As a dietitian, I love a healthier sweet treat for when I want something indulgent, without needing a post-snack nap. This cottage cheese banana bread is one of my favorites! With more protein, extra fiber, and less sugar than your usual coffee shop loaf, it’s a decadent but balanced snack you can enjoy any time of day.
“Obsessed with this recipe! The banana bread came out super moist and we couldn’t tell at all that there was cottage cheese in it. My new go-to recipe!!”
Explore my library of healthy baked goods! If you love cottage cheese, try my chocolate cottage cheese muffins, viral cottage cheese blueberry pancakes, or high-protein chocolate mousse. Or, check out my healthy lemon loaf or gluten-free pumpkin bread.
Recipe Highlights
- Dietitian-designed. This recipe is created by a masters-trained Registered Dietitian to maximize nutrition and minimize added sugars and fats, without sacrificing flavor.
- Extra filling. Thanks to its low sugar content and several nutritious ingredients like cottage cheese and whole wheat flour, this banana bread has extra protein and fiber to keep you full for longer. Explore more high-protein recipes or fiber-packed recipes.
- Moist and decadent. It’s nutritionally balanced, but it doesn’t taste like it! This recipe makes a sweet, moist, and satisfying banana bread that you’d never guess was healthy.
Key Ingredients And Swaps
- Ripe bananas: The riper your bananas, the more moist and sweet your banana bread. Make sure you’re using super ripe bananas that have lots of brown spots. If they’re still mostly yellow (or green!), wait a few more days before baking. If you love banana, try my chocolate banana muffins, blender banana muffins, or banana oatmeal pancakes.
- Butter: Feel free to swap melted butter for avocado oil or olive oil, if preferred.
- Whole wheat and white flour: You’ll use a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for a tender banana bread with some extra fiber. Feel free to substitute gluten-free all purpose flour if needed. For more recipes with whole wheat flour, try my cinnamon crunch banana bread or whole wheat blueberry muffins.
- Cottage cheese: Non-fat cottage cheese is too watery to bake with, so stick with 2% or whole milk varieties. If you’re worried about its texture, don’t be! The cottage cheese gets blended until smooth, and you won’t notice it in the final loaf.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
Step 1: Blend cottage cheese with other wet ingredients.
Step 2: Whisk together dry ingredients separately.
Step 3: Gently mix wet and dry ingredients together, and stir in chocolate chips.
Step 4: Transfer to a parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 F.
Miranda’s Tips
Tips For The Best Banana Bread
Cottage cheese and whole wheat flour can be tricky ingredients to bake with! For the perfect banana bread, follow these important tips:
- Don’t over-mix. Whole wheat flour can be easily over-worked, resulting in a tough and dry banana bread. Mix your batter until just combined, and no more.
- Use higher fat cottage cheese: The fat is important for moisture, and non-fat cottage cheese is too watery. Stick to 2% or whole milk varieties when baking.
- Wait until bananas are extremely ripe. For healthier baking recipes, the ripeness of your bananas becomes even more important for a sweet and moist loaf. Make sure you’re using very brown and spotty bananas – if they’re still mostly yellow or green, wait a few days before baking.
- Measure ingredients carefully. Make sure to measure your flours using the spoon and level method. If you don’t, you’ll use too much and end up with a dry loaf.
- Don’t over-mix. Whole wheat flour can be easily over-worked, resulting in a tough and dry banana bread. Mix your batter until just combined, and no more.
Storage and Freezer Instructions
Eating within three days? Keep your cottage cheese banana bread in a sealed container or bag at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate, or the structure of your loaf will change and your banana bread will toughen. Microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
Prefer to freeze? Let your banana bread cool to room temperature, then slice and store in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, defrost on the counter overnight, and gently microwave for 10-15 seconds right before eating to warm through.
Dietitian tip!💡 For better blood sugar balance, pair your cottage cheese banana bread with a scoop of natural peanut butter for healthy fats, or a handful of berries for fiber.
More Desserts With Cottage Cheese
High Protein Banana Pudding
Double Chocolate Cottage Cheese Muffins
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse
Oatmeal Banana Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
Equipment
- loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 inches)
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, make sure they're brown and spotty
- ¾ cup cottage cheese, use 2% or whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup white all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, reserve 2-3 Tbsp for topping
Instructions
- Position your oven rack to the middle and pre-heat to 350 F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add bananas, cottage cheese, and eggs to your blender. Blend until completely smooth, about 15-20 seconds.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in melted butter, vanilla extract, and sugar until smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips if desired, reserving 2-3 Tbsp.
- Pour your batter into the prepared loaf pan. Gently spread the batter to reach the edges of the pan with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cottage cheese banana bread is golden brown and completely set. A toothpick placed into the center of the bread should come out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 15-minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Let it cool to room temperature before slicing, and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts calculated with chocolate chips included.
- Use the spoon and level method to measure flour to avoid using too much.
- Be very careful not to over-mix your batter, or your banana bread may be tough and dry.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Definitely moist amd delicious. I will make this again.
Probably a dumb question but I have to ask! Is there a reason that you should not just add the ingredients in #4 to the blender with #2? Just trying to save on dishes!
Not a dumb question at all!! The reason we don’t add those dry ingredients to the blender is because the flour can be over-worked and may create a dry and tough banana bread. You want to be gentle when that’s added in. 🙂
This has become my go-to banana bread recipe! I was wondering if you have a suggestion on how to make it into muffins instead?
I’m so glad you love it! You can totally make this into muffins — I would recommend using liners though! They’ll need significantly less baking time than the full loaf, so I’d start with 15-18 minutes at 350 F. Continue to bake as needed until a toothpick comes out mostly clean!
I swapped out the butter for olive oil & used brown instead white sugar. Turned out really well. Delicious, simple make.
I used gluten free flour delicious!
Added 1 pint of blueberries and 1 lemon juiced and zested to make lemon blueberry flavored! So good
Delicious 😋 I love the added protein with the cottage cheese. Can’t even tell it’s in there.
2nd recipe I’ve tried of yours and does not disappoint. Thank you!
Hi! I want to try this recipe but I only have the 97% fat free cottage cheese. I wonder how it will turn out if I use that one. Help please!
Should be okay, but I can’t say for certain since I haven’t tested it!
This came out great! I didn’t have any all-purpose flour so I used all whole wheat, and it still came out super moist and fluffy. Really good.
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed.