Kodiak Cakes Protein Banana Bread

Last Updated on December 13, 2022 by Kayla

Inspired by my family’s banana bread with sour cream, this high-protein Kodiak Cakes banana bread recipe uses Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes baking mix^.

One serving of this protein banana bread with Kodiak mix has about 12 grams of protein – more than 5x the amount compared to a standard banana bread recipe!

One of my favorite parts about this recipe is that it uses one bowl, so clean-up is a breeze, and in about an hour, your home will be lofting with the smell of fresh baked goodies!

Use any of the Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes^ flavors for this recipe – they are all fantastic!

Unripe versus ripened bananas

First of all, why use overripe bananas for baking?

Green or unripe bananas contain a higher proportion of starch compared to ripe bananas. According to healthline.com, unripe bananas have 70-80% starch compared to ripened bananas which have just 1% starch.

In simple terms, starch is comprised of many glucose, or sugar, molecules linked together. Over time, starch breaks down into simple sugars, or single sugar units, resulting in a ripe, more sweet banana – perfect for baking.

How to ripen bananas in the air fryer

If you’ve got the hankering to bake and don’t have ripe bananas, no worries. I’ve got you covered. Below are two techniques – one for the air fryer and one for a conventional oven.

To ripen bananas in the air fryer:

1. Preheat air fryer to 300F.
2. Arrange bananas in a single layer.
3. Cook for 12-15 minutes until blackened and bubbly.
4. Cool before handling, about 10 minutes.

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can ripen bananas in the oven. Preheat to 300F and cook bananas on a rimmed baking sheet for about 30 minutes until the skins turn black.

My absolute favorite baking sheets are the Nordic Ware half sheet pans^. I use them several times per week. They are perfect for roasting vegetables, and they clean up well – no parchment paper or aluminum foil required!

Freezing overripe bananas

If you have overripe bananas but don’t have the time or energy to make scrum-diddly-umptious baked goods, freeze them for later use.

Simply peel bananas, place in a freezer bag or container and wa-laa!

I love having extra frozen bananas, so when the temptation comes about, I can whip up this recipe with just a handful of other staple ingredients. Enjoy!

My aunt posted this on Facebook, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud! I don’t have kids, but this scenario is still very real in our house. Don’t let this be you, or at least put those overripe ‘nanners to good use!

Parenting is buying 4 bananas and watching them get eaten in one day.
Then buying 8 bananas and watching them rot on your counter because “no one likes bananas.”

Source unknown

If you still have a surplus of overripe bananas after making this high protein banana bread, check out my Kodiak Cakes Blueberry Muffins recipe where you have the option to substitute bananas.