
Let’s get into what you need!
Ingredients
- Kodiak Buttermilk Power Cakes Mix: This pancake mix is a blend of whole wheat flour, oat flour and added protein. It makes a great swap for all purpose flour in this recipe and you can use it for pancakes too!
- Ripe bananas: The key to the best banana bread is overripe bananas. The spottier, the better! If you’re in a pinch, you can “bake” bananas whole in their peel at 300 for 20 minutes if you only have yellow bananas.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt adds moisture (and some protein) to this banana bread. You can also use sour cream.
- Eggs: You’ll need a couple of eggs for this recipe.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds the perfect amount of classic sweetness to this banana bread. It only uses a half cup, so it’s not overly sweet (it’s perfection!).
- Milk: You’ll need just a little bit of milk. You can use regular milk (that’s what I use) or you can use whatever dairy-free milk alternative you prefer.
- Avocado oil: I love using avocado oil in baking because it has a high smoke point, it’s neutral flavored and it’s full of the healthy fats you can find in avocados. You can also use canola oil.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla is essential for banana bread! This one is my favorite.
- Cinnamon: Personally I love to add some cinnamon to bring out the warm, cozy flavors of banana bread.
- Baking powder: You’ll need a little bit of baking powder to help the bread rise.
- Mini chocolate chips: This is optional, but mini chocolate chips work perfectly in this recipe! I’ve tested it with different kinds of chocolate chips, but mini style is my favorite.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prep a loaf pan by lightly spraying or rubbing with oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pancake mix, cinnamon and baking powder.
- In another large bowl, add bananas and mash then. Next add Greek yogurt, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, milk and oil. Mix well with a large spoon or whisk.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients well. If desired, stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Top with extra chocolate chips if desired and bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees.
- When the banana bread is ready, a toothpick or fork will come out clean with no batter sticking to it.
Serving suggestions
You can absolutely enjoy your banana bread as is, but I love pairing it with:
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Scrambled or fried eggs
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Peanut butter or almond butter
If you’re having leftovers and prefer a warmed up banana brad, stick it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, grill it up quickly in a skillet, or toast in a toaster!
Recipe FAQ
How can I fix banana bread browning too quickly?
If it’s browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil while it finishes baking to prevent the top from burning.
Can I use maple syrup or honey?
I recommend brown sugar over maple syrup or honey. It will impact both the sweetness, flavor and the way it bakes. I find that baking with maple syrup or honey browns a bit faster and you end up with edges that are too browned. And remember, it’s all the same added sugar when all is said and done, so it’s truly no big deal which one you choose!
Can I make this bread into muffins?
Yes! Use a lined cupcake pan and reduce baking time to 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Will any pancake mix work?
I have not tested this recipe with other pancake mixes, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t work the same!
Variation ideas
- Use white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or cinnamon chips instead of chocolate chips.
- Drizzle with nut butter before serving.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top for an easy sweet topping.
- Bake into muffins instead!
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Kodiak Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups Kodiak buttermilk pancake mix
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 medium bananas, overripe (brown/spotty)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup avocado oil, or canola
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prep a loaf pan by lightly spraying or rubbing with oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pancake mix, cinnamon and baking powder.
- In another large bowl, add bananas and mash then. Next add Greek yogurt, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, milk and oil. Mix well with a large spoon or whisk.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients well. If desired, stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Top with extra chocolate chips if desired and bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees. When the banana bread is ready, a toothpick or fork will come out clean with no batter sticking to it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Would adding ground flax seeds alter how I needed to bake? Iโd love to add flax for great hormonal benefits!
I haven’t tested it with flax seeds but you could certainly give it a try! ๐
Easy to make and tastes great. I used the Aldi version of protein pancake mix because it was All I had on hand. A keeper for sure.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed! Thank you for sharing that other protein pancake brands work too ๐
These are delicious!
Can I make and freeze this?
I think it will freeze well!
Delicious! I made this recipe tonight. I used regular butter and not chocolate chips (because I didnโt have avocado oil or chocolate chips)
So glad you enjoyed!
Really good! I used melted butter instead of oil and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese instead of Greek yogurt! It did need quite a bit of extra time Iโd guess it cooked for an hour and still needed a little bit more since the inside is a little too wet still.
So glad you enjoyed it! The different ingredients may have influenced the longer bake time a bit- I also find that ovens can vary so much too! I’ll definitely have to try this with cottage cheese!
Weโve made this recipe into muffins a few times and theyโre great. Moist and flavorful. A family favorite for a quick, on the go breakfast.
So glad you’re enjoying this recipe Carly, thank you so much for your kind review!
These turned out great! I made muffins and sprinkled the top with some Lilyโs milk chocolate chips ๐
Yum! So glad you liked them! Thank you for leaving a review ๐
Can you make in a bread machine?
This is a quick bread so no need for a bread machine!