Cottage Cheese Banana Bread combines the creamy goodness of cottage cheese with sweet ripe bananas, resulting in a moist, protein-packed loaf. Ready in just under an hour, this easy-to-make bread will become your new go-to recipe for using up those overripe bananas while sneaking in some extra protein.
Save This Recipe! 📧
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again — I was never a fan of banana bread until I made my Almond Butter Banana Bread! I always found it either too dry, too dense, or too sweet, that is of course, until I started testing recipes for myself. I'm here to tell you this recipe is a winner, it passed the taste test by my banana bread-loving husband and neighbors — and I know you will love it too!
It may seem strange to add cottage cheese to this recipe, but it melts into the batter as it bakes, adding extra moisture and a boost of protein. Even if you are not a fan of cottage cheese, you won't even know it's there!
If you are looking for more cottage cheese recipes check out my Cottage Cheese Alfredo, Cottage Cheese Queso, Cottage Cheese Mousse, or Cottage Cheese Pizza Bowls.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Added Protein: It's an easy way to get an extra boost of protein in this recipe without having to use protein powder. It's the perfect sweet treat!
- Fluffy Texture: This bread is moist with a tender crumb, no dry banana bread here!
- Easy To Make: With simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, this recipe comes out perfect every time!
- Versatile: Enjoy this as written or feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, or even mini chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese: The unsung hero! It's amazing how much moisture this adds to the bread. I recommend using full-fat cottage cheese as opposed to low fat cottage cheese or fat-free. You will want to look for a good quality brand such as Good Culture.
- Bananas: This is the perfect way to use up any extra bananas you have lying around. Be sure to use spotted bananas, if you use bananas that are not quite ripe, you won't have the natural sweetness that is needed to flavor the bread.
- Eggs: Look for organic, pasture-raised eggs.
- Unsalted Butter: If you don't want to use butter you can use ghee or even melted coconut oil.
- Coconut Sugar: I've tested this recipe using maple syrup instead of coconut sugar, but it's not quite the same. Coconut sugar is a great replacement for regular granulated sugar, but I love that it's not refined.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds an extra subtle sweetness that I love. If you don't have vanilla extract you can use vanilla bean paste.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Gluten-Free 1:1 baking flour works great in this recipe. If you are not gluten-free, feel free to use regular all-purpose flour.
- Almond Flour: You will want to use super fine almond flour. It will yield a lighter and fluffier bread.
- Sea Salt: Sea salt helps bring all the flavors together. Make sure you use a good quality pink Himalayan sea salt.
- Baking Soda: You are going to use baking soda, NOT baking powder!
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a nice warmth and hint of spice to this bread.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variaitons
- Flour: You can swap the almond four for oat flour, however your bread may turn out dense. You can also use regular all-purpose flour for the whole recipe if you are not gluten-free.
- Dairy-Free: If you are looking to make this dairy-free, you can use dairy-free and coconut oil or plant-based butter.
- Add-Ins: Fold in your favorite chocolate chips, pecans, or walnuts for an added sweetness or texture.
- Sugar: If you don't have coconut sugar, you can swap it for brown sugar, maple syrup, or even honey.
- Cottage Cheese: Even though cottage cheese is the secret ingredient, you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your loaf pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.
Step 2. In a small bowl add the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
Step 3. Add your cottage cheese to a food processor and pulse it until smooth.
Step 4. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork until somewhat smooth.
Step 5. Add the whipped cottage cheese, eggs, cooled melted butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla to the mashed bananas and mix until combined.
Step 6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until combined, but do not overmix.
Step 7. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Slice a banana lengthwise and place it on top of the batter. Sprinkle a little bit of additional coconut sugar on top of the banana and batter.
Step 8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the banana bread to cool on a wire rack, then cut into individual slices and enjoy.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Spray Your Loaf Pan: Spraying your loaf pan with oil will help the parchment paper stick! This makes it much easier to pour the batter into the pan, and it also makes for easy removal and clean-up once it's cooked.
- Use Spotty Bananas: The ripeness of your banana does play a huge role in how your bread turns out. You want your bananas to be pretty spotty, but not so ripe that they are completely brown.
- Don't Overmix: Overmixing your batter can lead to a dense bread. You want to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients only until they are just combined.
Serving suggestions for Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
This banana bread can be served as a quick snack or dessert. Serve alongside any of the following:
- Drizzle of honey or a little butter
- Fresh Fruit
- Cup Of Coffee
- Iced Maple Latte
- Pumpkin Spiced Latte
- Peppermint Matcha Latte
- Homemade Cashew Milk
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Wrap any leftovers in plastic and place them in an airtight container. You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Individually wrap slices in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, place in a 250-degree oven for 5 minutes or until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Instead of pouring the batter into a loaf pan, you can use muffin tins. You will need to reduce the bake time slightly as the cottage cheese muffins will have a shorter baking time.
No, you won't even notice it's there! That's also why I recommend blending it first so you don't have cottage cheese curds in the bread.
You can, but I highly recommend using full-fat instead, as the additional fat helps with the texture and richness.
More Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Cottage Cheese Banana Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup Cottage Cheese
- 3 Bananas ripe
- 2 Eggs
- 4 tablespoons Butter melted
- ¼ cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 ½ cups Gluten-Free Flour
- ½ cup Almond Flour
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your loaf pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl add the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
- Add your cottage cheese to a food processor and pulse it until smooth.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork until somewhat smooth.
- Add the whipped cottage cheese, eggs, cooled melted butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla to the mashed bananas and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until combined, but do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Slice a banana lengthwise and place it on top of the batter. Sprinkle a little bit of additional coconut sugar on top of the banana and batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the banana bread to cool on a wire rack, then cut into individual slices and enjoy.
Notes
- Spray Your Loaf Pan: Spraying your loaf pan with oil will help the parchment paper stick! This makes it much easier to pour the batter into the pan, and it also makes for easy removal and clean-up once it's cooked.
- Use Spotty Bananas: The ripeness of your banana does play a huge role in how your bread turns out. You want your bananas to be pretty spotty, but not so ripe that they are completely brown.
- Don't Overmix: Overmixing your batter can lead to a dense bread. You want to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients only until they are just combined.
Nadia says
I'm so excited about this recipe. Our family loves this banana bread and I know you will too! Enjoy!