Protein Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt (No Added Sugar)

This protein banana bread with Greek yogurt is moist, made with flour and protein powder, and has no oil and no added sugar - 9.9g of protein for 113 calories a slice.

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I wrote the original version of this loaf years ago, and it was probably the first high protein banana bread I ever made. It came out of a pile of overripe bananas going black on my counter that I refused to throw away. That part hasn't changed.

What changed is everything I know now about swapping ingredients to hit the macros I actually want. Looking back, the ⅓ cup of coconut oil is the part I can't get past. I know a dozen ways to get that moisture without it now.

The push to redo it came from my sister. I'm visiting her right now in London, and she'd made this loaf before - but she also mentioned she now makes my double stuffed banana bread all the time instead. So I asked what she thought of this one. She said it was nice. Then: "but, macros."

That's literally the whole review. And yeah, that's all I needed to hear. So here's the 2026 version: no oil, no added sugar, a quarter of the fat and more protein per slice.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Freezes in slices for 3 months.
9.9g of protein and 113 calories a slice, and you genuinely can't taste the protein powder.
No oil, no butter. The Greek yogurt does that job, at 1.8g of fat a slice.
No added sugar - no maple syrup, no stevia. The bananas carry it.
Two bowls, no blender. Wet in one, dry in the other, fold, bake.
Flexible flour. Whole wheat pastry, all-purpose, or 1:1 gluten free.

So yes, if you're here because you've got a big tub of Greek yogurt and are looking for high protein bread recipes, you're going to love this high protein berry bun bake from Tisha's Veggie Eats.

Ingredients for Protein Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt

With the oil gone, almost every ingredient here is pulling double duty; that said, you only need a few pantry staples for this one!

Overripe Bananas - the blacker the better. This is the only sweetener in the loaf, so underripe bananas give you something bland.
- TIP: If yours aren't there, bake them in the skin at 300°F until the skins go black and glossy, then cool.
Non-fat Greek Yogurt - Moisture, a little tang, and actual protein - which oil was never giving me anyway.
- Sub: Low-fat Greek yogurt, skyr, coconut yogurt, or any other thick yogurt. Regular runny yogurt is too thin and loosens the batter.
Eggs for structure and lift. With no oil in here, they do more work than they used to.
Vanilla Extract to round out the protein powder, which tastes flat alone.
Flour - whole wheat pastry is what I use, for whole grain nutrition with a light crumb. All-purpose or 1:1 gluten free work just as well.
- TIP: Measure by weight, not by cup. If you go whole wheat, make it the pastry version - regular whole wheat makes this dense.
Vanilla Whey-Casein Protein Powder for protein and most of the sweetness. I use Quest Nutrition, because the whey-casein blend holds moisture where straight whey isolate bakes up dry. My marbled protein banana bread uses the same blend for the same reason - it's the difference between a moist bake and a dry one.
- Sub: Plant based vanilla protein like KOS works, but add a little stevia and a splash more vanilla extract to cut the earthy flavor.
- Sub: A whey isolate protein powder, but reduce the Greek yogurt to ½ cup for this option.
Unflavored Protein Powder replaces a chunk of the flour, which is where the carbs came out. I use KOS.
- Sub: Replace it with ½ cup flour, and reduce the Greek yogurt to ⅔ cup.
Coconut Flour - a little absorbs the extra liquid from the yogurt and keeps the middle from going wet.
- Sub: Use ⅓ cup flour in its place.
Baking Powder for lift. Check the date - a protein batter is heavy, and tired baking powder means a flat loaf.
Cinnamon for just a little warmth in the background.

high protein banana bread with greek yogurt

Ingredient Swaps and Adaptations

Gluten-Free

Use a 1:1 gluten free baking flour by weight. Keep the coconut flour as is, and check your protein powder is certified.

Dairy Free

For a no-dairy version, use a thick plant based yogurt - coconut or almond, not the drinkable kind - and plant based protein powder for both.

Vegan

Flax eggs, plant based yogurt and plant based protein powder. Flax eggs make a denser loaf, so cool it fully before slicing.

How to Make Moist Protein Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt

No oil, no blender, no creaming butter and sugar. Two bowls.

Step 1: Prep the pan: Preheat to 350°F, line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment or foil, and grease it. I use USA Pan.

Step 2: Blend the wet ingredients: Mash the bananas with a hand mixer, then add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth. The mixer breaks the banana down past what a fork manages and whips air into the yogurt - and that air is doing a lot of the work the oil used to do.

Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, both protein powders, coconut flour, baking powder and cinnamon together. Use an actual whisk, not a spoon - coconut flour and protein powder both clump, and those clumps will not bake out.

Step 4: Fold, don't stir: Add the dry mix into the wet and fold until the dry streaks disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, and with two protein powders you'll end up with something gummy and dense.

Add wet mix to dry — Whisk dry ingredients

Step 5: Bake in two stages: Bake 30 minutes, then loosely tent the top with foil and bake another 20 to 25 minutes. Since an oil-free loaf has less protection up top, the tent is the difference between a soft crust and a dry one.

Step 6: Cool before slicing: Rest it in the pan 15 minutes, lift it out by the lining, then cool on a rack. Otherwise, cutting a warm protein loaf tears it.

Tips for the Best Healthy Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt

Weigh the flour. This is genuinely the biggest reason two people can follow the same recipe and get completely different results.
Room temperature yogurt and eggs. Cold yogurt won't blend into mashed banana, and you'll find streaks in the baked loaf.
Don't rush the bananas. Spotted isn't black. This is a Greek yogurt banana bread with no sugar added, so the bananas carry the sweetness.
If you want to speed things up, I do the same oven trick for my protein gingerbread banana bread too.
Be sure to tent it since the top goes hard ten minutes before the center sets.

Storage

Room temperature: Tightly wrapped or airtight, 3 to 4 days.

Fridge: Airtight container, up to 1 week.

Freezer: Up to 3 months, wrapped in plastic then bagged. Freeze whole or sliced, then thaw on the counter.

Variations

Chocolate chip: Fold sugar free chocolate chips into the batter. I use Lily's dark chips.
Peanut butter swirl: Warm peanut butter until runny and swirl it through the top before baking. I use American Dream Nut Butter, code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount.
Muffins: Divide into a lined muffin pan and check at 20 to 22 minutes.

And if you want even more ideas, my loaf recipes have a lot worth trying.

FAQ

How much protein is in this Greek yogurt banana bread?

Each thick slice has 9.9g of protein and 113 calories, with 1.8g of fat and 3.9g of sugar. The loaf makes 10 slices, so just under 100g of protein total - from the protein powders, the Greek yogurt and the eggs.

Is this protein banana bread sugar free?

No maple syrup, no sweetener of any kind. The 3.9g of sugar per slice is entirely from the bananas, so this is a healthy banana bread with yogurt and no sugar added - not a zero sugar recipe.

Why use Greek yogurt in banana bread instead of oil?

Greek yogurt brings moisture and acidity where oil brings moisture and fat, but it also adds protein. Dropping the oil took this loaf to 1.8g of fat a slice - a quarter of the original.

Why is my protein banana bread gummy or dense?

This is almost always overmixing. Flour develops gluten fast and protein powder tightens the crumb further, so folding past the point where the dry streaks vanish costs you the texture. The other culprit is regular whole wheat rather than the pastry version.

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