Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins (Gluten-Free + High Protein)
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These banana cottage cheese muffins are a gluten-free, high-protein snack made in the blender! They have 7 grams of protein per muffin. Naturally sweetened, perfect for meal prep, and great as an afterschool or sports practice snack for the kids!
I started making these during a stretch of busy weeks when I needed something fast to have on hand for the kids after-school as we run out the door to sports practice. Ripe bananas were sitting on my counter, and I had cottage cheese in the fridge from another recipe. I blended everything together mostly out of curiosity, and I was so happy with how they turned out.
Now they’re one of my favorite things to meal prep on a Sunday so we have a healthy grab-and-go snack ready all week! My kids love them and request them often, and I love that I can feel good about saying yes to their request! I also love that you can easily make these in the blender.
They hold up really well in the fridge for a few days, so they’re ideal for meal prep. If you’re looking for more easy, healthier snack recipes to add to your rotation, you’ll find lots on my site!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins:
Ingredient Notes
- Cottage Cheese: Any fat percentage works here! I used low-fat for this recipe but full-fat will give you an even creamier result. The cottage cheese completely blends into the batter, so don’t worry – you won’t see or taste it.
- Bananas: The riper, the better! Ripe bananas are sweeter and blend more smoothly, which gives these muffins the best flavor. If your bananas have brown spots, those are the ones you want to use.
- Gluten-Free Flour: I used a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Because it’s gluten-free, these muffins are a little more delicate than a regular muffin, so be patient when cooling them before removing from the pan.
- Oats: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need to avoid cross contamination. The blender grinds them into a flour, so they blend seamlessly into the batter.
Additions
- Chocolate Chips: Stir in a handful of chocolate chips before pouring the batter into the muffin tin! My kids love these with a few chocolate chips mixed in.
- Blueberries: Fold in some fresh or frozen blueberries for a fruity twist. My Blender Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins prove that blueberry and banana flavors just go so well together!
- Cinnamon: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter for a little warmth. It pairs really nicely with the banana flavor.
- Walnuts or Pecans: Fold in some chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch and some extra nutrients!
Substitutions
- Cottage Cheese: You could try swapping the cottage cheese for plain Greek yogurt. I haven’t personally tried it this way, but I think it could work! It may change the texture slightly. If you need the recipe to be dairy-free, you could try using a dairy-free/vegan cottage cheese, just note that it will likely contain less protein.
- Maple Syrup: You can reduce the maple syrup slightly if you’d like to use less and if your bananas are very ripe and sweet. If you are making these for a toddler and aren’t giving them added sugar yet, you can omit the maple syrup completely. I would add an extra 1/2 of a ripe banana in this case.
Tools For This Recipe
- High-speed blender
- Muffin tray: I love using a silicone muffin tray so that I don’t have to use liners or grease the cups – makes it SO much easier! The muffins just pop right out! The one I use has a metal frame in it so it’s sturdy and works well for something like egg cups without spilling.
How to Make Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins: Step-by-Step
For the full recipe with the exact ingredients, scroll down to the printable recipe card below!
Step 1: Add the gluten-free flour, ground oats, and baking powder to a high-speed blender. Blend for about 15 seconds until the oats are ground into a fine flour.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients – ripe bananas, cottage cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup – to the blender.
Step 3: Blend everything together until the batter is completely smooth.
Step 4: Pour the batter into a lined or greased muffin tray (or use a silicone muffin tray like I used so you don’t have to line/grease them!), filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 18-20 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This step is really important! Since they’re made with gluten-free flour, they’re more delicate than a regular muffin. Letting them cool fully helps them hold together so much better.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t skip the cooling time: I know it’s tempting to pop them out right away, but please wait! Gluten-free baked goods need that extra time to set up properly. 10-15 minutes makes a big difference in how well they hold together.
- Use ripe bananas: The riper your bananas are, the sweeter and more flavorful your cottage cheese banana muffins will be. Brown and spotty bananas are exactly what you want here.
- Double the batch: This recipe is great as-is, but it doubles really easily if you want to stock the freezer. I love making a double batch on Sundays so we have snacks ready all week!
- Blend in stages: Starting with the dry ingredients first (flour, oats, baking powder) and then adding the wet ingredients helps everything blend more evenly and prevents lumps.
What to Serve With Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins
These are great on their own as a snack, but you can also pair them with:
- A drizzle of almond butter or peanut butter on top
- Fresh berries on the side
- A smoothie or a yogurt bowl to round out the meal if you’re having them alongside breakfast
Meal Prep & Storage
- Meal Prep: These are one of my favorite things to make ahead for the week! Bake a batch on Sunday and you’ll have a ready-to-grab snack every single day. My kids love these as an afterschool snack and request them often.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Let the muffins cool completely and then store them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Place a small piece of parchment paper between each muffin so they don’t stick together. They freeze great! Take one out when you need it and warm it up in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds. Having a freezer-friendly snack already made is such a lifesaver on busy weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Once it’s blended in, you truly cannot taste it. It just adds creaminess and protein without any noticeable flavor.
The cottage cheese is a key ingredient here and is what boosts the protein content, so swapping it out for a dairy-free version will change the protein content and could change the texture slightly. I haven’t personally tested it with dairy-free cottage cheese, but it could work! Let me know if you try it!
Yes! If you don’t need these to be gluten-free, you can swap the gluten-free flour for regular all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. Your muffins may be slightly less delicate and easier to pop out of the pan.
Yes! If you aren’t giving your toddler added sugar, you can make these a no added sugar muffin by omitting the maple syrup. I would add another 1/2 banana in this case to help sweeten them a tad more.
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Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1.5 cups cottage cheese, I used low fat
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If needed, line or grease a muffin tray. I used a silicone muffin tray, so no liner or greasing was necessary.
- Add the gluten-free flour, ground oats, and baking powder to a high-speed blender. Blend for about 15 seconds until the oats are ground into a fine flour.
- Add the remaining ingredients – ripe bananas, cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract – to the blender.
- Blend everything together until the batter is completely smooth.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tray, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This step is really important! Since they’re made with gluten-free flour, they’re more delicate than a regular muffin. Letting them cool fully helps them hold together much better.